EVSS Specializations
These are ideas of potential courses and faculty to constitute these “specializations,” but every student develops a personalized program of study that best meets their project’s needs. Click on a specialization for more information about relevant classes, current student research, and professors:
Natural Resource Management
Environmental Policy, Planning, and Administration
Coastal and Marine Management
Environmental Education
Environment and Human Health
Environmental Sciences
Geospatial Analysis
Hazards Management
Sustainability Studies
Natural Resource Management
Core Courses:
EVSS 650 ENERGY PRODUCTION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: A study of the nature of energy and scientific issues relating to its production, storage, distribution and use from a physics perspective. Production methods to be studied include: Hydroelectric, fossil fuel, fission, fusion, wind, photovoltaic, biomass and solar-dynamic. Scientific issues will be related to the cultural and philosophical framework surrounding energy infrastructure and policy.
EVSS 541 POLLUTION IN THE ENVIRONMENT: This course focuses on theoretical and quantitative skills required to assess how natural and anthropogenic factors influence pollutant behavior in Earth’s near-surface environments, including fresh water and soils. Laboratory focuses on assessing pollutants in various environmental media using appropriate analytical techniques.
EVSS 610 ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY: This course emphasizes the application of fundamental toxicological and microbiological concepts to problems which exist in the real world. The course should prepare the student interested in environmental problems with the necessary practical information to make sound judgments in assessing meaningful solutions to existing environmental problems.
Elective Courses:
EVSS 630 NATURAL RESOURCE LAW AND POLICY: This course is about the laws and policy that regulate and affect the use of natural resources. This course includes an introduction to the administrative law of federal agencies that regulate the use of public lands and resources.
EVSS 538 INTRODUCTORY HYDROGEOLOGY: Course provides introduction to quantitative nature of water flow within geologic media. Discuss significance of water flow theory and the dynamics of many natural flow systems in geologic settings. Quantitative analysis of water resources in a decision-making format.
EVSS 637 ECONOMIES, CULTURES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE: This course critically examines the economic relationship between humans and their environments, focusing on the politically volatile nature of natural resource governance in First and Third World contexts. We will focus on the intersection between capitalist political economy and subsistence cultures, and how their differences affect the politics of environmental governance. Student will develop skills in analyzing the political economy and broaden their understanding how social systems interact with ecological systems.
EVSS 506 CONSERVATION BIOLOGY: A course exploring the origin, maintenance, and preservation of biodiversity at all levels: genetic, population, community, ecosystem and biosphere. The focus will be on applying ecological, genetic, and evolutionary principles to problems in conservation. Optional field trips will make use of the rich biota of the Charleston area.
Roster Professors:
Tim Callahan, Ph.D., hydrogeology, wetlands, water resources
Norm Levine, Ph.D., geospatial analysis
Matthew Nowlin, Ph.D., environmental policy and politics, research methods
Annette Watson, Ph.D., human-environment geography
David Whitaker, M.S., resource management/policy, marine biology
Adjunct Professors:
Christopher Ellis, Ph.D.: human dimensions of coastal resource management
Michael Keating, B.A.: natural resource governance
April Turner, M.A.: coastal resource management and policy
David Whitaker, M.S.: resource management/policy, marine biology
Sample Student Research:
Claire O'Loughlin EVSS Thesis: "Characterizing and Modeling Nutrient Dynamics in Lake Environments"
Environmental Policy, Planning, and Administration
Core Courses:
EVSS 601 ECONOMIC THEORY FOR POLICY ANALYSIS: This course covers the application of microeconomic theories to the analysis of contemporary public sector issues, with an emphasis on environmental problems. Attention is given to the conceptual and practical problems associated with resource allocation decisions when there is conflict among efficiency, equity and limited information in policy making. The foundations of welfare economics and applications of cost-benefit analysis as they relate to specific environmental policies and programs are examined as well.
EVSS 602 PUBLIC POLICY: This course seeks to develop a firm understanding of the public policy making process in the United States. Students study policy making though various perspectives on implementation. The roles of major institutions including the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government, the bureaucracy and interest groups in this process are addressed. Integrated within this study of the process are various perspectives and interpretations of policy making, including incrementalism, rationalism, pluralism and elitism. Selected areas of public policy, including transportation, poverty, energy and the environment are used to illustrate both the process and the different perspectives.
