Environmental Studies Program Research Articles

Citizenship Outcomes and Place-Based Learning Environments in an Integrated Environmental Studies Program

This paper discusses the effects of the learning environment on an important and unique 21st century learning outcome—that of active citizenship, in contrast to more conventionally measured cognitive and attitudinal outcomes. In our study, we utilized a learning environment instrument, the Place-Based Learning and Constructivist Environment Survey (PLACES) with an integrated environmental studies program prepared for high school students in the Canadian context. Our research used a retrospective case study design to investigate how aspects of this unique learning environment are related to long-term, active citizenship outcomes as perceived by students from two previous student cohorts (N = 24 and N = 36) who were contacted several years after the culmination of the program. To access information about student perceptions, PLACES was implemented as part of a range of mixed methods which also included focus groups and interviews. This study is important because it links key aspects of the learning environment to long-term citizenship outcomes and is unique in that the data were collected five and eight years later as part of a longitudinal study. Our findings demonstrate that the learning environment and citizenship outcomes were closely linked, and that students’ perceptions as measured by the PLACES instrument (past and present) were remarkably stable across all dimensions. These findings further indicate significant and positive implications for future learning environments research.

LARGE WHALE OCCURRENCE IN NORTHEASTERN CHUKCHI AND SOUTHERN BEAUFORT SEAS FROM VESSEL SURVEYS, 2008–2014

With global climate change and increasing ocean-based human activities, large whales face novel challenges in the Arctic seas. Understanding and assessing large whale occurrence and the links between occurrence and environmental variables in this region is a key issue in current management and conservation strategies for Arctic marine mammal species. During the Chukchi Sea Environmental Studies Program, large whale occurrence data were collected from vessel surveys during >56,909 km of observation effort in summer and autumn, 2008 to 2014, in the northeastern Chukchi, southern Beaufort, and Bering Seas. The most-recorded species were the Bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and Gray (Eschrichtius robustus) Whales. Subarctic species recorded included the Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus), and Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Sightings data were analyzed with respect to environmental variables: sea-surface temperature (SST), depth (m), and distance from shore (km), by month and year. Investigating occurrence associations with environmental parameters is a key element for predicting large whale trends in these Arctic seas and for understanding marine mammals as sentinels of oceanic shifts.

Acoustic impact studies and assessments by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on offshore wind development

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages the exploration and development of offshore energy resources, including offshore wind development, on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Construction, operation, and decommissioning of offshore wind facilities generate intense or long-lasting underwater sounds and vibrations that may be detrimental to marine life. This presentation will provide an overview of the activities that BOEM is in engaging in to address these impacts. BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program (ESP) has been developing funding and managing numerous studies to understand sound field characteristics and sound propagation from pile driving and geophysical surveys related to offshore wind development, as well as marine species responses to these activities. In addition, BOEM established the Center for Marine Acoustics (CMA) to strengthen its role as a driving force within the regulatory community on sound in the marine environment and provides acoustical expertise within the environmental permitting process. The CMA continues to provide guidance on the development of best practices for the use of acoustics in the evaluating the effects of offshore wind on marine fauna. This presentation will highlight the relevant acoustic studies and explain how BOEM is using the science to better manage noise impacts on the ocean environment.

The Emotional Curriculum of Climate Justice Education: An Existential Toolkit

While we tend to focus on the physical impacts of climate change, our ecological crisis is also taking a significant emotional toll. This executive summary outlines ways that anxiety, fear, hopelessness and guilt impact student learning in environmental studies (ESS) programs, and immobilizes young people from getting engaged in climate solutions. We also suggest that ESS curriculum is itself partly responsible for these spiraling emotions among students. In response to the need to better understand this emotional register of teaching and learning about our climate crisis, we outline a set of college-level teaching strategies – titled “An Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice” – whose purpose is to help students and educators develop the resilience to cope with our climate emergency.

Polar bear behavioral response to vessel surveys in northeastern Chukchi Sea, 2008–2014

Evaluating the impacts of anthropogenic activities on Arctic wildlife is a key issue in current management and conservation strategies. With global climate change, expanding shipping routes, and increasing industrial development in the Arctic, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) faces new challenges to its survival. Polar bear behavioral response to vessel presence is not well-documented. During the 2008–2014 Chukchi Sea Environmental Studies Program (CSESP), polar bear occurrence and behavioral data were collected during summer–autumn vessel surveys. We examined polar bear occurrence and behavioral response to vessel presence by distance. During this study, 56,901 km of observation effort occurred from 3 survey vessels and 42 groups (50 individuals) of polar bears were recorded. Over half of the groups exhibited a behavioral response (i.e., vigilance or flee) including all groups of mothers with cubs. The mean distance at which bears responded to vessels (805 ± 648 m) was closer than the mean distance at which no response was observed (2,001 ± 1,368 m). Logistic regression analysis revealed that response was associated with distance and our model indicated the estimated distance at which 50% of the polar bears would exhibit a behavioral response to be 1,645 m. Our findings are relevant to assess potential impacts of increasing vessel activity in the Arctic and to assist in the development of effective monitoring and mitigation strategies for polar bears.

