U N I V E R S I T Y OF
1119
MARYLAND
Main Administration Building
College Park. M a r y l a n d 2 0 7 4 2 - 5 0 3 !
301.405.5252 TEL 301.405.8195 FAX
OFFICE OF THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND PROVOST
March 31, 2014
MEMORANDUM
TO:
John Townshend
Dean, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
FROM:
Elizabeth Beise 0
5
Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Programs
SUBJECT:
Proposal to Establish a Minor in Remote Sensing of Environmental Change (PCC
Log no. 13042)
At its meeting on March 7, 2014, the Senate Committee on Programs, Curricula, and
Courses approved your proposal to establish a Minor in Remote Sensing of Environmental
Change. A copy of the approved proposal is attached.
The change is effective Fall 2014. Please ensure that the change is fully described in the
Undergraduate Catalog and in all relevant descriptive materials, and that all advisors are
informed.
MDC/
Enclosure
cc:
Marilee Lindemann, Chair, Senate PCC Committee
Barbara Gill, Office of Student Financial Aid
Reka Montfort, University Senate
Erin Howard, Division of Information Technology
Pam Phillips, Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment
Aime Turkos, University Archives
Linda Yokoi, Office of the Registrar
Doug Roberts, Undergraduate Studies
Katherine Russell, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Christopher Justice, Department of Geographical Sciences
T H E UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, C O L L E G E P A R K
PROGRAM/CURRICULUM/UNIT PROPOSAL
•
Please email the rest of the proposal as an MSWord attachment
to pcc-submissions@umd.edu.
•
PCC LOG NO.
Please submit the signed form to the Office of the Associate Provost
for Academic Planning and Programs, 1119 Main Administration Building, Campus.
College/School: B S C S
Please also add College/School Unit Code-First 8 digits: 01202800
Department/P rogram:
Please also add Department/Program Unit Code-Last 7 digits:
1281501
Type of Action (choose one):
• Curriculum change (including informal specializations)
• New Professional Studies award iteration
• Curriculum change for an LEP Program
X New Minor
• Request to create an online version of an existing
program
Summary of Proposed Action:
The Geographical Sciences Department proposes a new undergraduate minor in Remote Sensing of Environmental
Change as part of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS). Remote Sensing and Environmental Change are
becoming more common in this time of global environmental change and it is essential that today's students be equipped
with the knowledge and skills to be leaders in understanding the upheaval that these extreme environmental events are
causing. The Remote Sensing of Environmental Change minor program is designed to build students' understanding of
Remote Sensing and Environmental Change in order to assess their impacts on the physical and human landscapes, and
to use remote sensing as an analytical tool for identifying the impacts. Students in the minor program will receive
technical training in remote sensing to examine how Remote Sensing and Environmental Change shapes human society
and ecosystems from the interdisciplinary perspective afforded by the field of Geography. The minor will provide
students with the necessary knowledge and skills to apply the latest geographic science concepts and techniques in
exploring, planning for, and responding to environmental events. These skills are in great demand in fields such as public
policy, sustainable development, disaster preparedness, mitigation, and adaption, in the private, nonprofit, and
governmental sectors.
Departmental/Unit Contact Person for Prpposal: ''/^t'yvi/>-C 0
APPROVAL SIGNATURES 1. Department Committee Chai
2. Department Chair
\
3. College/School PCC 9:hair
4. Dean
5. Dean of the Graduate School (if required)
6. Chair, Senate PCC
7. University Senate Chair (if required)
8. Senior Vice President and Provost
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES
M I N O R IN R E M O T E S E N S I N G O F E N V I R O N M E N T A L C H A N G E
Mission:
The Geographical Sciences Department proposes a new undergraduate minor i n Remote
Sensing of Environmental Change as part of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
(BSOS). Remote Sensing of Environmental Change is becoming more common i n this time of
global environmental change and i t is essential that today's students be equipped w i t h the
knowledge and skills to be leaders i n understanding the upheaval that extreme environmental
events are causing. The Remote Sensing of Environmental Change minor is designed to b u i l d
student's understanding of Remote Sensing and Environmental Change i n order to assess the
impact of extreme environmental events and changes on the physical and h u m a n landscapes,
and to use remote sensing as an analytical tool. Students i n the minor program w i l l be offered
technical training i n remote sensing to examine how Remote Sensing and Environmental
Change shapes h u m a n society and ecosystems f r o m the interdisciplinary perspective afforded
by the field of Geography. The Remote Sensing of Environmental Change M i n o r Program is
designed to equip students w h o are i n interested w o r k i n g for USAID, USD A , FEMA, N A S A ,
USGS, EPA, and other governmental and non-governmental agencies, w i t h a competitive edge
through the minor's coursework. Students are encouraged to seek internship experiences w i t h
relevant agencies to gain practical experience. These skills are i n great demand i n fields such
as public policy, sustainable development, disaster preparedness, mitigation, and adaption, i n
the private, nonprofit, and governmental sectors.
