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The Pathfinder Program in Environmental Sustainability (PPES) provides a four-year-long association between small groups of highly motivated, talented undergraduate students and a senior faculty mentor. PPES uses a clustered approach to course work, augmented with case studies that allow exploration of problems and solutions associated with selected challenges in environmental sustainability. PPES begins during the freshman year with introductory courses about the Earth and environmental sustainability, a writing course coordinated with the environmental sustainability course, a course in environmental ethics, and a case study of the Mojave Desert. The sophomore year includes a case study of Hawaii and issues associated with volcanism, earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis, together with a course on environment and energy issues or one on culture and the environment. The junior year prepares students for a coordinated study of some critical issue in environmental sustainability. The senior year culminates with a seminar and associated capstone projects focusing on the study topic and addressing issues and solutions from the perspectives gained from the disciplinary areas the students have chosen as their areas of interest. The Program is consistent with a major within any department within the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and meets many of the critical needs articulated by the Boyer Commission. Further, the courses meet the Arts and Sciences English composition requirement, clusters within the natural and social sciences, and the senior year capstone requirement. |