Departments and Programs
Biology
Biology is inherently environmental because ecological processes and evolution are determined by interactions among organisms and their environment. We have several courses particularly relevant to environmental topics at the introductory and advanced level. All majors take a course covering the principles of ecology and evolution and are required to choose an upper-level course in ecology from a range of options. Non-majors can learn diversity of organisms and ecology by taking general biology. Many faculty supervise undergraduate and graduate research in behavioral ecology, ecophysiology, community and ecosystem ecology, evolution and systematics, and human effects on organisms and ecosystems.
Chemistry
Chemistry is a core science which provides a foundation for the study of environmental processes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of environmental science, knowledge of chemistry is necessary for an understanding of most environmental issues. While the chemistry major provides rigorous training for those wishing to specialize in the chemical sciences, the department offers both an introductory and an advanced course that deal specifically with environmental chemistry. The department maintains an active and diverse research program involving undergraduates. Professors Castle and McGuire have research projects which deal specifically with environmental processes.
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Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering encompasses a wide range of areas related to the environment including green engineering (design for reduced waste and emissions), atmospheric studies, and biomolecular engineering. Some courses are targeted at both majors and non-majors including students from chemistry, biology, physics, and other engineering disciplines. Many core courses within the department include strong environmental components. Majoring in Chemical Engineering allows students to obtain a diverse science, engineering, and liberal arts background preparing them for variety of careers or post-graduate studies. Options in advanced courses include independent study and senior thesis courses, in which undergraduates collaborate closely with faculty research mentors.
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
Faculty in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department employ the Environmental Science and Engineering Laboratory and Geotechnical Laboratory for environment-related projects and research. Topics of interest include biodegradation of wastewater, municipal solid waste, and animal manures to energy (methane and hydrogen), application of molecular techniques to study viable but non-culturable bacteria, mechanisms of chemical conditioning and dewatering of sludges, air quality/odor issues from wastewater treatment, biodegradation of chlorinated solvents at hazardous waste sites, performance of engineered soil barriers for waste containment, design and optimization of vertical cutoff walls, waste-soil compatibility, and hydrologic performance of alternative earthen final covers.
English
The English Department offers an increasing range of courses related to environmental humanities and environmental studies. These include English 120, English 150, English 203, English 240, sections of English 290 (fantasy and nature), English 303, and English 340, as well as foundation seminars on topics such as English literary landscape and the Susquehanna Valley Summer Writers Institute, which includes Prof. Faull from the Comparative Humanities program as well. English faculty with relevant interests include Prof. Camuto, an environmentally focused creative non-fiction writer, Prof. Carr, who works in ecofeminism, Prof. Clingham on nature and landscape in the long eighteenth century and beyond, Prof. Gillespie in nature and African-American literature, Prof. Morris, a scholar on the writings of Emerson who also teaches and writes on Thoreau and Whitman, and Prof. Siewers, who works and teaches on medieval, Elizabethan and early American ecocriticism. Yet throughout the English curriculum there is a focus on how some of the deepest explorations of human awareness of nature are to be found in literature ranging from Shakespeare to Toni Morrison-and in creative writing by students themselves. Literature provides "deep background" for thinking about ecology, sustainability, and the environment, and also for reshaping cultural landscapes and notions of human subjectivity in ecological contexts.
Environmental Studies Program
The environmental studies program provides broad curricular options for undergraduates. A bachelor of science and a bachelor of arts majors are offered to introduce students to the various great scientific and human issues in contemporary environmental affairs. The environmental studies program at Bucknell was established in 1979. BA and BS majors in environmental studies have been awarded since 1990. Presently about 20 students a year graduate with degrees in environmental studies -- typically 5 BS and 15 BA. Four faculty members have joint or entire appointments in environmental studies, and two dozen others contribute to the department with courses, advising, committee support, and "capstone" courses.
Geology
Geology is a central environmental science because it is the study of the Earth. Several introductory courses are ideal for learning environmental fundamentals for non-majors. All introductory and most advanced courses include strong environmental components. Majoring in Geology allows students to choose between Geology and Environmental Geology tracks, both with a BA and a BS option. All majors take a core of common courses, then select among options in advanced courses, including independent research and senior thesis courses. Faculty supervise undergraduate students in many exciting research opportunities.
Management
Managing corporations for economic, social, and environmental sustainability is a central challenge facing managers. Several Management Department faculty seek to understand what influences organizations and the people within them to act responsibly or irresponsibly toward nonhumans and the natural environment. They are investigating how to create ecologically sustainable corporations, how to design ecologically sound products and manufacturing processes, how environmental activist organizations influence individual businesses, how organizational culture and structure shape organizational impacts on the natural environment, and how managers should handle ethical questions regarding commercial applications of biotechnology. The Department offers courses on Crisis Management, Management Strategy and Policy, and Business, Government, and Society (covering social issues in management and business ethics). Faculty supervise students in exciting research opportunities in environmental management.
