Education
Environmental Sciences Graduate Program
The Environmental Institute is also administratively responsible
for the Environmental Science Graduate Program at OSU. This program
provides graduate students with an opportunity to conduct master's
(M.S.) or doctoral (Ph.D.) level research that is multidisciplinary
in nature. The program capitalizes on the strengths of the Environmental
Institute; water resources, renewable natural resources, environmental
education, environmental policy and conflict management, and energy,
and can be designed to fit an individual's needs. Increasingly,
employers are recognizing the relationships between long-term
economic vitality, resource availability, and ecological integrity.
Current economic development is being directed toward the concepts
of sustainable development and total ecosystem management. This
has resulted in a job market that exhibits an enlightened view
of the necessity for those with skills in environmental science.
The program now has more than 85 students in affiliation with
30 departments here at OSU.
Presidential Fellowships for Water,
Energy, and the Environment
The Environmental Institute also
funds the Presidential Fellowships for Water, Energy and Environment.
This program encourages nationally competitive graduate students
to pursue advanced degrees in various disciplines at Oklahoma
State University. In 1998, the Fellowship program supported eight
students in six different disciplines. The students' interests
ranged from environmental science, agronomy, and biosystems, to
chemistry and chemical engineering. Fellowship recipients have
made, and continue to make, important contributions to the literature
and knowledge base of environmental research.
Information Transfer
The Environmental Institute is
involved in a number of other information transfer activities
that promote and enhance environmental research efforts. The Institute
newsletter, Prism, provides a mechanism for communicating
the activities of researchers at OSU, current events in environmental
research, and items of interest to those involved with environmental
issues. Additionally, the Environmental Institute publishes a
listing of Technical Reports and Publications resulting
from sponsored research.
The Environmental Institute uses conferences and meetings as another
means of coordinating research efforts and transferring information.
The Institute is also active in a number of state and national
organizations including the InterAmerican Dialogue on Water Management,
the Interstate Council on Water Policy, the Oklahoma Interagency
Water Quality Committee, and the Governor's Council on Environmental
Quality.
The Institute also functions as a contact in Oklahoma for current
research information. Through continued communication with state
and federal agency administrators, legislators, and scientists
in academia and the private sector, the Environmental Institute
disseminates information essential to sound environmental management.