[UConn Storrs]

Appropriate for honors students at all class levels, Current Issues in Environmental Science (nicknamed “Alternative Futures”) explores a wide variety of current issues emphasizing linkages between earth, oceans, atmosphere, and biosphere. Topics include: earth processes, climate change; human population; food resources; genetically-engineered organisms; soil/water/air resources; alternative energy; biodiversity; deforestation/restoration; urban planning; risk assessment; tradeoffs; problem-solving. The format includes guest and instructor lectures, class discussions, student-led presentations of scientific and media-reported current events, group and individual projects, and more. The lab consists of lectures by award-winning environmental experts from other institutions as well as field trips (e.g., visit to a zero energy house, recycling facility, UConn Conservation Area).

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