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Advanced GIS

Fall
Fall 2018
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 15
4
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

Michael Ruth headshot
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), field deployment, workflow analysis

Advanced GIS is a fast-paced course designed to teach graduate students to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping, spatial data management, and spatial data analysis. Instruction is based on reading assignments, lectures, and weekly hands-on labs using ArcGIS 10.1, including both desktop and online mapping tools for collaboration and presentation. 

Evaluations are based on the quality of student-produced map and analysis products and two quizzes. Students should have experience with quantitative software and must be able to demonstrate a solid understanding of MS Windows file management practices. Students will be expected to use the Esri software suite outside of class, for performing hands-on mapping assignments.  Student versions of the ArcGIS software will be made available, but support is limited to college computers (note: ArcGIS Desktop software runs only under MS Windows, see requirements: http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/system-requirements/10.1 ).

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 15
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Monday, September 24, 2018 - 6:00 pm
LAB 2 1223B - CAL East

Advertised schedule:

Mondays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

Aquatic Ecology

Spring
Spring 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 18
4
Credits per quarter

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Taught by

Although water covers 75% of the Earth’s surface, less than 3% of that is freshwater.  As global environmental problems such as climate change, deforestation, urbanization, and intensification of agriculture threaten our scarce freshwater resources, it has become increasingly important to understand the functioning of our lakes, rivers, and wetlands to inform management and policy decisions.     

This class will explore the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of inland waters, with a particular focus on lakes as our model ecosystems.  In addition, we will discuss the use of paleolimnology as a tool to determine the impacts that human activity and alteration of the landscape are having on lakes.  The course will include one Saturday field trip to a local lake for students to get hands-on experience with limnological field methods.  Samples collected during the field trip will be analyzed throughout the quarter during a regular laboratory component, which will include water chemistry analysis, microscopy, and environmental data analysis.  Although the primary focus of this course will be on lake ecosystems, the course provides a solid foundation of knowledge, field techniques, and lab techniques that apply to all freshwater aquatic ecosystems.  Seminar portions of the class will rely on a limnology text as well as the primary literature.

Joy Ramstack Hobbs

M.S., Lehigh University, (Geological Sciences), 2000
B.A., Hartwick College, (Biology), 1996

Joy Ramstack Hobbs is an aquatic ecologist whose research interests revolve around using lake sediments to determine the environmental history of lakes and their watersheds. She also has a strong interest in science education and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in primary research as well as career development.

Many of her research projects involve diatoms, which are single-celled, microscopic algae that are found in nearly every lake and stream around the world. They form a cell wall made of biologically produced glass, which preserves well in lake-bottom sediments, and different species can be identified by the unique pattern of this glass cell wall. Diatoms are sensitive to changes in their aquatic environment, and the community composition of diatoms in the sediments can tell us about past conditions in a lake or stream.

 

4

Credits per quarter

Fields of study: 
Online learning:
  • Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 18
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Wednesday, April 3, 2019 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 B2109 - Seminar

Advertised schedule:

Wednesdays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

Aquatic Toxicology

Summer
Summer 2019 (Second Session)
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Junior-SeniorGraduate
Junior–Graduate
Class Size: 20
4
Credits per quarter

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Taught by

Toxic algae blooms are becoming a more frequent summer biological phenomenon in the Pacific Northwest’s freshwater lakes, ponds and slow flowing streams. Increasingly these algae blooms contain cyanobacteria, “blue-green algae” that can produce toxins capable of causing respiratory or gastrointestinal distress in humans and in extreme cases the death of small mammals. Additionally, algal blooms lower dissolved oxygen levels in surface water, leading to hypoxic conditions that can be deadly for aquatic organisms.

Understanding how toxic algae impacts wildlife, human health, and the factors that contribute to water quality degradation will be the focus of this course. Through field studies, seminar and laboratory investigation we will evaluate the effects of environmental and anthropogenically-sourced pollutants on aquatic organisms using cyanobacteria as our model. Students will engage in weekly seminars to discuss current research and regional issues that affect the water quality in surface and groundwater. Students will gather field water quality data over several weeks from local water bodies and analyze samples collected for identification of cyanobacteria species that commonly produce microcystins, a class of liver toxins that can accumulate in fish tissues. In the final week, students will give a presentation on a topic of their choice related to aquatic toxicology. Upon completion of the course, students will be awarded 4 upper-division undergraduate or graduate credits in environmental toxicology with lab.

