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Environmental Conservation Masters Theses Collection

Theses from 2024 2024.

Effects of Habitat, Density, and Climate on Moose and Winter Tick Ecology in the northeastern U.S. , Juliana Berube, Environmental Conservation

Comparing Likelihood of Tree Failure Assessments Using Different Assessment Techniques , Ari Okun, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2023 2023

Modeling the Effects of Forest Management Practices on Ecohydrologic Processes in the Antalya River Watershed of Turkey , Hilal Arslan, Environmental Conservation

HYDRO-SOCIAL TERRITORIES AND OIL PALM PLANTATIONS: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, AGRIBUSINESS, AND SAFE WATER ACCESS UNDER POWER RELATIONS IN KAIS, WEST PAPUA, INDONESIA , Briantama Asmara, Environmental Conservation

Evaluation of Acoustic Telemetry Array Performance and Fine- Scale and Broad-Scale Spatial Movement Patterns for Coral Reef Species in Culebra, Puerto Rico , Roxann Cormier, Environmental Conservation

Improving Energy Efficiency of School Buildings with Solar-Assisted Cooling for the Maldives , Ahmed Fathhee, Environmental Conservation

Pine Barrens Wildlife Management: Exploring the Impact of a Stressor and Active Management on Two Taxa at Camp Edwards , Andrew B. Gordon Jr, Environmental Conservation

Factors Affecting the Distribution of Malayan Sun Bear in Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, Northern Myanmar , Min Hein Htike, Environmental Conservation

A Multi-Regional Assessment of Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) Occupancy in Managed and Unmanaged Forests Using Autonomous Recording Units , Jeffery T. Larkin, Environmental Conservation

Climate Change Attitudes of United States Family Forest Owners and their Influence on Forest Management Practices , Logan Miller, Environmental Conservation

The Relative Effects of Functional Diversity and Structural Complexity on Carbon Dynamics in Late-Successional, Northeastern Mixed Hardwood Forests , Samantha Myers, Environmental Conservation

Factors influencing the occurrence and spread of aquatic invasive species in watershed systems , Hazel M. Ortiz, Environmental Conservation

PARTICIPATORY WETLAND GOVERNANCE IN RAMSAR – ASSESSING LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION IN INDIA , Seema Ravandale, Environmental Conservation

A REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF THE LINKED DECISIONS IN THE CONFISCATION OF ILLEGALLY TRADED TURTLES , Desiree Smith, Environmental Conservation

Effect of Alliaria petiolata management on post-eradication seed bank dynamics , Chloe Thompson, Environmental Conservation

Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) Population Dynamics and Response to Habitat Management in Massachusetts , Julia Vineyard, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2022 2022

Assessment of the Economic and Ecosystem Service Contributions of USDA Forest Service Landowner Assistance Programs in the Conterminous United States , Jacqueline S. Dias, Environmental Conservation

Exploring Urban Forestry Non-Governmental Organizations in the Temperate Forest Region of the United States , Alexander J. Elton, Environmental Conservation

Songbird-mediated Insect Pest Control in Low Intensity New England Agriculture , Samuel J. Mayne, Environmental Conservation

Perception and Value Assessment of Ecosystem Services in Rural and Urban Regions in Ecuador , Roberto S. Navarrete Arias, Environmental Conservation

Identifying New Invasives In The Face Of Climate Change: A Focus On Sleeper Populations , Ayodelé C. O'Uhuru, Environmental Conservation

A Tipping Point in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest: Current and Future Land-Use and Climate Change Trends , Alula Shields, Environmental Conservation

Dynamics of Water Supply and Demand in the Bandama River Watershed of Cote d'Ivoire , Sarah Alima Traore, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2021 2021

Applying Ecological Theory to Amphibian Populations to Determine if Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) are Ideal and Free when Selecting Breeding Habitat , Taylor M. Braunagel, Environmental Conservation

Assessing the Impacts to Society Associated with the Use of Alternative Ammunition for Hunting on National Wildlife Refuges , Christopher Cahill, Environmental Conservation

Evaluation of Environmental Factors Influencing American Marten Distribution and Density in New Hampshire , Donovan Drummey, Environmental Conservation

Can Volunteers Learn to Prune Trees? , Ryan W. Fawcett, Environmental Conservation

The Efficacy of Habitat Conservation Assistance Programs for Family Forest Owners in Vermont , Margaret E. Harrington, Environmental Conservation

The Role of Vegetative Cover in Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change and Improving Public Health , Anastasia D. Ivanova, Environmental Conservation

Assessing the Structure and Function of Utility Forests in Massachusetts , Ryan Suttle, Environmental Conservation

Factors Influencing Stopover and Movement of Migratory Songbirds within the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge , Jessica Tatten, Environmental Conservation

Patterns and mechanisms of intraspecific trait variation across thermal gradients in a marine gastropod , Andrew R. Villeneuve, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2020 2020

Habitat Associations of Priority Bird Species and Conservation Value on Small, Diversified Farms in New England , Isabel Brofsky, Environmental Conservation

Autonomous Recording Units as an Alternative Method for Monitoring Songbirds , Lindsay Clough, Environmental Conservation

Impact of Predators on Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) in the Eastern and Western United States , Ryan Crandall, Environmental Conservation

New England’s Underutilized Seafood Species: Defining And Exploring Marketplace Potential In A Changing Climate , Amanda Davis, Environmental Conservation

Improving Growth and Survival of Cultured Yellow Lampmussel (Lampsilis cariosa) for Restoring Populations , Virginia Martell, Environmental Conservation

From Intentional Awareness to Environmental Action: The Relationship Between Mindfulness and Pro-Environmental Behaviors , Nischal Neupane, Environmental Conservation

The Ecological Value of Spruce Plantations in Massachusetts , Calvin Ritter, Environmental Conservation

In-vitro Propagation and Fish Assessments to Inform Restoration of Dwarf Wedgemussel (Alasmidonta Heterodon) , Jennifer Ryan, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2019 2019

Hydrologic Structure and Function of Vernal Pools in South Deerfield, Massachusetts , Charlotte Axthelm, Environmental Conservation

Ecological and Economic Implications of Establishing Quercus spp. in the Urban Environment , Tierney Bocsi, Environmental Conservation

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) Management Effectiveness and Plant Community Response , Erin Coates-Connor, Environmental Conservation

Defining and Addressing Interconnected Goals in Groundwater Management Planning Across the USA , Allison Gage, Environmental Conservation

Root-Driven Weathering Impacts on Mineral-Organic Associations Over Pedogenic Time Scales , Mariela Garcia Arredondo, Environmental Conservation

Using Visual Media to Empower Citizen Scientists: A Case Study of the Outsmart App , Megan E. Kierstead, Environmental Conservation

Urban Biodiversity Experience and Exposure: Intervention and Inequality at the Local and Global Scale , Evan Kuras, Environmental Conservation

Arboriculture Safety Around The World , Jamie Lim, Environmental Conservation

Ecological Considerations and Application of Urban Tree Selection in Massachusetts , Ashley McElhinney, Environmental Conservation

The Women's Action: Participation through Resistance , Michael Roberts, Environmental Conservation

Eastern Whip-poor-will Habitat Associations in Fort Drum, NY , Kimberly Spiller, Environmental Conservation

The Role of International River Basin Organizations in Facilitating Science Use in Policy , Kelsey Wentling, Environmental Conservation

An Examination of Tern Diet in a Changing Gulf of Maine , Keenan Yakola, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2018 2018

Mapping Sandbars in the Connecticut River Watershed through Aerial Images for Floodplain Conservation , Bogumila Backiel, Environmental Conservation

You Must Estimate Before You Indicate: Design and Model-Based Methods for Evaluating Utility of a Candidate Forest Indicator Species , Jillian Fleming, Environmental Conservation

Performance of Floristic Quality Assessment in Massachusetts Forested Wetlands , Carolyn Gorss, Environmental Conservation

The Impact of Intraspecific Density on Garlic Mustard Sinigrin Concentration , Mercedes Harris, Environmental Conservation

Plants, Parasites, and Pollinators: The Effects of Medicinal Pollens on a Common Gut Parasite in Bumble Bees , George LoCascio, Environmental Conservation

Human and Climate Change Influences on Black (Diceros bicornis) and White (Ceratotherium simum) Rhinos in Southern Africa , Hlelolwenkhosi S. Mamba, Environmental Conservation

Watershed-Scale Modeling for Water Resource Sustainability in the Tuul River Basin of Mongolia , Javzansuren Norvanchig, Environmental Conservation

Impacts of Small, Surface-Release Dams on Stream Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen in Massachusetts , Peter Zaidel, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2017 2017

Accounting For Biotic Variability In Streams With Low Levels of Impervious Cover: The Role of Reach- and Watershed-Scale Factors , Catherine Bentsen, Environmental Conservation

Juvenile River Herring in Freshwater Lakes: Sampling Approaches for Evaluating Growth and Survival , Matthew T. Devine, Environmental Conservation

DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS OF CLIMATE ON BIRD ABUNDANCE ALONG ELEVATION GRADIENTS IN THE NORTHERN APPALACHIANS , Timothy Duclos, Environmental Conservation

EVALUATION OF THE RECREATIONAL CATCH-AND-RELEASE FISHERY FOR GOLDEN DORADO SALMINUS BRASILIENSIS IN SALTA, ARGENTINA: IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT , Tyler Gagne, Environmental Conservation

Botswana’s Elephant-Back Safari Industry – Stress-Response in Working African Elephants and Analysis of their Post-Release Movements , Tanya Lama, Environmental Conservation

Factors Influencing Shrubland Bird and Native Bee Communities in Forest Openings , H. Patrick Roberts, Environmental Conservation

A Mixed-methods Study on Female Landowner Estate Planning Objectives , rebekah zimmerer, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2016 2016

Factors Influencing Household Outdoor Residential Water Use Decisions in Suburban Boston (USA) , Emily E. Argo, Environmental Conservation

Understory Plant Community Structure in Forests Invaded by Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) , Jason Aylward, Environmental Conservation

Factors Affecting Habitat Quality for Wintering Wood Thrushes in a Coffee Growing Region in Honduras , Brett A. Bailey, Environmental Conservation

Invasive Species Occurrence Frequency is not a Suitable Proxy for Abundance in the Northeast , Tyler J. Cross, Environmental Conservation

Population Genetic Analysis of Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus polyphemus) in Coastal Massachusetts. , Katherine T. Johnson, Environmental Conservation

Modeling Historical and Future Range of Variability Scenarios in the Yuba River Watershed, Tahoe National Forest, California , Maritza Mallek, Environmental Conservation

The Life History Characteristics, Growth, and Mortality of Juvenile Alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, in Coastal Massachusetts , Julianne Rosset, Environmental Conservation

Specific Phosphate Sorption Mechanisms of Unaltered and Altered Biochar , Kathryn D. Szerlag, Environmental Conservation

Trophic Relationships Among Caribou Calf Predators in Newfoundland , Chris Zieminski, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2015 2015

Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Assemblages in Three New York Pine Barrens and the Impacts of Hiking Trails , Grace W. Barber, Environmental Conservation

Niche-Based Modeling of Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) Using Presence-Only Information , Nathan Bush, Environmental Conservation

Assessing Mammal and Bird Biodiversity and Habitat Occupancy of Tiger Prey in the Hukaung Valley of Northern Myanmar , Hla Naing, Environmental Conservation

Generating Best Management Practices for Avian Conservation in a Land-Sparing Agriculture System, and the Habitat-Specific Survival of a Priority Migrant , Jeffrey D. Ritterson, Environmental Conservation

Experimental Test of Genetic Rescue in Isolated Populations of Brook Trout , Zachary L. Robinson, Environmental Conservation

UNDERSTANDING STAKEHOLDERS PERCEPTION TOWARDS HUMAN-WILDLIFE INTERACTION AND CONFLICT IN A TIGER LANDSCAPE-COMPLEX OF INDIA , Ronak T. Sripal, Environmental Conservation

Impacts of Land Cover and Climate Change on Water Resources in Suasco River Watershed , Ammara Talib, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2014 2014

A Comparison of American, Canadian, and European Home Energy Performance in Heating Dominated – Moist Climates Based on Building Codes , Stephanie M. Berkland, Environmental Conservation

Spatio-Temporal Factors Affecting Human-Black Bear Interactions in Great Smoky Mountains National Park , Nathan Buckhout, Environmental Conservation

Estimating the Effective Number of Breeders of Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, Over Multiple Generations in Two Stream Systems , Matthew R. Cembrola, Environmental Conservation

An Assessment of Environmental Dna as a Tool to Detect Fish Species in Headwater Streams , Stephen F. Jane, Environmental Conservation

Assessing Wild Canid Distribution Using Camera Traps in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts , Eric G. LeFlore, Environmental Conservation

Quantifying the Effect of Passive Solar Design in Traditional New England Architecture , Peter Levy, Environmental Conservation

Ecology and Conservation of Endangered Species in Sumatra: Smaller Cats and the Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus Sumatrensis) As Case Studies , Wulan Pusparini, Environmental Conservation

The Cumulative Impacts of Climate Change and Land Use Change on Water Quantity and Quality in the Narragansett Bay Watershed , Evan R. Ross, Environmental Conservation

Patterns in Trash: Factors that Drive Municipal Solid Waste Recycling , Jared Starr, Environmental Conservation

Theses from 2013 2013

Greening the Building Code: an Analysis of Large Project Review Under Boston Zoning Code Articles 37 and 80 , Sandy J. Beauregard, Environmental Conservation

Vernal Pool Vegetation and Soil Patterns Along Hydrologic Gradients in Western Massachusetts , Kasie Collins, Environmental Conservation

Implementation of Aquaponics in Education: An Assessment of Challenges, Solutions and Success , Emily Rose Hart, Environmental Conservation

Aquatic Barrier Prioritization in New England Under Climate Change Scenarios Using Fish Habitat Quantity, Thermal Habitat Quality, Aquatic Organism Passage, and Infrastructure Sustainability , Alexandra C. Jospe, Environmental Conservation

The Energy Benefits of Trees: Investigating Shading, Microclimate and Wind Shielding Effects in Worcester and Springfield, Massachusetts , Emma L. Morzuch, Environmental Conservation

The Effect of Leaves and Steel Support Cables on The Dynamic Properties of Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) with Co-Dominant Trunks , Mark Reiland, Environmental Conservation

Growth and Establishment of Newly Planted Street Trees , Alexander R. Sherman, Environmental Conservation

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Environmental studies theses and dissertations.

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• AN ACCUMULATION OF CATASTROPHE: A POLITICAL ECONOMY OF WILDFIRE IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES  Dockstader, Sue ( University of Oregon , 2024-03-25 ) This dissertation is an environmental sociological study of wildland fire in what is now the western United States. It examines wildfire management from roughly the 1900s to the present time employing a Marxist historical ...
• Managing Life's Future: Species Essentialism and Evolutionary Normativity in Conservation Policy, Practice, and Imaginaries  Maggiulli, Katrina ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-10 ) Folk essentialist and normative understandings of species are not only prevalent in popular layperson communities, but also end up undergirding United States conservation policy and practice due to the simplistic clarity ...
• Unsettled Ecologies: Alienated Species, Indigenous Restoration, and U.S. Empire in a Time of Climate Chaos  Fink, Lisa ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-10 ) This dissertation traces environmental thinking about invasive species from Western-colonial, diasporic settlers of color, and Indigenous perspectives within U.S. settler colonialism. Considering environmental discourses ...
• Futuremaking in a Disaster Zone: Everyday Climate Change Adaptation amongst Quechua Women in the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca  Moulton, Holly ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-10 ) Indigenous women in Peru are often labeled “triply vulnerable” to climate change due to race, gender, and economic marginalization. Despite Peru’s focus on gender, Indigeneity, and intersectionality in national adaptation ...
• Land Acts: Land's Agency in American Literature, Law, and History from the Colonial Period to Removal  Keeler, Kyle ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-10 ) This dissertation examines land’s agency and relationships to land in the places now known as the United States as these relationships appear in literature and law from early colonization to the removal period. Land Acts ...
• PALEOTEMPERATURE, VEGETATION CHANGE, FIRE HISTORY, AND LAKE PRODUCTIVITY FOR THE LAST 14,500 YEARS AT GOLD LAKE, PACIFIC NORTHWEST, USA  Baig, Jamila ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-09 ) The postglacial history of vegetation, wildfire, and climate in the Cascade Range (Oregon) is only partly understood. This study uses high-resolution analysis from a 13-meter, 14,500-year sediment core from Gold Lake to ...
• On Western Juniper Climate Relations  Reis, Schyler ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-26 ) Western juniper woodlands are highly sensitive to climate in terms of tree-ring growth, seedling establishment and range distribution. Understanding the dynamics of western juniper woodlands to changes in precipitation, ...
• Stories We Tell, Stories We Eat: Mexican Foodways, Cultural Identity, and Ideological Struggle in Netflix’s Taco Chronicles  Sanchez, Bela ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-26 ) Food is a biological necessity imbued with numerous social, cultural, and economic implications for identity production and everyday meaning-making. Food television is a unique medium for the meanings of food and foodways ...
• Soil Nutrient Additions Shift Orthopteran Herbivory and Invertebrate Community Composition  Altmire, Gabriella ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-26 ) Anthropogenic alterations to global pools of nitrogen and phosphorus are driving declines in plant diversity across grasslands. As such, concern over biodiversity loss has precipitated a host of studies investigating how ...
• Multispecies Memoir: Self, Genre, and Species Justice in Contemporary Culture  Otjen, Nathaniel ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) Liberal humanism articulates an individual, rational, autonomous, universal, and singularly human subject that possesses various rights and freedoms. Although the imagined subject at the heart of liberal humanist philosophy ...
• Understanding How Changes in Disturbance Regimes and Long-Term Climate Shape Ecosystem and Landscape Structure and Function  Wright, Jamie ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) Long-term and anthropic climatic change intersecting with disturbances alters ecosystem structure and function across spatiotemporal scales. Quantifying ecosystem responses can be convoluted, therefore utilizing multiproxy ...
• Ikpíkyav (To Fix Again): Drawing From Karuk World Renewal To Contest Settler Discourses Of Vulnerability  Vinyeta, Kirsten ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) The Klamath River Basin of Northern California has historically been replete with fire-adapted ecosystems and Indigenous communities. For the Karuk Tribe, fire has been an indispensable tool for both spiritual practice and ...
• Grassland Restoration in Heterogeneous, Changing, and Human Dominated Systems  Brambila, Alejandro ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) Ecological restoration is a powerful tool to promote biodiversity and ecosystem function. Understanding underlying system variability and directional change can help predict outcomes of restoration interventions. Spatial ...
• Restoring What? And for Whom? Listening to Karuk Ecocultural Revitalization Practitioners and Uncovering Settler Logics in Ecological Restoration.  Worl, Sara ( University of Oregon , 2022-05-10 ) What does it mean to restore a landscape degraded by settler colonialism? How might a well intentionedprocess like ecological restoration end up causing harm from underlying settler colonial logics? This thesis explores ...
• Instigating Communities of Solidarity: An Exploration of Participatory, Informal, Temporary Urbanisms  Meier, Briana ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) This dissertationexamines the potential for participatory, informal urbanisms to buildcollaborative relations across ontological, cultural, and political difference. This research contributes to thefield of urban, environmental ...
• The Holy Oak School of Art and Ecology: A Proposal for Arts-Based Environmental Education Programming  Best, Krysta ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) The following is a proposal for arts-based environmental education programming in elementary schools, after-school programs, and day-camp programs, entitled the Holy School of Art and Ecology. Ecophenomenological, arts-based ...
• Settler Colonial Listening and the Silence of Wilderness in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area  Hilgren, Bailey ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) The Boundary Waters Canoe Area soundscape in northern Minnesota has a long and contested history but is most often characterized today as a pristine and distinctly silent wilderness. This thesis traces the construction and ...
• Species Dynamics and Restoration in Rare Serpentine Grasslands under Global Change  Hernandez, Eliza ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) Conserving rare serpentine grasslands is a challenge with ongoing nitrogen deposition. Nutrient-poor patches are fertilized by nitrogen-rich smog and exotic grasses can rapidly spread. Water resources are also being altered ...
• Place-making and Place-taking: An Analysis of Green Gentrification in Atlanta Georgia  Okotie-Oyekan, Aimée ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) Despite the benefits of urban greenspace, Atlanta’s Westside Park is causing gentrification and displacement pressures in Grove Park, a low-income African-American community in northwest Atlanta, Georgia. This study used ...
• Prairie Plant Responses to Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest  Reed, Paul ( University of Oregon , 2021-09-13 ) Understanding how plants respond to climate change is of paramount importance since their responses can affect ecosystem functions and patterns of biodiversity. At the population level, climate change may alter phenology ...

