This project addresses a need for graduates with an ecosystem/landscape perspective who can integrate data from a variety of sources when addressing environmental issues that cut across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Many such problems can be best defined hierarchically within the context of watersheds. The project incorporates a watershed theme into selected courses in biology, geology, environmental chemistry, and environmental science. Field and laboratory activities in these courses are directed at local drainages and may provide a basis for subsequent independent undergraduate research. The target audience is the growing number of majors in environmental science and environmental policy, but students in biology, chemistry, and geology also benefit. The department anticipates increased production of undergraduate publications and conference presentations, but it also expects that more of the student research may address real needs defined by local resource management agencies.
