Inside Environmental Sciences at SUNY Fredonia

Why choose Environmental Sciences at Fredonia?

SUNY Fredonia offers the smaller class sizes and individualized instruction and advisement of a small college, while providing the opportunities associated with larger institutions. Additionally SUNY Fredonia is one of the leaders in sustainability initiatives and activities across all of the SUNY schools through the work of the Sustainability Committee and the SUNY FACE Center, organizing such events as Earth Week, as well as the student groups- the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Campus Climate Challenge. SUNY Fredonia allows students to learn both inside and outside of the classroom, encouraging them to not just think, but to act, and doing so all within our friendly, supportive campus community environment.

Small Class Sizes

All lecture courses at SUNY Fredonia are much smaller than those found at larger research institutions. The average class size at SUNY Fredonia is 25 students and those within Environmental Sciences are typically around 12. Smaller class sizes not only allow for more personalized instruction, encouraging interactions between faculty and students, but also allow for more engaged activities. Beyond the first year, most biology, geosciences and environmental sciences courses rely upon field-based work getting students out of the classroom and into the environment. Additionally many of the advanced courses within our program involve community-based research in which the students are working to investigate and understand real issues within our local community.

ESCI students in the field - geosciences class

Personalized Advisement

All Environmental Sciences majors are advised by the program coordinator, Dr. Sherri A. Mason. Dr. Mason is committed to graduating students in the most timely manner possible, while understanding the abilities and interests of each individual student. Students meet with their adviser for a 30-minute advising session before each registration period, and are encouraged to contact her either via email or in-person in her office whenever they have questions or concerns. From the first advisement a full plan of what classes to take each semester to graduation is laid out. This plan may change as student's progress in the program and given their particular interests, but the plan provides a foundation for the student-adviser team to work from to ensure all graduation requirements are being met in a timely fashion.

Internships & Research Opportunities

All Environmental Sciences majors are required to complete at least 3-credit hours of "practicum" as part of their graduation requirements. Practicum credit can be fulfilled either through an internship or through research with a faculty adviser. The practicum requirement is an integral aspect of our program as it provides our students with important practical experience they need outside of their classroom learning experiences.

Our students have completed internships through, among others: the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Student Conservation Association, Ecology and Environment, EagleMountain Scientific, Dunkirk Bio-Electric, Food & Water Watch, National Park Service, Chautauqua County Department of Health, Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District, Energy Justice Network, Hamburg Natural History Society (Penn Dixie), and the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. Please visit our internships page for more information.

All environmental sciences faculty maintain active research programs involving undergraduate research assistants. Please visit our faculty research interests page for more information.

Engagement

Whether through field-based classwork, service-learning activities, events occurring both on- and off-campus, community-based research or internships, Environmental Sciences at SUNY Fredonia is all about engagement- engaging students in their studies, in their campus and in their community.

"...learning always occurs in a context of taking action, and they value engagement and experience as the most effective strategies for deep learning."
— Richard DuFour

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