Elective Courses:
EVSS 605 ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & REGULATORY POLICY: This course concentrates on the development of environmental laws and regulations in this country. The course is taught by an attorney and will help students develop an understanding of the scope and substance of environmental laws and the methods by which these statutes address environmental issues using different regulatory techniques.
EVSS 606 WILDLIFE LAW: The course goes beyond the Endangered Species Act to look at other U.S. statutes dealing with wildlife, as well as international treaties and conventions. Topics include public and private interests in wildlife, protection for biodiversity and ecosystems, federal land issues, perhaps some state fish and game law administration, fisheries, and definitely, international wildlife law. This course is of particular interest to students interested in fisheries, turtles, dolphins and endangered species conservation. There are no prerequisites. Although a standard law school casebook will be used, suitable for a graduate level course, it is not necessary to have had a prior law class.
EVSS 607 ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: A study of the legislative, adjudicatory, and general policy-making powers of administrative agencies and regulatory commissions, and the scope of judicial review of administrative action. The course is directed primarily toward an analysis of the political nature of the bureaucracy, and secondarily toward the procedural requirements for administrative policy-making.
EVSS 630 NATURAL RESOURCE LAW AND POLICY: This course is about the laws and policy that regulate and affect the use of natural resources. This course includes an introduction to the administrative law of federal agencies that regulate the use of public lands and resources.
EVSS 635 LAND USE LAW: This course examines zoning and land use control in the United States and incorporates illustrations and cases from South Carolina in particular. It focuses on enabling legislation for local governments, regulation, the process of development, eminent domain, contract and conditional zoning, and enforcement and violation of land use regulations.
EVSS 633 HISTORY AND THEORY OF AMERICAN URBAN PLANNING: This course addresses the historical and theoretical underpinnings of urban and regional planning in the United States as it has evolved since the mid-nineteenth century. This course serves as a vehicle to examine the changing nature of the relationship between planning and urban economic development and public policy.
EVSS 651 RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS: This course examines the conduct and use of applied research in environmental organizations. Topics include the role of scientific information in policy definition and administration, the use and misuse of research data, the prospects for meaningful program evaluation and policy learning, and the influence of alternative organizational structures on the use of information.
EVSS 695 URBAN PLANNING: This course analyzes contemporary issues/problems in the urban arena and the role of planning in implementing solutions to them. An overview of urbanization and the planning process is given to begin the semester. The majority of the time, however, is spent on studying a variety of issues from economic development through the environment to homelessness. The emphasis is on connecting planning and what planners do with ideas and events in the larger society; less time is spent on dates and names of federal programs and specifics of the planning process. Students are expected to achieve a knowledge of contemporary urban issues, potential planning solutions, and apply this information to an empirical study in the metropolitan Charleston area.
EVSS 679 ECONOMIES, CULTURES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE: This course critically examines the economic relationship between humans and their environments, focusing on the politically volatile nature of natural resource governance in First and Third World contexts. We will focus on the intersection between capitalist political economy and subsistence cultures, and how their differences affect the politics of environmental governance. Student will develop skills in analyzing the political economy and broaden their understanding how social systems interact with ecological systems.
Roster Professors:
Matt Gorstein, M.S., environmental economics
Calvin Blackwell, Ph.D., economics
Matthew Nowlin, Ph.D.: environmental policy and politics, research methods
Kendra Stewart, Ph.D.: public administration
Barry Stiefel, Ph.D., community planning and historic preservation
Annette Watson, Ph.D.: human environmental geography
Adjunct Professors:
Elizabeth Fly, Ph.D.: coastal climate extension and communication
Susan Lovelace, Ph.D., coastal policy
April Turner, M.A.: coastal resource management and policy
David Whitaker, M.S.: resource management/policy, marine biology
Russell Spears, Ph.D.: Business Administration and economics
Sample Student Research:
Caitlin Bolger EVSS/MPA Thesis: "Engaging Grass-Tops and Grass-Roots Stakeholders to Validate Environmental Justice Indicators: An Evaluation of the Charleston Climate Coalition's Environmental Justice Profile"
Coastal and Marine Management
Core Courses:
EVSS 610 ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY: This course emphasizes the application of fundamental toxicological and microbiological concepts to problems which exist in the real world. The course should prepare the student interested in environmental problems with the necessary practical information to make sound judgments in assessing meaningful solutions to existing environmental problems.
