UWB was established to serve the needs of place-bound and time-bound students who otherwise are unable to complete 4-yr degrees in the State of Washington. The proposed B.S. in Environmental Science would provide the only access to a science-based curriculum at UWB, and hence would fulfill an important need in the community. The degree programs at UWB have a reputation for being highly innovative and effective, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches to inquiry. The proposed B.S. in Environmental Science will continue in that tradition by providing an interdisciplinary curriculum that emphasizes the development of scientific skills within social, political and economic contexts. As a campus, UWB emphasizes the development of critical thinking, communication, and teamwork, and the B.S. in Environmental Science will continue in this tradition.

The need for a science program at UWB is exceedingly strong, as documented by:

1) Occupational Trends based on statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Directory of Higher Education Environmental Programs compiled by Rice University;

2) The 1998 UWB Regional Needs Assessment;

3) Continued growth and demand for science programs at the UWS campus; and,

4) Support from the UWB science advisory board (list of members as well as letters of support are attached to this proposal).

Nationally, the demand for environmental scientists is stable to increasing. According to the 1998-99 Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, graduates with a B.S. degree in environmental science and related fields will likely find jobs at higher than average wages. Employment opportunities for graduates in natural resource management and conservation fields are expected to increase by 17.4% from 1996-2006, while opportunities for chemical and physical scientists should increase by 27.5% in the same time period. Students with environmentally-related B.S. degrees primarily go directly into the labor market, although 14% continue their studies in graduate or professional school (Rice University, Directory of Higher Education Environmental Programs).

In the Puget Sound region, graduates in environmental sciences and resource management are likely to be in even greater demand then these national figures suggest. Local businesses and government agencies require a trained workforce to address environmental concerns in the region. Recent changes in the Clean Water Act, and the placement of salmon species on the Federal threatened and endangered species list will substantially increase this need. Outside seminar speakers in a UWB course on environmental practice (BLS 398, spring quarter) including local business people, employees of governmental and non-governmental organizations, told us that their organizations will require additional positions for environmental scientists and that direct training in environmental science is necessary for employment. Finally, the continued deterioration of environmental quality in our region makes it imperative that we produce an environmentally-informed citizenry in the face of the rapid urbanization taking place, particularly in King and Snohomish counties.

Focus group research undertaken for the University of Washington, Bothell 1998 Regional Needs Assessment (Decker 1999) revealed that science and technology-related skills and knowledge were rated as critical in determining the employability of UWB graduates. Further, increasing the curricular opportunities for students in the sciences was seen as a fundamental priority for UWB. In a household survey, parents of high school aged children most often stated that they expected their children to major in one of the sciences (21% of respondents). Indeed, students themselves appear to follow this pattern, with the second highest proportion of transfer applicants to the University of Washington seeking science programs (after business). Although these categories are broader than just environmental science, the general trends certainly favor the expansion of access to science curricula at UWB. UWB currently has no programs in laboratory science available to undergraduates, so this program would represent the first opportunity for UWB students to participate in a science curriculum. Environmental science is the most logical science program to develop at UWB initially, given the prominence of environmental issues regionally and its interdisciplinary emphasis.

At the UWS campus, the demand for science programs is very high, especially in the biological and resource management programs. For example, degree programs in the biological sciences have doubled in size since 1995, with current enrollments just under 1500 students. Course enrollments in these departments reach their maximum by the end of registration period 1. For example, a course in conservation biology that has grown from 60 to 100 students over the past 5 years consistently closes. This past academic year the course had more than 20 students on its waiting list (D. Stokes, pers. comm.). Interest in other science programs, particularly in programs with environmental applications, is likewise increasing. Thus, the demand for science programs is clearly increasing, while the ability of UWS to meet those demands is already badly stretched. Projections of future growth in student enrollments will only exacerbate these problems. Given that many students need the access provided by UWB to attend the University at all, it is clear that sufficient demand will exist to support the development of a new degree program in Environmental Science.

In the fall of 1999 UWB, with the help of Dr. Joe Norman (former Dean of Arts and Sciences at UWS) established a science advisory board to help guide the development of new science programs at UWB. Nine citizens from the Puget Sound region were invited to join as board members and all agreed to serve. The UWB science advisory board include representatives from the K-12 system, community colleges, higher education, business, and governmental agencies (see attached list of members). At its first meeting, held at UWB on February 23, 1999, the board unanimously endorsed the plan for a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science at UWB.