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Research Topics & Ideas: Environment

100+ Environmental Science Research Topics & Ideas

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. Here, we’ll explore a variety research ideas and topic thought-starters related to various environmental science disciplines, including ecology, oceanography, hydrology, geology, soil science, environmental chemistry, environmental economics, and environmental ethics.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the environmental sciences. This is the starting point though. To develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. Also be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to develop a high-quality research topic from scratch.

Overview: Environmental Topics

• Ecology /ecological science
• Atmospheric science
• Oceanography
• Soil science
• Environmental chemistry
• Environmental economics
• Environmental ethics
• Examples  of dissertations and theses

Topics & Ideas: Ecological Science

• The impact of land-use change on species diversity and ecosystem functioning in agricultural landscapes
• The role of disturbances such as fire and drought in shaping arid ecosystems
• The impact of climate change on the distribution of migratory marine species
• Investigating the role of mutualistic plant-insect relationships in maintaining ecosystem stability
• The effects of invasive plant species on ecosystem structure and function
• The impact of habitat fragmentation caused by road construction on species diversity and population dynamics in the tropics
• The role of ecosystem services in urban areas and their economic value to a developing nation
• The effectiveness of different grassland restoration techniques in degraded ecosystems
• The impact of land-use change through agriculture and urbanisation on soil microbial communities in a temperate environment
• The role of microbial diversity in ecosystem health and nutrient cycling in an African savannah

Topics & Ideas: Atmospheric Science

• The impact of climate change on atmospheric circulation patterns above tropical rainforests
• The role of atmospheric aerosols in cloud formation and precipitation above cities with high pollution levels
• The impact of agricultural land-use change on global atmospheric composition
• Investigating the role of atmospheric convection in severe weather events in the tropics
• The impact of urbanisation on regional and global atmospheric ozone levels
• The impact of sea surface temperature on atmospheric circulation and tropical cyclones
• The impact of solar flares on the Earth’s atmospheric composition
• The impact of climate change on atmospheric turbulence and air transportation safety
• The impact of stratospheric ozone depletion on atmospheric circulation and climate change
• The role of atmospheric rivers in global water supply and sea-ice formation

Topics & Ideas: Oceanography

• The impact of ocean acidification on kelp forests and biogeochemical cycles
• The role of ocean currents in distributing heat and regulating desert rain
• The impact of carbon monoxide pollution on ocean chemistry and biogeochemical cycles
• Investigating the role of ocean mixing in regulating coastal climates
• The impact of sea level rise on the resource availability of low-income coastal communities
• The impact of ocean warming on the distribution and migration patterns of marine mammals
• The impact of ocean deoxygenation on biogeochemical cycles in the arctic
• The role of ocean-atmosphere interactions in regulating rainfall in arid regions
• The impact of ocean eddies on global ocean circulation and plankton distribution
• The role of ocean-ice interactions in regulating the Earth’s climate and sea level

Tops & Ideas: Hydrology

• The impact of agricultural land-use change on water resources and hydrologic cycles in temperate regions
• The impact of agricultural groundwater availability on irrigation practices in the global south
• The impact of rising sea-surface temperatures on global precipitation patterns and water availability
• Investigating the role of wetlands in regulating water resources for riparian forests
• The impact of tropical ranches on river and stream ecosystems and water quality
• The impact of urbanisation on regional and local hydrologic cycles and water resources for agriculture
• The role of snow cover and mountain hydrology in regulating regional agricultural water resources
• The impact of drought on food security in arid and semi-arid regions
• The role of groundwater recharge in sustaining water resources in arid and semi-arid environments
• The impact of sea level rise on coastal hydrology and the quality of water resources

Topics & Ideas: Geology

• The impact of tectonic activity on the East African rift valley
• The role of mineral deposits in shaping ancient human societies
• The impact of sea-level rise on coastal geomorphology and shoreline evolution
• Investigating the role of erosion in shaping the landscape and impacting desertification
• The impact of mining on soil stability and landslide potential
• The impact of volcanic activity on incoming solar radiation and climate
• The role of geothermal energy in decarbonising the energy mix of megacities
• The impact of Earth’s magnetic field on geological processes and solar wind
• The impact of plate tectonics on the evolution of mammals
• The role of the distribution of mineral resources in shaping human societies and economies, with emphasis on sustainability

Topics & Ideas: Soil Science

• The impact of dam building on soil quality and fertility
• The role of soil organic matter in regulating nutrient cycles in agricultural land
• The impact of climate change on soil erosion and soil organic carbon storage in peatlands
• Investigating the role of above-below-ground interactions in nutrient cycling and soil health
• The impact of deforestation on soil degradation and soil fertility
• The role of soil texture and structure in regulating water and nutrient availability in boreal forests
• The impact of sustainable land management practices on soil health and soil organic matter
• The impact of wetland modification on soil structure and function
• The role of soil-atmosphere exchange and carbon sequestration in regulating regional and global climate
• The impact of salinization on soil health and crop productivity in coastal communities

Topics & Ideas: Environmental Chemistry

• The impact of cobalt mining on water quality and the fate of contaminants in the environment
• The role of atmospheric chemistry in shaping air quality and climate change
• The impact of soil chemistry on nutrient availability and plant growth in wheat monoculture
• Investigating the fate and transport of heavy metal contaminants in the environment
• The impact of climate change on biochemical cycling in tropical rainforests
• The impact of various types of land-use change on biochemical cycling
• The role of soil microbes in mediating contaminant degradation in the environment
• The impact of chemical and oil spills on freshwater and soil chemistry
• The role of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in shaping water and soil chemistry
• The impact of over-irrigation on the cycling and fate of persistent organic pollutants in the environment

Topics & Ideas: Environmental Economics

• The impact of climate change on the economies of developing nations
• The role of market-based mechanisms in promoting sustainable use of forest resources
• The impact of environmental regulations on economic growth and competitiveness
• Investigating the economic benefits and costs of ecosystem services for African countries
• The impact of renewable energy policies on regional and global energy markets
• The role of water markets in promoting sustainable water use in southern Africa
• The impact of land-use change in rural areas on regional and global economies
• The impact of environmental disasters on local and national economies
• The role of green technologies and innovation in shaping the zero-carbon transition and the knock-on effects for local economies
• The impact of environmental and natural resource policies on income distribution and poverty of rural communities

Topics & Ideas: Environmental Ethics

• The ethical foundations of environmentalism and the environmental movement regarding renewable energy
• The role of values and ethics in shaping environmental policy and decision-making in the mining industry
• The impact of cultural and religious beliefs on environmental attitudes and behaviours in first world countries
• Investigating the ethics of biodiversity conservation and the protection of endangered species in palm oil plantations
• The ethical implications of sea-level rise for future generations and vulnerable coastal populations
• The role of ethical considerations in shaping sustainable use of natural forest resources
• The impact of environmental justice on marginalized communities and environmental policies in Asia
• The ethical implications of environmental risks and decision-making under uncertainty
• The role of ethics in shaping the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable future for the construction industry
• The impact of environmental values on consumer behaviour and the marketplace: a case study of the ‘bring your own shopping bag’ policy

Examples: Real Dissertation & Thesis Topics

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various environmental science-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• The physiology of microorganisms in enhanced biological phosphorous removal (Saunders, 2014)
• The influence of the coastal front on heavy rainfall events along the east coast (Henson, 2019)
• Forage production and diversification for climate-smart tropical and temperate silvopastures (Dibala, 2019)
• Advancing spectral induced polarization for near surface geophysical characterization (Wang, 2021)
• Assessment of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter and Thamnocephalus platyurus as Tools to Monitor Cyanobacterial Bloom Development and Toxicity (Hipsher, 2019)
• Evaluating the Removal of Microcystin Variants with Powdered Activated Carbon (Juang, 2020)
• The effect of hydrological restoration on nutrient concentrations, macroinvertebrate communities, and amphibian populations in Lake Erie coastal wetlands (Berg, 2019)
• Utilizing hydrologic soil grouping to estimate corn nitrogen rate recommendations (Bean, 2019)
• Fungal Function in House Dust and Dust from the International Space Station (Bope, 2021)
• Assessing Vulnerability and the Potential for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in Sudan’s Blue Nile Basin (Mohamed, 2022)
• A Microbial Water Quality Analysis of the Recreational Zones in the Los Angeles River of Elysian Valley, CA (Nguyen, 2019)
• Dry Season Water Quality Study on Three Recreational Sites in the San Gabriel Mountains (Vallejo, 2019)
• Wastewater Treatment Plan for Unix Packaging Adjustment of the Potential Hydrogen (PH) Evaluation of Enzymatic Activity After the Addition of Cycle Disgestase Enzyme (Miessi, 2020)
• Laying the Genetic Foundation for the Conservation of Longhorn Fairy Shrimp (Kyle, 2021).

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. To create a top-notch research topic, you will need to be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you’ll need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

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If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your environmental science dissertation or research project, be sure to check out our private coaching services below, as well as our Research Topic Kickstarter .

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Home > Environmental Studies > Student Theses 2001-2013

Student Theses 2001-2013

Theses/dissertations from 2017 2017.

The Disappearing Wetland Act: Climate Change, Development, and Protection , Jessica P. Doughty

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

The Centrality of Ecological Design: Achieving Sustainability in an Era of Free-Market Capitalist Framework , Eddy Andrade

A Vicious CERCLA, Or The Twilight of the Superfund , Donald Borenstein

Saving the World’s Remaining Tigers: Panthera’s Work and the Role of Non-Profits in Wildlife Conservation , John Byrne

New York City’s Water Challenges: History, Politics, and Design , Jessica Crowley

Giving Back to the Community: Addressing the Environmental Literacy Gap Through Socially and Environmentally Responsible Business Practices , David Garcia

Wasting Plates: Addressing Food Waste in the United States , Sarah Geuss

Too Pig to Fail: Considering Regulatory Solutions to the Environmental Damages Caused by Industrial Hog Farms in North Carolina , Samir Hafez

Sandy and the City: The Need for Coastal Policy Reform , Jonathan Hilburg

Drilling for Arctic Oil: Is it Worth the Risk? , Emily Kain

The Pedestrianization of New York City: An Environmental History and Critique of Urban Motorization and A Look at New York City’s New Era of Planning , Anna Kobara

Hurricane Sandy: Using Environmental History, Economics, Politics and Urban Planning to Prepare For the Next One , Julia Maguire

Our Failing Food System: Productivity Versus Sustainability , Alyson Murphy

Exploring the Drivers of CSR and Creating a Sustainable Corporate Institution: Environmental Education, Politics, and Business Practices , Eric Osuna

Composting Food Waste: A Method That Can Improve Soil Quality and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions , Gentiana Quni

Assessment of Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Conservation Awareness in the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem , Karianne Rivera

The Sustainable Future of the Metropolis: Greening New York City Building By Building , Lizbeth Sanchez

Trash Talk: Solid Waste Disposal in New York City , Alexander Williams

Hurricane Sandy: A Chance to Identify Vulnerabilities, Learn from the Past, and Increase Future Resiliency , Julianne Yee

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Going Green at New York-Presbyterian: Hospitals As Sustainable Businesses , Samantha Allegro

A Stronger Role For the United States President in Environmental Policy , Elizabeth Anderson

Simulating Climate Risk Into Markets and Policies: A New Approach to Financial Analysis and Policy Formation , Miguel Bantigue

Environmental Education Reform: Using Experiential Learning to Influence Environmental Policy-Making By Fostering a Sense of Environmental Citizenship and Eco-Literacy , Nicol Belletiere

Internship Report: Earthjustice & the Fracking Battle in New York's Marcellus Shale , John Byrne

Coal: How We Achieved Our Dependency and Its True Cost , Kelly Caggiano

Recycling Furniture: The Ecological, Economic and Social Benefits , Michele Calabrese

Internship Report UNEP: The Effects of Climate Change in Arctic Zones , Diana Cartaya-Acosta

Environmental Racism in South Africa: A Sustainable Green Solution , Danielle Darmofal

The Bronx, Beavers and Birthrights: The Case For Urban Wildlife , Richard Day

The Economics of Biodiversity , Paige Doyle

Environmental Communications: Case Study of New York City's Double Crested Cormorant , Marisa Galdi

Not a Walk In the Park: Environmental Justice in New York City , Lindsey Grier

The Economic and Environmental Justice Implications of Hydraulic Fracturing in 21st Century North America , Katie Medved

The Bottling Craze: Exposing the Environmental Effects of Bottled Vs. Tap Water , Michele Paccagnini

How the United States Will Find a Sustainable Future Through Increased Nuclear Productivity , Ian Pruitt

Group For the East End: The Role of Childhood Environmental Education in Improving Learning Behaviors and the Health of Humans and the Environment , Brian Riley

The Role of Modern Zoos in Wildlife Conservation: From the WCS to the Wild , John Scott

Global Climate Change Vs. Global Warming: What Is the Difference "Global Climate Change" and "Global Warming"? , Nadia Seeteram

Lost in Translation: Environmental Communication Issues in Media and Politics , Carolyn Wegemann

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

The Ins and Outs of Corporate Greenwashing , Jennifer Bender

A River Runs Through It: Community Access to the Bronx River in Tremont and Hunts Point , Matthew Bodnar

The Future is Green; Urban Agriculture in the Bronx , Patty Gouris

All in Our Backyard: Exploring how Environmental Discrimination Affects Health and Social Conditions in the South Bronx , Mireille Martineau

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

The Bronx River Alliance: A Model Community Action Organization And an Internship in Development , John Hinck

Enrique Reef: Degradation and Protective Measures , Dana Mitchell

The Human Population Growth and its Ecological Consequences on Kenya and Tanzania , Lauren Noll

Environmental Consciousness: Human Motivation for Thinking Ecologically , Rob Pigue

Economics of Carbon Regulation: An Exploration to the Nuance of Carbon Regulation , Timothy J. Schwartz

New York Botanical Garden Internship: From Photography to Policy , Christine Willeford

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Environmental Health and Climate Change: The Case of Lyme Disease , Matthew Abad

Recycling Tendencies of Fordham University's Population , Jeremy Aiss, Vincent Ammirato, Anamarie Beluch, and Christopher Torres

The Business of Sustainability , Andrea Brady

Waste Mismanagement: Fighting Environmental Injustice in Mott Haven and Hunts Point , Elizabeth Friedrich

Environmental Internship & The Fordham Eco-Roof Proposal , Anthony Giovannone

The Putnam Railroad Corridor Restoration Project: A Comprehensive Plan for Paired Ecological Restoration and Greenway Construction , Patrick J. Hopkins Jr.