EVSS 640 EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE: This course investigates the interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, ice, solid-Earth and biological systems. Students will study the evolution of solid-Earth, the formation of the atmosphere and oceans, and the origin of life. Rate and scale of changes of the Earth's environment will be examined through an analysis of changing climates. Finally, the course examines human evolution and technological development to gain an understanding of human impacts on the global environment.
EVSS 541 POLLUTION IN THE ENVIRONMENT: This course focuses on theoretical and quantitative skills required to assess how natural and anthropogenic factors influence pollutant behavior in Earth’s near-surface environments, including fresh water and soils. Laboratory focuses on assessing pollutants in various environmental media using appropriate analytical techniques.
Elective Courses:
EVSS 519 BIOLOGY OF CORAL REEFS: An introduction to the biology and ecology of reef-building corals and coral reefs. Topics to be covered include coral ecology (nutrition, reproduction, growth, population structure), taxonomy and systematics, biogeography and reef-building processes. This course will also cover natural and human induced disturbances on coral reefs and discuss exploitation and coral reef management options.
EVSS 620 PHYSIOLOGY & CELL BIOLOGY OF MARINE ORGANISMS: A study of the regulatory mechanisms found in marine organisms especially as they relate to interactions between the organism and the environment. Mechanisms will be discussed at the organismal, organ-system, tissue, and cellular levels.
EVSS 622 ECOLOGY OF MARINE ORGANISMS: The study of living organisms in the marine environment - population and community ecology, reproduction and life histories, productivity, evolution and biogeography. A broad overview of these elements is followed by detailed consideration of major coastal and oceanic ecosystems around the world.
EVSS 623 PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY: A study of the physics and chemistry of ocean and estuarine water, circulation, waves, and tides. Lecture and laboratory work will emphasize the interrelationships of physical, chemical, geological, and biological processes in the sea.
EVSS 627 MARINE TETRAPOD BIOLOGY: This lecture, laboratory, and field course emphasizes both the diversity and common themes of the physiological, behavioral, and anatomical adaptations that characterize certain lineages of reptiles, birds, and mammals that exploit a wide array of marine habitats. Highlighting the faunas of South Carolina, we will evaluate marine tetrapods as models for advanced studies in evolution, physiology, behavior, ecology, and conservation.
EVSS 724 ICHTHYOLOGY: A study of fishes, emphasizing diversity and evolution, morphology, physiology, ecology, life histories, behavior, systematics and biogeography. Laboratory work will focus on groups important in the local fauna.
EVSS 726 FISHERIES SCIENCE: A general introduction to methods of harvesting aquatic resources and collection and evaluation of biological data to effectively manage these resources. Topics include age and growth analysis; mortality, recruitment, and yield; production and early life history; stock assessment techniques; and detailed study of certain important fisheries.
EVSS 695 APPLIED MARICULTURE: The overall objective of this course is to understand and implement the scientific method through experiential learning of the applications of oyster farming in South Carolina. The course will be split between field and class work, with an emphasis on data collection, data analysis and interpretation, field methods and the relationships the oyster farming industry has with the world around us.
EVSS 639 WETLANDS AND WATERSHEDS: Introduction to water flow and biogeochemical processes in wetland systems. Discuss the significance of hydrology in wetlands and importance of biogeochemical cycles on water quality in wetlands. Quantitative analysis of water budgets and biochemical cycles. Lectures and student-led seminars.
EVSS 746 AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY: An introduction to assessing the effects of toxic substances on aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Topics include general principles of toxicology, fate and transport models, quantitative structure-activity relationships, single-species and community-level toxicity measures, regulatory issues, and career opportunities. Examples will be drawn from marine, freshwater and brackish-water systems.