Finally, we have initiated discussions on possible science degree programs with current students and advisors at UWB, as well as Cascadia, Bellevue and Shoreline Community Colleges. The level of support for this program among all these groups is extremely high. While this information is not quantitative, it is nonetheless an important indicator of student interest in environmental science.

Based on all of the above factors, we believe that the UWB B.S. in Environmental Science will be well received by the community and that we will not have difficulty in meeting our targeted enrollment.

The largest and most well known program in Environmental Science in the state is found at the Huxley College of Environmental Studies at Western Washington University (est. 1968). Huxley College is nationally known for its innovative and interdisciplinary academic programs. Huxley's upper-division program has approximately 500 undergraduate majors. The program employs approximately 25 full-time faculty and an equal number of adjunct and affiliate faculty. Huxley offers a B.S. degree in environmental science, with five emphases and one student and faculty design option.

Our B.S. in Environmental Science will provide an educational opportunity to students in the northern Puget Sound region that is as innovative and outstanding as this nationally-recognized program. Our proposed program is comparable in design, with similar prerequisites, and a suite of course offerings that will both develop depth in environmental science and breadth in critical thinking. Our programs differ primarily in that interdisciplinary approaches are woven into every course offering at UWB, and in the necessarily much smaller size and scope of our initial efforts.

None of the UW campuses currently offer a B.S. degree in Environmental Science, although both UWS and UWT are proposing new degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Science. On the Seattle campus, these degrees are coordinated by the Program on the Environment (POE). The POE governing board includes one UWB faculty member (D.Jaffe, coordinator for UWB science). This facilitates a cooperative approach to the development of these degree programs among the various campuses (refer to the letter concerning this matter in the appendix).

Also, some of the WSU campuses have introduced B.S. programs in Environmental Science to meet increasing needs for students with scientific training as it applies to environmental problems in their regions of the state.

The B.S. in environmental science at UWB will provide access for students who are place-bound and time-bound from Bellevue to Everett, while also providing a number of unique elements in the curriculum. Emphases of the B.S. program will include Restoration Ecology (as a part of the tri-campus Restoration Ecology Network, recently approved for three years of initial support through the UW Tools for Transformation Program), Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Policy, and Conservation and Management.

The primary goal of this degree program is to train a new generation of interdisciplinary scientists who are able to work in both the public and private sector to address a variety of environmental issues. These goals includes helping students:

Further, graduates of the B.S. Degree in Environmental Science will be:

An assessment plan for evaluating these student outcomes is described below.

General admission requirements into UWB/IAS call for a minimum of 80 credit hours, including study of a foreign language and English composition. In addition, for acceptance into this B.S. program students will be required to have taken 3 quarters of general chemistry (UW Chem 142, 152, and 162, or equivalent), a complete sequence of general biology (UW Bio 101, 102 OR Bio 201, 202 and 203, or equivalent), 2 quarters of calculus (UW Math 124 and 125, or equivalent) and have an overall GPA of 2.5. Since UWB does not offer classes at the 100 and 200 level, these courses must be taken elsewhere by the student. Most likely, many of our students will take these classes at nearby community colleges, including the new Cascadia Community College. Articulation agreements with Cascadia and other community colleges will be negotiated as soon as approval is obtained.

The B.S. program we propose is rigorous, but flexible. Each student is allowed a reasonable amount of leeway to design a curriculum that best suits their interests and needs. This curriculum begins by building on the 100 and 200 level prerequisites with two foundation courses; Ecology and Environmental Chemistry which introduce students to the environmental sciences. Each of these lecture courses has a related lab course (Ecological Methods and Analysis Lab and Environmental Chemistry Lab) which ideally taken with the lecture course. These foundation courses are then building blocks for more advanced courses in the program. The degree requirement includes 60 credits of Environmental Science classes, including a minimum of 15 credits of laboratory classes and 10 credits of a capstone course, spread over 2 or 3 quarters. In addition, statistics is a prerequisite for several classes. The statistics class could be taken either prior to attending UWB or during their UWB enrollment. The capstone component could be fulfilled by undergraduate research or an internship. For example, students with interests in ecological restoration might participate in the capstone program provided through the recently-funded tri-campus Restoration Ecology Network. Students are also required to take BLS 300 and at least 15 credits from a designated list of environmentally related courses, which will ensure a reasonable degree of breadth in non-science disciplines for each student.

