The Environmental Justice Workshop is a space for engaged learning and collaborative environmental work, giving students a chance to join in the collective struggle to build equitable and sustainable urban futures in Baltimore. In the fall of 2025, the workshop will be taught by anthropologist Anand Pandian (Johns Hopkins) as a cross-institutional partnership with anthropologist Chloe Ahmann (Cornell University) and the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. Working together as a team of faculty and students at both universities, we will collaborate with environmental justice activists and Baltimore residents to research, write, and produce a four-part digital humanities curriculum about the discriminatory history of waste management in Baltimore and its impact on working-class and minority residents. Students enrolled in this course will gain experience with archival and ethnographic research methods, learn how to conduct time-sensitive research responsive to community needs, and produce media resources for a broader civic audience engaged in the fight for environmental justice. Many class sessions will take place in various community locations in south Baltimore, and meeting times include transportation to/from the Homewood campus.

• Days/Times: Th 1:30PM - 5:00PM
• Instructor: Pandian, Anand
• Room: Mergenthaler 426
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 15/15
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR, CES-CC, CES-LE, CES-RI

Science in Situ introduces students to the art of science writing via an exploration of the sites where science is happening in Baltimore. Effective science communicators have a deep understanding of their subject matter and are skilled at conveying complex ideas in accessible ways. However, explaining the facts is not enough; science writers also need to make meaning out of information by placing it in social and narrative contexts that are relevant to their audience. This course encourages students to write creatively, with humor, and in multimedia formats to communicate scientific content to a wide range of audiences. Students will learn about key techniques as well as challenges in science journalism and gain practice communicating technical subject matter in a variety of modalities. Through field trips to local museums and forensic labs, and interviews with researchers and editors of science magazines, students will identify opportunities to share their ideas and knowledge in engaging ways, and to reflect on why science matters to broader audiences. This course is aimed at junior and senior undergraduate students who are STEM majors. All first-year students who have taken Reintro and all students at the sophomore level or above are welcome.

• Days/Times: Th 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Brodsky, Anne-Elizabeth Murdy; Pavesich, Matthew; Thyagarajan, Sunita; Wilbanks, Rebecca
• Room:  
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 18/18
• PosTag(s): n/a

This First-Year Seminar combines ecology and art, allowing students to create art inspired by observations of the natural environment. Taken together, these dual methodologies of scientific observation and artistic production will encourage students to explore core questions about human creativity as influenced by nature. The course invites participants to consider their sensory experiences about the poetics and intricacies of the natural world. Together we will focus on ecological details, observing natural patterns and exploring their symbolic meanings. We will also learn to appreciate the visual language of fine art by taking a broader view of landscapes. Through museum visits, recording sounds in nature, and creating visual representations such as drawings, photographs, and video, students will develop various art techniques, culminating in a multimedia art form.

• Days/Times: W 12:00PM - 2:30PM
• Instructor: Kopelent-Rehak, Jana Hana
• Room: Olin 247
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 12/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

In The Great Derangement Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh writes that “the climate crisis is also a crisis of culture, and thus of imagination.” Worldwide, climate and environmental change is stirring the imaginary of novelists, filmmakers, and artists who are finding ways to frame, emplot, or even perform, an unmanageable phenomenon like climate change. How is climate change shaping new modes of storytelling and aesthetics? How do film, literature, and environmentally conscious art transform our perception of the world we inhabit and its unpredictable changes? Can climate change narratives help us to imagine futures of possibilities, maybe dystopian, uncertain, or even happy, but futures nonetheless? This multimedia course explores, through a transnational perspective, a variety of contemporary novels, films, and other media that attempt answer these questions.

• Days/Times: Th 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Di Bianco, Laura
• Room:  
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 15/15
• PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL, CDS-MB, ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR

An introduction to the science behind global environmental issues. Earth systems, biogeochemical cycles, and the interrelationships between the living and nonliving world are explored, along with applications to climate change, biodiversity loss, and other issues of global significance.

• Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
• Instructor: Gnanadesikan, Anand; Karimi, Saman; Zaitchik, Benjamin Frederick
• Room: Olin 305
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 65/65
• PosTag(s): ARCH-RELATE, ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR, CES-LE

This course is a hands-on learning experience for introductory geological concepts and techniques using geological tools, such as mineral/rock samples, microscopes, and maps. A Saturday fieldtrip in late Sep/early Oct is an essential part. The course is open to undergraduates at all levels; freshmen who wish to get their hands (and boots) dirty are encouraged to enroll.

