Guide to Graduate Education in Science, Engineering and Public Policy
Guide to Graduate Education in Science, Engineering and Public Policy
http://www.aaas.org//spp/sepp/sepwsu.shtml
Washington State University
Atmospheric Policy Trajectory Program
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Atmospheric Policy Trajectory Program
Program Link: http://www.lar.wsu.edu/grads/apt/ |
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- Background
- Graduate Degrees Offered
- Admissions Requirements
- Degree Requirements
- Faculty Information
- Other Information
Background
The Laboratory for Atmospheric Research (LAR) at Washington State University is implementing a new approach to graduate student education and research training by coupling education and research training with a science and policy internship and classes that offer students a unique opportunity that is significantly enhanced compared to the usual research dissertation experience.
Graduates of this program will have:
- a strong foundation in atmospheric science through completion of a PhD in an engineering department
- complementary training in environmental public policy
- the necessary skills to communicate and work with policy makers
This program will create graduates with the necessary science skills and policy insights to become leaders in industry and government and to undertake the public policy challenges associated with future air quality and climate change.
Graduate Degrees Offered
PhD in Atmospheric Policy
Admissions Requirements
Application requirements and procedures for this program are identical to the requirements for application to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. See website for details: http://www.ce.wsu.edu/Grads/ceGradadmissions.html
Please indicate within your statement of purpose why you are interested in the Atmospheric Policy Trajectory program.
For applicants with deficiencies for the engineering graduate program, there is an "Engineering Science" option available.
Degree Requirements
Students will be required to enroll in two environmental policy courses, in addition to the required engineering course load. The first course (System Dynamics Models of Environmental Systems, taught by Dr. Andy Ford) is designed to develop understanding and proficiency in the use of computer simulation models to understand the dynamic behavior of environmental systems. Systems concepts (such as information feedback and homeostasis) are useful in wide variety of fields including hydrology, ecology, anthropology, economics, engineering, business, planning, physiology, sociology, etc. Case studies from many of these fields will demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary models, models that reach across disciplinary boundaries to simulate the key feedbacks in the system. This course will help build the foundation for the second environmental policy course and the subsequent policy internship.
The second environmental policy course required is a quantitative environmental policy analysis course. This course combines LAR's existing expertise in atmospheric modeling with an added expertise in air quality management strategies. The purpose of such a course is to provide a more quantitative understanding of the linkage between energy emissions and energy policy and consequences for local and global air quality. The centerpiece of this course are modeling tools to facilitate the quantitative exploration of policy implications of the interactions between air quality and: energy, public lands biomass burning, the built environment, human health, the natural environment, and climate.
An intership will be the key capstone experience for APT students. Senior level APT students committed to making quantitative environmental policy analysis a focus of their professional career, will have the financial support to participate in a policy internship opportunity with either a government agency, a nonprofit organization, or a company of their choice. Internships will last approximately four months, during which time APT students will devote their entire effort toward the completion of a policy-themed project under the mentorship of their chosen organization. The results of the project will be included as a chapter in their dissertation. Topical areas that are prime for internship opportunities are those where atmospheric chemistry affects issues of primary concern: energy, public lands biomass burning, the built environment, human health, the natural environment, and climate change. Examples of policy internships include national and regional offices of the EPA and USDA Forest Service, state environmental agencies, national industrial policy and/or trade groups, and corporations, among others.
Faculty Information
William Budd
Professor, Governmental Studies & Services
Phone: (509) 335-8538
Email: budd@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page
Serena Chung
Research Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Phone: (509) 335-7114
FAX: (509) 335-7632
Email: serena_chung@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page, LAR homepage
Andrew Ford
Professor, School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
Phone: (509) 335-7846
Email: FordA@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page
Alex Guenther
Senior Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research
1850 Table Mesa Dr, Boulder, CO 80307
Phone: (303) 497-1447
Fax: (303) 497-1477
Email: guenther@ucar.edu
Website: http://acd.ucar.edu/~guenther/
Tom Jobson
Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Phone: (509) 335-2692
FAX: (509) 335-7632
Email: tjobson@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page, LAR homepage
Brian Lamb
Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Phone: (509) 335-5702
FAX: (509) 335-7632
Email: blamb@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page, LAR homepage
Fok-Yan Leung
Assistant Research Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Phone: (509) 335-7805
FAX: (509) 335-7632
Email: fyl@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page, LAR homepage
Nicholas Lovrich
Professor, Political Science
Phone: (509) 335-4811
FAX: (509) 335-7632
Email: faclovri@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page
George Mount
Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Phone: (509) 335-3790
FAX: (509) 335-7632
Email: gmount@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page, LAR homepage, CEREO homepage
Shelley N. Pressley
Assistant Research Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Graduate Student Recruitment for Environmental Research
Phone: (509) 335-5443
FAX: (509) 335-7632
Email: spressley@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page, LAR homepage
Timothy VanReken
Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Phone: (509) 335-5055
FAX: (509) 335-7632
Email: vanreken@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page, LAR homepage
Joseph Vaughan
Assistant Research Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Phone: (509) 335-2832
FAX: (509) 335-7632
Email: jvaughan@wsu.edu
Website: Faculty page, LAR homepage
Other Information
The opportunity to travel to conferences and develop collegial relationships with the professional community is a key motivator for early career graduate students, one that helps them discover where their work fits within the greater context of environmental science and policy. Attending conferences is also an important experiential component of graduate education where communication skills and networking skills are developed. Students will have the opportunity to attend one scientific conference per year during their tenure as a graduate student.