Registration note: Undergraduate students use CRN 40118, Graduate students use CRN 40119. 

 

Faculty: Paula Cracknell is an Aquatic Resource Specialist for Thurston County where she investigates nutrient loading and invasive aquatic species in local lakes and rivers. She has worked on TMDL studies in Washington State, and helped develop programs in local waterbodies that reduce nonpoint and point source pollution into shellfish protection districts and drinking water sources. Paula earned a dual BA/BS degree from the Evergreen State College in 2013 with an emphasis on Environmental Science and Aquatic Ecology. In 2017 she completed her M.E.S. From the Evergreen State College. In her master’s thesis, Paula developed a GIS model that analyzed weather patterns and land use changes over a decade, and statistically investigated whether changes in land use type and weather patterns increased dissolved organic carbon loading into the Puget Sound from four major watersheds.

4

Credits per quarter

Fields of study: 
Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.

Upper division science credit:

Upon completion of the course, students will be awarded 4 upper-division undergraduate or graduate credits in environmental toxicology with lab.

Junior-SeniorGraduate
Class Standing: Junior–Graduate
Class Size: 20
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

Advertised schedule:

Mon/Wed 6-10pm plus 2 Saturday field trips, specific dates TBD

Located in: Olympia

Case Studies and Thesis Design

Fall
Fall 2018
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 50
8
Credits per quarter

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Taught by

Saul-Kathleen
energy and environmental policy, political ecology, social impacts of energy choices
John Withey
ecology, conservation biology, wildlife biology

The fourth program in the core sequence allows students to deepen their understanding of the research process as they make decisions about their own thesis research design and methodology. Activities and assignments help students understand how their thesis builds upon and fills gaps they identify in previous research. Students will complete a literature review to guide their their own research framework and study design. They will write a prospectus in collaboration with a reader assigned in the course of Case Studies to facilitate the thesis research process. Through this course, students will improve their ability to communicate academic research to a broad audience via posters and oral presentations. Successful completion of this program is required to enroll for thesis credits.

8

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 50
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Tuesday, September 25, 2018 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 A1105 - Lecture

Located in: Olympia

Climate Solutions in a Diverse World

Spring
Spring 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 18
4
Credits per quarter

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Taught by

Saul-Kathleen
energy and environmental policy, political ecology, social impacts of energy choices

Population growth, choices of developmental pathways and advances in technology, especially those taking place beyond Europe and the United States, can transform societies and energy systems. Indigenous ideas regarding what is appropriate and practical may differ from those imported from more "developed" countries. They may also serve as models for making all energy systems more sustainable. This elective will use a Socio-Political Ecology lens to explore the social, economic, and energy status of a variety of countries around the globe, trying to understand their unique contributions to a less fossil intensive and more renewable energy focused future. Students will learn the value of examining the local context in which decisions are made.  They will become familiar with the concept of Neocolonialism as it applied to energy in the Global South.  Students will also examine the current energy status, applications of energy, and hurdles faced nations of the Global South.  In the end, what lessons can be learned that will make energy systems more sustainable worldwide?

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 18
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Wednesday, April 3, 2019 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 D3107 - Seminar

Advertised schedule:

Wednesdays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

Conservation Biology

Fall
Fall 2018
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 15
4
Credits per quarter

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Taught by

wildlife ecology

Conservation biology is a multidisciplinary endeavor that draws from the natural, social and economic sciences. Conservation biologists study the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biodiversity, as well as how evolutionary processes sustain genetic, population, species, and ecosystem diversity. This course will mostly emphasize natural science elements of conservation biology but always within a social and economic context. The course will also provide a practitioner's perspective of the relationship between science and policy from work done in Washington State over the last 30 years. This course will introduce students to the literature, controversies, and promising methodologies for a variety of conservation biology applications. In addition, a number of local experts will provide perspectives on their applied work in the field of conservation. We will read, discuss, and write on various conservation topics. Course assignments will include written and oral exercises with peer evaluations to help students develop ideas and improve communication skills. This course will introduce students to the principal concepts and methodologies of conservation biology, enrich their understanding of the scientific contributions necessary for solving conservation problems, and further their powers of analysis and communication.

