Abstract 

In response to NMSU student interests and requests, a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences was first offered in the 1995-96 academic year.  Since then the environmental science major has become one of the most rigorous and highly regarded programs in the College of Agriculture and Home Economics. 

The Academic Dean of the College has charged faculty with improving the recruitment, retention, and graduation of students.  As a former chair of an environmental sciences department at a land grant university, he has pledged his support to the environmental science program and values it as an integral part of the college mission.  Part of that mission is to educate students in the interconnected nature of our world and to improve the sustainability of our arid and semi-arid region resources.

As part of this project we will redesign the introductory environmental science course (ES110) to focus on Earth systems science and add a laboratory section.  The lecture course is currently required for students majoring in environmental science and with the proposed laboratory, ES110 could be considered eligible as a general elective course for all university students (subject to university approval).  The course will teach students an Earth systems view of studying the Earth and encourage students to enroll in the environmental sciences major, which is a multidisciplinary systems study of the Earth.

Program staff will promote the interdisciplinary exchange of Earth system science through visits to other teams and NASA field centers.  NMSU will establish a working relationship with NASA Stennis Space Center.  We will collaborate with Stennis University Affairs Officer, Dr. Ramona Travis, to work with Center staff on creating course and laboratory material which integrates NASA’s remote sensing data into the study of Earth systems.