Environmental Molecular Science & Technology
Environmental Molecular Science & Technology is a course of study in the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences (MEES) graduate program, a highly interdisciplinary, multi-campus graduate program in marine and environmental science. The program’s strength is drawn from the diverse expertise of its faculty affiliated with several USM institutions, as well as from government and non-government agencies, and affords students an unparalleled opportunity to combine the expertise of the best environmental scientists in the region to guide their program of study. Students will gain literacy and understanding of molecular biological processes, methods and approaches related to environmental systems including DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis, genomics and comparative and environmental genomics. Students will learn how molecular techniques have revolutionized ecology, conservation, and taxonomy, allowed the understanding of microbial communities and provided the opportunity to investigate the characteristics of plant and animal populations in non-invasive ways.
Review other areas of study available through the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences graduate program.
Earth & Ocean Sciences
Students will gain a basic understanding of the physical and biogeochemical dynamics of earth-estuarine-ocean system, and a process-based knowledge of the system from theoretical, experimental, and empirical vantage points. Students will demonstrate both quantitative and qualitative understanding of fundamental physical and biogeochemical processes and their interactions, and apply information from multiple scientific disciplines (e.g., hydrology, biogeochemistry, physical oceanography) to formulate testable hypotheses through integration of theory and observational data.
Ecological Systems
Students will gain literacy in central theories and avenues of research in ecological systems, including the principles of production, natural selection and life history, population ecology, communities and ecosystems and land- and seascapes. Students will apply demonstrated mastery of the principle theories and ideas relating to ecological systems and prove their ability to express ideas in quantitative terms relating to ecological systems across systems and scales.
Environment & Society
In this foundation, students will obtain foundational knowledge of core theories and methods in the following domains of integrated social and environmental sciences: Coupled natural and human systems, cultural models of the environment, political ecology, participation and governance, ecological economics, and environmental ethics. Students will develop scholarship and practice in social science aspects of coupled natural human systems that includes critical thinking, written and verbal communication, and practice in interdisciplinary fieldwork to hone skills in data collection and analysis, consensus building, and stakeholder analysis.
Learn more about the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences graduate program, including program details, courses, and faculty.