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 15
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 E2109 - Seminar

Advertised schedule:

Wednesdays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

Ecological and Social Sustainability

Winter
Winter 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 50
8
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

Saul-Kathleen
energy and environmental policy, political ecology, social impacts of energy choices
Smith square
environmental studies, public policy
EJ Zita
physics, math, astrophysics

The second program in the core sequence examines sustainability at theoretical and practical levels. We will examine how sustainability is understood from multiple perspectives, emphasizing systems thinking and complexity theory at regional, national, and global scales. Students will develop a foundation in climate science, development theory, and energy policy to help them assess current strategies of climate mitigation and adaptation. Seminars, lectures, and workshops will help students refine their critical thinking, writing, discussion, and presentation skills. By the end of the quarter, each student will produce a professional quality research paper (candidacy paper) and presentation based on current scholarship. Candidacy is outlined in the student handbook .

8

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 50
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Tuesday, January 8, 2019 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 D1105 - Lecture

Advertised schedule:

Tu/Th 6-10pm

Located in: Olympia

Environmental Communication

Winter
Winter 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 18
4
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

Francis-Kevin
history of science and technology

Environmental issues involve diverse decision-makers and stakeholders. This course will focus on how to understand, engage, and persuade the audiences that we want to reach. Students will study the techniques of classical rhetoric, mass communication, and scientific writing as a foundation for improving their own writing. This intensive writing course is designed to develop each student’s abilities in careful reading, argument construction, persuasive writing, and substantive editing. The course aims to challenge and support students at a variety of levels of confidence and expertise in writing. Students can expect to receive constructive feedback from both the instructor and other students through weekly writing workshops. For some of these assignments, if they choose, students may write on topics related to their candidacy paper or thesis.

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 18
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Wednesday, January 9, 2019 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 E2107 - Seminar

Advertised schedule:

Wednesdays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

Environmental Education: Theory and Practice

Fall
Fall 2018
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 15
4
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

In this course we’ll be investigating the broad field of Environmental Education (EE). The term EE is used to describe a variety of disciplines, but how do we know authentic EE when we see it? We’ll investigate the historical and theoretical foundations of EE and the multiple strands that fit under the “umbrella” of EE, including nature study, experiential education, K-12 education, interpretation, and social marketing. We will also consider what makes EE effective (or not), who is “invited” to participate and lead, and where are the opportunities and challenges for implementing effective EE—both in general and in our current political and environmental reality.

Environmental education is traditionally experiential, collaborative, and creative. In this course we will practice a variety of teaching and learning styles as we add to our toolbox of facilitation and communication skills. Additionally, our understanding will be deepened by weekly reading and writing assignments, several expert guest speakers, a professional conference* and one field trip. The course will culminate in partner projects that will creatively explore EE’s newest strand: climate change education.

*Students have the option to attend the annual North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) conference in Spokane from October 10-13 as part of the course. Students unable to attend the conference will be given an alternative assignment.

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Fees:

$650 fee for an optional overnight field trip to attend the North American Association of Environmental Education Conference.

Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 15
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 E2107 - Seminar

Advertised schedule:

Wednesdays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

Environmental Justice: Politics and Policy

Spring
Spring 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 18
4
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

Smith square
environmental studies, public policy

The Environmental Justice (EJ) movement has raised public awareness of how environmental benefits and burdens are inequitably distributed in society. Within this context, Environmental Justice activists and advocates have presented claims regarding the disproportionate environmental exposures and health impacts experienced by communities of color and low-income communities. As a result, proponents of EJ have appealed to policymakers (and others) to develop strategies to eliminate “environmental racism” and other forms of “environmental injustice” inherent in environmental policies and decision-making processes. This course will focus on environmental politics and environmental justice policy adoption (or lack thereof) on federal, state and local levels. An emphasis will be placed on examining governmental responses environmental justice activism and advocacy. This includes analyzing the various opportunities and constraints that face efforts to implement environmental justice policy and to what degree such efforts address and remedy claims of environmental injustice. Student work will include weekly writing assignments evaluating and critiquing course content and a group project developing a policy proposal designed to address a community-based environmental justice issue or concern. 

