Department of Environmental Science and Management

Mission

The Environmental Science and Management (ESM) Department at Portland State University offers applied, interdisciplinary programs that focus on environmental challenges in coupled natural and human systems at local to global scales. We let knowledge serve our community by fostering and restoring ecological and social resilience through education and research about the function and management of biological, chemical, physical, and social systems. 

Our expertise spans atmospheric, freshwater, marine, terrestrial, and human systems, as well as the processes that link ecosystems to human populations. Building on our research expertise and partnerships, we provide high quality education for environmental scientists and science-driven managers, giving students the skills and training opportunities they need to excel in professional environmental careers.

Departmental Objectives

  1. Undergraduate and Graduate Education - Provide ESM undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. students with the scientific and managerial background and skills necessary to become leaders in addressing environmental challenges.
     
  2. Research - Conduct high quality applied and basic research on the components of and interactions among physical, chemical, biological, and societal processes that structure, maintain, and influence ecosystems.
     
  3. Partnerships - Work with local to international community partners to train students and implement research-based solutions to environmental challenges.
     
  4. Advancing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - Advance a self-reflective practice that expands our collaborations with individuals and programs with complementary approaches to advance integrative environmental problem solving and improve racial and social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
     
  5. Professional, General, and Secondary Education - Use theories, case studies, and inquiry to provide professional, general, and secondary education on environmental science, scientific literacy, and environmental management.

Towards these ends, ESM full-time faculty include faculty with robust research agendas, partnerships, and dedication to pedagogy and curriculum.  In addition, ESM employs research faculty, adjunct instructors, staff, and graduate assistants.  Our department has expertise in air and water quality, biological invasions, contaminants and pollution, ecosystem and community ecology, ecosystem services, environmental justice, habitat fragmentation, hydrology, global climate change, land use, natural resource and environmental policy, social science, and wildfire management.

1. Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
Environmental Science and Management offers two undergraduate degrees - Environmental Studies and Environmental Science. We also offer minors in Environmental Science, Sustainability, and Climate Science and Adaptation, and a certificate in Lake and Reservoir Management.

Learning Goals and Outcomes for undergraduate majors include:

  • Explain interactions among physical, biological, chemical, and human components of the environment - Students will be able to approach problem solving with an integrated perspective that acknowledges that environmental systems include ALL of these components.
  • Generate and communicate informed positions on current local, regional, and global environmental issues - Students will communicate about environmental issues from a confident and informed position.
  • Evaluate the validity and limitations of scientific theories and claims about the environment - Students will be able to create a comprehensive framework that identifies areas of strong evidence and areas that more research needs to be conducted to develop confident and nuanced claims about the environment.
  • Develop and test hypotheses to address environmental questions - Students will observe, ask questions, develop robust strategies to test their hypotheses and thoughtfully evaluate their results in inquiry driven environmental topics.
  • Identify anthropogenic drivers of environmental problems and analyze the relative merits of policy solutions - Students will understand the key human drivers of environmental issues and different approaches to address them.

At the graduate level, students can earn a Master of Science, a Masters of Environmental Management, or a Professional Science Masters degree. Students can also earn a graduate Certificate of Hydrology. ESM also offers doctoral degrees through the Earth, Environment, and Society PhD program.

Learning Goals and Outcomes for graduate programs include:

  • Demonstrate an integrated understanding of physical, ecological, and environmental management systems - Students will be able to identify and describe the fundamentals and interactions of physical, ecological, and management processes, in environmental systems.
  • Identify and utilize appropriate research designs, methods, and other disciplinary tools to address a given environmental question or problem - Students will be able to identify research questions, develop a study design appropriate for the question, and conduct data analysis required to answer the research question.
  • Organize and manage a research or professional project, including personnel, budgets, and logistics - Students will be able to independently plan, coordinate, and document their research and other projects in a manner consistent with professional standards.
  • Present project findings orally and in writing as applicable to relevant professional audiences (scientific and managerial) - Students will be able to independently complete a graduate thesis or non-thesis project and communicate/disseminate their findings with appropriate audiences.

2. Research
ESM faculty and students conduct research as a core activity of the department.  ESM is home to a number of research laboratories that range from instrumented biogeochemistry and atmospheric chemistry labs, to terrestrial and aquatic ecology labs, and computational and human dimension labs.  ESM investigators conduct research funded by competitive national research agencies, state and federal management agencies, local governments, non-profits, and private sector organizations.

In addition to faculty and student research, Environmental Science and Management is distinct in that we also host three independent research programs: the Center for Lakes and Reservoirs, the Aquatic Bioinvasions Research and Policy Institute (collaboratively with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center), and the Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank & Plant Conservation Program.  These programs and their professional staff offer opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty collaborations that extend our research, teaching, and professional service.

3. Partnerships 
ESM students and faculty partner with a vast array of community partners in teaching, research, and professional service.  Partners sponsor undergraduate internships, offer guest lectures, collaborate on graduate research and professional projects, serve as co-investigators and research collaborators, and participate in departmental events.  The following is a list of a few of our partners:

  • City of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services
  • Clackamas River Water Providers
  • Lake Oswego Corporation
  • Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
  • Portland Community College
  • Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • Upper Deschutes Watershed Council
  • US Army Corps of Engineers
  • US Forest Service
  • US Geological Survey
  • Willamette Partnership

4. Advancing Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The responsibility for addressing racism and other social inequities within the department of Environmental Science and Management is a priority for our faculty, staff, and students. Towards this end, as an academic community ESM has developed a (draft) action plan to recognize that distributive, procedural, and recognition aspects of justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JDEI) affect our teaching and research, who participates in our community, and the very focus of the work we do.  Our aim for our action plan is to assess and develop actions to address JDEI in our curriculum, research, the recruitment and retention of our students, staff, and faculty, and our professional development and training. In addition, a recent group of ESM students was awarded the PSU President’s Diversity Award for their work drafting a JDEI proclamation and targeted objectives for ESM.  

5. Professional, General, and Secondary Education 
In addition to specific degree-based education, ESM faculty provide an array of professional, general, and secondary education programs.  The Environmental Professional Program (EPP) offers practical, state-of-the-science training to graduate students and professionals focused on professional practice for environmental projects.  EPP short-courses are developed and taught by practicing experts from government agencies, universities, consulting firms and non-governmental organizations, and can be taken for CEU and PDH credit. 

ESM faculty also teach an array of courses in PSU’s University Studies (UNST) general education program, providing both inquiry into environmental science topics and science courses designed specifically to serve students whether they are part of our department or not:  

  • Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ): a year-long (three-terms) course with the same instructor and a small cohort of students.  
  • Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ): topical introductory courses that serve as a gateway to upper division UNST requirements. 
  • Junior Clusters: groups of thematic exploratory courses that can also be used towards a minor or certificate program.  
  • Senior Capstones: community-based learning experiences that engage students in dynamic projects throughout the Portland metropolitan region and beyond.

The ESM affiliated Student Watershed Research Project is a long-term riparian and aquatic monitoring program that couples watershed education with the collection of high quality stream monitoring data, including water quality samples, biological data, and physical observations. SWRP coordinates long term monitoring in the Portland/Vancouver Metropolitan area while offering training and technical assistance to K-12 teachers and volunteer monitors in other areas.  The SWRP works with between 15 and 20 inner city, suburban, and rural schools in the metro area.  PSU capstone students visit classrooms where they provide technical support regarding lab techniques as well as helping students learn to communicate their findings.