Harvard University

Earth Systems Studies

The approach to teaching and research related to Earth systems, including climate, is integrated throughout the departments and inclusive of all disciplines. Many academic courses related to climate studies or atmospheric sciences are taught by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), founded in 1890 by the merger of the College Faculty (also Faculty of the Graduate School) and the Scientific School Faculty. The FAS includes Harvard College (undergraduate), the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Division of Continuing Education, including Harvard Extension School. Environmental courses are offered to undergraduates and graduates across numerous schools and departments [Page 492]and with neighboring schools, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tufts University, including the various sciences, economics, business, philosophy, religion, literature, and law

The options for graduate students include combining science and engineering. Those interested in life science have opportunities to work with chemists, physicists, and computer scientists to study and simulate biological processes. Engineers and physical scientists observe and apply natural principles and processes to create human-made materials and products. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers a Master of Science, Master of Engineering in Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Computer Science, and Engineering Sciences, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Science, Technology, and Management (with Harvard Business School). Instead of traditional academic departments and degrees by specific research area, these graduate programs rely on the convergence of engineering, applied sciences, and technology, and allow for specialization, including studies in Environmental Sciences and Engineering.

Holistic Model

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences relies on a holistic model of the Earth, incorporating physics, chemistry, astronomy, and biology to study the intimate link between human life and the Earth and its systems. In addition to bringing together a variety of disciplines for scientific discovery, the department incorporates colleagues in social sciences and humanities to address societal issues pertaining to the human/Earth interrelationship.

The facilities include laboratories with instruments for a wide range of analyses, libraries, and lecture rooms of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the University Museum and in the David and Arnold Hoffman Laboratory of Experimental Geology. A variety of external research facilities and sites are available to students for research, including the seismograph station at the George R. Agassiz Station of the Astronomical Observatory in Harvard, Massachusetts, about 25 mi. (40 km.) west of Cambridge. Harvard also has reciprocal instructional and credit-granting arrangements with MIT and the Woods Hole Océanographie Institution for graduate students.

Examples of research conducted by the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences are showcased by the ecological measurements taken at Prospect Hill in Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts and on a privately owned site adjacent to Prospect Hill. On specifically sized (10 m. radius) plots, scientists record tree growth, woody debris, litter-fall, leaf litter decomposition, leaf-area increment, foliar nitrogen content, soil respiration, and soil moisture. Also at the Harvard Forest is the Fisher Museum, open to the public. The exhibit includes dioramas on central New England forests' history, conservation, and management. The museum also has self-guided interpretive trails. These trails connect the museum to the research forest.

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