Land Use Policy and Development on Long Island , Richard Murdocco

From the Bronx into the Wild! My Adventurous Experience at the Bronx Zoo , Lauren Noll

For the Birds! , Robert Patterson

Managing Infestation of the Invasive Viburnum Leaf Beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni) at the New York Botanical Garden , Gregory Russo

Environmental History of Japan , Amy Seagroves

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

A Healthy Environment is a Healthy Body , Matthew Abad

Stormwater Runoff, Combined Sewer Overflow, and Environmental Justice in the Bronx , Natalie Collao

Solving a Crisis: Water Quality & Storm Water Infrastructure in New York City , Kelsey Ripper

The New Social Movement: Environmental Justice in the Bronx , Kelsey Ripper

Environmental Justice and Street Science: A Fusion of Community Knowledge and Environmental Health Justice to Address the Asthma Epidemic in Urban Communities , Natalie Robiou

Urban Wildlife and Leopold’s Land Ethic: “The squirrels on a college campus convey the same lesson as the redwoods. . . .” , Natalie Robiou

Unpasteurized Milk and Soft Cheese Outbreaks: An Overview of Consumer Safety , Taygan Yilmaz

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

The Environmental Justice Movement in the United States , Harrison Delfin

Natural River Restoration in Urban Ecology: The Bronx River , Samuel P. Loor

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

The H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus: Globalization, Climate Change, and Other Anthropogenic Factors in New Emergent Diseases , Quan Luong

The Environmental Effects of War , Philip Swintek

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

Identification of Genetically Modified Organisms in Foodstuffs , Anamarie Beluch

The Moral Dilemma of Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) , Anamarie Beluch

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

The History of Community Gardens in New York City: The Role of Urban Agriculture and Green Roofs in Addressing Environmental Racism , Rosamarie Ridge

Theses/Dissertations from 2002 2002

Bronx River Restoration: Report and Assessment , Teresa Crimmens

Environmental Audit of the Rose Hill Campus , Nicole Marshall, Maria Nissi, Brian Flaherty, Carl Van Ostrand, and Ian McClelland

Theses/Dissertations from 2001 2001

Bronx River Restoration: Report and Assessment , Nicole Marshall

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266 Popular Environmental Science Topics For Successful Thesis

As an environmental science student, you may need to tackle various issues across environmental health and economics. You will need environmental topics to address various issues about your environment.

There is a body of research topics on environmental issues which could make your research paper exceptional when you write on any environmental topics of your choice.

If you’d like to wow your professor and you need topics you can tailor to a form of originality, you should consider the following research topics in environmental science.

Environmental Economics Dissertation Topics

Environmental economics could be scary to you because of its vastness but all you need is a collection of topics about environment to choose from. You can consider these environment research topics for your upcoming dissertation:

• A critical review of man-made environmental disasters in the previous decade
• A critical study of the US environmental policy
• An overview of the economic review on waste disposal programs embarked upon by a country in Latin America
• Analysis of water conservation innovation and its feasibility in the US
• A study of previous ecology economics and its practice in a western European country
• A study of the economic justification on the resources facilitating urban development in the UK
• Discuss the concept of water management and policy in the UK
• Examine the impact of climate change on public resources and institutions
• Examine the policies regarding climate change and how it affects the economy of the US
• How does globalization worsen environmental abuse in post-COVID-19 Europe?
• Consider the economic terms and conditions behind biodiversity
• Evaluate the cost on two independent organizations in promoting environmental literacy through social programs
• How the UK determine the economic policy on environmental issues for Europe
• The role of natural resources and emerging economies in stabilizing environmental issues
• The consequences of illegal mining on the economy and the environmental crisis that follows
• The challenges of the social-economic system of Canadians since newer policies on environmental issues were implemented
• The intervention of the government and its role in forest management
• How the policies against illegal poaching can be more effective in Africa?
• A forensic analysis of the frankness of the environmental ministry in achieving healthier and safer environments
• The role of economy and finances in improving environmental conditions
• A study on what it takes to finance and monitor the trends of climate changes
• The study of the growth of emissions and how it affects individual or corporate productivity
• How clean and conventional energy sources could impede traditional means of wealth creation
• Environmental sustainability: how it compliments economic growth
• Examine the context of risk management and natural disasters with regard to an event in America
• Evaluate the possibility of adopting EU’s Renewable Energy Guidelines in the US
• What is the role of adaptation, geoengineering, and economics in a world plagued by climate change?
• Is the UN sustainable growth feasible in (a country in Africa)
• An examination of the processes involved in regulating energy
• An evaluation of the resources in the process of waste management

Environmental Law Research Topics

You may also need environment research topics in relation to law for your dissertation. As you already know, environmental law research topics will relate to the regulatory bodies of natural resources in the international and national sphere. You can consider environment project topics for your dissertation:

• The limitations of governmental bodies in policing illegal poaching in Africa
• Examine the significance of public complaints in issues of environmental concerns
• Evaluate an environmental law paper and its role in advocating environmental change in China
• Examine the role of different legal frameworks to tackle environmental pollution in the UK
• An examination of sustainable policy in Harvard University and the reaction of students to it
• A study of energy economics and dynamics and how it relates to legal institutions
• With reference to a UN statement, examine the efficacy of law in Sudanese environmental policies
• Examine the possible disaster the absence of a legal institution could cause a state of environmental decay
• How the value of renewable energy and gas emissions in selected companies has mitigated against lawsuits about the violation of environmental health policies
• A study of the means environmental law can help with sustainable living
• What are environmental laws existent in the UK and how do other countries adopt these laws?
• How to reduce carbon emission and how the UK did it with its laws?
• A study into the awareness systems regarding climate change orientation in legal institutions
• Examine the British policies on bush burning
• Assess how environmental laws can be an impediment to economic growth
• Explain the environmental laws in the UK post BREXIT
• An assessment on the result of waste management policies in the US
• Compare and compare the situations existent in the UK and the US regarding the environmental crisis
• A study of the effect of politics in limiting the efforts of environmental laws
• How two countries (of your choice) have set about protecting their wildlife
• Evaluate how environmental laws in the UK have helped kept the people safe as well as the wildlife animals
• Criticize the international environmental laws
• Attempt an analysis of the inevitable content of environmental law in the US
• Write an overview of the provisions for natural forestation and wildlife and the way they contribute to the preservation of the environment
• Constructively criticize any environmental law from any nation of your choice
• The role of investigation in the creation of environmental laws
• Evaluate the events of Environmental crimes in recent years and how it is seen to underestimate the efforts directed at environmental protection
• Examine the issues of greenhouse and global warming and why it is an international threat
• Consider the policy of carbon reduction for companies in the US and how feasible the plans are
• Examine how Environmental laws interweave with energy laws

Environmental Research Paper Topics

You may attempt to write one of the research topics on environment issues for your research paper. With different issues to discuss, the diversity of the planet has offered many ways to study it. Thus, you can consider the following Environment research topics for your research paper:

• Examine the growing threat of climate change and how the world can respond better to it
• Evaluate what is meant by urban ecology
• Attempt an analysis of the concept of renewable energy and how it solves the problem of Sustainable energy
• Examine the context of the conservation of the Antarctic and why it is significant
• Critical diagnose of why there are different kinds of clouds and how they form
• Examine the consequences of climate change on humans
• Interrogate what is meant by acid rains and how it is connected to Industries
• Analyze if one of the causes of JoAnn diseases is the proximity of Industrial plants to water resources
• Fossil field to hydrogen: how the world can Sustainably cater for itself
• Soil contamination: the role of waste and pesticides
• Analyze the role of humans in the rise and threat of global warming
• The inevitability of water sources to the environment: a critical analysis of the importance of the Nile
• Examine the connection between acid rains and industrialization
• Examine the role of deforestation in global warming
• What are the possibilities of controlling and containing global warming for the human race?
• What the future of the ecosystem looks like: how environmental laws can help save natural habitats
• Critically review what is meant by green energy
• Is global warming and natural event or a manmade catastrophe?
• Examine how tectonic movements play a significant role in the ecosystem
• Are oceans safe to take deep-sea mining?
• With the eyes of environmentalists, who are the endangered species?
• Examine the importance of National parks
• Evaluate the organization of Greenpeace and its position on preserving global ecology
• Evaluate the different responses to global warming in European countries
• Evaluate the different reactions to global warming in Asia
• Examine the different reactions of governments to global warming in Africa
• Identify the input of China in the ecosystem
• Examine the possibility of reducing the spread of desserts
• Evaluate the chances of sustainable consumption
• Consider the subject of water management and how there is enough water for everyone
• There is politics in international Environmental laws: discuss
• Consider the trends of the ecosystem in the past 20 years
• Choose a forest fire outbreak event and analyze its causes
• Who is to blame when animals are endangered?
• The role of independent organizations in the balance of the ecosystem
• What are the conditions considered inevitable for the promotion of sustainable environments
• Attempt to review five literature on the complications regarding environmental preservation
• Examine how natural habitats survive extreme conditions
• Everything struggles to survive: comment
• Forest fires: offer a critical review of how the ecosystem adapts and copes with series of natural disasters
• Offer possible discoveries on how to manage the greenhouse effect
• Smart Homes: the limitations of the invention that offers energy sustainability
• A review of the past and how it contributes to the present ecological situations
• Assess the context of risk management and his it relates to environmental health
• Assess the significance of lakes and ponds in the discussion of water bodies
• Offer an analysis on how to cope with the trends in ecosystems
• The role of the First World Countries in maintaining environmental laws
• The role of the Third World Countries in engaging in practical solutions to global warming
• Explain how humans can harness the greenhouse effect for their good
• Consider the effect of climate change on the national productivity

Environmental Research Topics for College Students

You may choose to explore research topics in environmental science as a college student in any institution. Here are some easy and straightforward questions for you to improve your insight into the discussion of your choice:

• Examine how acid rain forms and the reasons why them
• What do you think about composting?
• Bacteria: how it finds itself in human food
• An overview of genetic disease and how it has an influence on humans
• Compare and contrast the photosynthesis of three sample plants
• How do sewages work for a quality living?
• Examine the process of the spread of viruses
• Evaluate how climate change worsen the environmental crisis
• Explain the extinction of honey bees and what it will mean for the world
• Examine weed diversity in a community of your choice
• Discuss how agricultural production and affected by climate change
• Reviewing of literature on fishing water and its toxic levels
• Discuss the increase in thermal ecology, sea creatures, and what it means for the environment
• Examine the consequences of careless waste disposal on the Environment
• Child mortality: the role of air pollution
• Prevention of environmental pollution and the role of college students
• How to develop Sustainable water supply channels
• Nuclear power: benefits and uses
• The fostering of Sustainable communities: examine its possibilities
• How does environmental management function in the hospitality industry
• How science is explored in addressing climate change
• Examine the revival of oceans and what it means to the people
• What are the benefits of nuclear power to the immediate environment?
• Are nuclear powers a constant threat to international peace and security?
• What role can greenhouses play in achieving environmental sustainability?
• Water scarcity: the implications of science
• Environmental health and the adverse challenge of economic development
• Examine the Importance of Environmental sustainability in the world
• Human health and climate change: how will human health improve after curbing the effect of climate change?
• Tips to reduce the exposure of pesticides to the soil
• What is the connection between pesticides and the loss of the sense of smell?
• The health risk of tobacco exposure for humans
• Air pollution and the role of road traffic
• What is the connection of air pollution to cancer?
• What is the connection of water pollution to Environmental risks?
• What are the examples of Environmental pollution and how can we Improve living circumstances
• How climate change has mitigated against growth
• The role of wildfire on human health
• Evaluate the threat of climate change
• Do you think industries should pay tax for their output of carbon emissions?
• Genetically modified organisms: should they be banned by the government?
• Discuss the concept of organic farming
• Examine the exports of animals and their moral incorrectness
• Elucidate the negative impacts of zoos
• Elucidate the means to fridge carbon footprint of everyone
• Sustainable energy: is nuclear energy better than fossil fuels?
• How to better the chances of survival during climate changes
• Consider the benefits of tourism to the environment
• Examine the concepts of conventional farming and organic farming
• Examine the power of the individual in achieving sustainable environmental policies and practices

Environmental Policy Research Topics

You may love to consider Environment project topics that deal with policymaking. As an aspect that touches policies and laws that regard water and air quality, even the plans for endangered species, you can consider the following topics for your research:

• What is the perfect blueprint for Sustainable Environmental Policies
• Argue the need for different policies for various countries
• Argue the need for singular policies for all countries of the world for Sustainable living
• Examines the models that secure Environmental preservation of its endangered species
• The role of institutions in supporting climate change and advocacy did it
• An assessment of public response to climate change and how it has Enhanced strategies of development
• What the public understands by climate change: a case study of a European and African country
• A study of how government make policies regarding climate change and environmental crisis
• Examine what biodiversity means
• Elucidate the indicators of social and economic development and how they relate to environmental sustainability
• Offer a critic of how two Asian Countries have reacted to climate issues
• Express regard for multidisciplinary approaches to environmental policies and what they could be
• How can individuals motivate environmental policy changes for the government?
• Examine the role of public institutions in advocating environmental health
• Interrogate the difference between the policies regarding air pollution and water pollution
• Explore the circumstances that could achieve sustainable structures to the environmental crisis in India

Environmental Engineering Topics for Research

Research topics on Environmental issues are limitless, and you may want to explore a topic relating to environmental engineering. Rather than comb through the internet for a topic, you can choose any of the following and rephrase them to your purpose:

• Evaluate the trajectory of the carbon index in an energy-consuming company
• Design an outer-face for an energy-consuming company and what its energy use would look like
• A study of the carbon footprint in a sugar Production company
• Identify the process of waste removal in European automotive Industries
• Car mobility: discuss the advantages and challenges
• Bioenergy: examine the concept and what it means for an environmentalist
• Choose a sewage plantation in Europe and study the elements of construction
• Comment on the Nord Dam construction of Germany as an Environment engineer
• Offer a comparative analysis on the recycling of plants and eco-friendly wastewater systems
• Evaluate the processes of determining the quality of water
• Review the use of energy in a machine factory of your choice in the US
• Quantity plastic waste and the abounding issues in Europe
• Discuss the processes involved in the recycling of water
• The cement Industry and its hazard to the environment
• Attempt a physicochemical study of the features of water in waste management
• Analyze your approach to a greenbelt design
• Examine the reuse of building waste and its environmental benefits
• Marine environment: attempt a criticism of oil spill and its effects
• Justify the creation of green buildings
• Smart Homes: the next big thing or another threat to Environmental technologies
• Evaluate how to treat waste in the public
• Offer an analysis on how to reduce costs on offshore drilling
• Attempt an overview of e-construction and what it means for the world
• Assess the environmental sustainability in a country of your choice in Europe
• Assess the environmental sustainability in a country of your choice in Asia
• Review the Environmental sustainability level of the USA
• Study the sustainability level of a country in Africa
• Examine the distinctive physical properties in soil under different environments
• Offer an overview of air pollution in Mysore City
• Study the environmental challenge posed by automobile industries
• Design a system that vehicle with a limited carbon footprint
• Design an industrial machine with a limited carbon footprint
• Rationalize the possibility of zero carbon footprint in the world
• Rationalize the chances of actual sustainable energies
• Explore the differences in the role of environmental engineers and environmentalists
• Study the Sustainable development changes of Bidar District
• Examine how Nigeria reacts to climate changes and the systems in place
• Evaluate the physics of acid rain measurement
• Waste and water recycling: what is the place of risk management?
• Evaluate the provision of tools in achieving sustainable environmental practices

Environmental Hot Topics

There are esteemed educational topics that require the bird’s eye insight into Environmental Sciences. These topics are connected to individuals and the survival of the planet which is how the wood is shaped. Some of these topics are:

• Biodiversity
• Water pollution and contaminants
• Foodborne disease and consequences
• Air pollution in urban and rural areas
• Tropical rainforests and their recent losses to fires
• Deforestation due to climate changes
• The role of biological pollutants in environmental crisis
• The methods of carbon footprint reductions
• The dangers of overconsumption on the planet
• The significance of dams
• Human and governmental responses on ecosystem destruction
• The concept of renewable energy and efficiency
• Marine ecosystem
• Food safety and dangers
• Genetic Engineering and its dangers to food safety and nutrition
• The advocacy of intensive farming
• The advocacy of organic farming
• The benefits and consequences of the adoption of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in farming
• The concept of land degradation
• The Examination of deforestation
• The natural vegetation and the understanding of land usage
• The impact of mining on wildlife and natural forests
• The evolution of nanotechnology
• An overview of natural disasters and what consistent disasters mean for the world
• The religious context of natural disasters and the panic
• International issue around nuclear weapons and ownership
• The risks of nuclear energy
• The challenges of radioactive waves
• The challenge of overpopulation and limited resources
• The attitude of resource depletion
• The study of soil erosion
• A critical review of soil contamination through waste, pesticide, organic pollutants, and heavy metals
• An Overview of soil contamination processes
• The conversation around native wildlife
• The process of embracing green practices
• The possibility of a stable economy in an environmentally conscious world
• The prospect of biodiversity and resource control
• The study of toxins in waste
• The Assessment of disruptors in the food chain
• Waste management and the policies concerning sustainability
• Challenges of credits
• Water recycling
• Minimization of waste
• The deduction of energy from waste
• Trends of the ecosystem
• The theory of the endangered species
• The risks in environmental sustainability
• The growth of the ecological economy
• The need for ecological Sustainable practices
• Development of feasible environmental policies

Is Writing About Environmental Science Taking Too Much Time?

As earlier stated, while it may be a lot of bother to rack your head about environmental science dissertation topics, you can choose either of these for your use.

You already have environmental law research topics, environmental economics dissertation topics, environmental policy research topics, and environmental engineering topics for research.

If you feel you need a research paper help, there are good and professional writers with experience in academic writing online. You can contact them for your top and scholarly university dissertation or research study at a cheap prize. If you also need ideas on how to write your project, you can find expert writers and guides from online educational outlets.

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DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Home > Environmental Studies > ENVSTUDTHESES

Environmental Studies Program

Department of environmental studies: undergraduate student theses.

