Department: Earth Systems

Contacts

Office: Yang and Yamazaki Environment and Energy (Y2E2) Building, Room 131
Mail Code: 94305-4215
Phone: (650) 725-3183
Email: deana@stanford.edu
Web Site: https://earth.stanford.edu/esys

Courses offered by the Earth Systems Program are listed under the subject code EARTHSYS on the Stanford Bulletin's Explore Courses web site.

Mission of the Undergraduate Program in Earth Systems

The Earth Systems Program is an interdisciplinary environmental science major. Students learn about and independently investigate complex environmental problems caused by human activities in conjunction with natural changes in the Earth system. Earth Systems majors become skilled in those areas of science, economics, and policy needed to tackle the world's most pressing social-environmental problems, becoming part of a generation of scientists, professionals, and citizens who approach and solve problems in a systematic, interdisciplinary way.

For students to be effective contributors to solutions for such problems, their training and understanding must be both broad and deep. To this end, Earth Systems students take fundamental courses in ecology, calculus, chemistry, geology, and physics, as well as economics, policy, and statistics. After completing breadth training, they concentrate on advanced work in one of six focus areas: biology, energy, environmental economics and policy, land systems, sustainable food and agriculture, or oceanography and climate. Tracks are designed to support focus and rigor but include flexibility for specialization. Examples of specialized foci have included but are not limited to environment and human health, sustainable agriculture, energy economics, sustainable development, business and the environment, and marine policy. Along with formal course requirements, Earth Systems students complete a 1-unit (270-hour) internship. The internship provides a hands-on academic experience working on a supervised field, laboratory, government, or private sector project.

The Earth Systems Program provides an advising network that includes faculty, staff, and student peer advisers. 

Faculty

Director: Karen Casciotti

Deputy Director: Richard Nevle

Associate Director: Deana Fabbro-Johnston

Director of Graduate Studies: Karen Casciotti

Director of Undergraduate Studies: Richard Nevle

Affiliated Faculty and Lecturers: Michelle Anderson (Law), Patrick Archie (Earth Systems, Earth System Science), Nicole Ardoin (School of Education, Woods Institute for the Environment), Kevin Arrigo (Earth System Science), Gregory Asner (Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution), Greg Beroza (Geophysics), Barbara Block (Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Woods Institute for the Environment), Alexandria Boehm (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Gordon Brown (Geological Sciences, emeritus), Marshall Burke (Earth System Science), Ken Caldeira (Earth System Science), Liz Carlisle (Earth Systems), Karen Casciotti (Earth System Science), Page Chamberlain (Geological Sciences), Larry Crowder (Biology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Danny Cullenward (Earth Systems), Lisa Curran (Anthropology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Gretchen Daily (Biology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Jenna Davis (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Woods Institute for the Environment), Anne Dekas (Earth System Science), Mark Denny (Biology, Hopkins Marine Station), Noah Diffenbaugh (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Rodolfo Dirzo (Biology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Robert Dunbar (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Debra Dunn (Earth Systems, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design), William Durham (Anthropology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Louis Durlofsky (Energy Resources Engineering), Stefano Ermon (Computer Science), Gary Ernst (Geological Sciences, emeritus), Walter Falcon (Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, emeritus, Woods Institute for the Environment), Scott Fendorf (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment, Precourt Institute for Energy), Christopher Field (Woods Institute for the Environment), Christopher Francis (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Zephyr Frank (History, Woods Institute for the Environment), David Freyberg (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Woods Institute for the Environment), Tad Fukami (Biology), Margot Gerritsen (Energy Resources Engineering), Elizabeth Hadly (Biology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Thomas Hayden (Earth Systems), George Hilley (Geological Sciences), Suki Hoagland (Earth Systems), Robert Jackson (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Michael Kahan (Urban Studies), David Kennedy (History, emeritus, Woods Institute for the Environment), Alexandra Konings (Earth System Science), Karl Knapp (Atmosphere and Energy Operations), Rosemary Knight (Geophysics, Woods Institute for the Environment), Jeffrey Koseff (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Anthony Kovscek (Energy Resources Engineering), Eric Lambin (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Jim Leape (Center for Ocean Solutions), David Lobell (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Evan Lyons (Earth System Science), Gilbert Masters (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Pamela Matson (Earth System Science, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Woods Institute for the Environment), Anna Michalak (Earth System Science), Fiorenza Micheli (Hopkins Marine Station, Center for Ocean Solutions), Stephen Monismith (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Woods Institute for the Environment), Harold Mooney (Biology, emeritus, Woods Institute for the Environment), Rosamond Naylor (Earth System Science, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Woods Institute for the Environment), Richard Nevle (Earth Systems), Julia Novy-Hildesley (Sustainability Science and Practice), Stephen Palumbi (Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Woods Institute for the Environment), Jonathan Payne (Geological Sciences), Kabir Peay (Biology), Emily Polk (Program in Writing and Rhetoric), Thomas Robinson (Medicine), Matt Rothe (Earth Systems, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Graduate School of Business), Jennifer Saltzman (Geological Sciences), Dustin Schroeder (Geophysics), Paul Segall (Geophysics), Deborah Sivas (Law), George Somero (Biology, Hopkins Marine Station), Jenny Suckale (Geophysics), James Sweeney (Management Science and Engineering, Woods Institute for the Environment), Leif Thomas (Earth System Science), Barton Thompson, Junior (Law, Woods Institute for the Environment), Tiziana Vanorio (Geophysics), Peter Vitousek (Biology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Virginia Walbot (Biology), Paula Welander (Earth System Science), Cindy Wilber (Jasper Ridge), Michael Wilcox (Anthropology), Mikael Wolfe (History), Jane Woodward (Atmosphere and Energy Operations), Mark Zoback (Geophysics).