EVSS 549 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS: This course will cover spatial types and quality, data input operations, database management, data analysis, and software design concerns. We will also examine institutional and political concerns for using GIS. Computer-based GIS software (Unix, PC, and Mac) will be used throughout the course.
Roster Professors:
Barbara Beckingham, Ph.D.: environmental pollution, environmental engineering
Leslie Burdett Hart, Ph.D.: marine mammal health and disease, wildlife epidemiology
Giacomo DiTullio, Ph.D.: marine phytoplankton ecology
Phil Dustan, Ph.D.: coral reefs
Antony Harold, Ph.D.: phylogenetic systematics, biogeography and life history of marine and freshwater fisheries
Scott Harris, Ph.D.: coastal geology, seafloor mapping, near-surface geophysics, geoarchaeology
Norm Levine, Ph.D.: geospatial analysis
Craig Plante, Ph.D.: aquatic microbial ecology, benthic ecology, animal-microbe interactions
Gorka Sancho, Ph.D.: fish behavioral ecology and fisheries conservation
Paul Sandifer, Ph.D.: coastal ecology, marine policy and management, aquaculture, crustacean biology
Andrew Shedlock, Ph.D.: Genomics-enabled conservation of biodiversity; vertebrate ecology and evolution
Adjunct Professors:
Stacie Crowe, M.S.: benthic ecology, taxonomy of marine invertebrates, beach nourishment impacts
Christopher Ellis, Ph.D.: human dimensions of coastal resource management
Patricia Fair, Ph.D.: environmental toxicology, marine mammal health and disease
Dianne Greenfield, Ph.D.: marine and coastal phytoplankton ecology and physiology, harmful algal blooms, molecular ecology
Susan Lovelace, Ph.D.: coastal policy
Wayne McFee, M.S.: marine mammalogy, marine mammal strandings, pathology, dolphin/human interactions
Paul Pennington, Ph.D.: non-point source runoff in aquatic systems, coastal land use and population growth
Denise Sanger, Ph.D.: ecology, benthic ecology, ecotoxicology, water quality, stormwater
Virginia Shervette, Ph.D.: wetland/estuarine health and ecology, fisheries ecology
April Turner, M.A.: coastal resource management and policy
Andrew Tweel, Ph.D.: wetland and coastal landscape ecology, spatial analysis/modeling, stormwater, restoration science
David Whitaker, M.S.: resource management/policy, marine biology
Sample Student Research:
Kayli Paterson EVSS/MPA Thesis: "Evaluating the effectiveness of stormsewer inlets to capture microplastics and tire wear particles of varying densities in roadway runoff"
Kristin Horn EVSS Thesis: "Fish Do Grow on Trees: Analysis of deep-sea anglerfish immunogenomics using phylogenetic trees"
Environmental Education
Core Courses:
EVSS 611 INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY STUDIES: This class will offer an introductory review of the environmental and sustainability studies discipline and practice, including interdisciplinary scholarship, career opportunities, in public, nonprofit, and private sectors, and contemporary challenges in policy and administration.
Elective Courses:
EVSS 637 ECONOMIES, CULTURES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE: This course critically examines the economic relationship between humans and their environments, focusing on the politically volatile nature of natural resource governance in First and Third World contexts. We will focus on the intersection between capitalist political economy and subsistence cultures, and how their differences affect the politics of environmental governance. Student will develop skills in analyzing the political economy and broaden their understanding how social systems interact with ecological systems.
Roster Professors:
William Veal, Ph.D.: reform-based science education, cross-cultural learning of indigenous students
Leslie Sautter, Ph.D.: geoscience/marine science education, marine and coastal geology, marinepaleontology
Tracey Hunter-Doniger, Ph.D.: Creative arts in education
Adjunct Professors:
Elizabeth Vernon (E.V.) Bell, M.S.: marine science education
Susan Lovelace, Ph.D.: coastal policy
Julie Binz, M.S.: environmental education
Sample Student Research:
Hannah Infanti EVSS Thesis: "Navigating Coastal Conservation Careers: How to increase young students' interests in pursuing a coastal conservation career"
Environment and Human Health
Core Courses:
EVSS 640 EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE: This course investigates the interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, ice, solid-Earth and biological systems. Students will study the evolution of solid-Earth, the formation of the atmosphere and oceans, and the origin of life. Rate and scale of changes of the Earth's environment will be examined through an analysis of changing climates. Finally, the course examines human evolution and technological development to gain an understanding of human impacts on the global environment.