A Multifaceted Approach to Advance Oil Spill Modeling and Physical Oceanographic Research at the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

The Environmental Studies Program (ESP) at the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is funded by the United States Congress to support BOEM’s mission, which is to use the best available science to responsibly manage the development of the Nation’s offshore energy and mineral resources. Since its inception in 1973, the ESP has funded over $1 billion of multidisciplinary research across four main regions of the United States Outer Continental Shelf: Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, Alaska, and Pacific. Understanding the dynamics of oil spills and their potential effects on the environment has been one of the primary goals of BOEM’s funding efforts. To this end, BOEM’s ESP continues to support research that improves oil spill modeling by advancing our understanding and the application of meteorological and oceanographic processes to improve oil spill modeling. Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, BOEM has invested approximately $28 million on relevant projects resulting in 73 peer-reviewed journal articles and 42 technical reports. This study describes the findings of these projects, along with the lessons learned and research information needs identified. Additionally, this paper presents a path forward for BOEM’s oil spill modeling and physical oceanographic research.

Professional Competency Self-Efficacy of Undergraduate Environmental Studies Students: A Case Study of Gender Differences and Longitudinal Change

Business leaders and political leaders have asked institutions of higher education to improve graduates’ cognitive and affective skills, sometimes referred to as “soft skills”, personal competencies, professional competencies, “21st century skills” or 21st century competencies. As a result of their importance, demands for these skills in the workforce, and increased pressure to be accountable, higher education is challenged to assess student achievement and performance related to these competencies. The goal of this paper is to investigate the longitudinal changes in relative self-efficacy of undergraduate environmental students across three domains of professional competencies – cognitive, intrapersonal and interpersonal. More specifically, the objectives are to: 1. Examine the extent to which there are differences in self-efficacy for male and female students in an environmental studies program; 2. Assess the extent to which self-efficacy of the environmental studies students change over the time they are involved in the undergraduate program and their relationship to learning outcomes. An examination of pre-program self-efficacy data indicate statistical differences between males and females that are consistent with social role theory that posits that gender traits are developed as a result of the differential roles that women and men occupy in society. The observed statistical differences between males and females based on effect size are generally maintained between pre- and post-program data for the unpaired data. However, differences in the effect size of five competencies between pre- and post-data suggest that the impact of the educational experiences for male and female students is different. A comparison of the pre- and post-scores for paired female data indicate that overall female self-efficacy showed a general increase for 18 of 23 competencies. Statistically significant increases in female-student confidence in their abilities occurred in continuous learning, employee development, presenting, diplomacy, and written communication. Paired pre-post male data indicate that overall male self-efficacy for 19 of 23 competencies increased. Statistically significant increases in male-student selfefficacy occurred in employee development/coaching and diplomacy. Increases in self-efficacy data supports the contention that development of 21st century competencies is occurring as the students actively engage in activities where they can practice these skills.

Offshore Wind Energy and Benthic Habitat Changes: Lessons from Block Island Wind Farm

Study concepts, oversight, and funding for the RODEO Program were provided by the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program, Washington, DC, under HDR’s IDIQ Contract No. M15P2.

Characterization of particle motion near offshore wind farm sites in the United States east coast

This study analyzes the particle motion data recorded on geophones and ocean bottom seismometers (OBXs) at various shallow water (water depth ∼30 m) locations in the U.S. east coast near offshore wind farms. The Block Island, Rhode Island site was the location of the first offshore wind farm in the United States. Data were collected at this site during three different deployments in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Particle motion measurements were made during construction and operation of the wind turbines during these deployments. Data collected on a 3-axis geophone will be discussed in this study. This sensor package included a 3-axis geophone and a co-located hydrophone. This 3-axis geophone measured the particle motion (particle velocity) in three mutually perpendicular directions along with acoustic pressure. The same sensor package was also deployed ten miles east of Ocean City, Maryland and near the Virginia wind farm. During this deployment, in addition to the geophone package, four Ocean Bottom Recorders (OBXs) were also deployed as a line array to record construction noise. Data from these deployments will be presented and compared with published data from other windfarm sites. [Work supported by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Environmental Studies Program]

Environmental Education, Knowledge and Awareness in China: A Case of Xiamen University Students

This study documents China’s efforts to build its formal environmental education system and explores university students’ environmental knowledge and awareness using a survey carried out at Xiamen University, which is located on the southeastern coast of China. We find that the Chinese state made rapid progress in setting up environmental studies programs in its institutions of higher education, but it took the state over two decades to build a nationwide curriculum integrated with environmental studies for primary and secondary schools. The survey data revealed that these efforts have borne fruit. Students have improved in their environmental knowledge over time. Nevertheless, students remain disconnected from most environmental organizations. This may hinder China’s efforts to harness their environmental knowledge for the sake of effective action toward safeguarding the environment. The state should help encourage further cooperation among different social groups so China has a chance to fulfill its potential to become a global leader on environmental issues.

