Study the environment 和可持续性 on the hilltop.
St. Edward's University provides sustainability-related research opportunities both on campus and abroad, many of which are partnerships between students and faculty. The university offers several sustainability-related degree programs and courses for both undergraduate or graduate students.
探索我们的学术课程
Learn ecology in the context of climate change while traveling to different ecosystems for field research.
Build knowledge of both chemistry and environmental science and learn the impact that chemical substances have on the earth’s ecosystems.
Delve into cultural and creative dimensions of ecology and environmental justice through methods and modes of analysis traditionally associated with the arts and humanities.
Through an interdisciplinary approach, develop a broad understanding of global environmental challenges to create solutions to these complex problems.
紧急时期的生态
Learn how the 环境生物学 and Climate Change major prepares students to tackle the world’s most pressing environmental problem.
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Explore Research, Internships and Experiential Learning
Research
Research plays an important role in helping our students reach their full academic potential. Our students have opportunities to conduct high-level research alongside faculty mentors in a variety of areas related to ecology, the environment, 和可持续性.
Here are a few of our students’ groundbreaking research projects:
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环境生物学 and Climate Change major Sam Mathieu '23 investigated savanna responses to climate change and multiple disturbances. In January 2023, she traveled with her research advisor, Dr. Kim O'Keefe, to Kruger National Park in South Africa to help collect data on a long-term experiment funded by the National Science Foundation. Her data will help researchers predict savanna functioning in an era of extreme environmental change.
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After studying urban sustainable design abroad for a semester in Copenhagen, Denmark, Nic Oden '23 returned to St. Edward's and applied those new skills to a senior 环境科学 and Policy research project studying walkability in South Austin. He assessed streets for walkability features and then created a map that City planners can use to identify areas that need improvement and that residents can use to more comfortably navigate the city on foot.
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环境科学 and Policy student Nyla Pete '23 spent 10 weeks in Costa Rica studying forests fragmented by agricultural expansion and calculating their ability to sequester carbon. Her research was funded under Dr. Peter Beck's NSF International Research Experiences for Students grant.
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Biology major Isabel Sanfeliz, 22岁 与博士合作. Kim O’Keefe, Dr. Darren Proppe, and a local engineer to develop a wireless environmental monitoring system. This system can be used to assess microclimate changes around campus, Wild Basin, and other field sites around the Austin area.
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环境生物学 and Climate Change students Annie Dale ’24 and Alecia Becker ‘25, along with 环境科学 and Policy student Margaux Orgoveza, 23岁 studied the impacts of drought on grasslands at Spicewood Ranch. Dale and Becker investigated the impacts of drought on photosynthetic traits in native and invasive grasses, while Orgoveza conducted a study to determine how restoration practices affect the resiliency of these systems for important ecological services such as pollination. This work was part of an on-going effort in the labs of Dr. Amy Concilio和Dr. Kim O’Keefe, who are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) i4 Research Opportunity Award.
Internships
Internships at St. Edward’s give our students a glimpse into their future careers through valuable hands-on training. These unique opportunities may also lead to networking and developing key relationships with business leaders in their field of choice. Our students have interned at such companies as USDA, the Nature Conservancy, NEON and many more.
Read more about the student internship experience.
Wild Basin Creative Research Center
The Wild Basin Creative Research Center is an innovative research station within a beautiful, 227-acre nature preserve in the Texas Hill Country. 由St. 365比分网电竞 and Travis County, Wild Basin serves as a living laboratory for experiential learning, and encourages research and creative projects in all disciplines, as well as interdisciplinary and cross-curriculum projects. Students from all majors and from a range of higher education institutions utilize the Creative Research Center and the Preserve to conduct studies in or learn about art, science, 政策与地方政府, education, business, 以及其他学科. Recent research projects include documenting spatial and temporal patterns of wildlife distribution, and quantifying the soundscapes of the preserve.
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Meet Our Faculty Across Disciplines
Faculty not only play an essential role in the classroom, but they also inspire students with their own sustainability research and endeavors. Our expert faculty teach a wide range of courses, from Environmental Controversies in Austin, 到尼日利亚生态学, 保护生物多样性.
Environmental and Sustainability Studies Faculty
Amy Concilio, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of 环境科学 & Policy
School of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Dr. Concilio is an environmental scientist with expertise in conservation and land management in the context of climate change and urbanization. She teaches courses in Natural Resource Conservation and Management, Climate Change, Texas Ecology, 及环境化学, coordinates the Environmental Management Certificate program within the 环境科学 & 政策(ENSP)专业, and serves as the board president for the Texas Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration.
Sasha West, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Creative Writing
艺术与人文学院
Dr. West is a poet and associate professor of creative writing. Her teaching specializations include eco-poetics, poetry, the hybrid genre, 创造力研究, and intersections between the visual and literary arts. She coordinates the 人文环境 minor.
Kim O'Keefe, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of 生物科学
自然科学学院
Dr. O’Keefe is a plant ecologist and assistant professor of biological sciences. She serves as the program director for the 环境生物学 and Climate Change program and teaches courses in ecology, 全球变化生物学, GIS, and plant ecology. She also mentors student field research around Austin, the Texas Hill Country, and South Africa.
Bill Quinn, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Computer Science
自然科学学院
Dr. Quinn is a forest ecologist who studies terrestrial ecosystems from a broad range of perspectives including primary production, 食草和觅食理论. He is currently engaged with the freshman biology curriculum at St. Edward’s.
芭芭拉·杜格尔比博士.D.
Executive Director and Faculty Associate
Wild Basin Creative Research Center
Dr. Dugelby is the Executive Director of the Wild Basin Creative Research Center. She also has a faculty associate position and teaches occasionally on campus. Her expertise, research, and teaching interests lie in the fields of conservation science, human ecology, 以及保护区管理.