EVSS 541 POLLUTION IN THE ENVIRONMENT: This course focuses on theoretical and quantitative skills required to assess how natural and anthropogenic factors influence pollutant behavior in Earth’s near-surface environments, including fresh water and soils. Laboratory focuses on assessing pollutants in various environmental media using appropriate analytical techniques.
Elective Courses:
EVSS XXX: Ecosystem Services and Human Health
Roster Faculty:
Brian Bossak, Ph.D., geography, epidemiology
Leslie Burdett Hart, Ph.D., marine mammal health and disease, wildlife epidemiology
Paul Sandifer, Ph.D., coastal ecology, marine policy and management, aquaculture, crustacean biology
Matthew Nowlin, Ph.D., environmental policy and politics, research methods
Annette Watson, Ph.D., human-environment geography
Adjunct Faculty:
Zac Hart, M.S., A.B.D., ecosystem services and human health
Susan Lovelace, Ph.D., coastal policy
Sample Student Research:
Greg Rothman EVSS Thesis: "Investigating transmission of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) from invasive crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, to white shrimp, Penaeus setiferus"
Environmental Sciences
Core Courses:
EVSS 610 ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY: This course emphasizes the application of fundamental toxicological and microbiological concepts to problems which exist in the real world. The course should prepare the student interested in environmental problems with the necessary practical information to make sound judgments in assessing meaningful solutions to existing environmental problems.
EVSS 624 BIOMETRY: A broad treatment of statistics concentrating on specific statistical techniques used in biological research. Topics covered include sampling procedures and analysis of distributions (binomial, poison, and normal), hypothesis testing and estimation with emphasis on analysis of frequencies, regression and correlation. Several nonparametric and multivariate methods are also discussed. Emphasis is on application of statistical techniques and not theory, therefore a knowledge of mathematics through calculus is expected.
EVSS 640 EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE: This course investigates the interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, ice, solid-Earth and biological systems. Students will study the evolution of solid-Earth, the formation of the atmosphere and oceans, and the origin of life. Rate and scale of changes of the Earth's environment will be examined through an analysis of changing climates. Finally, the course examines human evolution and technological development to gain an understanding of human impacts on the global environment.
EVSS 541 POLLUTION IN THE ENVIRONMENT: This course focuses on theoretical and quantitative skills required to assess how natural and anthropogenic factors influence pollutant behavior in Earth’s near-surface environments, including fresh water and soils. Laboratory focuses on assessing pollutants in various environmental media using appropriate analytical techniques.
Elective Courses:
EVSS 644 PLANT ECOLOGY: Plant Ecology will explore the population ecology of plants covering the genetic, spatial, age, and size structure of plant populations. The focus will be on understanding the origin of these different kinds of structured, understanding how they influence each other, and understanding why they change with time.
EVSS 746 AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY: An introduction to assessing the effects of toxic substances on aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Topics include general principles of toxicology, fate and transport models, quantitative structure-activity relationships, single-species and community-level toxicity measures, regulatory issues, and career opportunities. Examples will be drawn from marine, freshwater and brackish-water systems.
EVSS 639 WETLANDS AND WATERSHEDS: Introduction to water flow and biogeochemical processes in wetland systems. Discuss the significance of hydrology in wetlands and importance of biogeochemical cycles on water quality in wetlands. Quantitative analysis of water budgets and biochemical cycles. Lectures and student-led seminars.
