Academics
Students enrolled in the Environmental Semester Program will complete 19 credit hours of coursework during the spring semester. For Cornell students majoring in SES, EAS 340, EAS 322, and EAS 351 satisfy degree requirements for your program. See the FAQ page for details. Courses are all field or site based.

EAS 340 Field Study of the Earth System
Instructors: Moore & Churchill
Credits: 6
Prerequisites: 1 semester of calculus (Math 191/192/193 or Math 111/112) and 2 semesters of any of the following: Phys 207/208 or 112/213; Chem 207/208; Bio 101/103–102/104 or 105/106 or 109/110; or equivalent coursework.
Description: This is an interdisciplinary field course covering fundamental concepts of the Earth system. Topics include: an introduction to the Hawaiian system; island formation and evolution; the arrival and radiation of living organisms, emphasizing endemic and endangered species; landscape development and change on short to long timescales; Earth/ocean/atmospheric controls on ecosystem processes; forest conservation. The course is project-based with students engaged in hands-on, active learning. In addition to work on Hawai'i Island we will also visit Maui and Kaua'i.

EAS 322
Biogeochemistry of the Hawaiian Islands
Instructors: Derry
Credits: 4
Prerequisites: EAS 340, college-level chemistry is recommended
Description: A field oriented study of biogeochemical processes and ecosystem interactions across the Hawaiian islands. Field, class, and laboratory work will focus on how landscape age and climate strongly control biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem development in Hawaii. Other topics include succession of ecosystems, evolution of nutrient cycles, and impacts of invasive species. The class will be structured around field projects, carried out both as groups and individually.

EAS/BIOEE 351
Sustainable Marine Ecosystems
Instructors: Greene & Harvell
Credits: 4
Prerequisites: EAS 340, a course in oceanography is recommended
Description: This field course will cover the interactions of physical and biological processes in marine ecosystems. It will start by looking at these processes on ocean basin to regional scales and work down to the smaller scales relevant to individual organisms. Students will be introduced to modern techniques of marine ecosystems research, including remote sensing, oceanographic survey methods, and experimental marine ecology. This course is field and laboratory intensive with students engaged in hands-on, active learning that takes advantage of local resources.

EAS 496
Internship Experience
Instructors: Moore
Credits: 2
Prerequisites: EAS 340
Description: During the last 3.5 weeks of the semester students will carry out a service learning project with a local NGO, environmental business, government agency, research lab, or educational facility. Projects will be carefully designed with the student, sponsoring agency and faculty member. A final report is required.

AIS 340
Contested Terrain: An Introduction to Hawaiian History and Culture
Instructors: Hamabata, Cole and Wong-Wilson
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
This course meets one or two evenings per week with local faculty. This allows students to have an early and ongoing discussion of Hawaiian history and culture that complements their science courses and does not interfere with extended field trips and field work. For Cornell students in the College of Arts and Sciences this class satisfies the requirements for Cultural Analysis (CA) and both Geographic (@) and Temporal (#) breadth.