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Environmental Science is for students with a strong interest in science and a concern for the environment. As well as studying the mechanics of weather and climate, you also study the biological consequences of climate change, the impacts of environmental degradation, the effects of climate on the distribution of animals and plants, and the causes of sea-level changes.
The program, although rigorous, is flexible. Each student consults with the environmental science advisor, who considers your goals, and designs an individualized program with an in-depth concentration of courses to provide you with a scientific specialty.
The Program
You can complete a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Major or Honours in Environmental Science or a B.Sc. Minor in Geographic Information Systems in the Department of Geography and Environment. The program is an interdisciplinary, science-intensive program. You will take courses from biology, chemistry, geography, mathematics, and physics to provide a strong but diverse scientific foundation required to understand environmental issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective.
Careers in Environmental Science
The Environmental Science program develops a diverse set of skills that that will be useful for careers focused on finding solutions to environmental problems, including environmental research, monitoring, and management. The program is excellent preparation for graduate studies or professional schools, and for positions in government and for environmental consulting firms. Also, as the program is part of the Department of Geography and Environment, Environmental Science courses are teachable credits for an Education degree.
Facilities
The Department of Geography and Environment has its own MAD Lab, the Mount Allison Dendrochronology Lab which conducts tree-ring related research. Students participate in summer research projects examining such things as habitats of endangered species and reconstructing climate over the last 500 years.
Environmental Science is also home to the Marine Macroecology and Biogeochemistry Lab, an interdisciplinary research group (with the Math and Computer Science Department) interested in large-scale ecological, evolutionary, and biogeochemical phenomena in the oceans. The primary goal is to understand and anticipate the effects of climate change on marine organisms.
Opportunities are available in the lab for enthusiastic undergraduate students who would like research experience. The research projects are varied and interdisciplinary.
Research
You also have the unique opportunity to conduct independent research projects as part of your degree. In the past students research topics included; Mitigation strategies for pollutants in the Sydney Tar Sands, Analyzing the effects of climate change on conifer species in New Brunswick, and Global warming potential of fresh-water versus salt-water marshes.
Research can lead to some unexpected discoveries. Two students in the program uncovered some very old trees – one found the oldest documented tree in Nova Scotia and another found the oldest red spruce in the world, in New Brunswick!
Environmental Activism
At Mount Allison students with environmental interests are able to advance their passions inside and outside of the class room. We have been a centre for student and campus environmental activism for over a decade. From the Friends of the Christmas Mountain, a group working to protect New Brunswick's last stand of Old Growth Forest, to the Climate Change Caravan, which involved biking across Canada to inspire individuals and communities to take action on climate change, to the “GREEN HOUSE” – The Cuthbertson House Sustainable Residence that brings together in one residence students dedicated to reducing the environmental impact on campus, Mount Allison students have been on the forefront.
Each new generation of student activists builds on the momentum of those that came before.