Roster Professors:
Barbara Beckingham, Ph.D.: environmental pollution, environmental engineering
Melissa Hughes, Ph.D.: ornithology, animal behavior and communication
Eric McElroy, Ph.D.: behavior, habitat, and locomotion in the wild
Daniel McGlinn, Ph.D.: biodiversity, spatial ecology, quantitative methods
Courtney Murren, Ph.D.: ecological genetics of invasive species
Seth Pritchard, Ph.D.: plant physiology
John S. Peters, Ph.D.: scientific literacy, fisheries biology
Matthew Rutter, Ph.D.: evolutionary biology, genetics, population evology, plants
Brian Scholtens, Ph.D.: insect biodiversity
Andrew Shedlock, Ph.D.: conservation genetics and genomics, bioremediation and development
Allan Strand, Ph.D.: plant evolutionary biology, molecular ecology, conservation genetics
Vijay Vulava, Ph.D.: chemical fate and transport of contaminants in the aqueous and geological environment
Allison Welch, Ph.D.: Ecology, evolution, behavior, and conservation biology of amphibians
Adjunct Professors:
Elizabeth Vernon (E.V.) Bell, M.S.: marine science education
Cheryl Carmack M.S., water quality monitoring
Tanya Darden, Ph.D.: marine genetics
Diane De Steven, Ph.D.: wetlands ecology, plants ecology, restoration ecology
Marie DeLorenzo, Ph.D.: estuaries, microbial food web, pesticides, nutrients, ecotoxicology Mark Farnham, Ph.D.: plant breeding and genetics, integrated pest management
Joel Gramling, Ph.D.: plant ecology
Landon Knapp, M.S., coastal community resilience
Amnon Levi, Ph.D.: plant breeding and genetics
Abi Locatis Prochaska, M.S., coastal resource management
Paul Nolan, Ph.D.: avian ecology and animal behavior
Amy Scaroni Ph.D., watershed restoration
Bo Song, Ph.D.: forest ecology
Anna Toline, Ph.D.: population and evolutionary ecology, conservation genetics, aquatic ecology, fisheries
Carl Trettin, Ph.D.: carbon and nutrient cycling in wetland landscapes, hydrology
Andrew Tweel Ph.D., wetland and coastal landscape ecology
Patrick Wechter, Ph.D.: plant pathology, phytopathogens, plant-microbes interactions
John Weinstein, Ph.D.: environmental toxicology
Ed Wirth, Ph.D.: toxicological impacts of contaminants
Sample Student Research:
Jackson Barratt Heitmann EVSS Thesis: "Are ephemeral wetlands hotspots for avian biodiversity in Pine-Savannah ecosystems?"
Geospatial Analysis
Core Courses:
EVSS 632 SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES: This course will introduce students to social science methodologies used to understand humans’ relationships to the environment. The course will provide a basic understanding of the practice of collecting both quantitative and qualitative social science data, developing mixed-methods or interdisciplinary projects, and train students on how to interpret such data.
Elective Courses:
EVSS 542 FUNDAMENTALS OF REMOTE SENSING: Course includes fundamentals of remote sensing and digital image processing for applications in earth and environmental sciences, including concepts of electromagnetic radiation, satellite image data collection, reduction and application, software tools, data acquisition, and ground truthing.
EVSS 549 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS: This course will cover spatial types and quality, data input operations, database management, data analysis, and software design concerns. We will also examine institutional and political concerns for using GIS. Computer-based GIS software (Unix, PC, and Mac) will be used throughout the course.
EVSS 569 ADVANCED GIS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HAZARDS MODELS: This course is designed to enhance students’ knowledge and skills in the science and applications of Geographic Information Systems. Topics include: Cloud GIS, model building, processing automation, LIDAR and image processing and FEMA’S HAZUS.
EVSS 642 GEOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING: Course will cover the fundamentals and applications of remote sensing. Topics include: remote sensing theory, data collection, reduction and application, computer software tools, data acquisition and ties to geographic information systems (GIS). The course emphasis is on environmental problems.
EVSS 695 APPLIED QUANTITATIVE METHODS/STATISTICAL PROGRAMMING IN R: This course will be ideal for students with an interest in applied statistics, programming, and GIS. The course is very hands on with a focus on developing a core skill set and then applying those tools on student projects.