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 18
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Monday, April 1, 2019 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 D2107 - Seminar

Advertised schedule:

Mondays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

Environmental Sociology: Key Concepts and Methods

Winter
Winter 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 18
4
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

Shawn Hazboun
environmental sociology, energy and climate change, social science research methods

This elective provides an introduction to social aspects of environmental research, including foundational knowledge of a) theoretical concepts and b) methodology employed by environmental sociologists and other environmental social scientists. Students will be introduced to the field of environmental sociology and will be exposed to a range of central theories and frameworks used across environmental social scientist disciplines to understand interactions between society and the environment and explain certain outcomes, such as environmental degradation. We will examine a range of research methods, including qualitative methods, quantitative methods, and mixed-mode designs. Our study of qualitative practices will include interviews, focus groups, and content analysis, and will cover both manual and software-assisted coding of these data. The quantitative methods covered will emphasize survey research (including design, sampling, administration, and statistical analysis), but will also include discussion of using secondary data. Throughout, students will be encouraged to consider the potential and limits of each method, including the utility of each approach in answering specific research questions and addressing shortcomings in existing theory and knowledge. The class will also consider ethical issues in social research, including research with sensitive populations and representation of participants, and will learn about the human subjects review process at Evergreen.

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 18
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Wednesday, January 9, 2019 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 D2107 - Seminar

Advertised schedule:

Wednesdays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

graduate Conceptualizing Our Regional Environment

Fall
Fall 2018
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 55
8
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

Francis-Kevin
history of science and technology
Shawn Hazboun
environmental sociology, energy and climate change, social science research methods
Smith square
environmental studies, public policy

The first program in the core sequence provides an interdisciplinary framework for understanding Pacific Northwest ecosystems, environmental history, and regional identity. In addition to developing a foundation in the methodologies and perspectives of core environmental disciplines, students will assess the value of particular disciplines for framing and solving environmental problems. We will focus on a few major environmental challenges, such as salmon recovery and forest management, through readings, lectures, workshops, seminar discussions, writing assignments, and field trips. A central part of this quarter's work is an interdisciplinary group project, which assumes that many critical environmental issues cannot be solved by individuals working alone or even by teams from a single discipline. This project provides an opportunity for students to develop their research, writing, presentation, and collaborative problem-solving skills.

8

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Fees:

$200 for an overnight field trip.

Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 55
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Tuesday, September 25, 2018 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 C1105 - Lecture

Advertised schedule:

Tuesdays and Thursday 6-10pm

Located in: Olympia

Introduction to GIS

Spring
Spring 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 22
4
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

Michael Ruth headshot
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), field deployment, workflow analysis

This course will teach students how to use the versatile technology of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  GIS is more than map-making.  A GIS integrates computer hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information across a wide variety of disciplines. GIS technology is increasingly used by physical and social scientists, policy makers, businesses, environmental and conservation organizations, utilities, public health providers, the military, and educators, to name a few.  More and more organizations are using spatial data and analysis to help them make decisions relating to acceptable land uses, allocation of resources and assets, fairness and social wellbeing, and many other needs. Instruction will rely strongly on weekly hands-on labs and homework exercises to guide students through a public policy decision process from beginning to end over the duration of the quarter.  Students will learn to manage spatial data and tools, mainly using the Esri suite of software commonly known as ArcGIS. No previous experience with GIS is required.  Student versions of the ArcGIS software suite will be made available for home use (but technical support is limited to college computers).

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 22
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Monday, April 1, 2019 - 5:00 pm
LAB 2 1223B - CAL East

Advertised schedule:

Mondays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

Landscape Conservation, Management and Design

Winter
Winter 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 18
4
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

John Withey
ecology, conservation biology, wildlife biology

Much of the world’s inhabitable lands are a mosaic of agricultural and semi-natural landscapes, dotted with human settlements from small towns to mega-cities, and crossed by highways, power lines, and other infrastructure. How can we maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services in such working landscapes? Is more intensive use of some lands, while conserving elsewhere, more optimal than less-intensive use spread out over a larger area? How can we balance resource use and economic returns with other priorities in “cultural landscapes” used by humans for centuries or millennia? These are some of the big questions that landscape ecologists and land managers try to answer.