• Days/Times: W 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Smith, Emmy
• Room: Olin 203
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 15/15
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR

The course provides a broad introduction to the principles and practice of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related tools of Geospatial Analysis. Topics will include history of GIS, GIS data structures, data acquisition and merging, database management, spatial analysis, and GIS applications. In addition, students will get hands-on experience working with GIS software.

• Days/Times: M 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Chen, Xin
• Room: Krieger 108
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 24/24
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MINOR, ARCH-RELATE, ENVS-MAJOR

Basic concepts in geology, including plate tectonics; Earth’s internal structure; geologic time; minerals; formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks; development of faults, folds and earthquakes; geomagnetism. Corequisite (for EPS Majors): AS.270.221; optional for others. The course is introductory and open to undergraduates at all levels; freshmen are encouraged to enroll.

• Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
• Instructor: Smith, Emmy
• Room: Olin 305
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 48/48
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MINOR, ENVS-MAJOR, ARCH-RELATE

Knowing where your food comes from is important for various environmental, health, ethical, and aesthetic reasons. Stable isotopes – forms of the same element with different masses – can be used to verify the origin of food. In this First-Year Seminar, we will discuss motivations for determining food sources including questions of the environmental cost of different modes of production, the different environmental factors that impact nutrient levels in food, how regional laws affect food production practices, and how protected designation of origin labels impact how food is made and distributed. We will also discuss how stable isotope signatures can be used to identify food origin and how we assess confidence in stable isotope-based identifications. Have no doubt: in-class food tastings will most definitely be used to guide the discussion of aesthetic motivations for knowing where food comes from.

• Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
• Instructor: Gomes, Maya L
• Room: Olin 247
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 12/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

Natural history, ecology and evolution are scientific disciplines that greatly depend on the art and practice of observing, asking questions, and finding ways to answer those questions. Most of the time, we must be outdoors to make those observations. To be a good observer, one needs to slow down, be quiet and use all of your senses. The Homewood campus and its surroundings are a wonderful green space in the middle of Baltimore City to practice those skills. In this First Year Seminar, while we focus on the living world, we also will discuss the geology and hydrology around Stony Run. Students should be prepared to spend many hours outside, making observations, and sample plants and invertebrates. In the classroom, these field observations, combined with reading material, will be used to discuss global environmental issues including biodiversity loss, invasive species, and human impacts on the landscape. Specific activities include: 1) Reporting on human effects on life from today’s news; 2) Preparing conservation pamphlets; 3) Researching and presenting about a specific invasive organism. We also plan a day-long field trip to the Natural History Museum in DC. By the end of the FYS, students will be able to generate research questions based upon field observations and appreciate the diverse life forms both globally and in our backyard.

• Days/Times: MW 3:00PM - 4:15PM
• Instructor: Szlavecz, Katalin
• Room: Olin 204
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 12/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

Forests are critical global ecosystems that provide not only timber and wood products, but an array of services including habitat for wildlife, water filtration, carbon storage, and recreational opportunities. This integrated seminar-based course features an interdisciplinary approach to understanding forested landscapes that stresses not only inventorying the biotic and abiotic components, but examining how these pieces are distributed in the landscape (patterns) and what forces drive these patterns (processes). Topics focus on the biological, geological, climatological, cultural, and historical underpinnings needed to observe, interpret, and analyze forest communities. It will cover aspects of biogeography, climate forcing of vegetation dynamics, effects of invasive species, land use change and creation of urban forests. This course has an associated 1- credit field trip that counts as a lab requirement for ENVS majors.

• Days/Times: W 3:00PM - 5:30PM
• Instructor: Burgess, Jerry
• Room: Olin 247
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 10/10
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR

This course will introduce student to methods used in field-based ecological research addressing population, community and ecosystem-level questions. Outdoor fieldwork is an essential part of the course. Field activities will center around the riparian ecosystem adjacent to the Homewood campus and on the urban ecology of the greater Baltimore region. Students will build skills in data collection, analysis, synthesis, and presentation. Basic statistical instruction in R will be taught to aid data analysis.

