The Ohio State University has a new certification opportunity revolving around the fundamentals of climate change. Matthew Saltzman, Earth Sciences, and Bryan Mark, Geography, created the Climate Change Fundamentals Certificate (CCF) to offer undergraduate students of all majors and backgrounds the chance to study the environment and implications of climate change.
“The certificate is jointly administered by the School of Earth Sciences and the Department of Geography,” they say, and “CCF is open to students of all majors, who have space in their curriculum to add two additional courses (or more) to their major/minors, and want to gain some interdisciplinary appreciation for the scientific basis of climate change as well as the social implications and practical ways to address problems.”
Their primary motivation for developing the certificate was to allow students a pathway to connect with faculty and staff and learn more about climate change issues that threaten the globe. By enrolling in CCF, students will learn how to apply their knowledge to any career path they choose. As they say, “There really is no sector of our economy that is not impacted by climate change. Understanding how the issues are related and gaining practical experience in talking across differences towards common solutions are invaluable skills for the twenty first century job market.”
The certificate is the latest in a series of new academic programs that were initially supported with a Sustainability Education Grant through the Sustainability Education and Learning Committee (SELC), which is a faculty body facilitated by the Sustainability Institute.
Both Saltzman and Mark grew their interest in teaching about climate change and potential solutions in different ways. For Saltzman, he said that his interest in climate change began in his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, but “it was only at Ohio State through teaching an Earth History course that I became very interested in more recent climate change.” Developing new ways to engage more students on the topic became a primary goal for him through his instruction of interdisciplinary climate change classes at Ohio State. Saltzman is a professor in the School of Earth Sciences.
Mark’s story is a little bit different, as his interest took off during his undergraduate commencement week. Being a mountaineer, Mark said he “got more inspired at the reality of what we might be facing in coming years by hearing fellow Brown University alum and science writer Andrew Revkin talk about his (then) new book, “Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast.” His interests converged and led him to complete his graduate work in climatology, specifically studying tropical glacier geology. Mark is a professor in the Department of Geography and a principal investigator with the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center.
See the program page for more details about the Climate Change Fundamentals Certificate.
Story by Reily Jacobs Bell, student communications intern.
Story image used under license from ELUTAS, stock.adobe.com.