Capstone Experience in Environmental Science:
At the Intersection of Science, Technology and Society
Among the greatest challenges facing humanity during this century is the need to achieve a sustainable stewardship of Earth's natural resources--balancing use of resources and habitat with their protection and preservation for the long-term well-being of ecological systems and humans alike.
Sustainable solutions for 21st century environmental problems will require the expertise of a "new breed" of scientists and engineers trained to effectively communicate across traditional disciplinary boundaries. This new Environmental Scientist will also employ economic, social and political approaches to evaluating scientific and technological issues.
The Vanderbilt University Transdisciplinary Initiative on Environmental Systems (TIES) Program was created to provide Vanderbilt Environmental Science graduate students with a one-of-a-kind transdisciplinary educational experience that will prepare them for the complex environmental challenges they will face as environmental professionals. Through this program, faculty and students from the natural sciences and engineering and key social disciplines (including the social sciences, the humanities, law and education) come together to focus on an environmental issue of global significance.
The centerpiece of this initiative is a capstone course wherein students and faculty map the interdependencies of technical (science and engineering) and social (values, political, legal) systems and issues as applied to the selected course topic. Beyond simply a classroom exercise, the TIES capstone provides students with an opportunity to engage with community leaders, esteemed lecturers and with each other in a seminar setting that encourages communication across disciplinary boundaries.
Environmental Field Studies
A major highlight of the capstone course is a field trip to the study site, which has proven to deeply enhance students' understanding of the interconnectedness of technical and social issues surrounding environmental problems. Courses have thus far focused on the highly visible and controversial Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository site near Las Vegas, Nevada; in Spring 2009 the focus will turn to the water-related environmental challenges faced by the world's most populated nation, Bangladesh.
Each TIES capstone study site has been thoughtfully chosen because it presents a technical problem that carries social and political relevance and represents a case study example of issues that transcend the focus site. The goal of the capstone experience is to provide students with an opportunity to practice thinking beyond their discipline when approached with a globally important environmental issue, thus improving their opportunities for post-graduate professional success.
The TIES capstone course serves as the signature of the Environmental Science option of graduate study and will be required of all students pursuing the Environmental Science Ph.D. This integrating class will also be open to doctoral students from other participating disciplines, as well as master's students on a space-available basis.
Field Sites
Yucca Mountain: Assessing and Balancing Risks
The classes of 2007-2008 focused on the cultural, political, and technical (engineering and scientific) concerns regarding Yucca Mountain, site of the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository in Nye County, Nevada. Students and faculty visited the Yucca Mountain site, immersing themselves in the geology and ecology of the area and surrounding environment. Interaction with local citizens and government officials familiarized students with how the "nuclear legacy" of southern Nevada has impacted the psyche and informed policy choices of nearby communities.
more to come....
Bangladesh: Risk, Hope and Opportunity
The class of 2009 will explore the consequences of unprecedented population growth in harm's way in the coastal and delta environments of Bangladesh.
more to come....