Environmental Science
This program introduces students to environmental science and natural resource management. The course will begin with an introduction to core aspects of environmental management, including goals, stakeholders, tools, and trade-offs and a survey of various environmental problems across urban and natural systems (air quality, forestry, waste, water, biodiversity, energy and land use). Students will learn about natural resource valuation techniques and environmental policy analysis to compare solution pathways.
Learn more about an Environmental Science major and career path here.
Learning Outcomes in this course
Understand core concepts in natural resource management, ecology, environmental policy, and sustainability.
Analyze environmental issues through scientific, social, economic and environmental justice lenses.
Apply valuation techniques and policy analysis to develop and compare solutions for specific environmental issues.
Create a policy brief that communicates the issue, evidence and recommended actions to policymakers.
When
Session One
July 5 - July 17, 2026
Tuition
On-Campus Residential
$5,398 USD
Commuter
$2,998 USD
Proposed Activities
Students will work in teams to investigate a local environmental challenge, using guided site observations and curated datasets.
Students will visit local examples of sustainable resource development and learn how to understand and impact environmental policy.
Instructor
Dr. Yu Cao, Assistant Instructor at Cal Poly SLO
Dr. Yu Cao is an Assistant Professor in Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development. Her research focuses on resource governance and sustainable energy transitions and her work integrates community engagement and policy analysis to advance equitable energy solutions.
