Within our expansive department, our faculty naturally form three intellectual clusterings that are formally recognized as Academic Divisions. Faculty and graduate students within these Divisions largely share similar disciplinary training and scientific methods. Academic Divisions also sponsor various educational, outreach, and research activities within the Department context.
Ecosystem Sciences
The Division of Ecosystem Sciences examines the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems including agricultural lands, forests, and rangelands, as well as their interactions with soil, air, water, and organisms (microbes, plants, invertebrates, wildlife, livestock). We investigate the role of human activity in ecosystems and the problems humans create, including atmospheric changes and ecological diversity.
Organisms & Environment
The Division of Organisms & Environment focuses on relationships among organisms, populations and the environment within the contexts of genetic, physiological, behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary processes. We address environmental challenges relating to sustainability, loss of biodiversity, invasion of organisms and the emergence of disease, and the maintenance of natural and cultivated ecosystems.
Society & Environment
The Division of Society & Environment brings perspectives from the social sciences, humanities, and environmental sciences to our teaching, research, and extension in the field of natural resources and the environment. Faculty and students explore how natural resources and the environment influence and are influenced by social, cultural, and politico-economic institutions and processes.