Environmental Science (ENS)
ENS 501 Environmental Assessment and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Preparation (4 credits)
This course provides students with the skills to allow them to evaluate baseline site environmental conditions and to determine how these conditions will be impacted by various projects. Students will learn how to obtain environmental information and do field research. Environmental regulations that require the preparation of environmental impact statements will be discussed. Students will be presented with “real world” scenarios by environmental consultants, town planners and environmental lawyers. A class project will involve preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a mock scenario.
ENS 505 Conservation Biology (3 credits)
This course covers the scientific bases for conservation and other applied problems in animal biology. Broad principles are presented as are methods used in conservation biology.
ENS 506 Wildlife Ecology (3 credits)
This course provides a discussion of various topics and issues in wildlife ecology. Topics include population ecology, dispersal, behavior, food and habitat resources, competition, predation, diseases, urban wildlife, and sustainability of wildlife resources.
ENS 511 - Plant Ecology and Conservation (3 credits)
This course examines the relationships between plants and the environment they share with other organisms. Topics discussed include patterns of distribution and abundance and factors affecting them. Discussions on photosynthesis and resources emphasize the distinctive manners by which plants interact with their environment. Conservation issues, human use of plants by both indigenous cultures and economically as food, medicines and building materials are discussed.
ENS 605 / PAA 605 Ethics and Leadership (3 credits)
This is a course that is currently part of the curriculum for the Master of Public Administration. It is designed to make students aware of their responsibility as professionals in leadership or administrative positions in our complex society. Individual values and normative choices associated with the implementation of public policy will be discussed. Social, legal and economic realities will be examined in light of philosophical arguments. Case studies and current examples relevant to government, health care, environmental science and nonprofit organizations will be used as practical applications of ethical precepts and conduct.
ENS 610 - Environmental Science I (3 credits)
This course will introduce the new environmental science graduate student to the many areas this discipline encompasses. Each lecture will present materials from a different field of study that forms the basis of environmental science. This course is more concerned with the physical aspects of environmental science. However, all these pieces interact in a web, so there is no clear-cut delineation of biological versus physical. Topics covered include geology, soils, hydrology, meteorology, sewage treatment, water supply, recycling, and garbage-to-energy.
ENS 611 - Environmental Science II (3 credits)
The course will explore how human activities have and currently are impacting both the biota of the planet and the processes that maintain the integrity of ecosystems. We will discuss species extinction, distributional patterns of biodiversity and biodiversity hotspots, biodiversity scenarios for the future and strategies for conserving biodiversity. Additional topics include the value of biodiversity, habitat alteration, nitrogen pollution, acid rain, invasive species, and climate change.
ENS 622 Quantitative Methods in Environmental Science (4 credits)
Students will survey principles of sampling methodology, testing protocols, analytical tools and data evaluation, as applied to environmental problems. This will prepare them to participate as team members in their own and others' projects.
ENS 624 / PAA 624 Environmental Science Policy, Ethics and Sustainability (3 credits)
The history of environmental policy development will be covered. The methods for environmental policy development and implementation on the local level will be explored. Scientific, policy and regulatory contexts for risk assessment will be explored. The student will learn how to identify and assess risks, to integrate technical information into decision-making, to communicate risk and to develop solutions. There will be mock debates in which students represent different sides of an argument in the area of environmental risk assessment and management. Social, legal and economic realities will be examined in light of philosophical arguments related to the environment. Case studies and current examples will be used as practical applications of ethical precepts and conduct.
ENS 625 Environmental Science Communication (3 credits)
This course is designed to facilitate communication between scientists and the public. It involves discussions on how to effectively communicate scientific information, both orally and in written form, to expert and lay audiences. There will be case studies involving the presentation of scientific data that was done well and some that could have been improved. Participants will learn how to organize, prepare and deliver a slide presentation. Participants will learn to avoid common pitfalls that afflict many public speakers. Issues of plagiarism will be discussed and methods of doing research will be unveiled. The proper and standard way of conducting research for an environmental science thesis or project will be emphasized. Students will prepare and deliver several talks throughout the semester and deliver these talks to their fellow students.
ENS 630 Ecological and Microbiological Methods (4 credits)
Basic concepts of ecology will be reviewed with an emphasis on the ecosystem approach. A component of the course will introduce the techniques used to investigate the fundamental role of microorganisms in the ecosystem.
ENS 650 Environmental Law (3 credits)
This course is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the several major environmental statures and regulations in the US and New York State. Lectures provide an overview of basic constitutional law, the political process by which laws are enacted, the judicial process in which laws are interpreted, constitutional standards are applied and rights are adjudicated.
ENS 651 Research Methods for Ecological Field Studies (3 credits)
This course reviews the manner in which biological data are collected, analyzed and reported so that informed decisions about ecosystem management and conservation may be made. The course has both classroom and field components and will explore the techniques used to study important phenomena in field ecology, such as territory and home range estimates, population dynamics, GIS mapping and genetic analyses.
ENS 696 Special Topics in Environmental Science (4 credits)
This course offers the opportunity to study special topics of current interest in the field of environmental science. For example, a recent offering involved procedures for preparing environmental impact documents.