Learning Outcomes:
U p o n the completion of the Remote Sensing of Environmental Change Minor:
• Students w i l l demonstrate the ability to use remotely sensed imagery to examine h o w
the Remote Sensing of Environmental Change shapes h u m a n society and ecosystems.
• Students w i l l demonstrate awareness and understanding of multi-scale Remote Sensing
of Environmental Change resulting f r o m social and environmental processes.
• Students w i l l demonstrate an awareness of the h u m a n and physical dimensions of the
upheaval that Environmental Changes are causing.
•
•
Students w i l l have a concrete global perspective on h u m a n and environmental systems.
Students w i l l be able to communicate cross-culturally because the language of satellite
imagery is global.
•
Students w i l l have the ability to analyze the effects of processes and interactions across
borders, and study h o w groups and institutions w i t h i n societies shape those processes
and interactions.
•
Students w i l l demonstrate their understanding of w h a t i t means to be a globally
engaged citizen.
The Curriculum:
Students are required to take the f o l l o w i n g required courses (18 credits):
Foundation Geography Course (3 credits)
G E O G 140 Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, Floods, and Fires
•
(3 credits). Students w i l l examine h o w CEEs shape h u m a n society and ecosystem f r o m the
interdisciplinary perspective afforded by the field of Geography. Students w i l l use the latest
geographic science concepts and techniques i n exploring these events. Using satellite
imagery, they w i l l gain a multi-scale perspective of the ecological and societal aspects of the
events.
Or
GEOG170 Introduction to Methods of Geospatial Intelligence and Analysis
• Introduction to technical methods used i n gathering, analyzing, and presenting
geospatial information, addressing the needs of geospatial analysis, such as
environmental monitoring, situational awareness, disaster management, and h u m a n
systems. Topics include basics of locational reference systems, map projections, satellite
and airborne remote sensing, global positioning systems, geographic information
systems, cartography, and introductory statistics and probability. The course is a
gateway to more advanced technical classes i n geoinformatics.
Technical Geography Courses (6 credits)
• G E O G 372 Introduction to Remote Sensing (3 credits). Principles of remote sensing i n relation
to photographic, thermal infrared and radar imaging. Methods of obtaining quantitative
information f r o m remotely-sensed images. Interpretation of remotely-sensed images
emphasizing the study of spatial and environmental relationships.
•
G E O G 472 Advanced Remote Sensing (3 credits). Prerequisite: GEOG372 or GEOG306.
Digital image processing and analysis applied to satellite and aircraft land remote sensing
data. Consideration is given to preprocessing steps including calibration and geo
registration. Analysis methods include digital image exploration, feature extraction thematic
classification, change detection, and biophysical characterization. One or more application
examples may be reviewed.
Physical Geography (3 credits)
• G E O G 340 Geomorphology (3 credits). Survey of landform types and role of processes i n
their generation. Frequency of occurrence and implications for land utilization. Emphasis on
coastal, fluvial, and glacial landforms i n different environmental settings. L a n d f o r m regions
of M a r y l a n d .
•
G E O G 342 Introduction to Biogeography (3 credits). Prerequisite: GEOG201. The principles
of biogeography, including the patterns, processes and distributions of l i v i n g organisms
f r o m local to global scales, aspects of eco-physiology, population and c o m m u n i t y ecology
and evolutionary biology. Spatial processes i n the biosphere w i l l be covered.
•
G E O G 345 Introduction to Climatology (3 credits). The geographic aspects of climate w i t h
emphasis o n energy-moisture budgets, steady-state and n o n steady-state climatology, and
climatic variations at both macro-and micro-scales.
•
G E O G 398F Desertification: Science and Myth (3 credits).
H u m a n Dimensions of Global Change course (3 credits)
•
G E O G 313 Latin America (3 credits). A geography o f Latin America and the Caribbean i n the
contemporary w o r l d : political and cultural regions, population and resource distribution,
historical development, current levels o f economic and social well-being, urbanization,
development policies, migration trends, physical features and climates.
•
G E O G 3328B Regional Geography: China (3 credits).
•
G E O G 3328C Regional Geography: Sub-Saharan Africa (3 credits).
•
G E O G 330: Society and Sustainability (3 credits). Cultural geography course on society and
sustainability. Culture is the basic b u i l d i n g block that is key to sustainability of societies.
Course w i l l cover sustainability of societies on different scales, examining local, regional.
and w o r l d w i d e issues. Sustainability w i l l be examined as a key element of environmental
sustainability. H o w societies adjust to rapid w o r l d change w i l l be examined as a positive
and/or negative factor i n sustainability.