Roster Professors:
Adem Ali, Ph.D.: aquatic remote sensing, water quality of the Great Lakes, geostatistics
John Chadwick, Ph.D.: remote sensing, high-temperature geochemistry, planetary science, tectonics, landslides
Scott Harris, Ph.D.: coastal geology, seafloor mapping, near-surface geophysics, geoarchaeology
Norm Levine, Ph.D.: geomorphology, environmental geology, GIS, remote sensing, geoinformatics
Annette Watson, Ph.D., human-environment geographer
Cassandra Runyon, Ph.D., Remote sensing, GIS, geomorphology, and planetary geology
Adjunct Professors:
Devendra Amatya, Ph.D.: watershed planning, monitoring and modeling, hydrologic studies
Pace Wilber, Ph.D.: ecology, GIS
Sample Student Research:
Robyn Coker EVSS Thesis: "Using ecological niche modeling to predict future areas of habitat for the longfin squid"
Hazards Management
Core Courses:
EVSS 640 EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE: This course investigates the interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, ice, solid-Earth and biological systems. Students will study the evolution of solid-Earth, the formation of the atmosphere and oceans, and the origin of life. Rate and scale of changes of the Earth's environment will be examined through an analysis of changing climates. Finally, the course examines human evolution and technological development to gain an understanding of human impacts on the global environment.
EVSS 541 POLLUTION IN THE ENVIRONMENT: This course focuses on theoretical and quantitative skills required to assess how natural and anthropogenic factors influence pollutant behavior in Earth’s near-surface environments, including fresh water and soils. Laboratory focuses on assessing pollutants in various environmental media using appropriate analytical techniques.
Elective Courses:
EVSS 569 ADVANCED GIS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HAZARDS MODELS: This course is designed to enhance students’ knowledge and skills in the science and applications of Geographic Information Systems. Topics include: Cloud GIS, model building, processing automation, LIDAR and image processing and FEMA’S HAZUS.
Roster Professors:
Norm Levine, Ph.D.: geomorphology, environmental geology, GIS, remote sensing, geoinformatics
Matthew Nowlin, Ph.D., environmental policy and politics, research methods
Vijay Vulava, Ph.D.: chemical fate and transport of contaminants in the aqueous and geological environment
Sample Student Research:
Trent Humphrey EVSS/MPA Thesis: "An Optimal Path System for Address Development at Arlington National Cemetery"
Sustainability Studies
Core Courses:
EVSS 611 INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY STUDIES: This class will offer an introductory review of the environmental and sustainability studies discipline and practice, including interdisciplinary scholarship, career opportunities, in public, nonprofit, and private sectors, and contemporary challenges in policy and administration.
EVSS 632 SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODS: This course will introduce students to social science methodologies used to understand humans’ relationships to the environment. The course will provide a basic understanding of the practice of collecting both quantitative and qualitative social science data, developing mixed-methods or interdisciplinary projects, and train students on how to interpret such data.
Elective Courses:
EVSS 695 ECOPRENEURSHIP: This course approaches environmental problems as entrepreneurial opportunities and sees entrepreneurs as influential in creating social and economic change. This course will help students recognize opportunities to create new businesses that move us towards a more sustainable economy. Industry sectors with strong representation the Lowcountry with a high need and/or possibility for improvement in environmental sustainability will be a particular focus. Students will learn about these sectors through speakers, case studies and industry research. Students will also learn about the business case for sustainability and about creating value for all of an organization’s stakeholders. Students will work to develop a well-defined sustainable new business concept.
EVSS 637 ECONOMIES, CULTURES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE: This course critically examines the economic relationship between humans and their environments, focusing on the politically volatile nature of natural resource governance in First and Third World contexts. We will focus on the intersection between capitalist political economy and subsistence cultures, and how their differences affect the politics of environmental governance. Student will develop skills in analyzing the political economy and broaden their understanding how social systems interact with ecological systems.
Roster Professors:
Wesley Burnett, Ph.D.: environmental economics
Melissa Hughes, Ph.D.: ornithology, animal behavior and communication
Annette Watson, Ph.D.: human environmental geography
Adjunct Professors:
Maria Dillard, M.A.: social-ecological systems
Thomas Fish, Ph.D.: conservation biology, human dimensions of global change
Susan Lovelace, Ph.D.: coastal policy
Barry Stiefel, Ph.D.: historic preservation and environmental conservation
Sample Student Research:
Nicole Killen EVSS/MPA Thesis: "Nudging Toward Sustainable Waste Practices within Athletic Facilities at the College of Charleston"