
Environmental Science & Policy

The need has never been greater for individuals who can address increasingly complex environmental issues. The Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P) Program seeks to produce future leaders with interdisciplinary analysis and problem-solving skills. ES&P majors work in teams to address sustainability projects on campus or with local community partners. During the summer, ES&P offers the unique interdisciplinary Coral Reef Ed-Ventures Program and supports students participating in the NOAA College-Supported Internship Program. During the summer as well as the academic year, students can conduct research with the ES&P program faculty whose work spans the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.
Announcements
The Snow Leopard and the Goat: Human Wildlife Conflict in Anthropological Perspective
This lecture by Professor Shafqat Hussain, George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian Studies at Trinity College, examines the uneven distribution of costs and benefits involved in snow leopard conservation and shows that for the conservation of nature to be successful, the vision, interests, and priorities of those most affected by conservation policies―in this case, local farmers―must be addressed.
Investigating Delays: What Temporal Variation in EPA Action under CERCLA Suggests About Equity
Senior Jane Andrews '23 will present her ES&P Honors work that investigates action by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and what it reveals about equity. Lunch provided. All welcome.
ES&P Presents: Sustainable Solutions Capstone Projects
Senior Environmental Science and Policy majors share their capstone research projects; lunch provided. Grace Moorhead, Michka Nyamsuren, and Sam Tower present "Planning Our Last Steps Towards Carbon Neutrality"; Genesis Canizales, Kate Nash, and Lesley Tilghman present on "A Campus for Future Climates: Adaptation and Resilience in the Smith Landscape"; and Mariana Salazar and Jenna Stanley present "Guiding Smith Towards Climate Justice." All welcome!
Events Calendar
Visit the Center for the Environment’s Events Calendar for even more events of interest taking place at Smith, within the Five Colleges, and in the local community.
By the time they graduate, Environmental Science and Policy majors should be able to:
- Understand interconnected earth, ecological, and human/societal phenomena and processes that influence human-environment interactions
- Use systems thinking to understand how to plan and design social-ecological structures and policies
- Recognize and address intersecting concerns of social and environmental justice
- Integrate disciplinary knowledge and methods and identify underlying assumptions when approaching environmental problems
- Collect, analyze and interpret relevant data and information
- Synthesize information and communicate effectively with diverse audiences and across differences
- Work collaboratively to translate knowledge into meaningful environmental action
The Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P) major is designed for students with interests in the environment and sustainability and a commitment to scientifically based problem solving and policy analysis. The objectives of the major are to prepare students to transcend disciplinary boundaries, combine analytical and communication skills with a well-rounded understanding of the environment and translate this knowledge into meaningful action and innovative solutions. Four integration courses form the core of the major. Each course brings together frameworks, proficiencies and knowledge from natural and social sciences in an explicitly integrative fashion to explore and analyze important environmental topics at local to global scales. Additional introductory courses provide breadth in the natural and social sciences, humanities and policy, and statistics, and introduce students to fundamental aspects of disciplines important to understanding human-environment interactions. Students gain depth of knowledge by choosing a coherent sequence of electives with a clear environmental focus. Students are strongly encouraged to engage in environmentally oriented internships, independent research or study away opportunities.
In their first semesters, students are encouraged to enroll in a foundational course (see the list in the requirements file below) and an appropriate core course (ENV 101), as well as statistics. The Schedule of Classes enables a search of all courses available by department and semester.
Prospective majors should consult with an ES&P faculty adviser in choosing their courses and can be matched with an adviser by contacting Joanne Benkley.
Major requirements and checklist for students and advisers.
Checklist for the ES&P Major
Download a copy of this Google file to work on with your adviser/advisee. Be sure to rename the file and be mindful of access and permissions.
The Minor in ES&P
The minor in ES&P is designed for students with an interest in environmental issues and sustainability and a commitment to scientifically based problem solving and policy analysis. The minor consists of six courses chosen with the guidance and approval of an ES&P minor adviser. Interested students are urged to meet with an ES&P adviser early in their academic planning.
