Environmental Science

Are you interested in studying the planet you call home – and beyond? Do you want broad interdisciplinary training that ranges from deep earth molecules to ecosystem interactions? Do you want to experience settings from ocean to alpine and have a degree with application in all sectors of society? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then a career in Environmental Science is in your future.

The School of Arts and Sciences offers the Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science. This degree provides an interdisciplinary framework for understanding, analyzing, and managing our environment. You can choose to focus on one or more of six concentrations: Natural Science, Environmental Studies, Marine Science, Geology, Chemistry, and/ or Sustainability, Policy, and Management.

Helping a Community Restore its Green Spaces

The Sea Palms West Community on St. Simons Island is undergoing a refresh with the help of Dr. Kimberly Takagi’s Aquatic Biology and Ecology class. Students have been monitoring the water quality in eight of nine ponds in the neighborhood as the first steps in helping the community transform its former golf course into a vibrant green space.

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Coastal Georgia alumna Lily Heidger attends Climate Resilience event in Palo Alto

Coastal Georgia alumna, Lily Heidger ’22, was invited by the White House to attend the Climate Resilience event in Palo Alto, California. Lily is an AmeriCorps VISTA Fellow, serving with Stanford and Canopy.

“I was incredibly honored to attend, and left the event feeling empowered and optimistic about the future of climate progress,” Heidger said.

Concentrations in Environmental Science

Chemistry

The Chemistry concentration is designed to provide knowledge and laboratory skills relevant to the study of Chemistry as it pertains to understanding the environment.

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Environmental Studies

The Environmental Studies concentration focuses on critical policy, communication, and economic elements of managing the sociosphere – Earth interface.

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Geology

The Geology concentration is designed to provide geology knowledge as well as field and laboratory skills as preparation for a variety of geoscience careers.

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Marine Science

The Marine Science concentration will provide you with a broad understanding of marine ecosystems and how they are interrelated.

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Natural Science

The Natural Science concentration focuses on understanding fundamental physical, chemical, and biological interactions that drive the Earth System.

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Sustainability Policy and Management

Students in the Sustainability Policy and Management concentration are trained to plan, carry out, and supervise environmental sustainability solutions in a variety of professional settings.

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Harrison Faulk

Swerving like an injured fish, I was easily cornered. The pursuer approached us. Was this the end already? A book with two pages? It couldn’t be, but how did this all start? What led to this worst-case scenario? To understand, you must go back two days prior. My name is Harrison, and this is how Team Submarine’s first adventure began.

Donate now to the Environmental Sciences Experiential Learning Fund

Private funding is crucial in supporting our students as they dedicate their time, effort, and grit to pursuing a degree in Environmental Science.

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Salty’s Shrimp Boil and Shanties on the Roof 2024

The College celebrated the work and achievements of its Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science degree program with fundraising event, “Salty’s Shrimp Boil and Shanties on the Roof,” on Feb. 9, 2024. 

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  • Dr. James Deemy

    Assistant Professor of Environmental Science

    James Deemy is a hydrologist and environmental scientist. He has a broad background in biology, ecology, and geology. His research interests focus on assessing the hydrologic connectivity between isolated, ephemeral wetlands and watersheds. He has specifically assessed the water quality and quantity of agricultural storm-based flows that connect wetlands to nearby waters in southwest Georgia. James also has active research in water resources education.

  • Dr. Colleen Knight

    Colleen Knight

    Chair, Department of Natural Sciences and Associate Professor of Chemistry

    Dr. Knight’s expertise lies in the boundary of chemistry and biology. Her graduate research involved RNA biochemistry, specifically riboswitches. In graduate school, she discovered a passion for education and finding innovative/interactive ways to educate students and the community. She grew up in a rural Georgia community, and spent all of her formative and adult years in the Georgia education system, completing her BS. in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry from the University of West Georgia, then completing her Ph.D. in Biomolecular Chemistry from Emory University. Her interdisciplinary academic training allows her to directly demonstrate to students how various branches of science come together to affect the world around (and within) us.

  • Dr. James Deemy

    Assistant Professor of Environmental Science

    James Deemy is a hydrologist and environmental scientist. He has a broad background in biology, ecology, and geology. His research interests focus on assessing the hydrologic connectivity between isolated, ephemeral wetlands and watersheds. He has specifically assessed the water quality and quantity of agricultural storm-based flows that connect wetlands to nearby waters in southwest Georgia. James also has active research in water resources education.

  • Dr. Robin McLachlan

    McLachlan, Robin

    Assistant Professor of Geology

    Robin McLachlan is a broadly-trained geologist interested in how the shapes of coastal environments are intimately linked to human development, and vice versa. Specifically, she studies sediment transport from source to sink, mountains to deep sea, focusing on the interaction between sediment and hydrodynamics in the fluvial-marine transition zone. She applies the same scientific rigor and inquiry to her role as an educator and communicator. Her teaching strategies constructively align scientific content and communication skills to best achieve student learning goals and career success.

  • Dr. Kimberly Takagi

    Kimberly Takagi

    Assistant Professor of Environmental Science

    Kimberly Takagi is a marine environmental scientist and educator. She is particularly interested in coastal ecosystem dynamics and the role of marine invertebrates (crabs, snails, oysters, mussels, etc.) in carbon and nutrient biogeochemical cycling. In her courses, she strives to facilitate learning by immersing students in field and laboratory research approaches. She strives to develop students’ abilities to critically think about environmental processes through student-collected data and course-based research projects.