Environmental Studies

Studying Environmental Studies at Kenyon

Guided by faculty with expertise in such wide-ranging fields as climate change, wetlands preservation, macroecology and microbiology, students study the complex systems that lie at the heart of humans’ interaction with the natural world. The landscape surrounding Kenyon provides a unique living laboratory, giving students the opportunity to conduct field research in the riparian habitats of the Kokosing River and the pastures, prairies, wetlands and woodlands of the Kenyon Farm, Kokosing Nature Preserve and the 500-acre Brown Family Environmental Center.

Featured Courses

Solar Power Systems

How can humanity harness the power of the sun to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels? In this electrifying course, you’ll study the physics of energy before putting knowledge into practice by designing, installing and flipping the switch on a functioning photovoltaic system on Kenyon’s campus.

More about ENVS 104

The Science of Climate Change

Climate change is the defining environmental issue for our time, permeating conversations about economics, human rights and international relations. In order to engage in these conversations, it is critical to have a solid understanding of Earth’s climate system and how humans are altering it.

More about ENVS 341

Sustainable Agriculture

Study the complex systems that seek to balance feeding a growing population, preserving natural resources, and sustaining farms financially. Partnerships with local farmers provide weekly, hands-on experience in the fundamentals of running an organic farm while class readings and discussions provide a framework for integrating fieldwork experiences with the science of sustainable agriculture.

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Disease Ecology

Hosts, pathogens and vectors are parts of complex ecosystems. Employing case studies, problem-based learning and discussions focused on the global aspects of disease, this course examines the effects of disease on ecosystems (including humans) and explores the ecological and evolutionary processes that drive disease dynamics.

More about ENVS 342

Reading the Ohio Landscape

Equipped with yellow field notebooks, students spent a semester connecting scientific concepts with personal narratives to tell the story of a place near Kenyon's campus in this special topics course. Here are a few of their observations.

"I observed a little rock beach at a bend in the Kokosing River, just ten feet from a steep cliff. When it comes to bending rivers and meandering streams, there are two forces at work: erosion and deposition. The river is removing earth, but it is also depositing earth. As erosion and deposition continue, the bends in the river becomes more defined." - Lucy Gibbs '23

"I picked this site in September because I loved the soft stream and the old bridge, but mostly because it was a place I could sit not on the ground near my dorm. I took field notes on a wide variety of topics this month, but I feel like what I learned most was how to look closely and respectfully at nature." - Caroline Schmale '24

"As I approached the bridge crossing Wolf Run, I knew I wanted to return to the spot. I felt this perfect isolation where I couldn't hear any anthropomorphic sounds, only the sound of the trees swaying, the crickets chirping, and the river flowing." - Liz Navratil '24

"A particular element caught my eye during exploration of the environment. Radiant orange fungi aggregate around the trunk of a tree, spanning from the roots to the upper bark of the trunk. It is gathered in layers with golden undersides that are flat with wavy edges. Its striking visual element inspired my interest in the growth. Known as Laetiporus sulphureus, it is a type of mushroom that is common in North American hardwood forests." - Olivia Wieland '24

Lake Ecosystem Restoration

In her "Applied Environmental Analysis" course, Eva Brazer '21 of San Francisco proposed a policy to improve the ecosystem of California's Mono Lake, which has been severely damaged due to excessive diversions of water to Los Angeles. Here is a model from her research.