Long-term impacts of two secondary school environmental studies programs on environmental behaviour: the shadows of patriarchy and neoliberalism

A survey of alumni of two longstanding interdisciplinary secondary school environmental studies programs revealed that the vast majority of alumni reported being engaged in pro-environmental behaviours, which they attributed to participation in the programs five to twenty-three years prior. That finding in itself is worth sharing. Digging deeper, however, revealed that most reported behaviours were in the private rather than public sphere. Women alumni reported engaging in more household and marketplace-oriented behaviours. Further, a small number of men from the rural school expressed hostility towards environmental concerns using aggressively sexist and homophobic discourse. A feminist analysis takes into account structural forces such as patriarchy and neoliberalism to interpret the findings and illuminates gendered dimensions of pro- and anti-environmental behaviours.

Planning, Conservation, and Education in the Pinelands National Reserve

The Pinelands National Reserve is one of the most integrated regional planning regimes for conservation in the world. Environmental protection is overlapped by the State Pinelands Area, the Pinelands National Reserve, and the New Jersey Pinelands Biosphere Reserve (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Stockton University, a 4-year state university with an 800-hectare campus operates within this mix of preservation and working landscape. In the Environmental Studies program, faculty engage students in the outdoor classroom to study the complexities of balancing development and conservation. This case highlights the creation of the first National Reserve and a University within the protected area and focuses on students analyzing species and habitat to encourage native cavity nesting animals to return and breed in the Pinelands. Readers will be able to navigate the complexities and opportunities of working in a protected area and apply these lessons in the classroom. With this case study, instructors, researchers, and students will be able to apply the symbiotic relationship between protected region and university to other areas of the world.

A Case-Study Approach to Teaching Population Management & Conservation

Conservation employers have long valued the in-depth, highly technical training provided by graduate and undergraduate environmental science curricula. However, employers also highly value communication and critical-thinking skills beyond research science, especially the ability to make management decisions within sociopolitical, financial, and ecological contexts. I developed and implemented a budgeted management plan assignment in lower- and upper-level courses in biology and environmental studies programs at an undergraduate liberal arts college. Students must develop specific, assessable conservation objectives to manage a population within a budget that limits available money, time, and sociopolitical will. Students must conduct extensive scientific literature reviews, then decide which of 89 actions will be most cost-effective. Instructors and students responded positively to the assignment, particularly noting difficulty, realism, and interdisciplinarity as defining features, especially in comparison to more traditional field lab reports. The resulting writing assignment involves little class time and instructor supervision, can be customized for both advanced undergraduate and secondary education curricula, and involves high critical-thinking skills in all four cognitive dimensions of learning as described by Anderson and Krathwohl (2001).

Experiential learning in the natural environment: reflections from the North Pacific Ocean

Experiential learning by students is a common feature of many Environmental Studies programs. But some teachers of Environmental Studies, especially those in the Humanities and Social Sciences, may have few opportunities to learn in similar ways. This article describes the author’s experiential learning about the environment while voyaging on the North Pacific Ocean in a small sailboat. The author learns firsthand about wind, waves, and sea; comes to appreciate the vitality and scarcity of potable water; witnesses some of the potential impacts of climate change on oceanic weather patterns; searches for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch; looks for whales but finds albatrosses; experiences the many frailties of a human in the wild; and develops a new appreciation for Charles Darwin’s fortitude. Being on a very small boat in a very big sea—in this case, the biggest ocean on Earth—is not for the overly faint of heart. But there are compensations: heightened awareness and new understanding of the natural environment.