•
G E O G 331: Introduction to Human Dimensions of Global Change (3 credits). Introduction to
global-scale interrelationship between human beings and the environment. The
development of global issues i n c l u d i n g but not l i m i t e d to the environment, food, energy,
technology, population, and policy.
•
G E O G 332: Economic Geography (3 credits). Principles of managing scarce resources i n a
w o r l d where everyone faces tradeoffs across both time and space. Focuses on the
relationship between globalization processes and changing patterns of locational
advantages, production, trade, population, socioeconomic and environmental grace and
sustainability.
Advanced Integrated Geography course (3 credits)
• G E O G 415: Land Use, Climate Change, and Sustainability (3 credits). The issues of climate
change and land use change as t w o interlinked global and regional environmental issues
and their imphcations for society and resource use are explored.
•
G E O G 416: Modeling Human-Environment Interactions (3 credits). Develops skills to carry
out research that integrates environmental and economic aspects of sustainability by
introducing extensively used quantitative tools for analyzing human-environment
interaction i n the field of ecological economics. These include, e.g., index number
calculations and decomposition analysis. Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC),
environmental input-output analysis and life-cycle analysis, and multi-criteria decisions aid.
•
G E O G 431: Culture and Natural Resource Management (3 credits). Basic issues concerning
the natural history of humans f r o m the perspective of the geographer. Basic components of
selected behavioral and natural systems, their evolution and adaptation, and survival
strategies.
•
G E O G 441: Coastal Ocean (3 credits). Introduction to coastal oceanography, focusing on the
physical, biological, and geological aspects of ocean areas on the inner continental shelves.
Wave, currents, and tidal dynamics of bays, open coast, estuaries, and deltas. Sedimentary
environments of major coastal types. Ecology and biogeochemical relationships, including
benthic and planktonic characteristics. Coastal evolution w i t h sea level rise. H u m a n
impacts: eutrophication, modification of sedimentation. The coastal future: rising sea level,
hypoxia, and increased storminess.
•
G E O G 442: Biogeography and Environmental Change (3 credits). Prerequisite GEOG 342.
Biogeographical topics of global significance, including a consideration of measurement
techniques, and both descriptive and mechanistic modeling. Topics may include: scale i n
biogeography, climate and vegetation, global carbon cycle, biodiversity, interannual
variability i n the biosphere, land cover, global biospheric responses to climate change,
NASA's Mission to Planet Earth and Earth Observation System.
Special Programming:
Geographical Sciences Undergraduate Symposium Day: Remote Sensing of Environmental
Change students w i l l be encouraged to present a poster at the Undergraduate Symposium.
This w i l l give the Remote Sensing of Environmental Change students the opportunity to
interact w i t h other students i n Geographical Sciences w h o w i l l be presenting on that day as w e l l
as w i t h faculty. T w o students w i l l be selected as winner of this research symposium and w i l l
receive monetary award as well as be provided w i t h the opportunity to present at the A n n u a l
Meeting of the Association of American Geographers.
Size of Program:
Open. N o cap.
Budget and Staffing Requirements:
($32,296) T w o T A positions for t w o lab sections w i l l be provided by the Department of
Geographical Sciences.
This minor w i l l require T A positions i n addition to those available for the Geographical Sciences
Major. Students w i l l be charged a $40 lab fee for technical courses.
Department of Geographical Sciences
University of Maryland, College Park
Extreme environmental events are becoming more common in this time of global environmental change and it is essential that
today's students be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be leaders in understanding the upheaval that these extreme
environmental events are causing. The Remote Sensing of Environmental Change minor program is designed to build
students' understanding of Remote Sensing of Environmental Change in order to assess their impacts on the physical and
human landscapes, and to use remote sensing as an analytical tool for identifying the impacts. Students in the minor program
will receive technical training in remote sensing to examine how extreme environmental events shape human society and
ecosystems from the interdisciplinary perspective afforded by the field of Geography. The minor will provide students with the
necessary knowledge and skills to apply the latest geographic science concepts and techniques in exploring, planning for, and
responding to environmental events. These skills are in great demand in fields such as public policy, sustainable development,
disaster preparedness, mitigation, and adaption, in the private, nonprofit, and governmental sectors.
The Required Curriculum: (18 cr)
Foundation Course (3 cr.)
•
Natural Disasters: GEOG 140 (3 cr).
Or
•
Introduction to Methods of Geospatial Intelligence and
Analysis: Geog 170 (3 cr)
Technical Geography Courses (6 cr.)
•
Introduction to Remote Sensing: GEOG 372 (3 cr).
•
Advanced Remote Sensing: GEOG 472 (3 cr).
Choose one Physical Geography Course (3 cr.)
•
Geomorphology: GEOG 340 (3 cr)
•
Biogeography: GEOG 342 (3 cr.)
