Academic Growth
ESF Launches Sustainable Energy Management Major ESF introduced a new Bachelor of Science degree in sustainable energy management that focuses on energy markets, management and resources. The program is designed to give students an understanding of responsible energy resource use and insight into how these resources impact the natural world. The program is interdisciplinary and involves coursework in the natural sciences, social science and humanities, communication, and quantitative/ qualitative problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Twenty-nine students were enrolled in the program for the spring 2013 semester and an additional 16 new students will enter the program this fall. The ESF campus provides numerous opportunities for hands-on learning for students in the program. The College, which has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2015, already has several photovoltaic arrays, a biodiesel production facility and a fueling station for fleet vehicles that run on alternative fuels. Students in the program will be able to learn through the operation of the Gateway Center which houses a state-of-the-art, biomass-based, combined
heat-and-power plant that provides energy for the Gateway Center and four other campus buildings. The new major is housed in ESF’s Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management. Students seeking the degree will earn at least 120 credits. Graduates will be prepared for jobs in energy resource management positions with public agencies, private industry and nonprofit organizations.
College Adds Environmental Health Program ESF has received New York state and SUNY approval to offer a bachelor of science program in environmental health. The program will train students interested in the intersection of human health and the physical environment. Environmental health addresses how the environment impacts human health. Students will focus on analysis, prevention and mitigation of potential environmental hazards (biological, chemical, physical). Students will be prepared for employment in private industry, government agencies, and nongovernmental agencies concerned with pollution abatement, protection of public health, and research in health science or advanced study in the science of environmental health or the allied health professions. The program is designed for accreditation by the National Environmental Health Science & Protection Accreditation Council. 9