In Environmental Studies, we believe in hands-on experiential learning
The Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences (ESS) degree programs offer students the intellectual foundation and skills they will need to address crucial environmental challenges of the 21st century. Our graduates are ready to work for cleaner air and water, healthy food access, sustainable land management, and to accelerate an inclusive and just transition to renewable energy as society responds to pollution, climate change, environmental injustice, and other challenges.
Our recent alumni survey shows that more than half of our graduates are involved in environmental careers, and felt well prepared when it comes to public speaking, teamwork, writing, and communications (Yea!). However, folks also wanted more opportunities for hands-on learning experiences outside the classroom, including internships, research assistantships with faculty members, field trips, and the Baja class.
We agree that you can't really study the environment without engaging community partners and getting outside the bubble.
In recent years your gifts have helped our amazing students engage in these new experiences, and supported them in faculty-mentored environmental justice internships with community partners, sent natural history students deep into the insect and arachnid collections at the California Academy of Sciences; and purchased equipment for students to explore wetlands and tidepools. See more about recent experiences, and read about ESS students' success as they won top university awards in our newsletter.
Your support puts intensive, hands-on educational experiences within reach of every student. Thank you so much!
Christopher M. Bacon
Associate Professor and Chair of ESS
"Donations like yours help make these hands-on learning experiences a possibility for many students as they help fund things, such as faculty-mentored research experiences, community partnered internships that advance environmental justice, new equipment for field work, and scholarships for immersion trips."
– Paulina Ursua Garcia, Class of 2024
| Rank | State | Gifts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CA | 7 |
| 2 | WA | 1 |
| 2 | DC | 1 |