The Minor in Marine Science & Policy
The Marine Science and Policy (MS&P) minor permits students to pursue interests in coastal and oceanic systems through an integrated sequence of courses in the natural and social sciences. An introduction to marine sciences is obtained through completion of the two basis courses. Students then choose among upper-level courses that focus on or complement scientific investigation of the oceans and the policy aspects of ocean conservation, exploitation and management. Students should consult with one of the co-directors as early as possible in the course selection process.
To learn more about courses currently offered, please see the Smith College Course Catalog.
Students with a strong academic background who wish to conduct independent and original work on an environmental topic are encouraged to pursue an honors project. Interested students should ideally contact potential honors advisers starting in February in the spring semester of their junior year. Please review the ES&P Honors Guidelines document and consult the director of honors for specific requirements and application procedures.
Students interested in exploring a topic, issue or research project independently may propose a Special Studies course with a faculty adviser. Special studies offer students the opportunity to delve into a topic that may not be covered in courses, pursue in greater depth a project begun in a class or in a summer internship, or undertake a new project. Students interested in pursuing special studies should discuss their ideas and course proposal with their faculty adviser in the semester prior to the special studies.
How To Apply
Applications for special studies courses are due at the beginning of the semester in the first full week of classes, however students may submit their special studies application form in the semester prior to the special studies. Students complete the special studies application in consultation with the special studies adviser and submit the form to the ES&P program director.
Sustainable Smith
The threads of sustainability at Smith are woven into all aspects of the college—academics, operations, research and student life. Learn more about the heart of sustainability on campus.
The Clark Science Center
Environmental Science and Policy curricular activities are enriched by related field and laboratory resources available at Smith. Many ES&P students gain a range of valuable skills and experiences at these facilities. Learn more about the resources available through the Clark Science Center.
Laboratory & Field Facilities
- Spatial Analysis Lab, with remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software
- Center for the Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability
- Ada and Archibald MacLeish Field Station
- Paradise Pond Hydrologic Monitoring Station
- Center for Aqueous Biogeochemical Research
Opportunities
NOAA College-Supported Internship Program

Smith's Environmental Science and Policy Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have partnered on summer internships since 1999, and that partnership has now grown to become the NOAA College-Supported Internship Program. This program provides summer internship opportunities in conservation science, coastal ecology, resource policy and management, environmental education and science communication. In recent years Smith students have interned at numerous NOAA offices, labs and field sites around the country, including Massachusetts, Hawaii, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington D.C., Alaska, Michigan, Virginia and more. Internships have focused on field and lab research, GIS and data analysis, policy analysis, science communication and environmental education for children and adults. Interns work side by side with NOAA policy makers, scientists and others to address current coastal and marine environmental issues.
Each internship is 10 weeks long, with a flexible start date, typically beginning between mid-May and early June. Fellowship stipends of $6,000 are provided by the Agnes Shedd Andreae 1932 Research Internship Fund to support students matched with these normally unpaid positions. These fellowships are for Smith College students only. Each January NOAA posts the list of internships for the coming summer.
Contact Joanne Benkley, Associate Director, Environmental Science and Policy Program, Wright Hall 010, jbenkley@smith.edu for more information about the process of applying to the NOAA College-Supported Internship Program and Smith College fellowship funding.
Current Opportunities
This year's list of available NOAA College-Supported Internships for this summer are now live online. We expect to be adding more over the coming week. Check them out!
How to Apply
The application for the NOAA internships is a two-step process. Applications are first reviewed by a committee at Smith for selection in the program and Fellowship funding. The applications of those students are then sent for review by NOAA. Since a number of colleges and universities participate in the NOAA College-Supported Internship Program, any given internship may have multiple interested applicants. If a student is not selected for their first or second choice internship, Smith and NOAA will seek to match the student with a suitable internship. We recommend students indicate up to three internship choices on their applications. Students should never contact NOAA supervisors directly until they are matched with an internship and will be disqualified from the program if they do so.
