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.
Geographic Information Science
We’ll survey various online applications and use them to produce informative maps, then explore the nature of GPS and data collection in the field. Learn how to use GIS software and how this powerful suite of tools can be used to analyze geographic data, model spatial processes and make informed decisions.
Permaculture and Homestead Winter Farming
Our world faces a future of food insecurity and must be brought into balance with nature. This interdisciplinary course explores principles of permaculture that link biology, ecology, sociology, sustainability and community to farming. Get your hands dirty by assisting with planting and harvesting on the Kenyon Farm.
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.
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.
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.
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio 43022