Amazon Deforestation and Its Effects on Local Climate , Andrew Baker

Observing Wildlife in Different Urban Environments , Colleen Ballinger

AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS AFFECTING MUNICIPAL BIOCHAR IMPLEMENTATION IN VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKETS , Jadon Basilevac

Evaluating Biophilic Design Characteristics in Lincoln Public Schools , Sarah Burr

Spatiotemporal Activity Patterns of Red Foxes and Coyotes in Wilderness Park, Lincoln, Nebraska. , Adam Carlson

Recycling attitudes and behaviors toward single-use plastics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln , Jadyn Chasek

Survey of Energy Literacy in Lincoln, NE Households , Bella Devney

Correlation Between Fire and Preservation in the Pacific Northwest & Most Cost-Efficient MitigationTactics , Liam Doherty-Herwitz

Analyzing the Effect of Guided Nature Walks on Human Behavior , Jake Duffy

STUDENT PERSPECTIVES OF SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION USE ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS , Brynn Fuelberth

SOLAR ENERGY IMPLEMENTATION IN RURAL COMMUNITIES , Corie Gleason

State of Utah et al. v Walsh et al. , Ethan Halman Gonzalez

Regenerative Agriculture –A Pathway for Addressing Nebraska’s Water Quality and Soil Degradation Challenges , Kjersten Hyberger

Proposing Urban Agroforestry Designs for Lincoln, Nebraska: A Model From Berlin, Germany , Noah Johnson

Analyzing The Effects Of Cold Frontal Passage On The Feeding Habits Of Micropterus Salmoides (Largemouth Bass) , Ethan Lang

Turfgrass Alternatives for the Modern Yard , John Lonowski

Rails to Trails Program: Neighborhood Dynamics in Lincoln, Nebraska , Emma McCormick

ANALYZING SEA LEVEL RISE ADAPTATION & MITIGATION STRATEGIES IN LOUISIANA AND THE NETHERLANDS , Jonah McDowell

Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Nebraska State Park Visitation , Bailey Mullins

Examining the Psychology and Human Behavior of Sustainable Living: The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Climate Change Education , Samantha Nielsen

GENDER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY: A CROSS-NATIONAL ANALYSIS ON POLITICAL REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN AND SUBSEQUENT STATE SUSTAINABILITY , Erin O'Sullivan

Perception of Nature Based on Childhood Experiences , Kaitlyn Richards

IDENTIFYING A CONSUMER-PRODUCER AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE GAP , Aspen Rittgarn

EVALUATING ECOSYSTEM HEALTH OF THE SALT CREEK BASIN THROUGH TWO-EYED SEEING , Shelby Serritella

Place-Based Pedagogies in Post-Secondary Science Education: A Scoping Literature Review , Megan Swain

The Decline of Upland Birds in Nebraska: Maximizing Limited Habitat , Hunter Tesarek

Off the Rails: Cinematic Trains as Technological Controls of the Natural World , Trinity Thompson

Roots of Passion in Environmental UNL Students , Shane Vrbicky

Physiological Distancing Affects Climate Change Through Spatial Differences , Janette Williams

Nitrates in Nebraska , Michelle Zenk

NOISE POLLUTION AND ITS EFFECTS ON HUMAN MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH , Seth Anderson

Outdoor Recreation and its Effect on our Relationship with The Environment , Martin Brannaman

HELD AT BAY: A CASE STUDY OF A LAKE COMMUNITY’S EFFORT TO PREVENT A ZEBRA MUSSEL INVASION , Benjamin Breske

ANALYZING RECYCLING OPTIONS FOR WIND TURBINE BLADE WASTE , Awinita Bunner

The Effects of Human Activity on Reintroduced Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) Populations , Justine Cherovsky

Eco-dystopian Novels Written By Women: Second, Third, and Fourth Wave Feminism , Trystyn Cox

HOW CAN STAKEHOLDERS IN FOOD SOVEREIGNTY ACHIEVE MORE POLITICAL POWER? , Micah Dierks

Supercritical Water Gasification and Pyrolysis – Cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch , Kelly L. Emery

Public Health Impacts of the Clothing Industry , Schafer Flowerday

THE ACCESSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF LOCAL FOODS: A SNAPSHOT FROM THE FOOD HUBS OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA , Tess Foxall

Agricultural Carbon Markets: How Could They Work? , Andrew Havens

APPARENT TEMPERATURE & RELATIVE HUMIDITY IN NEBRASKA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON WET BULB GLOBE TEMPERATURE (WBGT) TOOLS , Rachel T. Hines

The Evolution of Wildland Fire Risk Management , Matthew Holte

E-WASTE IMPACT ON THE HEALTH OF GUIYU, CHINA CITIZENS: A COMPARISON PRE AND POST CHINA’S PROHIBITION OF FOREIGN GARBAGE IMPORTS , Oliva Hultman

Climate Change Adaptation, Migration, and Promising Developments for Pacific Island States , Ashley Jonas

IDENTIFYING HOW SUMMER CAMP EXPERIENCES AFFECT CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY , Quinn Kimbell

Literature Review on Water Desalination Plant Production and Brine Disposal Methods , Grace Kollars

The Impact of Interactions Among Native Grassland Species: A Study of Interactions Between Two Invasive Species (Bromus tectorum and Setaria faberi) and Two Native Species (Helianthus annuus and Rudbeckia hirta) , Nash Leef

Wildfires & Prescribed Fires: Do They Impact Soil Quality? , Kate Nelson

Eastern Redcedar Reduces Regeneration and Diversity in the Forests of the Niobrara River Valley , Abigail Ridder

Greenhouse Gas Emissions During the Usage Phase of Electric Vehicles in the United States, Now and in the Future , Zach Roza

Reintroduction of the Grey Wolf , Cody Willers

University of Nebraska Sustainability Recommendations , Kat Woerner

Land-Use and Potential Effects on the Western Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) , Emily Zappia

Audit of Waste Collected Over One Week From Superior Dental Health of Lincoln , Bryclin Alstrom

Analysis of Drinking Water Disinfection Options , Bryce Carlen

Diversification of Angiosperms During the Cretaceous Period , Sakia Fields

Distribution of Green Spaces in Omaha, Nebraska , Sofia Gavia

The Effect of Agkistrodon contortrix and Crotalus horridus Venom Toxicity on Strike Locations With Live Prey , Chase Giese

Long-Term Impacts of 2019 Flood Experiences on Nebraskans’ Climate Change Perceptions , Caitlin Kingsley

How is Remote Sensing Being Used to Prevent Wildfires Today? , Luke Lauby

Regenerative Agriculture’s Potential Carbon Storage in Nebraska Soils , Jenna McCoy

Relationship of Land Use Categories and Water Quality for Low Order Streams , Jake McEnaney

Impact of Ethnic Markets on Food Accessibility in Lincoln, NE , Connor McFayden

Mitigation Strategies for Municipal Solid Waste Generation in Lincoln , Justine Mileski

Temporal and Spatial Interactions between Coyotes and Red Foxes along the Urban-Rural Interface , Adam Mortensen

Mental Health Incorporation in Nebraskan Recovery Plans Following the 2019 Midwestern Floods , Isabelle Murray

The Effect of Drought on the Bird Species Spiza americana , Emily Nelson

The Formatting of Science Communication and How it Affects Attraction to and Understanding of Scientific Information , Connor Nichols

Effects of Land Use in Nebraska on Insect Biodiversity and Eastern Monarch Populations , Carina Olivetti

The Relationship Between Time and Plant Diversity in Prairie Restorations Within the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch , Elizabeth Park

Precipitation Impact on Crop Yield , Ian Ritchie

Investigating Predation Risk Experienced by Wintering Birds at a Supplied-Food Garden , Madison Smart

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Understand the Behavioral Use of Single-Use Plastic Bags by Students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln , Josephine Stoessel

Sparking Awareness in Lincoln Electronic Waste Trends and Habits: A Student Behavioral Analysis , Zowie Vincent

Designing a Mobile App and Online Directory to Increase the Visibility of Environmental Organizations in a Community , Kayla Vondracek

The Effect of Urban Forests on Air Quality and Human Health , Chance Wilken

Climate Change & Grief: An Overview Of The Mental Health Effects Of Climate Change & How Biodiversity Loss In The Great Plains Affects Our Emotional Wellbeing , Luke Andersen

Lincoln, NE Composting in Restaurants , Brodie Baum

The Effect Of Wildlife Wellbeing On Environmental Concern , Laura Casne

Observing Spectral Response Differences In Freshwater Lakes Using Remote Sensing Technology , Brady Cooper

Nutritional Value of Crops affected by Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentrations in Atmospheric Conditions , Alex Joseph Cusimano

A Comparative Analysis Of The Reception Of Laudato Si’ By Progressive And Traditional Catholics , Mikayla Dorff

PLANNING URBAN FORESTS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE , Ethan Dudden

The Role Of University Of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Biodigester On Sustainable Food Waste Reduction Within Selleck Dining Center , Jennifer Gilbert

Adventuring in the Winds: An Exploration of Water Accessibility, Keystone Species, Environmental Justice, and Forest Fires in the Wind River Range , Rhianna Giron

Environmental Factors On The Arctic Food Chain , Sydney Hansen

Incorporating Tallgrass Prairie Into Urban Environments , Daniel Hauschild

The Changing Habitat And Decline Of Ring-Necked Pheasant Populations In Otoe County, Nebraska , Jacob T. Herman

Ecological Perspectives of the Eastern Saline Wetlands Differ Between Visitors and Non-Visitors , Peter Janda

Analysis Of Trees Damaged From Flooding And Ice In Columbus, Nebraska , Alaina Kapla

The Effects Of Street Tree Site Planting Width On Canopy Width And Ability To Provide Ecosystem Services , Ryan Kendall

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS OF EXTREME HEAT ON PUBLIC HEALTH FOR THOSE LIVING IN LINCOLN, NEBRASKA , Mandy Koehler

Fungal Mycelium; The Key to a Sustainable Future , Sawyer Krivanek

Growth and Feeding Response in Python regius in Ambient Temperature vs. Hot-Spot , McKenzie Martinez

The Research and Analysis of Potential Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) Habitats and Gray Wolf Management in the U.S. , YouHan Mei

Effect of Urban Green Space on Urban Populations. , Jack Mensinger

TO WHAT EXTENT HAS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS AND RED FOXES (VULPES VULPES) EVOLVED THROUGHOUT HISTORY? , Abigail Misfeldt

Diet Composition And Analysis Of Fish Species Consumed By The Eurasian Otter In A Marine/Costal Environment , Alexandrea Otto

The Effects of Phosphate on the Metamorphosis of Larval Western Barred Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium) , Alexis Jean Polivanov

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Home > School, College, or Department > CLAS > ESM > Dissertations and Theses

Environmental Science and Management Dissertations and Theses

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Phytoplankton Community as an Indicator of Cyanobacteria Harmful Algal Blooms in High Mountain Lakes , Victoria Elizabeth Avalos

Structure-from-Motion Derived Snow Cover in Burned Forests of the Western Oregon Cascades , Siobhan Ciafone

Forest Fire Effects on Snow Storage and Melt Across Scales of Forest Recovery in the Western Oregon Cascades , Megan Nicole Guinn

Impacts of Floodplain Restoration on Water Temperature and Macroinvertebrates in Whychus Creek, Oregon , Wesley Nathan Noone

Race and Income as Predictors of Trust in Flood Mitigation Strategies , Wendy Nathaly Sangucho Loachamin

Collaborative Action in Informal Social Networks of Wildfire Managers in Northwestern Wyoming , Hannah Lynn Spencer

How Are Oregon's Rural Indigenous Communities Overcoming Water Access Issues? , Tyren John Thompson

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Effects of Green Crab ( Carcinus maenas ) Across Variable Densities of Eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) , Kimberly Alexis Brown

Temperature and Predator Effects on Green Crabs ( Carcinus maenas ) and Their Distribution in South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve , Elissa Connolly-Randazzo

Mapping Ecosystem Service Flows of Estuary Restoration Projects on the Oregon Coast to Identify Impacted Stakeholders , Shersten King Finley

Modeling Postfire Effects on Snow Albedo and Forest Recovery Over a Chronosequence of Burned Forests in the Triple Divide Region of the Rocky Mountains , Anton J. Surunis

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Multi-scale Environmental Conditions Associated with Shade-Tolerant Conifer Regeneration in Forest Park, Portland, Oregon , Matthew Cook

Forest Fire Effects on the Temporal Variability of Landscape Snow Albedo Relative to Burn Severity , Max Gersh

The Use of Mayflies, Stoneflies and Caddisflies as Indicators of Fine Sediment Pollution in Salmon-Bearing Streams of the Pacific Northwest , Cory Michael McCaffrey

A Ground-Based Assessment Framework for Validating Diesel Particulate Emission Models and Applicability in Portland, OR , Kirsten Marie Sarle

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

A Seasonal Study of Ecoroof Metal and Nutrient Dynamics and Associated Drivers in an Ecoroof on a Commercial Building in North Portland Oregon , Alex Vijay Bans

Wildfire Risk Assessment for a Municipal Watershed in Western Oregon, USA: Methods for Projecting the Impact of Mid-21st Century Climate Change on Wildfire Hazard , Andy McEvoy

Before and After the Storm: Interactions between Tree-Fall Canopy Gaps, Plant Phenology, and Frugivorous Lemurs in Masoala National Park, Madagascar , Monica Sue Mogilewsky

Modeling Spatiotemporal Patterns of PM2.5 at the Sub-Neighborhood Scale Using Low-Cost Sensor Networks , Philip Jeffrey Orlando

Do Fungal Symbionts of Salt Marsh Plants Affect Interspecies Competition? , Vanessa Robertson-Rojas

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The Impact of Infrastructure on Habitat Connectivity for Wildlife , Leslie Lynne Bliss-Ketchum

The Invasion Ecology of Ivy ( Hedera spp.) in Portland's Forest Park , Eric Paul Butler

Stormwater Treatment Effectiveness of Established Bioretention Facilities in Portland, Oregon , Emma Rose Kohlsmith

The Influence of Neighborhood Landscape Characteristics on Native Bird Communities: Implications for Increasing Biodiversity in Our Yards , Michael E. Vermeulen

Are We Providing Preferred Floral Resources for Bees in Our Neighborhoods? : Assessing the Relationship Between Small Scale Vegetation Metrics and Bee Presence in SE Portland , Hailey Wallace

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Public Participation in Plant-Pollinator Conservation: Key Assessment Areas that Support Networked Restoration and Monitoring , Kerissa Battle

Ecology and Population Dynamics of Salmonids in the Columbia River: Response of Fishes to Anthropogenic Change in a Large Riverscape , Timothy Sean Elder

Removing Dams, Constructing Science: Watershed Restoration Through a Socio-Eco-Technical Systems Lens , Zbigniew Jakub Grabowski

Long-term Variation of Summer Phytoplankton Communities in an Urban Lake in Relation to Lake Management and Climate Conditions , Yuan Xiao Grund

Lone Wolves and Copycats: Assessing Policy and Infrastructure for Flood Hazard and Floodplain Management , Samantha L. Hamlin

Rock Glaciers of the Contiguous United States: Spatial Distribution, Cryospheric Context, and Riparian Vegetation , Gunnar Forrest Johnson

Mooring Impacts on Zostera marina Meadows and Associated Epifauna in Nantucket Harbor, Massachusetts, USA , Andrew Wright McCandless

Recovery of Zooplankton Communities to Whole-Lake Disturbance , Brian Newton McGann

Modeling Spawning Habitat Potential for Chum (Onchorhynchus keta) and Pink Salmon (O. gorbuscha) in Relation to Landscape Characteristics in Coastal Southeast Alaska , Bernard Timothy Romey

Using Wetlands to Prevent the Surface Accumulation of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae from Upper Klamath Lake , Arick Christopher Rouhe

Soil Phosphorus Characterization and Vulnerability to Release in Urban Stormwater Bioretention Facilities , Benjamin James Shetterly

Effectiveness of Pollinator Enhancements in Portland Community Orchards , Jess Alan Tyler

Composition and Dispersal Dynamics of Vegetation Communities in Urban Riparian Forests , Christa von Behren

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Urban Impacts to Forest Productivity, Soil Quality, and Canopy Structure in Forest Park, Portland, Oregon , Andrew David Addessi

Modeling of Ultrafine Particle Emissions and Ambient Levels for the Near Roadside Environment , Sauda Ahmed

Influence of Mixing and Buoyancy on Competition Between Cyanobacteria Species in Upper Klamath Lake , Roberta Joann Brunkalla

Turbidity Dynamics during High-Flow Storm Events in the Clackamas River, Oregon 2006-2012 , Micelis Clyde Doyle

Root-enhanced Infiltration in Stormwater Bioretention Facilities in Portland, Oregon , Ted David Hart

Ecosystem Recovery in Estuarine Wetlands of the Columbia River Estuary , Sarah Ann Kidd

Invertebrate Community Composition Across Inundation Regimes and Its Potential to Reduce Plant Stress , Inez Ilicia Lawson

Non-Native Mangroves ( Rhizophora mangle ) of Moloka'i, Hawai'i: a Socio-Ecological Analysis , Casey Lynette Lewis

Investigation of Ambient Reactive Nitrogen Emissions Sources and Deposition in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area , Jacinda L. Mainord

Anthropogenic Effects on the Fouling Community: Impacts of Biological Invasions and Anthropogenic Structures on Community Structure , Whitney Elizabeth McClees

Wolbachia -Host Interactions and the Implications to Insect Conservation and Management , Amy Michelle Truitt

Responses of Aquatic Non-Native Species to Novel Predator Cues and Increased Mortality , Brian Christopher Turner

A Numerical Model Investigation of the Role of the Glacier Bed in Regulating Grounding Line Retreat of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica , Michael Scott Waibel

The Social Acceptance of Community Solar: a Portland Case Study , Anne Weaver

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Terroir of Pinot Noir Wine in the Willamette Valley, Oregon : A Broad Analysis of Vineyard Soils, Grape Juice and Wine Chemistry , Kathryn Nora Barnard

