Students in the Environmental Studies Program at UMFK develop a broad knowledge of the natural and social sciences, and focus on an aspect of this diverse area of study that is of personal interest. Students learn to critically identify environmental problems, collect and interpret data, communicate today's complex environmental issues, and explore creative solutions. Students work closely with an interdisciplinary group of faculty with expertise in biology, chemistry, forestry, the social sciences, and the humanities.
UMFK's location in the North Maine Woods provides our students with opportunities to study rural land uses and related environmental topics with an emphasis on "hands-on" learning. Within the context of small class sizes, students conduct investigations at the Northern hardwood and spruce-fir forests, boreal bogs, farmlands, scenic lakes, and free-flowing rivers that surround the campus. The Allagash Wilderness Waterway is located less than two hours from campus, and is an ideal site for field studies based out of the Elmer H. Violette Wilderness Camp.
ES students use a variety of facilities on campus for projects and coursework. Students use current technology on UMFK's Geographic Information System in the GIS lab. All students at UMFK have 24 hour access to our high-tech Nadeau Hall Computer Lab housed in the Norther Maine Center for Rural Health Sciences. The Environmental Measurements Lab is equipped with instruments used for water and soil analysis including GC/MS, HPLC, AAS, and a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Other facilities of interest to ES students include a greenhouse, a perennial garden of local flora, and a vermicomposting facility for composting of cafeteria food wastes.
The ES Program is built on the belief that experience-based learning, whether in the field or in the laboratory, is essential both for optimal learning and for career preparation. All ES students gain valuable experience working with environmental professionals through an internship during their junior or senior year.
All students in ES program also complete the Senior Project, which is an individual research project that students undertake in the fall semester of their senior year. With close advising by faculty, each student designs and executes an in-depth laboratory or field research study in a chosen area of environmental studies. Students present this capstone work in a public lecture at the end of the semester. We believe that these research and job experiences are invaluable in helping our students to be well prepared for careers and graduate school.
Preparation for a career in an environmental field is an important goal of our program. Career opportunities for ES graduates address the use and conservation of such natural resources as water, soil, forests, wildlife, and wilderness. Organizations concerned about these issues include regulatory, management, planning, advisory, political, legal, public relations, and educational institutions, as well as private companies.