The two tables below give information on each of the class to be included in the B.S. curriculum. In the first table is a list of the core competencies that we have identified as critical to this B.S. program: Scientific methods and analysis, Critical thinking, communication (both oral and written), laboratory and field skills, computational and mathematical skills, and other skills (including conflict resolution, economic analysis, etc.). The second table lists each course, whether it is new or existing, whether it is a lab -based course, and the core competencies addressed by that course.

Below are course descriptions for each course listed above. Courses listed with a course number already exist in the IAS curriculum. New courses have no course numbers, and are being developed specifically for the B.S. program. These will be submitted for formal approval during the 1999-2000 academic year. All courses have an interdisciplinary focus that is a hallmark of the UWB pedagogical approach. We feel the breadth of these course offerings will best prepare students to address the complex environmental issues confronting our nation and region. There are many additional topic areas we will add to the curriculum as new faculty resources become available. Within the five year startup time-frame, we intend to add courses in geographic information systems, environmental justice, sustainable development, and urban planning and transportation.

Introduction to interdisciplinary inquiry, centered around broadly based questions and problems. Stresses the skills necessary to engage in upper-division university work. Class work spans the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences in integrated projects and themes.

The fundamental principles of chemistry are employed to gain an understanding of a range of environmental science problems. Topics covered include source-receptor relationships, fate of environmental chemicals and regulations relevant to environmental contaminants. Case studies used may include global and regional atmospheric chemistry, the chemistry of natural and polluted waters, soil chemistry, and the chemistry of organic and inorganic toxins. Prerequisite: 3 quarters general college chemistry

Students will perform a number of quantitative measurements on a variety of environmental parameters in air, water and soil. Emphasis will be placed on calibration, quality control and assurance, and computerized data acquisition techniques. Experiments will focus on examining natural and anthropogenic contaminants in the nearby and regional environment. Prerequisite: 3 quarters of general college chemistry with lab, and BLS 391 (should be taken concurrently)

Introduces major concepts of ecology and relates these concepts to current environmental issues. Topics include the relationship between organisms and the physical environment, evolutionary processes the structure and function of ecosystems, population biology, as well as applied ecological topics such as forest management, sustainable agricultural practices, endangered species management, and global change. Prerequisite: a complete sequence of college biology.

Emphasizes developing the tools needed to frame questions, design ecological studies, gather and analyze data, and interpret results. The course will emphasize the acquisition of field skills including sampling, navigation, mapping, mark-recapture, telemetry, and other techniques necessary for population through ecosystem level research in a diversity of ecosystems. Prerequisite: A complete sequence of college biology, and BLS 392 (should be taken concurrently).

Addresses the ways in which scientists use computer simulations and modeling. Case studies will be drawn from problem areas such as global climate change, regional air and water pollution, and the interaction between biological species and their environment. Prerequisite: BLS 391 or 392.

This course will examine the relationship between air pollution sources, air quality, and human health from both a scientific and legal perspective. Prerequisites: BLS 391 or 386, or permission of instructor.

In this course we discuss energy production, distribution, and consumption in modern society. The range of topics covered will include basic scientific, technological, economic, political and environmental issues and questions raised by the utilization of traditional and alternative energy sources. Prerequisite: BLS 388 or 391.

Exploration of the science underlying methods of species and ecosystem conservation. Emphasis is placed on understanding the limits and promise of scientific approaches to conservation, within the social political and economic context of conservation problems. Prerequisite: BLS 390 or 392, or permission of instructor.

Examines the major ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest to provide an understanding of the structure, function, and location of these characteristic regional ecosystems. Investigates the intersection of ecological knowledge, environmental policy and management strategies in selected ecosystems. Prerequisite: BLS 392.

Emphasis on operating a variety of advanced instrumentation for physical and chemical environmental measurements. Instrumentation will include gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy UV-Vis spectroscopy, and/or other modern instrumentation. Computerized data acquisition will be emphasized and experiments will focus on natural chemical species and anthropogenic contaminants in the nearby and regional Puget Sound environment. Prerequisites: BLS 391 and Environmental Chemistry Lab.