•
Climatology: GEOG 345 (3 cr)
•
Desertification: GEOG 398F (3 cr)
Choose one Human Dimension of Global Change Course (3 cr)
•
Regional Geography: China GEOG328B (3 cr)
•
Regional: Sub-Saharan Africa: GEOG328C (3 cr)
•
Regional: Latin America: GEOG313 (3 cr)
•
Society and Sustainability: GEOG330 (3 cr)
•
Intro to Human Dimensions of Global Change: GEOG 331 (3 cr)
•
Economic Geography: GE0G332 (3cr)
Admission to the Program:
There are no special requirements for the Minor
Program in Remote Sensing of Environmental
Change. The Department of Geographical
Sciences welcomes students from every area of
study. GIS and ENSP students are also welcome
to enroll in this minor.
Geosraphv students are not elizible but are
encouraged to pursue the related Environment
Systems and Natural Resources Track and/or the
GIS minor.
Requirements:
•
A l l credits for the minor must be taken in
the Department of Geographical Sciences at
the University of Maryland, College Park.
•
A l l courses must be completed with a grade
of " C - " or better.
•
No more than six credits are to be included
in the Minor and student's major, supporting
courses, and college requirements.
Application form attached.
Return to Advising Office, Lefrak Hall 2181M
Email: yeo^-advisefffumd.edu
Phone: 301-405-4073
Professional Opportunities:
Choose one Advanced Integrated Course (3 cr.)
•
Land Use, Climate Change, and Sustainability: GEOG 415 (3 cr)
•
Modeling Human-Environment Interactions: GE0G416 (3cr)
•
Cultural and Natural Resource Management: GEOG 431 (3 cr)
•
•
Coastal Oceans: GEOG 441 (3 cr)
Biogeography & Environmental Change: GEOG 442 (3cr)
The Remote Sensing of Environmental Change
Minor Program is designed to equip students
who are in interested working for U S A I D ,
U S D A , F E M A , NASA, USGS, EPA and other
governmental and non-govemmental agencies,
with a competitive edge through the minor's
coursework. Students are encouraged to seek
internship experiences with relevant agencies to
gain practical experience. Please see the
Geographical Sciences' Career Resources
webpage for more information:
hltp:-7www.geog.umd.edii''content/olher-
Department of Geographical Sciences
University of Maryland, College Park
M I N O R IN R E M O T E S E N S I N G O F E N V I R O N M E N T A L C H A N G E
M I N O R APPLICATION
N A M E OF STUDENT
UNIVERSITY L D . N U M B E R ,
SEMESTER D E C L A R E D :
MAJOR
T E L E P H O N E WHERE Y O U C A N BE REACHED D U R I N G T H E DAY_
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EXPECTED DATE OF GRADUATION
R E A S O N W H Y D E C L A R I N G THIS M I N O R ( E X P A N D O N YOUR SELECTION)?
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JOB P O T E N T I A L .
INSTRUCTOR
WEBSITE.
C U R R I C U L U M STRUCTURE.
OTHER
COURSES C O M P L E T E D T O W A R D M I N O R
DATE
REQUIRED:
GRADE
CREDITS
Foundation
1.
GEOG
or
3 HOURS
140
GEOG
170
Technical
GEOG
372
3 HOURS
3. G E O G
472
3 HOURS
2.
Physical
3 HOURS
4. G E O G 3 4 0 , 3 4 2 , 3 4 5 , 3 9 8 F
Human Dimensions
5. G E O G 3 2 8 B , 3 2 8 C , 3 1 3 , 3 3 0 , 3 3 1 ,
332.
3 HOURS
Integrated
6.
G E O G 415, 416, 4 3 1 , 4 4 1 , 442
RKMINDKR:
3 HOURS
S T U D K N T M U S T A C H I H V H A " C - " O R B K T T K R I N HACH C O U R S K A P P l . l K D T O M I N O R I N G K O G R ; \ P H I C A I . S C I K N C K S .
T H I S S T U D E N T HAS C O M P L E T E D A L L T H E R E Q U I R E M E N T S FOR A
MINOR I N R E M O T E SENSING OF E N V I R O N M E N T A L C H A N G E
S I G N A T U R E O F G E O G R A P H I C A L SCIENCES A D V I S O R
DATE
Department of Geographical Sciences
University of Maryland, College Park
M I N O R IN R E M O T E SENSING O F E N V I R O N M E N T A L
FACULTY OVERSIGHT
ADVISING STRUCTURE
Ronald Luna Ph.D
Undergraduate Director/ Lecturer
Geographical Sciences
2181M Lefrak H a l l
(301) 405 4073
ronaldl@umd.edu
Kristen Bergery
Academic A d v i s i n g Coordinator
Geographical Sciences
2181M Lefrak H a l l
(301) 405 4073
kbergery@umd.edu
CHANGE