Undergraduate study:
- The Program
in Biogeochemistry & Environmental Biocomplexity helped to organize
an undergraduate course which is team-taught by faculty in
Natural Resources and Geology. It explores control and function
of the Earth's global biogeochemical cycles, and is one of
the four required "core courses" of the new inter-college major
in the Science
of Earth Systems (SES). Working with the SES effort, we
successfully obtained support from NASA to assist with
teaching this and other SES core courses for the first time,
and to integrate Cornell into the national effort for coordinated
teaching in Earth system science.
- There are
many existing courses at Cornell which can provide the interested
undergraduate with a foundation in biogeochemistry. See our
list of supporting courses.
Interdisciplinary graduate study:
- At Cornell, a student's thesis committee forms the key relationship between a graduate
student and the university. Students who participate in our program are expected to have a
committee of four members, with at least one from a department outside her/his own, and one
from a non-academic institution; such as a research institute, an industry lab, a government
agency, or a non-governmental organization involved with the environment. Extending committee
participation to non-academic institutions will enhance students’ ability to communicate their
research goals and achievements to a wide audience, and make students aware of the outstanding
scientific opportunities outside academia.
- Most students take one or more existing core courses in
biogeochemistry, such as Principles of Biogeochemistry, Environmental Microbiology, and
Analysis of Biogeochemical Systems. They select additional coursework both within and
outside their immediate discipline as deemed appropriate by their advisory committee.
- Educational activities with in the BEB program are not limited to students who receive
fellowships from the program. The program will facilitate inter-departmental graduate training
in biogeochemistry, accomplished through interacting "minors" in biogeochemistry which are
proposed for several graduate fields. A description of the opportunities available to all
students can be found on the research and outreach page.
- The research interests of BEB faculty members are as diverse as the field of
biogeochemistry itself. By providing a forum for and the means to bring together faculty
and student researchers from different disciplines that are currently well-established at
Cornell we can set the stage for significant advances at the leading edge of interdisciplinary
research. The research and outreach page contains detailed
descriptions of research focus areas.
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