Interested Smith students should submit an application packet, which includes:
- A completed application form
- A cover letter that articulating your interest in the internship(s) and how the opportunity relates to your academic and career plans
- An unofficial transcript
- Your resume
- A letter of recommendation from a faculty member. (Recommendation letters should be sent electronically from recommender's email address to Joanne Benkley).
Completed applications are generally due by March 10, 2023, and should be submitted to Joanne Benkley, Associate Director, Environmental Science and Policy Program, Wright Hall 010, jbenkley@smith.edu.
Please download the application form and use Adobe Reader to fill out and save the completed form. Other PDF readers, such as Preview on Apple computers, will not work well with this form.
Study Abroad and Study Away
Environmental Science and Policy encourages our students to consider studying abroad for a semester or year, recognizing the value of study abroad experiences in deepening students' understanding of global diversity and global interconnections. Study abroad programs provide placed-based field, environmental policy, and cultural studies opportunities that enrich the ES&P curriculum offered at Smith. Students may count some courses from study abroad programs to meet the requirements of the ES&P major, especially elective courses for the focus of the major.
Students interested in studying abroad should contact the Office for International Study as early as possible to note any language and eligibility requirements for study abroad programs as well as application deadlines for Smith approval to study abroad and for specific study abroad programs.
For semesters away from Smith but within the United States (such as the Williams-Mystic program), contact the class dean's office for information about requirements.
Environment-Specific Programs
In addition to more general study-abroad options, students may choose to study away from Smith with one of the following approved environmental programs, all of which have a positive track record with Smith alumnae.
International Programs
- Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
- DIS in Copenhagen
- Frontiers Abroad: New Zealand Earth Systems, Geology of New Zealand
- Organization for Tropical Studies
- School for Field Studies
- School for International Training
Programs in the United States
- Duke University School for the Environment
- SEA Semester (Sea Education Association)
- Williams-Mystic The Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport
January Interterm Programs
Several programs offer courses during the interterm session, but these can only be taken for credit with consultation with an ES&P adviser.
Students interested in any other programs should consult with their ES&P adviser.
Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey Prize
The Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey Prize is awarded for innovative and collaborative approaches to solving environmental and sustainability problems.
This prize will be awarded to the group of students completing the best final project for the capstone course of the Environmental Science and Policy major (ENV 312); both fall and spring semester projects will be judged. Awards will be based on the innovative approach of the project, synthesis of natural and social science perspectives, professionalism of the final product (both written and public presentation), success of the student collaboration and the project’s potential impact for change.
Past Awards
2022
Project title: Decarbonizing the Massachusetts Teachers Association and Strategizing for Carbon-Free Schools
Students: Jessica Brown '23, Maeve Morrow '23J, and Allison Wray '23
Project title: Building Community through Environmental Stewardship: A New Perspective on "Productive" Conservation
Students: Krystal Bagnaschi '22, Rosa D'Ambrosio '22, and Denisse Manzo-Gonzalez '22
2021
Project title: Why Did the Salamander Cross the Road? Improving the Amherst Amphibian Tunnels Through Community Engagement and Physical Infrastructure
Students: Asli Ali '22J, Julianne Borger '22J, Rose Callanan '22, and Sadie Wiese '22J
Project title: Party in the USA (Waste): Evaluating Waste Hauling within an Oligopoly in Amherst, MA
Students: Sydney Abraham '21, Madison Biasin '21, Ella Carlson '21, and Taylor Ditmar '22
Meet ES&P Majors
Contact
Center for the Environment,
Wright Hall 005
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
Fax: 413-585-3333
Email: jbenkley@smith.edu
Program Chair: Leslie King
Assistant Director: Joanne Benkley
Individual appointments can be arranged directly with the faculty.