Understanding the Importance of Intermittently Fragmented Stream Habitat for Isolated Westslope Cutthroat Trout ( Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi ) in the Colville National Forest, Washington , Forrest Michael Carpenter

An Investigation of Invasion: Boater Knowledge Concerning Aquatic Invasive Species and the Influence of the New Zealand Mud Snail on Benthic Food Webs , Samuel Anthony Cimino

Watershed Management and Private Lands: Moving Beyond Financial Incentives to Encourage Land Stewardship , Matthew Thomas DeAngelo

Green Roofs and Urban Biodiversity: Their Role as Invertebrate Habitat and the Effect of Design on Beetle Community , Sydney Marie Gonsalves

Assessing Sense of Place and Geo-literacy Indicators as Learning Outcomes of an International Teacher Professional Development Program , Nancee Hunter

A Landscape Approach to Determining and Predicting Juvenile Coho Salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) Movement Timing and Growth Patterns Prior to Ocean Entry , Amelia Lee Johnson

The Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Mercury Concentrations and Community Composition of Freshwater Zooplankton , Meredith Powers Jordan

Improving the Roadside Environment through Integrating Air Quality and Traffic-Related Data , Christine M. Kendrick

Biofouling Management in the Pacific Northwest and Predation on Native versus Non-native Ascidians , Erin Suzanne Kincaid

Pharmaceutical Contaminants as Stressors on Rocky Intertidal and Estuarine Organisms: a Case Study of Fluoxetine , Joseph Richard Peters

Investigating the Potential of Land Use Modifications to Mitigate the Respiratory Health Impacts of NO2: A Case Study in the Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Area , Meenakshi Rao

Effects of Antibiotic Mixtures across Marine Intertidal Trophic Levels: Examining Environmentally-Relevant Contaminant Concentrations , Jaclyn Rebecca Teixeira

Relationships that Extend Beyond the Fence-Line: Private Landowner Attitudes and Interest in Conservation Easements , Ashley Lyn Vizek

Watershed Response to Climate Change and Fire-Burns in the Upper Umatilla River Basin Using the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System , Kimberly Crystal Yazzie

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

The Response of Zooplankton Communities in Montane Lakes of Different Fish Stocking Histories to Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition Simulations , Jeffrey Thomas Brittain

Ninth Grade Student Responses to Authentic Science Instruction , Michael Steven Ellison

The Erosion of Coastal Sediment and Regeneration of Rhizophora mangle Following Anthropogenic Disturbance on Turneffe Atoll, Belize , Heather Lyn Hayden

Effects of Selective Logging and Roads on Instream Fine Sediments and Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in the Clackamas Basin, Oregon , Paula Elizabeth Hood

Investigations of the Air-Water Interface: A Structural Analysis of Metallic Surface Films and Aquatic Surface Films by Comparative Microscopy , Randall William Smith

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Community level impacts associated with the invasion of English ivy (Hedera spp.) in Forest Park: a look at the impacts of ivy on community composition and soil moisture , Sara Rose Copp

Managing for Resistance and Resilience of Northern Great Lakes Forests to the Effects of Climate Change , Matthew Joshua Duveneck

Macroinvertebrates and Excessive Fine Sediment Conditions in Oregon Coastal Streams , Patrick M. Edwards

Cascades Island Lamprey Passage Structure: Evaluating Passage and Migration Following Structure Modifications , Siena Marie Lopez-Johnston

Informal Trails and the Spread of Invasive Species in Urban Natural Areas: Spatial Analysis of Informal Trails and their Effects on Understory Plant Communities in Forest Park, Portland, Oregon , Jill Elise Van Winkle

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Effects of Increased Nitrogen Deposition on the Dominance of Hedera helix in the Pacific Northwest , Bianca Christine Dolan

Social-Ecological Dynamics of Coral Reef Resource Use and Management , Sarah J. Freed

Natural Area Stewardship Volunteers: Motivations, Attitudes, Behaviors , Corinne Handelman

The Role of Wood Microsites at Timberline-Alpine Meadow Borders for Conifer Regeneration , Adelaide Chapman Johnson

The Production of Organic Nitrates in Portland Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge , Holly Ann Neill

Modeling Fecal Bacteria in Oregon Coastal Streams Using Spatially Explicit Watershed Characteristics , Paul Bryce Pettus

Status of Nutria (Myocastor coypus) Populations in the Pacific Northwest and Development of Associated Control and Management Strategies, with an Emphasis on Metropolitan Habitats , Trevor Robert Sheffels

Evaluating the Effects of Road Crossing Structures on Stream-Associated Amphibians in the Wilson River Watershed, Tillamook State Forest, Oregon , Sara Erin Twitchell

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Where Is the Rain-on-Snow Zone in the West-Central Washington Cascades?: Monte Carlo Simulation of Large Storms in the Northwest , Matthew John Brunengo

Stream-Associated Amphibian Habitat Assessment in the Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Region , Andrew Evans Dietrich

Long-term Responses of Phalaris arundinacea and Columbia River Bottomland Vegetation to Managed Flooding , Tina Schantz Farrelly

Late-Holocene Flood History, Flood-Frequency, and Paleoclimate Analysis of the Central Black Hills, South Dakota , Tessa M. Harden

Site Selection by Migratory Shorebirds in Oregon Estuaries Over Broad and Fine Spatial Scales , Aileen Kilpatrick Miller

Development of a Nephelometry Camera and Humidity Controlled Cavity Ring-Down Transmissometer for the Measurement of Aerosol Optical Properties , James Gregory Radney

The Role of Habitat Restoration and Conservation in the Changing Socio-economic Conditions of Grant County, Oregon , Kristen Lauren Senkyr

An Investigation of Urban Mobile Source Aerosol Using Optical Properties Measured by CRDT/N: Diesel Particulate Matter and the Impact of Biodiesel , Monica Elizabeth Wright

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Interception in Open-grown Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) Urban Canopy , Mitchell Bixby

Biological Erosion of Marine Habitats and Structures by Burrowing Crustaceans , Timothy Mathias Davidson

Cultivating Environmental Stewardship in Middle School Students , Kelly Anne Fischer

Deforestation, Drought and Humans: New Discoveries of the Late Quaternary Paleoenvironment of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) , Candace Lynn Gossen

Riparian Wetland Response to Livestock Exclusion in the Lower Columbia River Basin , Sarah Ann Holmen

Tree Growth and Spatial Pattern in Two Forest Park Permanent Plots: A Look at Stand Composition and Condition , Hannah Beth McDonald

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Diatom-Based Stream Bioassessment: the Roles of Rare Taxa and Live/Dead Ratio , Nadezhda Dimitrova Gillett

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20 Timely Thesis Topics for Environmental Science Students

The study of the environment revolves around everything that has to do with the Earth, its atmosphere, natural bodies and elements that define what we know today as our planet. Therefore, coming up with environmental thesis topics is something you can do by taking into consideration the diverse niches under the body or environmental sciences.

This article will explore the different aspects of environmental science with the aim of coming up with a list of environmental dissertation topic. So read along and do not hesitate to use any of the topic ideas discussed here as the brainchild of your thesis.

Environmental Science Thesis Topics

• An Analysis of the Western World’s Policy towards Healthy Ocean Management and Its Results
• Scrutinizing the Role of Technology in Environmental Engineering with the Aim of Improving the Environment
• Evaluating Alternative Energy Systems and the Role They Play in Managing the Earth’s Ecosystem and Minimizing Pollution
• Analyzing the Nigeria’s Niger Delta, its Environmental and Legal Issues and how Environmental Engineering Can be Used to Solve Them
• The Ecological Importance of the Amazon Forest, its Troubles and how Policies Can be Developed to Counter Them.
• The Importance of Creating Environmental Policies, protocols, and Laws to Preserve some of the Earth’s Symbolic Locations
• A Research on Public Education and the Different Techniques that can be Employed to Increase Public Awareness of Environmental Issues
• An Analysis of China’s Environmental Pollution Struggle and the Role Technology can Play in Alleviating its Problems
• An Analysis of Public Health, Animal Rights and the Need to Create Policies to Guide both Concepts
• A Research on the Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Western Nations and the Role of Human Habits in Aiding its Fluctuations
• An Analysis of Noise and Light Pollution and Their Effects on Public Health
• The Global Warming Phenomena, its Diversions, and the Studies Dedicated to Tracking Changes Attributed to Global Warming
• An Analysis of Carbon dioxide Fluxes Covering the Roles Played by Plants, Animals, and Water Bodies
• An Analysis of Water and Air Pollution and Their Impact Microorganisms
• An Analysis of Water Pollution, the Transportation of Water Pollutants and their Effects on Ocean Life Forms
• Analyzing Soil Contamination in Marshy Lands and the Importance of Computer Modeling for Understanding Their Impact
• The Impact of Soil and Water Pollution on Pond-dwelling Organisms and Their Effects on Amphibians
• Scrutinizing the National Environment Policy Act and How It Can be Implemented in the Developing World
• Making a Case for an International Environmental Protocol to Monitoring and Managing Public Health
• An Analysis of the Developing World and how the Interaction between these Societies and the Environment Affects Public Health

These are some of the timely environment thesis topics we promised you at the introductory section of this article. Here we have provided environmental health dissertation topics and other ideas which you are welcome to work with.

Posted by Mike Sung

• ← 20 Topics for Dissertation in International Relations

MSc in Environmental Science

• Environmental Science
• Programme Structure

Examples of MSc theses

In the list below you can read the descriptions of 11 very different theses, authored by students at the MSc Programme in Environmental Science. You are welcome to contact the author if you have further questions regarding a specific thesis.

Chronic toxicity of silver nanoparticles to Daphnia magna under different feeding conditions

Author : Aiga Mackevica

Supervisor : Anders Baun, DTU Environment.

Ecotoxicity of nanoparticles has been an emerging issue in recent years, which is why it is necessary to evaluate the effects of nanoparticle exposure to the aquatic environment. In this study, we performed series of 21-day chronic tests with Daphnia magna exposed to silver nanoparticles to obtain information on growth and reproductive effects. The results were used for modelling to find possible modes of action of silver nanoparticle toxicity.

Determination of Steroid Hormones in Polar Bear Hair (Ursus maritimus) - a Methodology Study

Author: Johan Weisser

Supervisors: Bjarne Styrishave, Erland Björklund & Martin Hansen; Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

The aim of this thesis was to develop an analytical methodology to determine steroid hormones in hair, for the purpose of using hair as a biomarker to study endocrine imbalance in polar bears ( Ursus maritimus ). Hair was chosen because steroids are incorporated into the hair shaft while growing and thereby gives a prolonged steroid profile which reflect blood steroid concentration in that given time period. An extraction and clean up method was developed. For analyte determination both gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) was tested followed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). It was possible to detect progestagens, androgens and estrogens using GC-MS/MS whereas LC-MS/MS is a better analytical technic for detecting corticosteroids. Hair steroid profiling may be used to assess stress in polar bears in response to pollution and climate changes.

Effects of Carbon Nanotubes on the Female Reproductive Axis: Interference with the female reproductive cycle. A Study in Mice.

Author: Hanna Lilith Katarina Johansson

Supervisor: Karin Sørig Hougaard; National Research Centre for the Working Environment & University of Copenhagen

Very little is known on the effects of nanoparticles on reproductive function. Inhalation of nanoparticles induces inflammation in the lung – and inflammation interferes with the female reproductive axis. In this study, we investigated the effect of airway exposure to multi walled CNTs (MWCNTs) on the estrous cycle of female mice. The results showed that female reproduction may be susceptible to acute exposure to nanoparticles.

Fluorochemicals and antiandrogenic effects – an in vitro study of per- and polyfluorinated chemicals on steroidogenesis and androgen receptor activation

Environmental Studies and Science

Thesis topics.

If you are a junior EV major, it is time to start thinking about the possibility of a senior thesis, particularly the thesis topic. Sophomores, it's never too early to start planning your thesis, such as travel funds or specific research plans. 

Here we have compiled a list of EV faculty and their research interests. Look it through and see if any topic or area of interest catches your eye. 

Research Themes & Study Areas:

Miro kummel.

• Spatial dynamics of ladybug-aphid predator-prey dynamics on short grass prairies. Field work (May+June) and mathematical modeling using R.
• Spatial analysis of habitat use by mountain lions and elk in Catamount Center area on Pikes Peak
• Dynamics of insect pests and their natural enemies (several possibilities on Western Slope and in the Pueblo area)
• Spatial pattern formation at the treeline edge and its relevance for treeline advance in response to climate change (drones)
• Microclimatology of treelines (Drones)
• Dendrochronology and dendroclimatology of treeline advance.
• Spatial structure of tundra or prairie vegetation (drones)
• Indicators of rangeland health from remote sensing using drones (Chico Basin Ranch)
• Phytoplankton and zooplankton dynamics in relation to nutrient loading in eutrophic water bodies.

Corina McKendry

• City sustainability
• Environmental justice
• Climate adaptation
• Globalization and the environment

Mike Angstadt

• Norm diffusion: how/why new institutions spread (e.g., environmental courts), and implications
• Norm implementation: how domestic institutions incorporate international environmental la
• Nonstate environmental governance: NGOs in global environmental governance and law
• Alaskan environmental law & policy
• Renewable energy policy and equity
• Climate law/governance
• Rights of nature movements
• Earth system law
• Opportunities/mechanisms for exchange between: (1) environmental judges, (2) judges and academics, and (3) disciplines (environmental law & environmental politics)

Charlotte Gabrielsen

• Landscape & spatial ecology (to characterize the influence of climate and human land use on landscape patterns and processes)
• Effects of spatiotemporal ecosystem dynamics on biodiversity (particularly, in wetland ecosystems)
• GIS & remote sensing (as tools to inform conservation & management planning)
• Smallholder agricultural mitigation and adaptation
• Gender equity and justice
• Community-based Management

Allison Lawman

• Past, present, and future climate change
• Oceanography and atmospheric science
• The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
• Tropical Pacific decadal variability
• Abrupt climate change
• Stable isotope geochemistry
• Trace metal geochemistry
• Climate model output
• Climate impacts on coral reefs (thermal stress and ocean acidification)

Sylvan Goldberg

• Pre-1900 American literature
• Environmental literature
• Literature of the American West
• The relationship between place, nature, identity, and literary form
• Affect/emotion, gender (queer ecology), and temporality

Marion Hourdequin

• Environmental ethics
• Ethics & climate change, including climate justice and the ethics of climate engineering
• Ethics and philosophy of ecological restoration; restoration in landscapes with complex socio-ecological histories
• Philosophy, ethics, and the Anthropocene
• Nature in East Asian traditions of thought (esp. Confucianism and Daoism)
• Philosophy of science, values in science, science-society relationship
• Philosophy of ecology
• Additional areas of interest: environmental justice; philosophy of ecosystem services; Aldo Leopold; ethics of de-extinction

Eric Perramond

Southwest Studies

• Water resources, law, and water policy
• Natural Resource Management & Conservation
• Decolonizing Conservation (broadly - Bears Ears, Valles Caldera, etc.)
• Militarization of the American West/Southwest (Border wall, nuclear sacrifice zones, military open spaces)
• Areas : Southwest U.S., Mexico, Latin America, Western Europe
• Water adjudications of water resources in the western U.S.
• Impacts of neo-liberal economic policies in Mexico
• Livelihood and environmental justice crises in the Southwestern U.S.
• Boundary layer meteorology – energy fluxes over heterogeneous surfaces
• Biometeorology – energy flux across interfaces in ecosystems

Henry Fricke

• Paleoclimatology
• Geochemistry
• Environmental history
• U.S. empire
• History of natural history
• Museum studies
• Science and technology studies

Shane Heschel

Organismal Biology and Ecology

• Physiological ecology of plant populations, particularly in stressful environments
• Local adaptation and the evolution of physiological mechanisms
• Factors driving the local extinction of plant populations
• Population genetics and Conservation genetics

Eli Fahrenkrug

• Probing Aerosol and Dust Particle Migration within Individual Snow Grains and their Impacts on Snow Albedo and Radiative Forcing Models
• Developing New Citizen-Accessible Water Quality Diagnostics for Use in Low-Resource Areas
• The Fountain Valley Water Project: a local community-based citizen science project responding to PFAS contamination in drinking water

Howard Drossman

• How do students develop conceptions of ecological stewardship?
• Environmental education
• Integral approaches to studying the environment
• Mindfulness and the environment
• Atmospheric chemistry
• Aquatic chemistry
• Biogeochemical cycling

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Past Environmental Science Program Theses

ENVS 4902  Honours Thesis This is a list of past undegraduate Environmental Science theses. Click on the thesis name for a link to it on DalSpace.

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Dalhousie University Faculty of Science 1355 Oxford Street, Rm 827 8th Floor Life Sciences Centre (Biology) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2

ESPM175 May 2020: Table of Contents

Senior research seminar.

