Highlight on Courses
The Environmental Sciences and Policy Master of Science program covers the broad area of science and policy which people working in this field need to communicate and to make and manage decisions. The first five courses in the program are dedicated to this knowledge.
Students then choose from elective courses that often can be much deeper and intensive in a particular area.
Many students in the Hopkins Environmental Sciences and Policy program work with the Chesapeake Bay: through research, field work, onsite care and maintenance of Wildlife Sanctuaries, and through teaching children about this incredible water resource. Chesapeake Bay: Ecology & Ecosystem Management is an elective course which examines the physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting coastal and estuarine ecosystems by using the Chesapeake Bay as a model system. Human influences on these ecosystems and the policy decisions made to manage and minimize human impact are explored in lecture and seminar formats. Topics include the hydrodynamics of shallow tidal waters; energy and material flows and transformations; diversity and adaptation of plant, animal, and microbial communities; population and pollution ecology; and ecosystem management. Case histories illustrate problems in fisheries management and the eutrophication of the Chesapeake Bay. This course includes field trips.
Field Methods in Stream & Water Quality Assessment is one of the program's field courses. It provides an overview of field methods used to sample and assess various biological, physical, and chemical components in streams, rivers, and lakes. It allows students to determine the impact human activity has on aquatic environments. Students gain hands-on experience with standard sampling techniques, and with the detection, identification, and quantification of biological specimens and chemical pollutants in the aquatic environment. Students discuss water quality standards and federal regulations such as the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Also included are study design, gear selection, sample preservation, and safety. Basic approaches to analyze and report findings are covered, with emphasis on methods currently practiced by government resource agencies.
Transportation Policy and Smart Growth examines how transportation policy and decisions can alleviate or prevent problems resulting from urban sprawl. How can transportation decisions and planning contribute to more "livable" urban designs and land use patterns that promote "smart growth" -- growth that is environmentally and ecologically sustainable? Students discuss how different environmental media -- land, water, and air -- are affected by our transportation systems and resulting development patterns, and how can the design of transportation systems -- the highways, roads, transit systems, and bike and walk paths -- more closely harmonize with nature and provide communities with a better quality of life. A wide range of policy options are examined from altering the structure of road pricing to redesigning neighborhoods and altering urban form. A number of case studies are examined to illuminate the issues and principles raised in the course.