State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
EN-12: Continuing Education

Figures reported above include those listed in this narrative box and the six required courses for the sustainability-focused certificate programs reported in Part 2 of this credit:

- Summer courses: 25
- Courses required for certificates: 6


Summer 2022 Session
SUNY ESF offers online, on-campus, and field-based courses each summer. These continuing education courses are open to ESF students, visiting college/university students, K-12 educators, professionals, and lifelong learners.

Sustainability-Focused Courses

EFB 496 - Field Ornithology (Special Topics in Environmental Biology)
One to three hours of classroom work and 4-8 hours of field work and discussion each day for two weeks. This course focuses on world-wide bird taxonomy, and the taxonomy, diversity, identification (by both sight and sound), natural history, ecology, and conservation of birds in the Central New York region.

EFB 496 - Tropical Conservation Biology (Special Topics in Environmental Biology)
As an introduction to the discipline of conservation biology, the course seeks to demonstrate how basic biological science can be integrated with social, economic and political perspectives to achieve the goals of biological conservation. Several core themes that will be covered in a series of video lectures, online discussions and readings, including: biodiversity - distribution, value and measurement; global threats to biodiversity; philosophy, tools and applications; and tropical conservation problems and solutions

EFB 696 - Tropical Conservation Biology (Special Topics in Environmental Biology)
As an introduction to the discipline of conservation biology, this graduate-level course seeks to demonstrate how basic biological science can be integrated with social, economic and political perspectives to achieve the goals of biological conservation. Several core themes that will be covered in a series of video lectures, online discussions and readings, including: biodiversity - distribution, value and measurement; global threats to biodiversity; philosophy, tools and applications; and tropical conservation problems and solutions

EST 245 - Foundations of Environmental Communications
Survey of environmental communication, including nature representations in popular culture, and the role of mass media on public perceptions of environmental issues. Topics also include strategic communication, public participation in environmental decision-making, and environmental risk perception. Exposure to communication theory and social scientific and humanities-based approaches.

EST 496 - Tourism, Recreation and the Environment (Special Topics in Environmental Studies)
Interdisciplinary approach to the critical study of tourism and recreation in the context of social and environmental issues. Provides basic theoretical foundations for tourism studies and considers both historical and contemporary issues and the ways in which these issues influence our understandings of, and interactions with, the environment.

EST 496 - Interpreting Field Biology (Special Topics in Environmental Studies)
This two-week residential course at the Newcomb Campus introduces Adirondack flora and fauna in a regional context as the foundation for learning and practicing an array of interpretive skills and methods, including trail walks, exhibits, visual materials and presentations. The application of professional interpretive techniques and the inclusion of field natural history in science education are highlights.

SUS 365 - Sustainability Behavior and Change
This course presents an introduction to concepts from several disciplines of psychology (e.g. environmental, conservation, communication, education, sustainability), as well as theories of behavior change (e.g. Value-belief norm model, Reasonable person model) and outreach techniques from environmental education.

SUS 496 - Introduction to Sustainability (Special Topics in Sustainability Management)
This course is a blend of sustainability and environmental science. This course covers the history of planet earth and life on Earth, with a focus on human cultures. Topics include human resource use and management, including energy, water, mineral, land, soil, food, plants and animals. Additionally, the course will explore environmental degradation and solutions for dealing with pollution and waste. This course will also cover a history of sustainability movement and various measures of sustainability.


Other Summer Courses

APM 104 - College Algebra and Precalculus
Elements of analytic geometry. Emphasis on the concepts of polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometry and trigonometric functions and their application to design and life and management sciences.

APM 105 - Survey of Calculus and Its Applications 1
Introduction to calculus for students in the life and management sciences. Elements of analytic geometry, functions and their graphs, with an emphasis on the concepts of limits, and differentiation techniques for algebraic, exponential and logarithmic functions and their application to economics, and the life and management sciences. Some multivariable calculus including constrained optimization

APM 391 - Introduction to Probability and Statistics
Introduction to concepts and methods of statistics as applied to problems in environmental science and forestry. Topics include inference (confidence intervals and hypothesis testing), sampling distributions, descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis, comparison of population means and proportions, categorical data analysis, regression and correlation, and nonparametric methods

EFB 307 - Principles of Genetics
A general course covering concepts of genetics and evolution basic to upper-division biology and biochemistry courses. Includes the inheritance and analysis of Mendelian and quantitative traits, the chemical nature of the gene and its action, genetic engineering, the genetic structure of populations and their evolution. Numerical methods for characterizing and analyzing genetic data are introduced

EFB 480 - Principles of Animal Behavior
Basic principles of animal behavior and the scientific process. Proximate and ultimate mechanisms controlling the behavior of animals including humans, with an emphasis on evolution

EFB 496 - Wetland Monitoring and Assessment (Topics in Environmental and Forest Biology)
Classroom (25%) paired with extensive field experiences (75%) in wetland monitoring and assessment. The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge and techniques used by practitioners and researchers to monitor and assess wetland plant and animal communities. Includes a final project presentation, technical paper, and popular article. An additional course fee of $40 applies for transportation to and from field locations. Students will have a check-in assignment in Blackboard on July 5th and the core portion of the course will run from August 1st - August 12th. Prerequisites: None. Textbook: None.