Emphasizes the major human impacts on natural ecosystems and strategies for their restoration that employ ecological principles. Stresses the importance of ecological, hydrological and geochemical theory in design and implementation of restoration projects. Reviews strategies for minimizing ecological impacts of human activities and analyzes restoration case studies from a variety of NW ecosystems. Prerequisite: BLS 392 and Ecological Methods and Analysis Lab.

The ecology of freshwater, coastal marine and estuarine wetland ecosystems. An emphasis will be placed on physical and chemical aspects of wetland environments, dominant organisms in NW wetlands, their adaptations for success in wetland environments, ecological interactions and ecosystem function. Wetland conservation and applications of artificial and restored wetlands will be examined. Prerequisite: BLS 392.

Introduction to marine ecosystems and the diversity of marine species. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the ecology and evolution of marine creatures, and on threats to marine ecosystems. Policy issues that will be stressed include designation and management of marine reserves, containment of invasive species, tribal rights and customs, and coastal development.

BLS 390 or 392, or permission of instructor.

In-depth examination of several case studies of the efforts to conserve endangered species. The course will cover both the biology of endangered species and the science behind conservation strategies, and details of environmental law, the functioning of federal, state and county governments in management, and the responses and participation of private interests (commercial, non-governmental, small landowners and citizens). Prerequisite: BLS 390 or 392, or permission of instructor.

In this course students will learn to do scientific research by designing and conducting independent research projects. The area of work is open to any area of environmental science including environmental chemistry, ecology, or other areas based on mutual agreement with the instructor. This is intended as a capstone course to be taken in the student's last year. Prerequisites: BLS 391 or 392, 15 credits of laboratory classes, and at least 10 additional credits from the environmental science core classes.

Presentation of key concepts for understanding and evaluating reports of statistical analyses and for performing and reporting valid statistical analyses using a limited set of measures and tests.

Examination of the "environmental crisis" and associated social conflicts, tracing them to their philosophical roots. Attention is given to the facts of the current situation, to classic and recent readings from the environmental literature, and to ethical responses to current issues.

The roles of technology are studied together with the elements of scientific development that make new opportunities in fields such as biotechnology or information technology possible. Issues about the potential and appropriate uses of technology in education, business, health sciences, communications, social and cultural development, and environmental management are explored.

Explores the basic philosophical and scientific concepts of quantum mechanics. Through studying the historical development of quantum mechanics, students will acquire an understanding of its general principles and of the scientific method. The relationships between scientific observations, concepts, and theories will be examined.

Emphasizes the scientific, political, economic, and ethical dimensions of new genetic technologies. The theme is the tension between biotechnology as a source of economic opportunity, and as a potential threat to the environment and human freedom, and the role of government in promoting and regulating science and technology to resolve this tension.

Addresses the role and potential uses of computing and information technologies. Topics will include choosing an information system, software interface design, software development methodologies, performance metrics, risk management, client-server systems, groupware, work flow management and distribution database systems.

Explores the impact of Western "discovery," conquest, and colonization on the indigenous peoples and cultures of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Pacific, and the lesser-known contributions these peoples and cultures have made to the economic, political and cultural development of the modern world.

Overview of sociological theories concerning the environment and about the relationship between humanity and the Earth. Examination of the relationship between humanity and nature and the role of Self and identity in the larger ecological system.

Examines one or more significant issues that are of special importance to the Indian community such as fishing and hunting rights, water rights, tribal licensing powers, Indian child welfare, or more broadly based approaches such as tribal and state jurisdiction, tribal

governments and constitutional reforms, human rights.

Examines how organizations in the 1990s cope with technological change, global competition, informed customers, and a changing work force to remain effective. Explores how individual, group, and organizational processes contribute to a company's success or failure and how these processes fit within an organization's culture.

Examines the social, cultural, economic, political, intellectual and ecological contexts that shape Americans’ policies and practices towards their environment during the twentieth century, and the ways that the environment has in turn shaped American culture. Stresses critical and even-handed analysis of key issues, such as timber practices, wilderness and wildlife, land use, energy policy, and recycling.

Contemporary issues such as genetic engineering, acid rain and artificial intelligence are studied through integrated perspectives from the physical, life and mathematical sciences. Appropriate methods of analysis and evaluation that draw upon science, the social sciences, and the humanities are utilized.

