Courses of Study 2014-2015 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
Courses of Study 2014-2015 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Natural Resources


In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences .

 

Course Offerings  in Natural Resources

Course Offerings  in Environmental Science and Sustainability [Science of Natural and Environmental Systems]

The Department of Natural Resources is the only department in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with faculty and courses in the disciplines of applied ecology and management, environmental sociology, and environmental ethics. It offers students an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to the fundamental knowledge and analytical tools required to conserve, restore, and manage the Earth’s biodiversity and ecosystem services in sustainable ways. A large number of hands-on field courses provide direct experience working in forests, wetlands, streams and lakes of the region, and in policy-making arenas in the Nation’s Capital. The department’s rich selection of courses emphasizing quantitative and analytical skills may be of particular interest to students intending to pursue graduate study or give themselves an advantage for many jobs in related fields. Students considering careers in resource and ecosystem management, environmental policy, or biodiversity conservation will be drawn to many of the department’s course offerings.

The Department offers an undergraduate minor in Natural Resources and graduate degrees leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. (dnr.cornell.edu/cals/dnr/index.cfm). Its undergraduate focus, however, is the new curriculum in Environmental Science and Sustainability (ESS), which is offered under the structure of the Science of Natural and Environmental Systems (SNES) major.
  
The Department’s faculty, staff, and courses play key roles in the ESS program, an interdisciplinary major with faculty in 20 departments and four of Cornell’s colleges. Many of the department’s courses are required in the ESS core curriculum and two of its four areas of concentration. All department faculty members advise in the ESS program.  ESS also has its administrative and advising offices in the Department of Natural Resources (Fernow G15), where students are always welcome. See Environmental Science and Sustainability/SNES  for a description of the curriculum.

Department Faculty/Academic Staff


D.J. Decker, chair (111B Fernow Hall, (607) 255-6118); B. L. Bedford, B. Blossey, S. R. Allred, B. F. Chabot, E. Cooch, P. Curtis, J. L. Dickinson, T. J. Fahey, A. K. Fuller, M. P. Hare, K. S. Kassam, B. A. Knuth, C. E. Kraft, M. E. Krasny, J. P. Lassoie, T. B. Lauber, S. Morreale, A. D. Rodewald, P. G. Rodewald, L. G. Rudstam, R. L. Schneider, P. J. Smallidge, R. C. Stedman, P. J. Sullivan, J. A. Tantillo, D. A. Weinstein, S. A. Wolf, J. B. Yavitt

Research and Work Opportunities for Undergraduates


In addition to its many course offerings, the department provides numerous opportunities for field-oriented studies, independent research, internships, and jobs. These include several field-based courses and access for independent research at the Arnot Teaching and Research Forest near Ithaca, the Little Moose Field Station in the Adirondacks, the Cornell Biological Field Station on Oneida Lake near Syracuse, and the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, as well as numerous natural areas near campus. Part-time jobs in the research and extension programs of many faculty members offer students opportunities for career-related work experience. Many department faculty members also work closely with students who wish to pursue a research honors degree.