Environmental Sciences Major, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-2922

Instructors

Patina Mendez & Samuel Evans

Graduate Student Instructors

Leslie McGinnis, Roxy Cruz & Jessica Heiges

Environmental Sciences Senior Thesis Symposium, April 19th, 2020

View Program

Environmental Health & Justice

Claire Krumm California's Human Right to Water: A Comparative Analysis of Domestic Well Water Quality Modeling

Johanna Laraway Get ahead of the Lead: How Statistical Modeling Can Assist in Identifying Areas of Lead Exposure Risk

Erin Cain Pesticide Application and Water Quality in the Central Valley: Calculating Sensitivity of CSCI scores to Pesticide Toxic Units and Visualizing Applied Pesticide and Ecosystem Health Data

Lena Kondrashova Decolonization through Environmental Restoration and Stewardship in Native American Communities

Joshua Lin In Search of Food Justice: Analyzing Variation across Californian Asian American Food Security in 2017

Amy Zhang A Cross Sectional Study on the Association Between Traffic Related Air Pollutants and Biomarkers of Metabolic Dysfunction

Young Park An Environmental Justice and Policy Assessment of California Prisons: The Impact of Prisons on Community Health Disparity

Ecology & Evolution

Kevin J. Gonzalez Effects of Non-Native Eucalyptus globulus on Biological Soil Crusts in Berkeley's Tilden Park

Chase Turnbull The Role of the APE1 Gene in the Development of Arabidopsis thaliana

Angelica A. Santos Comparative Analysis of the Dispersal Behaviors of Californian and Hawaiian Tetragnatha Spiders

Tasnim Ahmed Friends with Benefits: Mycorrhizal Resource Exchange between Serendipita bescii and Panicum hallii

Business Sustainability

Jenny Chiu A Tale of To Go: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Compostable Single Use Foodware

Ansel Deng Is Awareness Converted into Practice? Local Berkeley Restaurants' Perception on Plastic Pollution

Vanessa Garcia Analyzing Economic Feasibility of Greywater Systems: A San Francisco Case Study

Rebecca Lim Social Media CSR Communications: Comparative Content Analysis via Topic Modelling across Four Industries

Remie Sai Phasing Out: Plastic Ban Effects on Local Businesses Based on Resident and Owner Perceptions in Taiwan

Sustainable Agriculture & Policy

Bella Goñi Let Them Eat Grass: The Policy Structure of the Cattle Industry & Potential Solutions to Incentivize Regenerative Grazing Practices

Yifei Liu Farming the Sun and the Crops at Once: A Cost Benefit-Analysis of Implementing an Agrivoltaic System in China

Tiffany M. Lwin Garden to Table: Consumer Access of Urban Produce Among Food Insecure Communities around Berkeley, California

Wildfire & Forest Management

Sunny Elliott Evaluating the Effects of Drought, Wildfire, and Habitat on Beetle Assemblages in a Mediterranean Oak Woodland

Melissa R. Jaffe Remotely Sensed Prescribed Fire Shrub Consumption in Mixed Conifer Forests from the Southern Sierra Nevada

Ursula Harwood Assessing Strategies for Decreasing Severe Fire Hazard in Young Plantation Forests in the Sierra Nevada

Eileen Alcantar Williams Hero and Incarcerated: A Breakdown of Barriers for Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters in California

Freshwater Science & Ecology

Alex Cisneros Carey Mobile Consumers track Invertebrate Subsidies from Floating Algal Mats

Gabby Doerschlag Reduced Flow and Macroinvertebrate Emergence: How Climate Change in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Threatens Emergence Patterns of Aquatic Insects

Sam Larkin Bioenergetics of Juvenile Salmonid Foraging: a Mediterranean Stream Case Study

Shannon K. Louie Projecting hydrological microrefugias: The impact of climate change on the hydrology of the Sagehen Drainage Basin

Environmental & Energy Policy

Christopher Berven The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act's Impact on Groundwater Withdrawl in the Sacramento Hydrologic Region

Michael Yi The Economic Impact of Air Pollution Related Diseases on West Oakland

Stanley Ou Economic and Environmental Cost Assessment of Lighting at UC Berkeley

Sang Hyun Ma Are Ozone Warnings and Alerts Serving Their Purpose? Ozone Alert Effects on Mortality Rates Attributed to Ambient Ozone Exposure in Seoul, Korea

Environmental Education & Awareness

Layla Chamberlin Case Study: Evaluating Teaching and Environmental Literacy Education in Alameda Unified School District Middle Schools

Dara Sengchanthavong Synthesizing the Relationship Between Environmental Racism and Educational Attainment for Southeast Asian Youth in North Orange County, CA

Nhu Nguyen Influences of the Exposure to Environmental Issues on Environmental Justice Engagement and Educational Trajectories of Vietnamese-American College Students

Kylie Murdock The Relationship between Socioeconomic Factors and Climate Denial in the United States

Plant & Soil Ecology

Uthara Vengrai Compost Application Effects on Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions Along the Climatic Gradient of California Grasslands

Lucy Bennett Can Crop Drought Resilience Be Improved with Alternative Soil Management Methods Via Mycorrhizal Fungal Associations?

Dana Price A Comparative Fava Bean Growth Assay Using Berkeley's Municipal Solid Waste Compost

Emily H&?oslash;u Parasitic Hymenopteran Food and Habitat Preferences in Urban Agriculture

Wildlife Ecology & Conservation

Charlotte Favre Species Composition and Location Relative to Highways of Roadkill in Idaho

Yumna Zia Black Bear Hibernation in the California Sierra Nevada

Natasha Thompson Geospatial Analysis and Prediction of Human - Panther ( Puma concolor coryi ) Depredations in Collier County, Florida (2005-2018)

Cambrie Congdon Effects of environmental variables on northern elephant seal thermoregulation on the Southeast Farallon Island

Landscape & Management

Celia Rodriguez Effects of Artichoke Thistle Management on Grassland Regeneration in Wildcat Canyon Regional Park

Carol Tsai Categorizing River Networks into Functional Process Zones using Geographic Information Systems

Augie Clements Comparison of Spatial Characteristics of Cannabis Agriculture and Viticulture and Associated Effects on Freshwater Resources in Mendocino County, California

About the Program

These studies were undertaken by seniors in the Environmental Sciences Group Major, a program administered by the Department of Enviromental Science, Policy, and Management in the Rausser College of Natural Resources at the University of California at Berkeley. The Environmental Sciences major allows students to concentrate in one of three fields of specialization: biological science, physical science, and social science. In their senior year, students in the major participate in a two-semester Senior Research Seminar, investigating an environmental topic of current concern. This project gives the students experience in field work, general research techniques, and oral and written presentation of research results. This volume is the compilation of research reports from the Fall 2019 to Spring 2020 Senior Research Seminars.

University of California, Santa Barbara

Master's Research

Thesis projects for the Master of Environmental Science and Management and Master of Environmental Data Science programs are data-driven and competently researched solutions to real-world environmental problems, whether it's analysis of a marine conservation program, or an eco-entrepreneurial venture that fill a market gap.

Master's thesis and capstone projects provide students with unequaled training and experience in performing professional-level work that involves managing group dynamics, developing strategies, and applying technical expertise to solve complex multidisciplinary environmental problems. Every master's student is required to complete a thesis or capstone project.

The companies and organizations who partner with Bren School master's students gain a valuable opportunity to have a group of bright and determined students tackle a real-world environmental problem. The Bren School accepts proposals for MESM Group Projects and MEDS Capstone Projects once per year. Any agency, company, organization, or individual facing an environmental challenge is welcome to submit a proposal.

Master of Environmental Science and Management

MESM students are required to complete either a Master's Group Project or an Eco-Entrepreneurship Project to fulfill their thesis requirement. These small-group projects solve an environmental problem proposed by a client agency, business, or organization. 

Master's Group Projects  

Group Project teams usually comprise four to five students who spend nine months collaborating to solve an actual environmental problem faced by a real-world client. Each year, students, faculty, and prospective clients submit proposals for new Master’s Group Projects. Past projects have solved environmental problems in areas such as: apparel industry sustainability, pollution impact on human health, microplastics, marine environment protection, corporate carbon footprint, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, drought resilience, sustainable agriculture in communities, freshwater pollution, food waste streams, electric vehicles, renewable energy impacts, and ecosystem conservation.

• Master's Group Projects academic info
• Master's Project Directory

Eco-E Projects 

Eco-E teams usually comprise three to five students who collaborate over the course of a year to develop a business model intended to bring a new, commercially viable product or service to market and to make a positive and measurable environmental impact. Students develop and refine a business model, learn agile thinking to pivot strategy in light of new information and analyses, develop small-scale pilot projects or prototypes to obtain early customer feedback, and cultivate a network of advisors.

• Eco-E Projects academic info

Communication Capstone Projects

MESM students can choose to add an optional focus area in strategic environmental communication and media, and these students produce Communication Capstone projects in Spring quarter. The capstone provides hands-on, professional experience in designing and creating environmental communication and media products for clients, who benefit by getting high-quality materials to help achieve their communication and outreach goals. Successful past capstone projects have included: community engagement plans, branding strategy, short films/video shorts, and more.

• Communication focus area academic info
• Communication Project Archive

Master of Environmental Data Science

MEDS students complete a Capstone Project in teams of 3-4 students working together to design, conduct, and present a professional environmental data science product. Throughout the project, clients receive high-quality data science work that is approximately equivalent to one full-time employee engaged for six-months. This work helps students develop skills in project management, team-oriented data science, design and implementation, data processing /analysis /manipulation, reproducible workflows, quality assurance, interface development e.g., data visualization, technical documentation, and effective stakeholder communication. The projects also serve to expand both parties’ professional networks by connecting future and current environmental data science leaders. 

• MEDS Capstone Projects academic info

Current Master's Projects

Explore examples of our current MESM Group Projects, Eco-E Projects, and MEDS Capstone Projects in the master's project directory. A handful of MESM Class of 2023 projects are featured below.

A Business Model Centering Environmentally, Economically, and Socially Responsible Adventure Tourism

MESM 2023 Eco-E Project

Black Bear Aware: Predicting Human-Black Bear Conflict Likelihood in a Changing Climate

MESM 2023 Group Project

Assessing Lost Gear Removals in Southern California by a Nonprofit

Collaborative conservation planning for the gaviota region, submitting a proposal.

Non-profit organization, public agencies, companies, and individuals are invited to submit proposals for future thesis and capstone projects and become a project client. Over the years, project clients have received outstanding work at industry-level quality from Bren School students in pursuit of solving an environmental problem.

Bren has created comprehensive guides to submitting a successful project proposal for either of our master's programs: Master of Environmental Data Science (MEDS) and Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM). Please refer to our Request For Proposal information pages for both programs, which include details about proposal requirements, deadlines, format, and project timelines.

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Information For

Environmental Science (M.S.) Thesis Track

The master’s degree in environmental science with the thesis track offers research opportunities that will prepare you for careers in academia, industry and government.

Why Choose the Master’s in Environmental Science with the Thesis Track?

The master's degree in environmental science with the thesis track   requires 30 units of coursework. It's  intended for students who wish to pursue research training.  If you are interested in the thesis track, please contact one of our  faculty  to discuss available projects prior to applying to the program.

• Graduate assistantships   and research assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis to full-time thesis students.
• Students select a faculty adviser and develop an original research project, with the goal of producing one or more peer-reviewed publications.
• You’ll have a range of internship and t hesis research opportunities with local, regional and international environmental agencies.
• National Science Foundation   funded projects and regional laboratories provide unique learning experiences for both thesis and non-thesis students.
• Many courses are taught by experts from the private sector and government who provide first-hand counsel and guidance.

Degree Requirements

View all  degree requirements for the master’s degree in environmental science with the thesis track   in the  Graduate Catalog .

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

View  admission requirements and deadlines  to apply to the program.

Ready to get started? Here's how to apply.

Fill out this form and we'll be in touch..

Contact Information

Program director.

Science Complex

Room 2150 B

Department of Environmental Sciences, College of the Environment

Graduate Faculty

Bauman, Jenise M. , PhD, restoration ecology, plant and microbe interactions, invasion biology, biological statistics. Barnhart, Charles J. , PhD, energy analysis, life cycle assessment, societal energy use, early energy technology appraisal. Bingham, Brian L. , PhD, invertebrate biology, marine ecology, experimental design. Bodensteiner, Leo R. , PhD, fish ecology. Bunn, Andrew G. , PhD, climate change, paleoecology, energy, ecological models. Bunn, Rebecca , PhD, belowground ecology, toxicology, restoration, energy, the application of statistics. Hatch, Marco , PhD, marine ecology, coupled human natural systems, indigenous marine management, community based marine ecology. Helfield, James M. , PhD, ecology of rivers and riparian forests, terrestrial aquatic ecosystem linkages, watershed management and restoration. Kastner, Sam , PhD, mixing and transport in the coastal ocean, including but not limited to river plumes, ocean surface waves, and the dynamics of hypoxia. Khan, Alia , PhD, cryosphere-atmosphere-climate interactions, biogeochemistry, light absorbing aerosols, spectral geophysics. Kodner, Robin , PhD, algal diversity and environmental interactions; microbial community structure and evolution over time; snow algae;  marine phytoplankton; environmental genomics and bioinformatics. Landis, Wayne G. , PhD, environmental toxicology, population biology, risk assessment. Love, Brooke , PhD, geochemistry, ocean acidification, hydrothermal systems, chemistry of volatiles in the marine environment. McLaughlin, John F. , PhD, terrestrial ecology, population biology, conservation biology. McPhee-Shaw, Erika , PhD, ocean physics, coastal oceanography. Montaño, Manuel D. , PhD, environmental analytical chemistry, nanogeochemistry, colloid chemistry. Rybczyk, John M. , PhD, wetland ecology and management, ecosystem modeling, global climate change. Sheikh, Imran , PhD, Energy Efficiency, Electric Power Systems, Energy and Environment. Shull, David H. , PhD, structure and function of marine benthic communities, pollution and marine ecosystems. Sifuentes, Froylán E. , PhD, renewable energy integration, building control and design, international energy analysis. Sobocinski, Kathryn L. , PhD, marine fish ecology, ecology and anthropogenic stressors in coastal ecosystems, fisheries oceanography, ecological and statistical modeling. Sofield, Ruth M. , PhD, marine and freshwater toxicology, microplastics, contaminants of emerging concern,, environmental chemistry. Strecker, Angela L. , PhD, aquatic ecology, limnology, anthropogenic stressors. Wallin, David O. , PhD, terrestrial ecology, forest ecosystems.

Program Advisor: Dr. David Shull, [email protected] , 360-650-3690

Program Description

The MS in environmental science provides rigor and quantitative skills to guide sound decision making for policy-makers, entrepreneurs, industrials and educators that seek to promote human welfare while preserving the natural world. It not only draws upon course work from the College of the Environment but benefits from the expertise provided by other colleges of WWU. It is directed toward the development and integration of scientific evidence that describes, predicts, and cares for the natural resources that sustain our lives and communities in ways that honor the resiliency of humans and the natural environment. Moreover, it seeks to assess human impacts on those systems and mitigate harm. The program offers specialization in Energy-Environmental Systems, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and Freshwater and Terrestrial Ecology. Other research specialties are available among our diverse and decorated faculty.

The program prepares students to describe, predict and/or manage natural systems and to assess human impacts on those systems. The built environment is also considered with a focus on how it impacts natural systems and on energy solutions.

Prerequisites

A bachelor’s degree and college-level course work including a minimum of either:

• One year of general chemistry, one year of general biology, and one course in statistics or data analysis, or;
• One year of general chemistry, one year of physics, two courses in calculus, one course in statistics and one additional physical science or engineering course, or;
• Commensurate coursework as approved by proposed faculty mentor. 

Application Information

Admit Quarter: Students will be admitted into the MS in environmental science program fall quarter only.

Deadlines: Because maximum student enrollment is limited, all applicants are strongly encouraged to submit application materials by February 1. Review of materials will begin after that date and will continue until the enrollment limit is reached or on June 1, whichever comes first.

TA Deadline: To be considered for a graduate teaching assistantship, applicants should submit their application materials by February 1 and indicate in the statement of purpose how the prerequisites listed above have or will be met before starting the program.

Supporting Materials:

• An application for admission into the MS program in environmental science must include a one- to two-page statement of purpose indicating which specialization the applicant is most interested in, explaining why the applicant wishes to pursue graduate studies in environmental science, and what future expectations they have for the MS degree.
• The statement may indicate a preferred faculty advisor; students are encouraged to review faculty research interests as described on the College of the Environment website  cenv.wwu.edu  prior to contacting potential faculty advisors; students are admitted into the program only upon agreement of potential faculty advisors.

For further information, write or consult Ed Weber, the College of the Environment Graduate Program Specialist, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9079, 360-650-3646, [email protected] .

Requirements (45-69 credits)

• ❑   ESCI 501 - Research in Environmental Science Credits: 3

❑ 30 credits of course work, including three courses from the area of specialization, or course substitutions, under advisement.

• ❑   ESCI 690 - Thesis Research Credits: 1-12 (must take at least 12 credits)

Ten credits or less of approved 400-level course work may be included in the program. No more than four elective credits of ESCI 595    (Teaching Practicum) may be used toward the MS degree in environmental science. Each candidate should note that the department has an annual review of student progress that affects retention, in addition to the other program requirements listed here. The student will make a public presentation of the thesis research and will participate in an oral exam given by the thesis committee.

Specializations

Environmental toxicology & chemistry.

The program prepares students with quantitative, technical, and analytical skills, and to participate in problem-solving, and integrate many disciplines as they relate the environmental problems that affect people and animals in ways that change their health and well-being.

• ESCI 500 - Directed Independent Study Credits: 1-15
• ESCI 502 - Applied Statistics in Environmental Science Credits: 4
• ESCI 503 - Multivariate Methods for Environmental Science Credits: 4
• ESCI 504 - Time-Series Analysis for Environmental Data Credits: 4
• ESCI 505 - Spatial Analysis for Environmental Data Credits: 4
• ESCI 517 - Advanced State of the Salish Sea Ecosystem Credits: 5
• ESCI 551 - Environmental Sampling and Analysis Credits: 5
• ESCI 555 - Advanced Environmental Toxicology I Credits: 4
• ESCI 556 - Advanced Environmental Toxicology II Credits: 4
• ESCI 557 - Advanced Environmental Toxicology Laboratory I Credits: 3
• ESCI 558 - Advanced Environmental Toxicology Laboratory II Credits: 3
• ESCI 559 - Aquatic Toxicology Credits: 3
• ESCI 560 - Contaminant Fate and Transport Credits: 4
• ESCI 590 - Advanced Environmental Risk Assessment Credits: 4
• ESCI 599 - Data Science Seminar Credits: 1-2

Freshwater and Terrestrial Ecology

The program prepares students to describe, predict and/or manage natural systems and to assess human impacts on those systems.