Introduction to the causes, dynamics, and consequences of natural resource conflicts as well as the range of procedural interventions used to manage conflict, build consensus and arrive at reasoned decisions. Specific cases of environmental conflict and alternative dispute resolution procedures are examined. Emphasis on developing skills to effectively analyze, manage, and resolve natural resource conflicts.

Presentation of creative and innovative approaches to management, including leading management theories and strategies and their real-world applications. Includes recent case studies of world-class organizations, new research findings, access to the world's leading business databases, and presentations by business executives.

Focuses on understanding the techniques in planning, operating, and controlling the production process. Problems include manufacturing, inventory systems, production scheduling, improvement curves, productivity in service organizations, and total quality management.

One of our primary goals is to graduate students who are comfortable and proficient with technology. Generally, we would like students to develop a "can-do" attitude with respect to technology, such that normal tasks frequently encountered by scientists, such as installing new hardware in a computer, learning a new software program, or setting up and running a new chemical analyzer do not seem daunting. Although we would like to think that all students getting the required 100 and 200 level prerequisite courses (Chemistry, Biology, and Calculus) would be proficient with computers and other forms of technology, this is not always true. Thus it becomes imperative that we emphasize use of modern tools of science in our foundation courses and throughout the entire curriculum. Fortunately, UWB has made student access to computers and related tools a high priority. For a campus of our size, UWB is very well "wired" with drop-in computer labs and several computer class labs.

Our general strategy will be to incorporate work throughout the degree program that requires standard computer configurations and include more advanced work using statistical packages, modeling and data visualization software. Several courses will require each student to setup and use computer based data acquisition and analysis systems. In addition, one course in the program is devoted entirely to environmental modeling and visualization.

The primary faculty who will offer courses in this program are the science faculty of the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (IAS) program at UWB. In addition some courses will be taught by non-science faculty, including, for example, ethics, conflict resolution, business economics. A list of the primary UWB science faculty and their specialties is given below:

As the Bothell campus and this B.S. program grow, we expect to add additional science faculty in a number of areas including marine science and fisheries, geographic information systems, environmental modeling, environmental sensors and bioremediation/biochemistry.

UWB faculty in related areas:

UWB students include a high percentage of "non-traditional" students in that they might work full-time, have families, or in other ways have responsibilities that are greater than most 20-21 year olds. This B.S. program would provide access to a high quality science program at the Bothell campus, for both traditional and non-traditional students.

Currently, UWB offers a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, with a concentration in Science, Technology and the Environment. Although these students are somewhat different than those we would expect to enroll in a B.S. degree program, we have nonetheless, gotten insights from these students to use in planning this new degree. Generally, there is a high degree of interest among these students to make positive contributions to the environmental problems facing our region, nation and the world. Based on the discussions we have held in our current science classes at UWB, students are extremely supportive of this interdisciplinary science degree.

Projected enrollments for this degree program are given below:

UWB will move into its permanent facility at the Truly Farms site in Bothell in time for classes to begin in September 2000. This new campus has several features that make it ideal for our science program including 3 teaching laboratories (shared with the new Cascadia Community College) and 1 research laboratory (UWB, not shared). These labs were fully funded in the UWB phase 1 budget and will be ready in September 2000. Additional teaching and research labs are planned in the next several phases of the UWB expansion. Phase 2a, which has been fully funded by the state legislature, includes 2 additional science labs (1 teaching, 1 research) and should be ready by Fall of 2001. Thus, a total of 6 science labs have been funded by the state and should be fully functional at the new UWB site by Fall 2001. Additional science labs are being planned for future phases. Also at this location is a major wetlands restoration project which is being conducted by the state. This project is the largest floodplain restoration ever undertaken in Washington, and is exciting in its direct application of ecological and hydrological principles. As the restoration begins to mature in 2000 and 2001, opportunities for educational use of this site will expand. Thus, September 2000 is the ideal time for this new program to begin. Obtaining approval as soon as possible will be key to recruiting qualified students in time for our planned September 2000 starting date.

Our expected student outcomes were presented in section II above. In this section we describe how we will evaluate our program in meeting these objectives:

At full enrollment the program will be self-sustaining within the UWB's budget for continuing operations. A budget for startup and full enrollment is given below:

Budget: