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Environmental Science

Undergraduate

Environmental Science

Environmental Science can take you around the world, and encourage you to get involved with research projects.

Environmental Science

If you are interested in a career in ecology, resource management, public health, or environmental technology, then you are in the right spot.

You can choose different paths in the major to focus on ecology and organisms or social and ethical issues surrounding environmental sciences.

This option is designed for students with career interests in education and research (school, colleges, consulting firms), interpretive ecology (regional and national parks, nature preserves, zoos, museums), resource management (agencies and organizations concerned with forest, water, and wildlife resources), public health (state and county agencies), and environmental technology (regulatory agencies, utilities, private industry).

View major course requirements

View minor course requirements

Why Simpson College for Environmental Science?

What Will I Learn?

In addition to your classroom work, you will have various opportunities, including a research journey involving studying samples in the lab at the Carver Science Center and assessing restored wetlands at Simpson’s research farm. During the May term, you can explore the ecology of Africa, Europe, and South America.

Explore the Biology and Environmental Science Department

This dynamic department covers everything from DNA research to neurosciences to collecting bug specimens in the field. See what the Biology and Environmental Science department has for you.

Research

Research is the key component to your experience in the Biology and Environmental Science department at Simpson. You will gain the skills needed for research right away, as it is embedded in your very first intro courses that you’ll take in the major. Research can take place inside the lab or outside the classroom, locally or at a national research facility. Showing you understand and have participated in solid, quality research experiences is crucial in getting accepted into a graduate school.

Variety of research opportunities

Simpson College out punches its weight when it comes to providing research experiences for its students.

Simpson College Ecological Research (SCER) Program – The SCER Program provides hands-on research opportunities for up to four undergraduate students with the goal of providing students with critical skills, training and experience in conducting ecological research. Students will work with faculty mentors to design and conduct experimental research that addresses novel ecological questions.

Summer Research Program – Participating in a summer undergraduate research program is an opportunity for you to spend 8-10 weeks working directly with faculty, focused on conducting research. Students get to explore research in their major and they generally receive a stipend and housing allowance. Each fall when classes resume, students who participated in summer research will get to showcase their work during the Summer Research Symposium held on campus.

The Riley Farm – Located on a 285-acre tract of restored grassland just 25 minutes from campus, the Riley Farm provides a plethora of opportunities to study nature, right in the middle of nature. The site was formerly managed for conventional agriculture but has been restored and currently comprises multiple habitat types (prairie, savannah, stream, wetland, pond, forest). It includes a newly-constructed barn that provides space to keep equipment, allowing students to process samples and complete research on site. It’s a unique outdoor classroom that will allow you to understand how the environment has an impact on everything we do.

Prairie Reconstruction Area – Interact with and learn from a transformed 5.6-acre plot of land near campus that students and faculty have turned into a natural prairie, much like those that originally covered Iowa. It not only gives people a chance to see what 95% of our state actually looked like before we started controlling it, the site provides a location where students can sample for insects, birds, plants and mammals for research. Every two to three years, a controlled burn will take place in order to to help rejuvenate the prairie.

Undergraduate Research Symposium – The Undergraduate Research Symposium is a interdisciplinary event that allows students to present the results of their work in either a 15 minute oral presentation or a poster presentation. Also listed in the program are projects that are still in progress or projects without a presentation. The list of presentations from science division students reveals the diversity of research being conducted by students at Simpson College.

Internships, Graduate School, and Careers

Internships

Internship experience lets you combine what you’ve learned in the classroom and through focused research projects and apply it to real-world career areas. Simpson’s location near the major metropolitan area of Des Moines provides an ample number of internship opportunities, as does our reputation for excellence.

Simpson College has established a relationship with Mercy Clinics throughout the greater Des Moines area. Students hoping to pursue careers in the medical field will have the opportunity to work with Mercy Clinic professionals in pre-physical therapy and pre-health professions.

Recent internships include

Science Center of Iowa
Warren County Conservation Board
Indianola Veterinary Clinic
Mercy Clinics
Broadlawns Medical Center
World Food Prize
Omaha Children’s Hospital
DuPont Pioneer International
Minnesota Zoo
Knoxville Dental Care
Pioneer Hi-bred International, Inc.
John Stoddard Cancer Research Center
Iowa Methodist Medical Center
Mayo Clinic
Blank Park Zoo
John Hopkins University Research Lab
Integrated DNA Technologies

Graduate School

The quality reputation of Simpson College and the students it graduates is well known to highly respected graduate schools. Your professors will work alongside you as you prepare, research, apply and continue on to graduate school. Here are a few institutions where Simpson students have recently been accepted.

Hawaii Pacific University/Marine Science

ISU/Veterinary Medicine

Southern College of Optometry

Des Moines University Osteopathic Medicine

University of Iowa/Dental School

University of Minnesota/PhD – Biostatistics

University of Nebraska Medical Center/PhD – Biomedical Science

Palmer College of Chiropractic

Washington University/Evolutionary Biology

University of Illinois Doctorate in Midwifery

Drake University/Occupational Therapy

University of Houston/Optometry

Clemson University

Kansas State University

Northwest Missouri State University

Texas Tech University

University of New Mexico

Creighton University

Duke University

Careers

A Simpson degree can put you on a path to a rewarding career in many different fields including medical, research and public service. Some recent employment highlights include:

Environmental Scientist – EcoSource, LLC

Outreach and Project Development Coordinator – Green Iowa AmeriCorps

Laboratory Technician – Keystone Laboratories

Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Technician – Mercy Clinics

Research Assistant – Iowa City Veterans Administration

Research Assistant – Pioneer-Ag Trait Phenotyping Group

EMT – Mercy South Family Practice

Medical Scribe – Scribe America

Sensory Motor Coach – Brain Balance Achievement Centers

Site Team Leader – Lutheran Services in Iowa

Vision Therapist – Elite Eye Care

Study Abroad

There’s nothing quite as valuable as studying the biology of a country in its native land. Simpson students have numerous opportunities to do so. In fact, Simpson offers scholarships to students to study abroad!

Our faculty have led numerous May Term courses to exotic and exciting locals around the wold. Recent trips include:

Natural History of Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands
Reefs and Rainforests in Belize
Sustainability in Cuba
Cambodia on the Brink of Change
Global Health: Confronting AIDS in Namibia
Natural History of Madagascar

Honor Soceity

Beta Beta Beta is a national honor society for students dedicated to improving the understanding and appreciation of biological study and extending boundaries of human knowledge through scientific research. Simpson’s chapter plans events and recognizes academic achievement.

Clubs and Teams

Simpson College has three extracurricular organizations to encourage engagement in environmental sciences outside of the classroom environment.

Pre-Health Club is an organization where people who are interested in the field of public health are welcome to voice their opinions about trends in the field of their interest. The group’s interest is in informing people about the numerous health-related professions to help them discover career possibilities.

IMPULSE Student Editing Team is a group of students working together with a faculty advisor on IMPULSE, an undergraduate neuroscience journal. Students work as peer reviewers on this international, online science journal, reviewing research articles that IMPULSE receives and suggesting edits that should be made prior to publishing.

Sustainability Club was formed with the goal to raise the Simpson community’s awareness about environmental issues. They have conducted a variety of projects since their establishment including Simpson’s current recycling program, a full-scale prairie restoration, adopting a highway and obtaining funding for hydration stations.