Abstract

The University of New Hampshire in partnership with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center proposes an effort that will combine the interdisciplinary strengths of the two institutions to produce and deliver new educational materials and an advanced undergraduate/introductory graduate student course in Earth system science.
 
The course will focus on the characterization of the components that make up the Earth system (atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere), and the dynamic interaction between these components.  Computer-based labs will reinforce lecture material and provide an active learning environment for studying key Earth system dynamics.
 
The course will be developed after soliciting input from a large set of UNH and NASA GSFC scientists and will be delivered by two faculty members who will provide responsibility, accessibility, and continuity.
 
Within UNH, the initiative will bring together resources from two research centers [Climate Change Research Center; Complex Systems Research Center] and two departments [Earth Sciences; Natural Resources] spread over three colleges/institutes [Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space; College of Engineering and Physical Sciences; and, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture].
 
The course will formalize offerings at UNH and contribute to a proposed undergraduate degree in environmental science with an Earth system science option.  The course will be part of the formal curriculum in the Departments of Earth Sciences and Natural Resources, and the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space.  It will also serve as an introduction to Earth system science for incoming graduate students enrolled in the recently established natural resources and Earth system science degree program.
 
All educational materials will be shared with ESSE 21 and submitted for NASA ESE Education Product Peer Review.