A study to examine ways to increase the prevalence of courses in environmental studies using environmentally conscious technologies

Over the past few years, an increasing number of schools in Japan have been certified as eco-friendly. These schools incorporate environmentally conscious technologies in order to reduce energy use in school structures and to promote environmental education. The current study ascertained the use of environmentally conscious technologies in environmental education in elementary and middle schools, and it proposed an environmental studies program to increase the prevalence of environmental education. A course in environmental studies was conducted during Open House week, students and their parents were surveyed, group interviews were conducted with teachers, and the course was assessed using an environmental efforts worksheet. Survey results revealed that over 90% of parents considered the course in environmental studies necessary. Group interviews revealed that a positive aspect of conducting a course in environmental studies during Open House week was that it effectively increased the prevalence of such courses. Interviews also revealed several problems: the way in which to relay the course guide and course data need to be described in detail, and the course guide needs to be further simplified. The environmental efforts worksheet, schools that implemented the course reduced CO2 emissions (kg/mo.) by an average of about 1.6 t.

Acknowledging the challenges of pedagogical innovation: the case of integrating research, teaching, and the practice of environmental leadership

Providing opportunities for community engagement and research is part of many environmental sciences and studies programs. Because of the constraints of the typical classroom environment, we need to develop innovative pedagogical tools to allow students to do this kind of work thoughtfully. A partnership between Duke University, a major private research university in Durham, NC, and Paul Quinn College, a small HBCU in Dallas, TX, allowed students to collaborate on community-based participatory research projects and a cross-campus semester-long immersive learning experience. This partnership was grounded in our experience in environmental leadership, social entrepreneurship, and ecological restoration and was led primarily by Duke faculty. We share valuable lessons about engaging in communities outside of our home institution and for working across campuses. Cross-campus collaboration, while logistically challenging, offers ways to connect students in different learning environments but with the same goals and passion for community engagement and research.

A new γ-spectroscopy station at the University of Athens

A new γ-spectroscopy station at the University of Athens has been recently deployed. The station is built around a 25% HPGe detector and aims at supporting the environmental radioactivity studies program of the NuSTRAP group at UoA. The detector needs detailed characterization of its efficiency and calibration over a rather wide range of energies. Besides standard calibration point sources (60Co, 137Cs, 152Eu and 226Ra), detector simulations using the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code (MCNP) were performed. Results of the MCNP calculations are shown and compared with real spectra showing satisfactory agreement

Designing a Real-World Course for Environmental Studies Students: Entering a Social-Ecological System

There is increasing interest in using “real-world pedagogy” to train students in ways that make them better able to contribute toward a more sustainable society. While there is a robust body of literature on the competencies that students need as sustainability professionals, there is a lack of specific guidance in the literature on how to teach for competency development or on how to structure a program or course to support competency development. Our research addresses this gap in the literature through a description and autoethnographic reflection on the design and early implementation of a “real-world” course. The course is from the Environmental Studies Program at Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH, USA), but it takes place in the environs of the Gobabeb Research and Training Centre in the Namib Desert of Namibia and in nearby Topnaar settlements. Our research objective was to articulate strategies to address the primary pedagogical challenges that we faced during the design and first five iterations of the course. These include: How do we frame this course and communicate it to students in a way that is understandable and works within the particular context and constraints of the course? Can we provide students with a coherent framework that helps them to understand the approach and also provides a platform for thoughtful consideration, acquisition, and retention of appropriate competencies? How do we develop collaborations with our community partners that are ethical and effective? How do we frame these real-world experiences in a way that allows for students to integrate their experience with the theory and broader empiricism they learn on campus? To address these pedagogic challenges, we framed the course as a research-based course, more specifically community-based research (CBR), conducted in a social-ecological system (SES). We developed lower-level strategies for implementing this framing, including preparing students for collaborative research, encouraging student ownership of their learning, linking theory to research, and thoughtfully navigating time constraints. Furthermore, program-level and student-level engagement with community have been critical for avoiding becoming “helicopter researchers.” Drawing on our personal reflections and those of our community partners, we conclude with a discussion of emergent outcomes and the next steps for continual improvement and adaptation.

Advice to Master's Students for Successfully Navigating an Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies Program

Advice to Master's Students for Successfully Navigating an Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies Program

Ideological Construction of Environment and Its Relationship With Japanese Society, Culture, and Politics

In this article, the Japanese “ideology” is critically examined and evaluated. While ideology very often is predominantly understood to cover political ideologies that the political parties and other political actors represent the more important ideology that is found in intersubjective practices is formed in everyday life and is rarely identified as ‘ideology' or politics. Japanese conservatism and nationalism are able to flourish under the cover of normalcy which social institutions support. To analyse the “ideology” of Japanese environmental thinking is far from being simple task as there is no orthodox dogma and the opinions of the elites is divided. Environmental thought and research are not particularly popular in contemporary Japan and there are, for instance, examples of universities that have scaled down their environmental studies programs. Instead, we should look to the whole society to see how much importance is given to the environment and how it is done. In fact, Japanese contemporary art and culture often register environmental concerns. However, in politics and administration there is less optimism on those concerns being resolved.