Environmental Studies

Academic Year: 
2016-17
Address: 
Guyot Hall
Website: 
Princeton Environmental Institute
Program offerings: 
Certificate
Director of Graduate Studies
Stephen Pacala

Academic department detail

Overview

The goal of the PEI graduate program is to broaden the educational perspective of doctoral students working on environmental research.  Science and engineering students are offered the opportunity to expand their disciplinary focus by exploring policy aspects of their environmental research.  Similarly students in the humanities and social science may spend a year studying environmental science related to their research topic.  The PEI graduate program encourages interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty and students, and helps forge links among the many departments in a sciences and humanities involved in the study of the environment.  Students are based in a home department, but they can participate in research and teaching in environmental science, technology, and policy with faculty from across the campus.

The PEI graduate program values fundamental disciplinary strengths while providing avenues for students to reach across disciplinary lines to solve environmental problems.

Please note: students cannot be admitted to Princeton University through the Environmental Science Interdepartmental Graduate Certificate Program since it is not a degree program.  Students interested in pursuing a graduate degree at Princeton University must apply for admission to a regular graduate degree-granting program by completing the electronic application form provided on the Graduate School website. PEI should be listed as the interdepartmental program of choice.

Courses

Permanent Courses

Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.

CEE 587 Ecohydrology (also
ENV 587
) A description of the hydrologic mechanisms that underlie ecological observations. The space-time dynamics of soil-plant-atmosphere is studied at different temporal and spatial scales. A review is done of the role of environmental fluctuations in the distribution of vegetation. Emphasis is made in the dynamics of soil moisture. The signatures revealing fractal structures in landscapes and vegetation are reviewed as result of self-organizing dynamics. Unifying concepts in the processes responsible for these signatures will be studied with examples from hydrology and ecology.
CHM 544 Metals in Biology: From Stardust to DNA (also
ENV 544
) A course in inorganic physiology and biochemistry, presenting the chemical principles adopted by nature to perform biological functions. Topics include metal ion function in protein and nucleic acid structure, metalloenzyme mechanisms, metal regulation of gene expression, biological energy conversion via ion pumping, storage and mobilization of the elements, and biomineralization.
ENV 531 Topics in Energy and the Environment (also
GEO 531
/
CEE 583
) Lectures, readings and discussion of current topics on the interaction of energy and environmental issues. Topics vary from year to year to fit interests of students and faculty and to reflect changing technology and policy. Offered as part of the PEI-BP executive exchange program.