Students gathering senesced leaves for a decomposition experiment.Students learn leaf characteristics of campus trees. The Carthage campus is an arboretum and wildlife sanctuary.Carthage students work with students from Harborside Academy to build a prairie garden at a local nature center as part of a Carthage Symposium class taught by Tracy Gartner and Prisca Moore.Students travel to Nicaragua every year for the course Tropical Medicine, History and Ecology of Nicaragua.Students kayaking in Nicaragua.Students examine bracket fungi during the Ecology of Belize course.Marie Pichler, '11, and Prof. Scott Hegrenes collect aquatic plants from lakes as part of a long-term monitoring program developed by the Invasive Species Working Group.Students kayak around the island of South Water Caye, Belize.Students hike the trails at Bong Nature Center to find and identify native plants.Environmental Science students pause from their winter sampling in order to pose for a photograph.Students lay out a transect for winter tree identification in the Phil Sanders Audubon Sanctuary.A little outdoor chemistry to measure dissolved oxygen levels in local lakes.Dr. Tracy Gartner points out geographical features of the Kiluea Caldera on the Big Island of Hawaii.Carthage students present research at the Ecological Society of America meeting in Albuquerque, N.M. Acceptance to this national conference is competitive.Students and faculty jump for joy on their way to Montana to present their work at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.

Environmental Science

A Smart Path to a Long Future

Students in the Environmental Science Program at Carthage focus on the study of the problems that arise when human beings interact with physical/natural environment. The program seeks to train natural scientists who can function in the world of policy, and policy analysts who can shape the natural world.

Students work at Hawthorn Hollow, a 40-acre nature sanctuary.

The program is interdisciplinary: Students take courses that integrate biology, chemistry, economics, geography and political science. They study under faculty in both the Natural and Social Science Divisions. As a result, they learn how to approach complex problems using methodologies and philosophies from multiple disciplines. The program graduates students who are well versed in both the science and politics of environmental issues.

Choose Your Focus

Students majoring in environmental science at Carthage may specialize in one of four tracks:

Because of the program's interdisciplinary nature, it is easy to combine a major in environmental science with a second major in one of the core disciplines of the program, such as biology or geography.

Hands-on Learning

Students in all tracks have many opportunities to conduct research, both independently and guided by faculty. The program emphasizes hands-on learning and community service. Students work in regional study sites that include prairies, forests, bogs and wetlands. The Carthage campus is itself an arboretum and wildlife sanctuary, divided by the Pike River.

Carthage's Invasive Species Working Group gives students an opportunity to monitor invasive species in southeast Wisconsin, led by professors Tracy Gartner and Scott Hegrenes. Students also serve the community through programs like the Prairie Restoration course, in which students work with a local nature center and high school to positively impact the environment and further environmental education.


Academics at Carthage

Prospective Students

News

Celebration of Scholars: How to make biofuels productively and sustainably

Sara Fouts, '12, presented "Managing Grassland Biofuel Cropping Systems for Plant Diversity and Productivity" during Celebration of Scholars. more...

 
The environmental fate of fragrance chemicals

Students begin new study with environmental science professor. more...

 
Valerie Bogie, '05, takes her degree to the water

After graduating with a degree in environmental science and a minor in biology, Ms. Bogie is holding down her dream job — and thousands of people see her doing that job each year. more...

 

J-Term in Nicaragua

This annual trip allows Carthage students to explore the geography of Ometepe, and treat patients in the island's medical clinics. Watch the video.

Prairie Restoration

Beyond the Classroom: Course integrates prairie restoration, environmental education and community building. Read more.