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Hodson Gallery - Hood College

Environmental Science and Policy

What is Environmental Science and Policy?

Environmental science and policy at Hood is an interdisciplinary program that incorporates environmental biology, chemistry, policy and economics. The program prepares students for careers and graduate programs related to ecology and environmental issues, either as scientists or as policy-makers.

We provide our students with excellent access to areas that are hotspots for environmental issues, and to faculty who know about and are involved in these topics. Our close proximity to Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and to natural areas in Maryland allows our students to take advantage of internships, work experience and participation in the policy-making process.

Hands-On Learning Opportunities

The environmental science and policy major offers hands-on learning opportunities through field-based programs. Most of our courses include laboratory experiences in which students get to experience environmental science firsthand. We also offer a number of travel-based electives in the program, including:
  • Tropical Marine Ecology, a field-based course that features a 10-day field experience in the Bahamas
  • The South Florida watershed, a travel-study course that explores terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of South Florida.
  • Amphibian Ecology, a course that travels through Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina
  • Tropical biodiversity, offered in the rainforests of Nicaragua

All students in the ENSP major participate in our capstone experience, ENSP 470 Seminar: Environmental Impact Analysis. As a group, seniors complete an environmental assessment of a local project. The class prepares a written report of their findings and presents the report orally to interested parties and the general public. In this course you will learn about environmental science and policy by doing environmental science and policy.

Past projects in ENSP 470 include:

  • A baseline (pre-restoration) assessment of a stream that will undergo ecological restoration
  • Site analysis of the site for a regional park in Frederick County
  • An environmental and biodiversity assessment of the Frederick Riparian Corridor
  • The design of a stream monitoring program for the Monocacy River watershed
  • A post-construction assessment of a stream and wetland restoration project

Coastal Studies Semester

Hood also offers the Coastal Studies Semester, a 16-week travel-based experiential learning program that provides a solid academic framework for the study of environmental science. Students explore the science, technology, history and culture of coastal ecosystems during a semester-long trip around the Chesapeake Bay. 

The curriculum emphasizes hands-on environmental field studies, community-based research and interaction with experts in the field. Students earn 16 academic credits during the semester and the science courses in this program can count as electives in the ENSP major. Visit the Coastal Studies Semester Web site for more details.

Internships

Internship opportunities can focus on laboratory or field experience, or they can focus on policy-making.  Past internships for Environment Science and Policy students include:
  • Frederick County Environmental Health Services (water quality of local wells and springs)
  • Hashawa Environmental Center in Carroll County, Md. (environmental education)
  • Last Chance Wildlife Center (a wildlife rehabilitation center in Thurmont, Md.)
  • Law firms that practice environmental law
  • National Park Service (natural resource management)
  • The Bronx Zoo in New York
  • The National Aquarium in Baltimore (animal husbandry: rearing captive populations of seahorses, caring for amphibians and reptiles in the aquarium)
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (in Washington, D.C., and in labs at Fort Detrick in Frederick)
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Maryland State Governor's Office (academic intern for environmental issues)
  • Washington Dulles International Airport (environmental monitoring)
  • Last Chance Wildlife Center (wildlife rehabilitation)
  • ThorpWood (designing interpretive displays)

Facilities

The Hodson Science and Technology Center has modern facilities that allow our students and faculty to investigate many aspects of environmental science, especially environmental biology and chemistry.

The instrumentation available to students includes:

  • Equipment that allows for quantitative analyses of water and soil samples, including nutrients, metals, pesticides and microorganisms.
  • An environmental computing center with capability for GIS mapping, satellite image analysis, statistical analyses of data, analysis of sound and video recordings, and digital imaging software for images of microscopic organisms.
  • A modern aquatic laboratory in which a variety of aquatic organisms, including fish, invertebrates and algae, can be cultured.
  • A modern greenhouse with space for culture and manipulation of plants in a controlled environment.

Alumnae and Alumni Success Stories

Hood's environmental science and policy students have found jobs in:
  • Agriculture research and extension
  • Biological monitoring of plant pathogens (USDA labs at Fort Detrick)
  • Conservations organizations
  • Community environmental organizations
  • Environmental consulting
  • Environmental education
  • Environmental health
  • Environmental law (following law school)
  • Maryland Department of Natural Resources
  • Organic agriculture
  • Peace Corps
  • Secondary education
  • State and county governments

Environmental science and policy students have attended graduate school at institutions such as:

  • Dickinson Law School
  • The American University
  • The Johns Hopkins University
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • University of Alabama-Birmingham
  • University of California, Santa Barbara
  • University of Maryland, College Park
  • Yale University

Faculty

While faculty members from several disciplines are directly involved in the ENSP program, the key contact is:

Eric Kindahl

Ph.D., associate professor of biology and director of the program
Phone: (301) 696-3659 
E-mail:  kindahl@hood.edu

Additional faculty members include:
Ron Albaugh, coordinator of the coastal studies program
Eric Annis, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology
Kevin Bennett, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry
Sue Carney, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology
Drew Ferrier, Ph.D., professor of biology

For complete departmental information in our online catalog, click here.

For complete information in our online catalog, click here.