In this course we will examine landscapes as complex socio-ecological systems. You will learn principles of landscape ecology as a scientific basis for conservation and management at the landscape scale. You will read and discuss primary literature from land use planning, conservation, and landscape ecology journals. You will also use ArcGIS* to examine spatial patterns of landscapes in the Pacific Northwest. As a final project you will use existing spatial datasets to answer a researchable question of your choosing.

*Course or work experience with ArcGIS will be useful, but is not a prerequisite.

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 18
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Monday, January 7, 2019 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 D2109 - Seminar

Advertised schedule:

Mondays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

Master of Environmental Studies Thesis

WinterSpring
Winter 2019
Spring 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 50
8
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

Gerardo Chin-Leo
oceanography, marine biology
Francis-Kevin
history of science and technology
Shawn Hazboun
environmental sociology, energy and climate change, social science research methods
Michael Ruth headshot
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), field deployment, workflow analysis
Saul-Kathleen
energy and environmental policy, political ecology, social impacts of energy choices
Smith square
environmental studies, public policy
John Withey
ecology, conservation biology, wildlife biology
EJ Zita
physics, math, astrophysics

To complete their degree, MES students are required to complete a 16 credit thesis. Students are assigned a faculty mentor or "reader" in fall quarter of their second year. Each reader is assigned a CRN (course reference number) for Winter quarter and a different CRN for Spring quarter, and students will be notified of their reader's CRN by email from the MES office prior to registration for each quarter.  Students will take eight thesis credits each quarter. In addition to the thesis, students are required to attend an evening thesis workshop, which is usually offered on occasional Tuesday or Thursday evenings throughout the Winter and Spring quarters.  Students will be notified of exact details during Fall quarter. See our  Thesis Resources  page for more information.

8

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Winter: Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
  • Spring: No Required Online Learning - No access to web tools required. Any web tools provided are optional.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 50
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Thursday, April 11, 2019 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 C1105 - Lecture

Located in: Olympia

Master of Environmental Studies Thesis

WinterSpring
Winter 2019
Spring 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 50
8
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

fire ecology, soil biogeochemistry and microbial ecology, restoration ecology

To complete their degree, MES students are required to complete a 16 credit thesis. Students are assigned a faculty mentor or "reader" in fall quarter of their second year. Each reader is assigned a CRN (course reference number) for Winter quarter and a different CRN for Spring quarter, and students will be notified of their reader's CRN by email from the MES office prior to registration for each quarter.  Students will take eight thesis credits each quarter. In addition to the thesis, students are required to attend an evening thesis workshop, which is usually offered on occasional Tuesday or Thursday evenings throughout the Winter and Spring quarters.  Students will be notified of exact details during Fall quarter. See our Thesis Resources page for more information.

8

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 50
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

Located in: Olympia

Research Design and Quantitative Methods

Spring
Spring 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 50
8
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

Shawn Hazboun
environmental sociology, energy and climate change, social science research methods
John Withey
ecology, conservation biology, wildlife biology
EJ Zita
physics, math, astrophysics

The third program in the core sequence explores quantitative methods for studying complex environmental phenomena. A primary focus is developing practical literacy in experimental design and data analysis. Students will learn statistical methods including graphical and tabular summaries, distributions, confidence intervals, t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Chi-square tests, linear regression, multivariate statistics, and both non-parametric and resampling approaches to these statistical methods. The program also introduces software for data management and statistical analyses. Computer lab exercises and collaborative group research projects help students develop proficiency in experimental design and statistical programs.

8

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 50
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 B1105 - Lecture

Located in: Olympia

Restoration Ecology

Fall
Fall 2018
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 15
4
Credits per quarter

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Taught by

fire ecology, soil biogeochemistry and microbial ecology, restoration ecology

This course will explore both the objective and the subjective facets of restoration ecology, including various cultural perspectives on the value of restoration, how economic and political realities influence restoration targets, and the integrated structural and functional components of ecosystems that contribute to the success or failure of any restoration project. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate small- to large-scale restoration projects, in the Pacific Northwest and around the world, as well as take part in active ecological restoration.

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Fees:

$190 for an overnight field trip.

Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 15
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Monday, September 24, 2018 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 E2107 - Seminar

Advertised schedule:

Mondays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

DateRevision
2018-09-21a mandatory student fee of $190 has been added to this program

Science and Politics: Local Solutions to Environmental Problems

Fall
Fall 2018
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 15
4
Credits per quarter

Compare offerings and share your lists with others.

Taught by

EJ Zita
physics, math, astrophysics

Many key environmental decisions are made at the local level by city councils, planning committees, and port commissions. This course explores the intersection of science, economics, and public engagement in local environmental policy. How do policymakers recognize the conflicting interests of multiple stakeholders in their decision-making process? How do they incorporate scientific models—especially those that involve conflicting evidence or uncertain predictions—into their decisions? How can interested citizens and professionals most effectively influence environmental policy? How can local environmental challenges become opportunities that strengthen communities and economies? We will examine such questions through examples in Thurston County:

 

Scientists predict that by 2050 Olympia will flood over 100 times per year as the result of sea-level rise. How do these climate change models become the foundation for city planning and disaster response? How are the City of Olympia, the Port of Olympia, and LOTT working together to respond to this challenge? What are challenges and opportunities of such interagency collaboration with the public?

 

Capitol Lake is unhealthy. Restoring the natural river flow through dam removal would improve water quality in Capitol and Budd Inlet. But releasing the built-up sediment would impact boating and shipping. How do scientists predict these likely consequences? How should our community evaluate and act on the proposal to remove the dam and restore the Deschutes Estuary? How are policymakers proceeding?

 

Carbon reduction proposals have been made by citizens and elected officials. What are the costs and benefits of various carbon reduction strategies? Which have been adopted, and what goals remain to be achieved?

 

These case studies and questions—along with others—will be explored through reading, discussion, workshops, and visits from community experts. Each student will also undertake a focused research project on a local environmental issue.

4

Credits per quarter

Online learning:
  • Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 15
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - 6:00 pm
SEM 2 D2109 - Seminar

Advertised schedule:

Wednesdays 6p-10p

Located in: Olympia

Special topics in Advanced GIS

Winter
Winter 2019
Olympia
Olympia
Evening
Evening
Graduate
Class Size: 18
4
Credits per quarter

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Taught by

Michael Ruth headshot
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), field deployment, workflow analysis

This class is intended for graduate students in support of thesis work and other research needs.  To be eligible for this course, students must have fulfilled prerequisite study of Advanced GIS (MES Program). The purpose of this class is to provide MES students with advanced GIS skills in areas supportive of their thesis and related research needs. Interested students will also have the opportunity to improve skillsets in preparation for GIS professional certification examinations. 

General GIS topics to be covered include:

-        GIS in 3D: Creating visualizations of elevation in maps and interactive apps

-        Application of satellite imagery for mapping landcover and change detection

-        Exploitation of LiDAR datasets in ArcGIS Pro

-        Deploying Survey123 for mobile field GIS studies and data collection

-        Implementation of Operations Dashboard for quantitative visualization

During the class meeting for Week 4, students will choose a topic of their own interest, to develop into a final mapping project.  Students will present their final projects on Week 10.

Evergreen maintains an excellent computer applications lab (“CAL”) with large double-monitors, Windows computers, the required Esri (and other) software, and ample network file storage space for each student. All coursework can be completed through the use of on-campus computing resources for desktop software and standard browser access for web GIS software. Many students elect to use the CAL computers to perform all class exercises and homework. In addition, fully functional software versions are maintained in the Library Computer Center and various classroom computers in both Olympia and Tacoma campuses. The ArcGIS Pro software is available for students to load on their own (Windows) computers. Software installation media kits can be obtained from the CAL help desk and from the Computing Resources desk in the TESC library. Each media kit includes a student license keycode which is necessary to activate and maintain the software license for one year (annually renewable). Students will be granted a license to ArcGIS Online for managing web data, maps, and publishing web-apps such as story maps.

4

Credits per quarter

Fields of study: 
Online learning:
  • Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Class Standing: Graduate
Class Size: 18
Evening

Scheduled for: Evening

Final schedule and room assignments:

First meeting:

Monday, January 7, 2019 - 6:00 pm
LAB 2 1223B - CAL East

Advertised schedule:

This class will meet on selected Mondays and Wednesdays, 6p-10p, during the quarter. Please contact Mike Ruth for exact meeting dates and times.

Located in: Olympia