ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND HEALTH:
GLOBAL CONTEXT, REGIONAL CONDITIONS

In this program, we will examine the interrelation of human and natural ecology, with an emphasis on population, development and pollution. Global issues and conditions will provide the context for us to take a careful look at our region the beauty, the richness of resources, the changes, and the challenges facing us as we work to protect human health and ecosystem health. Our progam, emphasizing environmental health science and policy, will share considerable content with "Ecological Systems of Puget Sound", which will focus on natural history. We will be exploring how the work of science, public policy and community-based organizations together provide for options that enhance sustainability for our region and beyond.

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES:

We'll be working on the themes described above by studying biology, social science, public policy, mathematics and computer modeling and natural history in lectures, labs and workshops. In addition, we will have weekly seminars where you will read, write and discuss how these disciplines and selected texts relate to real world problems. Each quarter there will be two or three field trips, with a special extended field trip in the fall to Willapa Bay (near the mouth of the Columbia River) where we will explore the natural offerings of the area and the signficant environmental challenges facing that region.

During the winter and spring quarters, our program will help host a special visiting professor (the Dan Evans Chair faculty), Dr. Louis Guillette. A zoologist from the University of Florida, Dr. Guillette is internationally recognized for his research on the impacts of chemical contaminants on alligators and other species. Through his lectures and work with our Core Program, we will learn about the emerging interdisciplinary research on how pollution is impacting reproductive health in animals and humans. About students who take this program:

This program, as is any Evergreen core program, provides a solid introduction to and preparation for college work in any field. Students who think they might want to concentrate their college work in one of the following areas (environmental science, environmental health, social science and computer science) might find this an appropriate way to make that determination. Students who know already where they want to concentrate, but have a strong personal interest in the program themes, should also this program.

Environmental Change and Health will have many activities in common with the Ecology of Puget Sound program.

A FEW WORDS FROM THE FACULTY:

• Lin Nelson: "My background is in social science, focusing on health, environment, public policy and social movements. I look forward to us examining 'public interest science,' where citizens and scientists together respond to environmental problems."
• Jude Van Buren: "I am a public health scientist, who has been addressing the effects of environmental pollutants on human health and the health of other ecosystems. I am excited about our work together this coming year, examining the biology of human and other organisms and acquiring basic and applied skills in biology, epidemiology, microbiology and toxicology so we can learn more about the effect of pollutants on human and environmental health."
• Judy Cushing: "I am a computer scientist who, before coming to Evergreen, worked with a company that developed medical information systems to support retrospective epidemiological studies as well as ongoing patient care. I have a strong current research interest in computer tools for scientists, particularly ecologists and biologists. My area of specialization is software development and databases."

SOME READINGS: (tentative)

• Biology, Neil Campbell, 1993
• Ecology of Commerce, Paul Hawken
• Enemy of the People, Henrik Ibsen
• Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth, William Rees & Mathis Wackernagel, 1996
• Our Global Environment: A Health Perspective, Anne Nadakavukaren, 1995
• Our Stolen Future, Theo Colborn, D.Dumanoski & JP Myers, 1996
• Refuge, by Terry Tempest Williams Science for the Earth: Can Science Make the Earth a Better Place? Tom Wakeford and Martin Walters, 1995
• Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson
• The Living, Annie Dillard
• The Shape and Form of Puget Sound, Robert Burns

LIKELY CREDIT EQUIVALENCIES (FALL):

• Introduction to Biology - 6 credits
• Environmental Modeling Using Computers - 4 credits
• Environmental Health Policy - 2 credits
• Seminar: Introduction to Environmental Studies - 4 credits