ENS 696D Graduate Ecology (4 credits)
Ecology is the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms in the natural world and of the processes that generate these patterns. Biology 696 will cover fundamental ecological concepts, from a theoretical and empirical perspective, at the level of individuals, populations, communities, ecosystems, and the global environment. We will study how energy and materials move through ecosystems, succession, interactions among organisms such as parasitism, predation, competition, and mutualism, learn how organisms have adapted to challenges posed by their physical environment and explore how interactions between organisms and their physical environment shape our natural world. Material in the textbook will be extensively supplemented with information from the original literature. Assigned articles will form the basis of in depth, student-led, discussions following lecture. During the semester, schedules permitting, we will attend one or more seminars at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York. A term paper is required.
ENS 699 Special Topics in Environmental Science (3-4 credits)
This course provides an in depth analysis and discussion of specific topics that are not part of the standard course offerings of the Program. Topics vary from semester to semester.
ENS 721 Advanced Environmental Testing (4 credits)
The analysis of environmental samples is studied from the acquisition of representative samples, through sample handling, chain of custody, sample storage, analytical method selection, analysis, data collection, reduction and treatment, method validation, and report writing. Interaction with client to discuss the data obtained is stressed. Includes field trips.
ENS 730 Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology (4 credits)
This course will explore the relationships between microorganisms and the environment. Emphasis will be given to the fundamentals of biotechnology, the significance of microorganisms in its development, and the increasing importance of genetically engineered microorganisms to the restoration and preservation of the environment.
ENS 731 Field Botany and Vegetation Analysis (4 credits)
This course is a systematic examination of the flora of the Northeastern United States with emphasis on diagnostics for identification of family and to specializations to habitat. All northeastern biomes are visited, analyzed, and sampled. Techniques of collection and analysis of data are strongly weighted. Statistical manipulations of data are discussed in reference to data application. Students also address problems of distribution, dispersal, pollination, and adaptation. Recognition of representative species of some 150 families is required. Several field trips are required and one weekend visit to a State Park or Botanical Garden is usually part of the lab experience. The problems of Natural Heritage species status are addressed and the legalities of collecting and habitat protection are stressed. A final project is used to assess mastery and the student will present findings and justify statistical applications during the last class.
ENS 732 Research I (3 credits)
Research credits are required of all graduate students. A student may choose to do a 3-credit project-based thesis or a 6-credit research thesis. This will be done under the supervision of a faculty member of the GPES and follow the guidelines as outlined in the Graduate Manual.
ENS 733 Research II (3 credits)
This is an optional continuation of research begun in ENS 732.
ENS 740 Environmental Toxicology and Pathology (4 credits)
This course deals with the basic and applied aspects of toxicology and pathology. It includes those principles most frequently invoked in a full understanding of toxicological events, such as dose-response relationships, and is primarily mechanistically oriented. An additional major focus is on the site of action of toxins. Toxic agents are grouped by chemical and/or use characteristics.
ENS 760 Waste Management, Site Remediation and Land Reuse (4 credits)
Prerequisites: ENS 610, 611. This course will investigate how public entities handle solid wastes as well as land that has been disturbed by former use. Westchester County is a prime example of a public entity that has gone to great lengths to integrate solid waste management systems, and Westchester will be the “laboratory” for this course. The class will have the opportunity to visit several working waste treatment facilities, including the County Recycling Center, a metals recycler, a composting operation, a wastewater treatment plant and some brownfield sites. Remediating sites that have been contaminated will be addressed, and brownfield legislation and facilitation to resolve problems will trace how a contaminated site can be reclaimed through legislative and administrative processes.
ENS 770 Environmental Impact of Power Generation and Usage (4 credits)
The environmental impact of the various methods of power generation. Consideration of nuclear, fossil fuel, hydroelectric, wind, and solar generation of electric power. Impact of obtaining, using, and disposing of fuels. Control and minimization of pollution from chemicals and radioactive substances. Thermal pollution. Impact on land of power production and transmission. Consideration of the impact of normal procedures and of accidents.
ENS 780 Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems (4 credits)
This course allows students to have a better concept of how data about spatial information can be used to analyze and solve environmental, economic, social and business questions. The popular desktop GIS programs, ArcView and ArcGIS are used as the platforms. GIS is an integrated computer-based system designed to capture, store, edit, analyze and display geographic information. There are many applications in state and local governments, in consulting agencies, environmental planning agencies and education. US census data provides students with information about demographics, in order to relate them to environmental and societal conditions.
ENS 790 Environmental Science Seminar (1 credit)
This one-credit course creates a forum for faculty at Pace and specialists in other fields to speak to the students about their work and expose the students to the larger world of environmental science.
ENS 798 Independent Study in Environmental Science (3 credits)
With the approval of the academic advisor and research mentor, students may select a topic for guided work that is not included in the regular course offerings. The student must meet regularly with the faculty member overseeing the course. A paper must be submitted.
ENS 799 Research (3 credits)
In consultation with the program director of the Environmental Science program, the student will select a research advisor from among either resident faculty, or scientists located at businesses or other institutions in the area. A thesis committee consisting of the research advisor and at least two other faculty will be formulated to guide the research. The student, in consultation with his/her advisor and committee, will identify an environmental research problem, propose an interdisciplinary solution and carry out the research to test that solution. The research will lead to the completion of a written thesis prepared in proper scientific format which must be defended before the student's thesis committee. This course must be taken twice.
Note: Some courses may not be offered each semester. Some courses run only once per academic year, or every other academic year. Search the class schedule for current offerings.
