Welcome

The Division of Science & Environmental Policy (SEP) is the administrative home for an array of academic degree programs, research laboratories, and community outreach programs.

All SEP programs provide outstanding opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students to learn how to use interdisciplinary science and technology to serve community needs.

SEP places a heavy emphasis on preparing students for rewarding careers and/or more advanced academic study in fields related to environmental resource assessment, management, and policy.

Faculty clusters provide particular strengths in marine and terrestrial biology/ecology, watershed science & hydrology, environmental science education, and advanced technologies for geospatial data collection, analysis, and visualization.

For more information on SEP's many programs, please follow the links at left or contact the SEP Office.

Field Notes ~ November 2008

Students from the Geomorphic Systems class (GEOL 360) have now installed nearly 20 benchmarked cross sections across the Big Sur River and Arroyo Seco. Their reports, quantifying present channel geometry and stream bottom characteristics will form the baseline data required to evaluate the potentially catastrophic changes anticipated from the post-fire winter rains of 2008-09. These surveys, including hundreds of photo-monitoring shots, will help us understand how rapidly impacts occur, and how many years they linger. Our periodic resurveys and reports may help residents plan for flooding events. These data will be used in capstones and in at least one Masters thesis.