• ESCI 404 - Indigenous Resource Management in the Salish Sea Credits: 5
• ESCI 408 - Field Methods in Wildlife Ecology Credits: 5
• ESCI 410 - Habitat and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout Credits: 3
• ESCI 411 - A Field Practicum in Fish Habitat Assessment Credits: 2
• ESCI 423 - Paleoclimate and Paleoecology Credits: 5
• ESCI 425 - Environmental Biology of Fishes Credits: 3
• ESCI 428 - Freshwater Algae Bioindicators Credits: 4
• ESCI 431 - Watershed Biogeochemistry Credits: 5
• ESCI 463 - Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment Credits: 3
• ESCI 512 - Fisheries Science Credits: 5
• ESCI 522 - Estuarine Ecology Credits: 5
• ESCI 529 - Advanced Stream Ecology Credits: 5
• ESCI 530 - Advanced Limnology Credits: 5
• ESCI 533 - Advanced Population Biology Credits: 4
• ESCI 535 - Advanced Landscape Ecology Credits: 4
• ESCI 539 - Advanced Conservation of Biological Diversity Credits: 5
• ESCI 540 - Wetlands Ecology Credits: 5
• ESCI 542 - Remote Sensing Credits: 5
• ESCI 585 - Advanced Global Environmental Change in the Cryosphere Credits: 5
• ESCI 592 - Climate Change Credits: 4

ESCI 597 (when ecology topic)

• ENVS 520 - GIS III: Analysis and Modeling Credits: 5
• ENVS 521 - GIS IV: Advanced GIS Applications Credits: 5
• ENVS 522 - Advanced Spatial Analysis Credits: 4

Energy-Environmental Systems

This program gives students knowledge and analytic skills in the science and technology of today’s diverse energy systems, the environmental effects of these systems, and the technology, policy and management options for a transition to sustainable energy supply and use.

• ENRG 420 - Advanced Energy Science Credits: 3
• ENRG 430 - Chemistry of Energy Materials and Waste Credits: 4
• ENRG 461 - Mechanical and Environmental Systems in Buildings Credits: 5
• or   ESCI 461 - Mechanical and Environmental Systems in Buildings Credits: 5
• ENRG 464 - Sustainable Building Analysis and Design Credits: 4
• or   ESCI 464 - Sustainable Building Analysis and Design Credits: 4
• ENRG 466 - Life Cycle Analysis Credits: 4
• or   ESCI 466 - Life Cycle Analysis Credits: 4
• ENRG 480 - Applications in Energy Production Credits: 4
• or   ESCI 480 - Applications in Energy Production Credits: 4
• ENRG 484 - Economics of Alternative Energy Credits: 4
• or   ECON 484 - Economics of Alternative Energy Credits: 4
• ENRG 549 - Energy Systems Transitions Credits: 4
• or   UEPP 549 - Energy Systems Transitions Credits: 4
• ENRG 559 - Advanced Energy Policy Credits: 4
• or   UEPP 559 - Advanced Energy Policy Credits: 4
• ENRG 575 - Renewable Electric Power Systems Credits: 4
• or   ESCI 575 - Renewable Electric Power Systems Credits: 4
• ENRG 582 - Advanced Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Credits: 4
• or   ESCI 582 - Advanced Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Credits: 4
• ENRG 586 - Electric Utility Resource Planning Credits: 4
• ENVS 526 - Understanding Soil Data Credits: 4
• ESCI 493 - Environmental Impact Assessment Credits: 5
• or   ENVS 493 - Environmental Impact Assessment Credits: 5
• UEPP 575 - Community Development Processes Credits: 3

Environmental Science, MS

Fast track environmental science bs to environmental science ms and fast track geology bs to environmental science ms, student learning outcomes, for additional information, program description.

The mission of the Master of Science program in Environmental Science is to provide a rich and rewarding setting in which students and faculty can develop and communicate innovative and practical solutions to present and future environmental challenges, with a focus on urban and coastal issues.

The university allows the opportunity for high-achieving undergraduate students to count a select number of graduate credits toward their undergraduate degree and thereby obtain a graduate degree at an accelerated pace. Students interested in the Fast Tracks in Environmental Science should see the undergraduate catalog.

Students will:

• Possess a broad understanding of environmental science.
• Possess enhanced knowledge of a specific area of environmental science, including relevant scientific literature, related to their thesis or professional paper.
• Have the ability to accurately describe and assess environmental research both orally and in writing.

Students will choose between thesis and professional (non-thesis) options. The professional option is designed for students who desire a greater breadth of understanding of environmental science than the thesis option provides. The curriculum will  specially benefit individuals employed in scientific or technical fields who seek advancement or additional training to enhance their knowledge and skills. Professional option students must complete a professional research project with a written final report and seminar. The thesis option requires a thesis based upon original research, supported by the scientific literature, and analyzed statistically, when appropriate. The thesis master’s degree will allow a person to pursue advanced graduate study, or to obtain employment in most areas requiring a detailed knowledge of a specific aspect of environmental science.

Students following either option will be required to take a core of interdisciplinary courses to provide a broad background, and to select elective courses in consultation with their advisory committee to provide in-depth education in a particular area of emphasis related to environmental science. The elective courses may derive from one science discipline but they will often be interdisciplinary.

Website: http://gradschool.tamucc.edu/degrees/science/environmental_science.html

Campus Address: Carlos F. Truan Natural Resource Center Room 1100 Phone (361) 825-2681

Mailing Address: Environmental Science Program, Unit 5850 College of Science and Engineering Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi 6300 Ocean Drive Corpus Christi, Texas 78412-5850

Admission Requirements

Applicants must comply with university procedures for admission to the degree program. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Persons seeking admission to the MS Program in Environmental Science should first contact the program faculty and identify a faculty member willing to serve as the graduate advisor. Applicants will not be admitted to the program without a graduate advisor. Consult the Admissions  section of this catalog for university requirements for admission. In addition to the documents required by the Office of Recruitment and Admissions, applicants must submit GRE general test scores, an essay of at least 300 words describing their educational and career interests, goals, and challenges, and three letters of evaluation from persons knowledgeable about their potential for success in graduate studies. Applicants may optionally submit other relevant materials, e.g., copies of published works or reports of past scientific research. All materials submitted will be considered. Applicants who already hold an earned graduate degree from a regionally accredited university need not submit GRE scores. The applicant will be notified by letter of acceptance or rejection.

Students accepted to the degree program in environmental science are expected to enter the program with undergraduate degrees in science or substantial undergraduate or graduate science background. Students accepted to the degree program with insufficient background in science, computer science, mathematics, or communication skills will be required to take undergraduate or graduate prerequisite courses prescribed by their advisory committees. These courses may or may not apply towards the total required for the master’s degree.

Teaching assistant positions are available to graduate students admitted as degree-seeking students. The completed Teaching Assistant Application and letters of recommendation should be submitted to the address indicated on the application. The deadline for submitting applications is February 1 for the following academic year.

Thesis Option

Professional (non-thesis) option, emphasis areas, tracks, and designated electives, thesis and professional paper format and style, grades of in progress (ip) for thesis or directed research, final oral exam, graduate coursework, program requirements.

Each student accepted to the Master of Science in Environmental Science degree program must complete a minimum of 36 semester hours under either the thesis or professional (non-thesis) options.

A graduate student who has met with his or her advisory committee, formulated a degree plan approved by the graduate committee, and has the plan on file is considered a degree candidate. A student must have advanced to degree candidacy by the end of the second full semester of graduate study following admission to the program. A student’s advisory committee must approve any subsequent changes to the degree plan. A change from thesis to professional option or vice versa requires that the student file a new degree plan as approved by the advisory committee.

All students must successfully complete at least six semester hours per academic year to remain in the program. Students should enroll in ESCI 6101 Environmental Research Seminar (1 sch) , ESCI 6203 Professional Skills for Scientists (2 sch) , and MATH 6315 Statistical Methods in Research I (3 sch) as early as possible during their graduate course of study. All students must pass a final oral exam, to be administered by their advisory committee, during their last semester before graduation.

Core requirements may be waived if a student can demonstrate equivalent competencies in that area.

At least 9 hours must be from ATSC, BIMS, BIOL, CHEM, CMSS, ESCI, FAMA, GEOL, MARB, PHYS, or SMTE.

Online offering

Blended offering

Professional option students must write a professional paper and present a seminar based on work completed in ESCI 5397 Directed Research (3 sch) . The paper and seminar will be on a topic approved by the student’s advisory committee and will demonstrate the student’s ability in organization, data collecting, scientific writing, and oral presentation.

A student will define an emphasis area or track for his or her graduate studies with assistance from the graduate advisor and advisory committee. Marine Policy and Human Dimensions is one possible track; another is Coastal and Marine System Science. These are described in further detail below. The emphasis area is a unique word or phrase which best expresses the student’s intended focus of graduate studies within the broad field of environmental science. Suggested emphasis areas (not an exclusive list) include: bioremediation, coastal ecosystems, coastal geomorphology, conservation, contaminants, ecotoxicology, environmental monitoring, environmental regulations, fisheries, geospatial sciences and remote sensing applications, and hydrogeology. Other emphasis areas are possible as approved by a student’s graduate committee. The emphasis area is stated on the degree plan. Students must demonstrate that the selection of electives produces a coherent graduate program focused around the emphasis area. Designated electives must receive the approval of a student’s advisory committee. Electives from the natural sciences, computer science, geographic information science, mathematics, political science, public administration, business law, or other areas may be approved.

Marine Policy and Human Dimensions Track

Students with an interest in studying the application of environmental science to ocean/coastal policy may choose the Marine Policy and Human Dimensions track. The track provides an understanding of the physical and biological coastal environment and its interaction with human behaviors and policies. This transdisciplinary program is designed to prepare students to work with a wide variety of marine and coastal constituencies to translate sound environmental science to public policy. Suggested electives include:

Coastal and Marine System Science Track

This track is appropriate for students who may wish to apply selected Coastal and Marine System Science courses to a MS degree in Environmental Science, as approved by the student’s graduate committee.

The thesis or professional paper must be prepared in a standard format and style dictated by the advisory committee. The format and style requirements will specify paper size, paper quality, margins, pagination, etc. Thesis formatting and submission requirements have changed. Please visit the following link for further information: http://gradschool.tamucc.edu/current_students/doctoral_dissertation.html .

Upon approval by a student’s advisory committee, a copy of the thesis will be sent to the Office of the Dean of the College of Science and Engineering. At the time of successful completion of the oral exam, committee members will sign the thesis and return it to the Dean of the College of Science and Engineering for final approval and signature. All submitted copies of the thesis must be bound in prescribed buckram. The student must pay the fee for this service.

The following courses are eligible for awarding a permanent mark of In Progress (IP) if the work is not completed by the end of the semester in which a student has enrolled in the course:

University rules stipulate that the student must register for the same course in the subsequent semester, paying the appropriate tuition and fees, to receive a letter grade for the course.

For thesis students, the student’s graduate committee must sign the completed Thesis Proposal before the student is awarded a letter grade for ESCI 5392 Thesis I: Thesis Proposal (3 sch) . If the proposal is not signed and on file in the College of Science and Engineering(Dean’s Office) by the end of the semester, a permanent mark of IP will be awarded. The student will receive a permanent mark of IP for each semester of  ESCI 5393 Thesis II: Thesis Research (3 sch) until the student has presented a rough draft of the thesis. At that time the student’s graduate advisor will award a letter grade which reflects the overall quality of the thesis research and the draft. Finally, the student will receive a permanent mark of IP for each semester of ESCI 5394 Thesis III: Thesis Submission (3 sch) until the student has defended the thesis and the graduate committee has approved and signed the final thesis manuscript. At that time the student’s graduate advisor will award a letter grade which reflects the overall quality of the thesis defense and the manuscript itself. Thesis students who receive marks of IP must continuously enroll for ESCI 5392 Thesis I: Thesis Proposal (3 sch) , ESCI 5393 Thesis II: Thesis Research (3 sch) , or ESCI 5394 Thesis III: Thesis Submission (3 sch) in order to receive letter grades for these hours. Any student receiving a mark of IP for ESCI 5392 Thesis I: Thesis Proposal (3 sch) , ESCI 5393 Thesis II: Thesis Research (3 sch) , or ESCI 5394 Thesis III: Thesis Submission (3 sch) will have to enroll in more than six hours of ESCI 5392 Thesis I: Thesis Proposal (3 sch) / ESCI 5393 Thesis II: Thesis Research (3 sch) / ESCI 5394 Thesis III: Thesis Submission (3 sch) in total, to earn the requisite hours of thesis credit with an assigned letter grade.

For non-thesis students, the student must have successfully defended the professional project, the student’s graduate committee must have accepted the professional paper, and a final copy must be on file in the College of Science and Engineering (Dean’s Office) by the end of the semester before the student is awarded a letter grade for ESCI 5397 Directed Research (3 sch) . The letter grade will reflect the overall quality of the professional project research and the final professional paper. Otherwise the student will receive a permanent mark of IP and must sign up again for ESCI 5397 Directed Research (3 sch) in a subsequent semester to receive a letter grade for this work.

Each student must pass a final oral exam during the last semester before graduation, to be administered by the student’s advisory committee. The oral exam will cover topics related to

• all graduate coursework undertaken for the environmental science program,
• a student’s emphasis area (including the thesis or directed research project), and
• broad concepts of environmental science, including a familiarity with the literature and appropriate professional societies.

The student is responsible for scheduling the exam with the faculty involved. A student who fails the final oral exam may repeat it once, but only after an interval of four months or more. If a student fails the second oral examination, the student will be terminated from the program.

General prerequisite for 5000- and 6000-level courses: graduate standing. Senior undergraduates in their last semester or summer session of undergraduate work may take graduate-level courses provided that they have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, and that written approval is obtained from the Dean of the college in which the work is offered. Weekly lecture and laboratory hours associated with each course are designated by (lecture:lab) following the semester hours. The indicated laboratory hours are laboratory instructional time. In most cases, additional laboratory time will be required to complete assigned work.

Graduate courses can be found in the  Courses  A-Z  section of the catalog.

Principles that rule water motions and associated transport and dispersion of natural and man-made substances in the sea including a review of the mean ocean circulation and its spatial and temporal variability, observational methods, ocean circulation theories and air-sea interactions. Calculus II strongly recommended.

Review of the literature on a thesis topic. Completion of a written research proposal including proposed experimental design. If the thesis proposal is not completed by the end of the semester, a mark of "IP" will be awarded.  An "IP" is a permanent, non-punitive grade notation. In order to receive a qualitative grade in the course, the student must enroll in and complete this course in a subsequent semester. 

Collection and organization of research data and presentation of a rough draft of the thesis manuscript to the thesis advisor. May be repeated; no more than three hours may be taken per semester. If the thesis draft is not completed by the end of the semester, a mark of "IP" will be awarded.  An "IP" is a permanent, non-punitive grade notation. In order to receive a qualitative grade in the course, the student must enroll in and complete this course in a subsequent semester.  

Prerequisite: ESCI 5392 .

Thesis defense and completion of the thesis manuscript including acceptance of the final copy by the advisory committee. May be repeated; no more than three hours may be taken per semester. If the thesis is not completed by the end of the semester, a mark of "IP" will be awarded.  An "IP" is a permanent, non-punitive grade notation. In order to receive a qualitative grade in the course, the student must enroll in and complete this course in a subsequent semester.   

Emphasis on experimental design as related to environmental science. For students selecting the professional (non-thesis) option. Only three semester hours will count towards the non-thesis degree. Requires presentation of results in a written paper and seminar. If the professional paper is not completed by the end of the semester, a mark of "IP" will be awarded.  An "IP" is a permanent, non-punitive grade notation. In order to receive a qualitative grade in the course, the student must enroll in and complete this course in a subsequent semester. 

DIRECTED INDEPENDENT STUDY. Study in areas of current interest. (A total of six hours of Directed Independent Study may be counted toward the MS degree.)

Research related to the MS project. Requires consent of graduate advisor. Does not count as credit toward the MS degree in Environmental Science. Course is taken as credit/no credit.

Studies and analysis of pertinent literature. May be repeated for credit, but credit may count only once towards the degree plan.

Field exercises in Oil Spill Response, utilizing a Spill Management Team incorporating the elements of incident command.

Prerequisite: ESCI 6230 * . * May be taken concurrently.

Review of practical techniques for handling, reducing and disposing of hazardous wastes in an environmentally safe manner.

Prerequisite: ESCI 6270 * . * May be taken concurrently.

Advanced study of the theory, science, and art of underwater diving technology and its application to scientific objectives. Course helps fulfill some training requirements of the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi guidelines for scientific diving.

Presentation and discussion of professional skills of practicing scientists including literature searches, evaluation of information sources, oral and written communication skills, lifelong learning, careers and professional opportunities.

REVIEW OF LAWS AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING OIL SPILL PREVENTION AND RESPONSE. CURRENT METHODS FOR CONTROL, CONTAINMENT, COUNTERMEASURES, REMOVAL, AND DISPOSAL OF OIL SPILLS IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE MANNER. DEVELOPMENT OF A SPILL MANAGEMENT TEAM INCORPORATING THE ELEMENTS OF INCIDENT COMMAND.

REVIEW OF THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT FROM AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE FOLLOWED BY REPORTS ON CURRENT TECHNIQUES FOR HANDLING, REDUCING, AND DISPOSING OF HAZARDOUS WASTES IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE MANNER.

Advanced study of case histories involving the application of state and federal environmental laws and regulations. Review of permits, waste registrations, manifests, self-reporting and inspection reports. 

Fundamenal theory of satellite/airborne remote sensing techniques, sensor performance and calibration, and the scientific applications for land, ocean and atmosphere observations.  Topics include physical principles of remote sensing, radiometry, sensors and sensor technology from infrared to microwave sensing, and scientific applications for land, ocean and atmosphere observations.

Water and element cycling in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. Microbial interactions and physical processes will be emphasized.

Prerequisite: CHEM 1311, 1312 and GEOL 1403 or ESCI 1401 or 3351 .

