Environmental Science Program

Students on a field trip in the Okefenokee Swamp, GA (organized by Dr. Rizzuti)

Major Courses

• Principles of Environmental Science
• Environmental Policies & Regulations
• Technology & Environmental Interaction
• Environmental Management
• Environmental Ecology
• Waste Characterization & Management
• Environmental Toxicology & Health

Environmental Science Program (offered in the Departments of Chemistry and Biology)

B.S. degree with a major in Environmental Science. This program prepares students planning to enter graduate school and/or seek employment in the fast growing areas of environmental protection, management, and remediation.  Claflin’s environmental science curriculum is strong and interdisciplinary (environmental science, chemistry, and biology). Upon graduation, environmental science majors will:

• have acquired the basic knowledge and skills essential to an understanding of biology, chemistry, and the environment;
• have developed the ability to understand and interpret the properties and interactions of chemical and biological processes within the environment;
  be able to employ scientific methods to analyze environmental problems rationally and quantitatively; and
• have developed an understanding of the impact of biological and chemical processes in meeting mankind’s needs and of protecting the environment now and in the future.

What we offer at Claflin

• Special Tutoring Sessions
• Supplemental Instructions
• Lab Assistantships
• Research Opportunities
• Scholarship Opportunities

Student Success

• Student research consists of summer and academic year research. The most effective teaching in the environmental science program is faculty-student mentored projects. One to two students work with a faculty member over a one-to-two year period. Claflin is very fortunate to have many analytical instruments to utilize for faculty-student research (NMR, GC/MS, AAS, FTIR, UV-Vis, HPLC, CE, and a Fluorescence Spectrophotometer). Students present their research at national and regional scientific meetings (ACS, ABRCMS, GSA, HBCU-UP, HHMI, SC-LIFE). In addition, some students have become co-authors on peer-reviewed publications.
• Upon graduation most students enter graduate school and/or seek employment in the fast growing areas of environmental protection, management, and remediation. In recent years students have been accepted into graduate programs at SUNY-Buffalo, Kings College (London, England), University of Georgia, Nebraska, Wisconsin, California-Riverside, Ohio State University, Tulane University, Tufts University, Vanderbilt University, Iowa State University, and the University of the West Indies.
• Prestigious honors and awards among students include: Who’s Who, Outstanding American Chemical Society (ACS) undergraduate poster paper (Division of environmental chemistry), Outstanding ACS undergraduate student research (Division of environmental chemistry), First place NSF/HBCU-UP conference undergraduate poster paper (Division of Environmental Science), Presidential Honors List, Presidential Scholars, Honors College Scholars, SC Alliance for Minority Participation Scholars.
• In addition to their interdisciplinary course work, Claflin students majoring in Environmental Science complete a specialized course of study.  This disciplinary specialization ensures that our graduates are well prepared for the challenges and demands of the workplace.  Claflin’s environmental science graduates are prepared to enter graduate school or  professional training  programs and are qualified for positions in business, governmental agencies or nonprofit organizations involved in activities such as environmental consulting, water quality assessment and monitoring, wetlands management, ecological restoration, environmental education, fisheries management, environmental toxicology, pollution prevention, environmental public outreach, air quality control and environmental planning.

Why Environmental Science?

The first half of the 21st century will be a critical era in the evolution of environmental careers.  The next generation of environmental professionals faces challenges that are infinitely more difficult than those that have confronted the current one. The task at hand today is not only to control pollution, but to prevent it; to not only slow the rate of habitat and soil loss, but to reverse it; and to not only regulate unsustainable activity, but to create a sustainable way of life on a crowded planet.

Environmental Science encompasses several different disciplines (chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, geology, engineering, hydrology, meteorology, law, politics, business, journalism etc.).  There are a vast range of environmental science jobs and career choices (scientists, engineers, journalists, business people, activists, social scientists, accountants, computer specialists, educators, attorneys, health professionals, and more).  Minorities are severely underrepresented in the environmental science field.  Claflin University is seeking to change this trend by recruiting minority students as environmental science majors.  Claflin University is making huge strides to reach gifted students from all walks of life. We are a minority institution with a great interest in recruiting and placing underrepresented students in the environmental science field.  This is greatly needed since minorities are often subjected to environmental racism and injustice.

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Contact:

Anthony Rizzuti, Ph.D. (Chemistry Advisor)
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
Department of Chemistry
Phone: 803-535-5322
fax: 803-535-5776
Email: arizzuti@claflin.edu

Florence Anoruo, ABD (Biology Advisor)
Assistant Professor of Biology
Director, Greenhouse, T-kams, and Experiential Learning of
Agricultural and Environmental Science By Undergraduate Program
Department of Biology
Phone: 803-535-5249 (office)
Fax: 803-535-5776 (fax)
Email: fanoruo@claflin.edu