EFB 496 - Flora of Central New York (Special Topics in Environmental Biology)
Field identification and ecology of spring flowering vascular plants, woody plants, ferns and fern allies. We will visit several high quality natural areas in Onondaga County and nearby counties. A class session may be devoted to the identification of graminoids and other challenging plant groups. Field trips often involve extended hikes over rough terrain. Prior completion of a course that included plant identification is strongly recommended. Students will need to provide their own transportation to and from the field sites. Field sites will include Oakwood Cemetery, Skytop, Clark Reservation, Whiskey Hollow and Beaver Lake, Hoxie Gorge, Rand Tract, Chaumont Barrens, Rome Sand Plains, Lime Hollow, Labrador Hollow and possibly Chaumont, depending on student interest.

EFB 496 - Principles of Evolution (Special Topics in Environmental Biology)
An introduction to the fundamental processes driving evolution (Genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, sexual selection, and natural selection), the evolution of life-histories, trade-offs, and phenotypic plasticity. Macroevolutionary concepts covered include speciation, extinction, co-evolution, and the reconstruction of phylogenies

EFB 496 - Grow What You Eat (Special Topics in Environmental Biology)
Over the course of the summer semester I will introduce you to the science - and art - of growing food for yourself and others. Through a combination of online video "lectures," synchronous online in-class problem-solving activities and discussions, assigned readings, at home laboratory exercises, virtual field trips to local farms and the development of a crop production plan, my goal is to help you develop the foundational knowledge and skills needed to successfully propagate, grow, harvest and store a core group of herbs, vegetables, grains and fruits under a wide range of environmental conditions.

ESF 300 - Introduction to Geospatial Information Technologies
A theoretical and practical course providing an introduction to the uses and limitations of geospatial information technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS) and remote sensing, for environmental science and natural resources management applications.

EST 201 - American History: Reconstruction to the Present
History of changes occurring in America post 1865 including land use, government, economic and international relations.

EST 202 - American History: From Discovery to Civil War
A survey of American history considering the origin and development of American institutions and ideals, from the discovery of the New World through the Civil War. Students are introduced to works of major historians and to various interpretations of American history.

EWP 220 - Public Presentation Skills
Development of skills and fluency needed by environmental professionals in preparing, delivering and evaluating effectiveness of expository and persuasive oral presentations. Communication theory, rhetorical analysis, and visualizations of complex and technical data, self and peer evaluation, listening skills.

EWP 290 - Research Writing and Humanities
Intended for students who have had an introductory writing course. Students will examine the views of nature and the environment as they are expressed by selected writers, poets, and essayists. Frequent informal and formal writing assignments, research and documentation, and an oral presentation are required. With an emphasis on critical writing, critical thinking, and critical reading, students will learn the literacy expectations of their disciplines. Prerequisites: EWP 190 or equivalent.

FOR 207 - Introduction to Economics
Coverage of basic theory in microeconomics and macroeconomics. Application of theory and economic models to problems at the firm and national policy levels. Exploration of topics in money and banking, globalization and economic development.

FOR 296 - Environmental Physics (Special Topics in Forestry Resources Management)
Introduction to basic principles of physics using examples from the natural environment and coupled human-natural systems.

SUS 496 - Ecology (Special Topics in Sustainability Management)
Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms. During this course we will gain an introductory understanding of many kinds of interactions, both biotic and abiotic, that regulate ecological population size and community structure. We will examine how organisms respond to their physical environment, interact with each other in populations and communities across the landscape, and affect the movement of energy and nutrients through terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

ESF offers four sustainability focused graduate certificates. Two programs: Environmental Leadership, and Science & Environmental Communication & Public Relations Management are available fully online and is designed for working professionals and matriculated ESF and Syracuse University graduate students.

Students earn the Environmental Leadership certificate by completing three courses:

- EST 640: Environmental Thought and Ethics
- EST 612: Environmental Policy and Governance
- EST 635: Public Participation and Decision Making

Students in the program will develop leadership skills in the following areas:

- Advocating for a values-driven, sustainable culture
- Staying current with ever-changing, but absolutely critical local, regional, national, and international policies
- Facilitating productive decision-making even in challenging situations
- Selecting appropriate tools, methods, and approaches to address society's most challenging environmental problems
- Identifying team members and facilitating collaborative problem-solving
- Communicating and problem-solving across cultural, organizational, and political boundaries

Environmental Leadership Certificate Program: https://www.esf.edu/academics/certificates/environmental-leadership.php


Students earn the Science and Environmental Communication and Public Relations Management Certificate by completing three courses:

- EST 555: Public Relations for Environmental Managers
- EST 606: Public Perception & Communication of Risk, Science, and Environment
- EST 608: Environmental Advocacy Campaigns & Conflict Resolution

Students in the program will develop leadership skills in the following areas:

- Evaluate factors influencing public perception of science and environment
- Assess the target audience(s) for specific public relations, communications, advocacy, and engagement efforts
- Design research-based public relations programs, including crafting messages and selecting communication channels appropriate to the target audience(s)
- Evaluate communication and advocacy campaigns
- Foster effective communication and dialogue in environmental decision-making
- Analyze how stakeholders engage in conflict situations and select appropriate methods for addressing those conflicts

Science and Environmental Communication and Public Relations Management Certificate Program: https://www.esf.edu/envstudies/index.php

There are other sustainability-focused graduate certificates offered at ESF, but these are primarily geared toward matriculated ESF and Syracuse University graduate students as they are offered during the academic year and include on-campus courses. These programs are:

- Environmental Decision Making: https://www.esf.edu/academics/certificates/environmental-decision-making.php
- Certificate of Advanced Study in Sustainable Enterprise (CASSSE) - In cooperation with Syracuse University: https://www.esf.edu/academics/certificates/sustainable-enterprise-certificate.php