The Geographic Information System (GIS) provides a vehicle for capturing, storing, querying, analyzing, and displaying multidimensional geospatial datasets. This course is designed to introduce students to advanced concepts of GIS and their applications to manage, analyze, and display of multidimensional environmental, geological, and geophysical datasets.

Prerequisite: ( PHYS 1401 or 2425 ) and MATH 2413 .

Advanced study of the toxicology and epidemiology of pollutants in the air, water and soil. Associations of environmental exposure with adverse health effects such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and reproductive outcomes, also chemical markers and symptoms of disease. Pollutants studied include lead, asbestos, radiation, radon, noise, metals, halogenated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, silica, indoor air quality, formaldehyde, and outdoor air pollutants.

Advanced study of methods for restoring contaminated soil and groundwater by examining the factors and processes influencing the efficacy of remediation systems.  An emphasis will be placed on the scientific principles upon which soil and groundwater remediation is based. 

Health protection practices in the industrial environment. Health basis for OSHA laws, regulations. Sampling and testing procedures.

Advanced review of human physiology, general concepts of toxicology: dose-response relationship, interactions between the host and the agents, risk assessment, to provide a fundamental understanding of toxicology related to the chemicals in the workplace.

Introduction to wetland ecosystems (natural, constructed and restored) with an emphasis on the role of wetlands in water quality. Topics include wetland systems, their history and role in society, relationships between biology, geology, ecology, hydrology and chemistry in wetland environments.

Investigation of topics related to the discovery, distribution, and exploitation of marine resources of the ocean with a focus on the Gulf of Mexico, including the impact of resource exploitation on biological systems, and the development of marine policy.

Study of how coastal processes, such as hurricanes, sea-level rise, and erosion, intersect with human activities to create hazardous conditions and how society responds to these conditions, presented through discussion, case studies, and field trips.

Investigation of the interactions between organisms and physical processes that regulate marine ecosystem functions.

The legal and policy framework associated with the coastal zone and ocean environment. Public access to coastal lands and waters, public trust, wetlands regulation; international law of the sea, fisheries law, and marine pollution.

This course provides students with advanced knowledge of regulatory requirements on occupational safety and practical techniques on accident prevention in the work environment.

This course explores the systems management approach used by businesses and governments to promote environmental quality and sustainability. EMS and ISO 14001 standards go beyond minimally acceptable environmental compliance.

Relationships between microorganisms and their biotic and abiotic environments. Role of microorganisms in biogeochemical cycling. Methodology in microbial ecology. Biotechnological aspects.

Prerequisite: BIOL 2421 .

Advanced study of the Earth processes using principles of chemical equilibrium, thermodynamics, isotope geochemistry and organic geochemistry. Applications of low-temperature geochemistry to geologic problems.

Interdisciplinary application of environmental regulations, risk assessment to specific examples. Knowledge of United States environmental regulations assumed; ESCI 4301 or ESCI 6203 - Professional Skills for Scientists recommended.

Advanced study in a specific area of environmental science.  May be repeated for credit when topics vary.  Offered on sufficient demand. 

Study in areas of current interest. (A total of six hours of Directed Independent Study may be counted toward the MS degree.)

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CNR | Graduate Studies Office

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Mailing Address: 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1142 Moscow, ID 83844-1142

Phone: 208-885-1505

Email: [email protected]

Final Project

Guidelines for ENVS 500 Research

For a thesis research project, please consult with your major professor on what deliverables are expected. In general, a thesis is a scholarly report involving primary data collection and analysis and is typically written for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. A maximum of 10 credits of Research and Thesis (ENVS 500) can be counted toward the 30-credit requirement.

Guidelines for ENVS 599 Non-Thesis Research

Link to ENVS Project Opportunities Page

The non-thesis M.S. in Environmental Science requires a minimum of three credits of ENVS 599 Non-thesis Research. This is equivalent to 120 hours of work effort over 1-2 semesters. The Non-thesis Research project is intended to be a capstone experience where information and skills built during the student’s time at the University of Idaho are brought together in a synthesizing experience.

The Non-thesis experience can take two different forms. The first is a basic research paper where the student selects a topic to research, conducts a search of the literature, and obtains research materials to read and analyze. The student may, but is not required to, carry out laboratory, field work, or interviews to develop new data and information. The final deliverable is a research paper with all information properly cited. This type of capstone experience is appropriate when the student has a topic they would like to pursue in greater detail than their coursework allowed, where the student plans to continue on to graduate school or to a Ph.D., or when building research and writing skills is a priority. The second type of capstone experience is carrying out a hands-on project in the community. This type of thesis involves selecting a project, obtaining the required permissions, developing a budget and a funding source if needed, carrying out the project, documenting the steps in the project, and putting together a portfolio that shows the steps and the progress that was made.

Sometimes the entire paper/project can be carried out in a semester, and sometimes the project is a part of a larger, more long-term plan. In most cases, it is recommended that you complete your non-thesis capstone in the final two semesters of the program. During the first semester, you will work with your advisor to identify an appropriate major professor based on your paper/project topic. The two of you will work together to develop goals and objectives for your project, along with a timeline for completion. Write up your project plan in a brief proposal that includes context – why there is a need for the paper/project – and desired outcomes, and submit it to the Environmental Science Program. The second semester will be spent carrying out the steps of your project plan – e.g., research, data collection and review - and developing your final report.

Topic and Scope

The topic you choose should help you build skills related to your career goals. If you are a working professional in a related field, one option is to align your project with activities at work. Another option is to choose a topic you learned about in a class or through personal experience and would like to explore further.

ENVS projects vary widely, incorporating quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods approaches. For example, one student may conduct a feasibility study for the implementation and management of a recycling program, while another may be out in the field collecting soil samples for testing in a lab. The time and techniques required will depend on the individual nature of each project. You will need to work closely with your major professor to determine the scope of your particular project.

In both cases, the student is responsible for the following deliverables, each of which is shared with the major professor:

• Developing a topic for approval by the major professor
• Creating a timeline for progress and deliverables
• A paper/project proposal developed in consultation with the major professor
• An early deliverable should be an outline including research materials consulted to date
• (if a research paper is selected) or a progress report (if a project is selected)
• At least one draft of the final deliverable whether paper or portfolio (feedback will be given by the supervising faculty member on drafts)
• A final version of the final deliverable

It is the student’s responsibility to both develop the timeline and to share information and gather feedback from the major professor. Part of the experience involves managing the project; time management, including getting deliverables in on time, is the responsibility of the student.

For research papers, the evaluation includes the quantity and quality of the research materials consulted, the depth of the analysis carried out, and the style demonstrated by the quality of the written paper. Good graduate papers are generally around 30-40 pages with at least 15-25 references cited, including more than webpages. Good reference materials include books and articles from the scholarly literature along with materials found on the web and in magazines. For projects, evaluation includes the appropriateness of the project to a degree in environmental science, the scope of the project, time spent carrying out the project, the success of the project and impact on the community, and the quality of the portfolio.

• ENVS 599 Guidelines pdf
• Arndt: Defining and Implementing a Socially Sustainable Tourism Certification System in Costa Rica pdf
• Turner: An Analysis of Four Common Stream Restoration Techniques within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed pdf

The Effects of Climate Change

The effects of human-caused global warming are happening now, are irreversible for people alive today, and will worsen as long as humans add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

• We already see effects scientists predicted, such as the loss of sea ice, melting glaciers and ice sheets, sea level rise, and more intense heat waves.
• Scientists predict global temperature increases from human-made greenhouse gases will continue. Severe weather damage will also increase and intensify.

Earth Will Continue to Warm and the Effects Will Be Profound

Global climate change is not a future problem. Changes to Earth’s climate driven by increased human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are already having widespread effects on the environment: glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking, river and lake ice is breaking up earlier, plant and animal geographic ranges are shifting, and plants and trees are blooming sooner.

Effects that scientists had long predicted would result from global climate change are now occurring, such as sea ice loss, accelerated sea level rise, and longer, more intense heat waves.

"The magnitude and rate of climate change and associated risks depend strongly on near-term mitigation and adaptation actions, and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages escalate with every increment of global warming." - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Some changes (such as droughts, wildfires, and extreme rainfall) are happening faster than scientists previously assessed. In fact, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) — the United Nations body established to assess the science related to climate change — modern humans have never before seen the observed changes in our global climate, and some of these changes are irreversible over the next hundreds to thousands of years.

Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for many decades, mainly due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities.

The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment report, published in 2021, found that human emissions of heat-trapping gases have already warmed the climate by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since 1850-1900. 1 The global average temperature is expected to reach or exceed 1.5 degrees C (about 3 degrees F) within the next few decades. These changes will affect all regions of Earth.

The severity of effects caused by climate change will depend on the path of future human activities. More greenhouse gas emissions will lead to more climate extremes and widespread damaging effects across our planet. However, those future effects depend on the total amount of carbon dioxide we emit. So, if we can reduce emissions, we may avoid some of the worst effects.

"The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss the brief, rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future." 2 - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Future effects of global climate change in the united states:.

Here are some of the expected effects of global climate change on the United States, according to the Third and Fourth National Climate Assessment Reports.

U.S. Sea Level Likely to Rise 1 to 6.6 Feet by 2100

Global sea level has risen about 8 inches (0.2 meters) since reliable record-keeping began in 1880. By 2100, scientists project that it will rise at least another foot (0.3 meters), but possibly as high as 6.6 feet (2 meters) in a high-emissions scenario. Sea level is rising because of added water from melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.

Climate Changes Will Continue Through This Century and Beyond

Global climate is projected to continue warming over this century and beyond.

Hurricanes Will Become Stronger and More Intense

Scientists project that hurricane-associated storm intensity and rainfall rates will increase as the climate continues to warm.

More Droughts and Heat Waves

Droughts in the Southwest and heat waves (periods of abnormally hot weather lasting days to weeks) are projected to become more intense, and cold waves less intense and less frequent.

Longer Wildfire Season

Warming temperatures have extended and intensified wildfire season in the West, where long-term drought in the region has heightened the risk of fires. Scientists estimate that human-caused climate change has already doubled the area of forest burned in recent decades. By around 2050, the amount of land consumed by wildfires in Western states is projected to further increase by two to six times. Even in traditionally rainy regions like the Southeast, wildfires are projected to increase by about 30%.

Changes in Precipitation Patterns

Climate change is having an uneven effect on precipitation (rain and snow) in the United States, with some locations experiencing increased precipitation and flooding, while others suffer from drought. On average, more winter and spring precipitation is projected for the northern United States, and less for the Southwest, over this century.

Frost-Free Season (and Growing Season) will Lengthen

The length of the frost-free season, and the corresponding growing season, has been increasing since the 1980s, with the largest increases occurring in the western United States. Across the United States, the growing season is projected to continue to lengthen, which will affect ecosystems and agriculture.

Global Temperatures Will Continue to Rise

Summer of 2023 was Earth's hottest summer on record, 0.41 degrees Fahrenheit (F) (0.23 degrees Celsius (C)) warmer than any other summer in NASA’s record and 2.1 degrees F (1.2 C) warmer than the average summer between 1951 and 1980.

Arctic Is Very Likely to Become Ice-Free

Sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean is expected to continue decreasing, and the Arctic Ocean will very likely become essentially ice-free in late summer if current projections hold. This change is expected to occur before mid-century.

U.S. Regional Effects

Climate change is bringing different types of challenges to each region of the country. Some of the current and future impacts are summarized below. These findings are from the Third 3 and Fourth 4 National Climate Assessment Reports, released by the U.S. Global Change Research Program .

• Northeast. Heat waves, heavy downpours, and sea level rise pose increasing challenges to many aspects of life in the Northeast. Infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised. Farmers can explore new crop options, but these adaptations are not cost- or risk-free. Moreover, adaptive capacity , which varies throughout the region, could be overwhelmed by a changing climate. Many states and cities are beginning to incorporate climate change into their planning.
• Northwest. Changes in the timing of peak flows in rivers and streams are reducing water supplies and worsening competing demands for water. Sea level rise, erosion, flooding, risks to infrastructure, and increasing ocean acidity pose major threats. Increasing wildfire incidence and severity, heat waves, insect outbreaks, and tree diseases are causing widespread forest die-off.
• Southeast. Sea level rise poses widespread and continuing threats to the region’s economy and environment. Extreme heat will affect health, energy, agriculture, and more. Decreased water availability will have economic and environmental impacts.
• Midwest. Extreme heat, heavy downpours, and flooding will affect infrastructure, health, agriculture, forestry, transportation, air and water quality, and more. Climate change will also worsen a range of risks to the Great Lakes.
• Southwest. Climate change has caused increased heat, drought, and insect outbreaks. In turn, these changes have made wildfires more numerous and severe. The warming climate has also caused a decline in water supplies, reduced agricultural yields, and triggered heat-related health impacts in cities. In coastal areas, flooding and erosion are additional concerns.

1. IPCC 2021, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis , the Working Group I contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

2. IPCC, 2013: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

3. USGCRP 2014, Third Climate Assessment .

4. USGCRP 2017, Fourth Climate Assessment .

Related Resources

A Degree of Difference

So, the Earth's average temperature has increased about 2 degrees Fahrenheit during the 20th century. What's the big deal?

What’s the difference between climate change and global warming?

“Global warming” refers to the long-term warming of the planet. “Climate change” encompasses global warming, but refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet, including rising sea levels; shrinking mountain glaciers; accelerating ice melt in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic; and shifts in flower/plant blooming times.

Is it too late to prevent climate change?

Humans have caused major climate changes to happen already, and we have set in motion more changes still. However, if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the rise in global temperatures would begin to flatten within a few years. Temperatures would then plateau but remain well-elevated for many, many centuries.

Discover More Topics From NASA

Explore Earth Science

Earth Science in Action

Earth Science Data

Facts About Earth

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Biology, Environmental Science Students Take Top Spots at Villanova Three Minute Thesis Competition

The Villanova 3MT competition highlighted the diverse research interests of its graduate community and the skill with which its students can articulate their study of complex topics.

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Villanova graduate Biology student Claire Jones took first place, and graduate Environmental Science student Lorina Holterhoff took second place at the University's Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) on March 15 in the Mullen Center for the Performing Arts. Jones, whose presentation “How do chickadees communicate about the presence and absence of food?,” was rated the highest by a panel of faculty judges, advances to the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools regional 3MT competition on April 26.

Holterhoff won second prize for her presentation, “The Urbanized World: Metal Pollution in Green Stormwater Infrastructure.” Yen Leng Chong, a master's student in Sustainable Engineering, received the People’s Choice award for her presentation, “Building a Circular Economy System for Universities through the Green Office Program.”

3MT is a competition for master’s and doctoral students to develop and showcase their research communication skills. 3MT cultivates students’ academic, professional, presentation and research communication skills. To be successful, competitors must effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

This year marked the third consecutive year that the competition was open to graduate students from across the University and the second year it was hosted by the Center for Graduate Research and Education. The 11 finalists were made up of seven from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, two from the College of Engineering and one each from the Charles Widger School of Law and the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing.

The Villanova competition highlighted the diverse research interests of its graduate community and the skill with which its students can articulate their study of complex topics.

“The contestants in this year’s 3MT competition were truly fantastic," said Michael Westrate, PhD, emcee for the event and Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Research and Education. "Their preparation, stage presence and ability to communicate their research to a broad audience showcased the superb talents of Villanova’s graduate students. Their high-level scholarship addresses some of the most pressing issues facing our world and affirms Villanova’s growing stature as a research institution. We are proud to continue with the tradition of excellence in Villanova’s 3MT competition. Kudos to all the students who took the stage.”

Judges for the event included:

• Emory Woodard, PhD, Dean of Graduate Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Al Ortega, PhD, James R. Birle Professor of Energy Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
• Andrew Lund, JD, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Charles Widger School of Law
• Amanda Grannas, PhD, Vice Provost for Research, Chief Research Officer
• Darla Wolfe ’06 EMBA, Member of the Board of Trustees for Villanova University

2024 3MT Contestants

Rachel Baskin , PhD student in Nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing “Nurse Resilience, Burnout, Work Stress, and Post-Traumatic Stress During COVID-19: A Secondary Longitudinal Analysis of the CHAMPS Data Registry”

Rachel Carrock , MS student in Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “Arnold's Paradigm in the field: The relationship between morphology, performance, and behavior in an invasive species of gecko”

Yen Leng Chong , MS student in Sustainable Engineering, College of Engineering “Building a Circular Economy System for Universities through the Green Office Program”

Hannah Feldman , MS student in Environmental Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “An Immersive Urban Environmental Geochemistry Research Experience as a Pathway to Careers in the Geosciences​”

Lorina Holterhoff , MS student in Environmental Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “The Urbanized World: Metal Pollution in Green Stormwater Infrastructure”

Noelle Diane Johnson , MA student in Theatre and Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “Aunt Ester to Mame Wilks: August Wilson's Black Women Character's as a Blueprint for Social Justice and Reform”

Claire Jones , MS student in Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “How do chickadees communicate about the presence and absence of food?”

Chaitanya Mankala , MS student in Software Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “Pioneering Artificial Neural Network for Dynamics Systems”

Ibukunoluwa Ogunjimi , MA student in Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “The Intersection of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence- Conformal Maps”

Kate Redding , Juris Doctor student, Charles Widger School of Law “Cut Out The Middleman: Dropshipping in Differentiated E-Commerce Marketplaces as a Deceptive Trade Practice”

Nourin Seenthia , PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering “An Experimental Study of Pyrogenic Carbonaceous Matter (PCM) Facilitated Hydrolysis of 2,4-Dinitroanisole (DNAN)”  

About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been the heart of the Villanova learning experience, offering foundational courses for undergraduate students in every college of the University. Serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students, the College is committed to fortifying them with intellectual rigor, multidisciplinary knowledge, moral courage and a global perspective. The College has more than 40 academic departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.

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