• Days/Times: F 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Avolio, Meghan Lynn; Szlavecz, Katalin
• Room: Olin 247
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 10/10
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR, BEHB-BIOBEH, ARCH-RELATE

The majority of Life that existed on our planet is extinct, and the small and biased number of lineages that survived into the present cannot tell a complete story of Life’s evolutionary history. To fill these blank pages, we need to explore the fossil record on Earth (and elsewhere in the solar system) for information that can be directly integrated with data for living organisms. However, modern biology is mostly a molecular science – and we know that biomolecules experience drastic chemical alteration during fossilization. This course tackles the ‘Molecular Gap’ between past and present life forms from a practical and research-oriented perspective! We will survey the various chemical approaches that allow to extract biologically meaningful information from modern and fossil samples, and explore their individual strengths and limitations. Then we will move on to cover the nature of different biological signatures encoding diagnostic traits across the tree of Life, and explore the importance of corrections for evolutionary relationships when integrating data. Lastly, we will discuss the potential of multivariate statistics in the systematic extraction of meaningful biosignatures from notoriously noisy modern and fossil biological data. We will use prepared training data sets during guided in-session exercises, and students will go through the complete cross-disciplinary process of developing a biosignature – translational skills, that will enable them to conduct independent research on the topic. Recommended Course Background: Three Upper Level Science Courses.

• Days/Times: M 3:00PM - 4:15PM, W 12:00PM - 1:15PM
• Instructor: Wiemann, Jasmina
• Room: Olin 247
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 20/20
• PosTag(s): n/a

Intended for majors who are interested in the science that underlies the current debate on global warming, the focus is on recent observations one can glean from model simulations. Meets with AS.270.641. Recommended Course Background: AS.110.108-AS.110.109 and AS.171.101-AS.171.102

• Days/Times: MWF 8:00AM - 8:50AM
• Instructor: Waugh, Darryn
• Room: Olin 204
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 10/10
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR

This course explores the complex interactions of earth’s rock, soil, water, air, and life systems that determine the chemical characteristics of our environment. The themes of the course cover: mobility of the elements (dispersibility and bioavailability); evaluation and monitoring of heavy metal pollution; remediation (repair of compromised environments) water quality (natural waters and water for drinking, agricultural and industrial use); pollutant agents in water, air and soil; wastes (mine wastes, radioactive wastes, urban wastes); interactions between geochemistry and human health and the environment. Course content is largely based on applied environmental geochemistry, with supporting content in theoretical geochemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology. A class project involves chemical analysis of student-collected water samples.

• Days/Times: TTh 3:00PM - 3:50PM
• Instructor: Burgess, Jerry
• Room: Olin 247
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 10/10
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR

This “book club” style seminar focuses on the exploration, discussion and critical analysis of a range of environmental films, art, and literature. This seminar, students will have the opportunity to do creative writing and visual arts, and reading environmental literature.

• Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Kopelent-Rehak, Jana Hana
• Room: Olin 247
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 12/12
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR

This is a discussion-based course in current research in ecology. Each week a student will lead a discussion of a published paper in the field of ecology.

• Days/Times: M 4:00PM - 5:00PM
• Instructor: Avolio, Meghan Lynn; Szlavecz, Katalin
• Room: Olin 346
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 10/10
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR

This field oriented lab focuses on hands-on learning experiences in forest ecology. Efforts focus on foundational topics in forest ecology including: physiography and site quality; forest soils and nutrient cycling; ecological succession; forest dynamics; community structure; natural disturbance; and invasive/non-native species. Labs feature visits to local forest sites and one long weekend trip.

• Days/Times: W 5:30PM - 6:20PM
• Instructor: Burgess, Jerry
• Room: Olin 247
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 10/10
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR

This seminar will provide the academic space, time, and mentoring for students to integrate, synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills obtained through the ENVS curriculum. The course focuses on the development of critical thinking and oral communication skills through intellectual engagement with complex and challenging environmental problems.

• Days/Times: M 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Kopelent-Rehak, Jana Hana
• Room: Olin 304
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 19/19
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR

What makes a resource critical? Where do these critical resources come from? This course will provide an understanding of the origin and distribution of mineral deposits that are essential for climate action, particularly in meeting our rapidly growing clean energy needs—from wind turbines and solar panels to electric vehicles. But are these essential minerals sustainable? How does the extraction of these minerals impact the environment and society? Throughout the course, we will explore how geological processes, driven by plate tectonics, form critical mineral deposits and examine their role in the clean energy transition. Through case studies and debates, we will explore the environmental and societal impacts of mineral extraction. A short field trip around Baltimore, combined with the examination of ore and rock samples in class, will help connect the course material to real-world applications. The course will also cover mineral exploration techniques and resource estimation methods.

• Days/Times: TTh 2:00PM - 3:15PM
• Instructor: Roy, Supratik
• Room: Olin 204
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 18/18
• PosTag(s): n/a

Permission required. ENVS major students complete a group project that engages with foundational questions in the greater environmental sphere. Capstone students will be required to jointly develop, implement, and present a research project. Students must also sign up for AS.271.496 concurrently.

• Days/Times:
• Instructor: Balanoff, Amy M; Bohn, Kisi M; Burgess, Jerry
• Room:  
• Status: Approval Required
• Seats Available: 5/5
• PosTag(s): n/a

Permission required. ENVS major students complete a group project that engages with foundational questions in the greater environmental sphere. Capstone students will be required to jointly develop, implement, and present a research project. Students must also sign up for AS.271.496 concurrently.

• Days/Times:
• Instructor: Waugh, Darryn
• Room:  
• Status: Approval Required
• Seats Available: 5/5
• PosTag(s): n/a

Permission required. ENVS major students complete a group project that engages with foundational questions in the greater environmental sphere. Capstone students will be required to jointly develop, implement, and present a research project. Students must also sign up for AS.271.496 concurrently.

• Days/Times:
• Instructor: Avolio, Meghan Lynn
• Room:  
• Status: Approval Required
• Seats Available: 5/5
• PosTag(s): n/a

Permission required. ENVS major students complete a group project that engages with foundational questions in the greater environmental sphere. Capstone students will be required to jointly develop, implement, and present a research project. Students must also sign up for AS.271.496 concurrently.

• Days/Times:
• Instructor: Szlavecz, Katalin
• Room:  
• Status: Approval Required
• Seats Available: 5/5
• PosTag(s): n/a

Investigation into the content relevant to an ongoing spacecraft instrumentation project. An interdisciplinary team will enhance the skills and knowledge of science and engineering students. Topics include mission background, planetary science, sensor design, spacecraft systems, and mission planning, and sensor fabrication, calibration, integration, and testing, data analysis and interpretation, scientific/technical writing and publication.

• Days/Times: Th 9:00AM - 11:30AM
• Instructor: Horst, Sarah; Izenberg, Noam Raphael; Kraemer, David Robert Burke
• Room: Olin 304
• Status: Approval Required
• Seats Available: 24/24
• PosTag(s): n/a

Permission required. ENVS major students complete a group project that engages with foundational questions in the greater environmental sphere. Capstone students will be required to jointly develop, implement, and present a research project. Students must also sign up for AS.271.496 concurrently.

• Days/Times:
• Instructor: Zaitchik, Benjamin Frederick
• Room:  
• Status: Approval Required
• Seats Available: 5/5
• PosTag(s): n/a

This seminar explores topics related to career development and current events to support senior environmental majors as they transition to post-graduate life and work.

• Days/Times: W 12:00PM - 12:50PM
• Instructor: Burgess, Jerry; Santos-Rivera, Amailie
• Room: Olin 304
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 19/19
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MAJOR

Permission required. ENVS major students complete a group project that engages with foundational questions in the greater environmental sphere. Capstone students will be required to jointly develop, implement, and present a research project. Students must also sign up for AS.271.496 concurrently.

• Days/Times:
• Instructor: Kopelent-Rehak, Jana Hana
• Room:  
• Status: Approval Required
• Seats Available: 5/5
• PosTag(s): n/a

Permission required. ENVS major students complete a group project that engages with foundational questions in the greater environmental sphere. Capstone students will be required to jointly develop, implement, and present a research project. Students must also sign up for AS.271.496 concurrently.

• Days/Times:
• Instructor: Karimi, Saman
• Room:  
• Status: Approval Required
• Seats Available: 5/5
• PosTag(s): n/a