THE MSEM LE AF
ENVIRO N M ENTAL
M ANAG EM ENT
PROG R A M
USF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT NEWSLETTER • SPRING 2015
MSE M B EG I N S TO O FFER AC ADE M IC
CO N CENTR ATIO N S
The Master of Science in Environmental Management
program has grown considerably since it was first launched
in the late 1970s. The program currently has more than 85
students and is supported by 11 full-time faculty and nearly
25 adjunct faculty and practicing professionals. MSEM alumni
number more than 1,000, working in government, consulting,
industry and non-profit organizations in California and
around the world.
As part of our work to continually update our curriculum to reflect
current environmental management challenges, as well as
the changing job market, we recently instituted four
“concentrations” within the program. These concentrations
represent the traditional strengths of the program, as well
as areas of increasing importance in the profession. The four
concentrations are:
› Ecology
› Environmental Health and Hazards
› Water Management
› Energy and Climate Change
This enhancement to the MSEM graduate program is
designed to:
› support the professional development of our
graduates, by highlighting the expertise gained
from the program
› better articulate and focus the curriculum requirements
of the degree
› better prepare our students for their capstone research
Students who wish to pursue a concentration (which is optional)
need to complete five courses in the concentration area. Their
concentration will be recorded on their transcript.
To find out more or to see the list of courses in each concentration,
visit our website at www.usfca.edu/artsci/msem/program
-Prof. Maggie Winslow, MSEM Program Manager
FACULTY UPDATES
N AT I O N A L G EO G R A P H I C
J O I N S T H E E F FO R T
It’s a race against time and a growing list of
threats. An unknown number of the
cypress trees recently drowned in
Laos under a newly constructed reservoir
built to generate hydroelectric power.
Others have been cut down by villagers to
build homes and expand rice paddies as
well as poachers who sell the wood at
exorbitant prices.
“The wood is treasured for its unique
scent and for constructing high-end
furniture because it is resistant to water,
weather, and rot,” Coffman said.
Photo by David McGuire.
DISCOVERY O F A LI FE TIM E I N R E MOT E L AOS
U S F ECO LO G I ST R AC E S TO SAV E EN DA N G ER E D
C Y PR E SS F ROM E X T I N C T I O N
by E d C a r p e n te r | O f f i c e o f C o m m u n i c a ti o n s a n d M a r ke ti n g
USF’s Gretchen Coffman is leading an international rescue effort to save an
endangered cypress tree on the verge of extinction. Coffman, a restoration ecologist,
compares the Southeast Asia cypress to California’s majestic redwoods, and
National Geographic is funding her campaign.
The swamp cypress and California redwoods are close relatives. And like its West
Coast cousin, the cypress is a vital part of the forest canopy system where it grows,
reaching heights above 100 feet, said Coffman, an assistant professor of
environmental science and environmental management. She’s hired Robin Hunter
MSEM ’15, a USF master’s in environmental science student as a research assistant,
and partnered with renowned international scientists.
C H A N C E TO SAV E A N E N DA N G E R E D S P EC I E S
Only about 250 of the swamp cypress were known to live in the wild, all of them in
Vietnam, until Coffman and Hunter tripled that number on an expedition to Laos last
month. The discovery included an ancient stand estimated at more than 500 years
old with trees 145 feet tall and more than three meters in diameter. Coffman first
discovered the swamp cypress in Laos on a trek to explore the Nakai-Nam Theun
National Protected Area in 2007, stunning the scientific community who had no
idea it grew there.
“I literally tripped over the trees’ roots. And when I stood up to look, I knew it
instantly,” Coffman said. A DNA sample confirmed it was Glyptostrobus pensilis.
The species is listed as critically endangered, one step from extinct in the wild, by
the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It’s
thought to be extinct in China, where it once flourished. The 200-plus trees in
Vietnam are in decline and no longer bear viable seeds. So, Coffman’s rescue
mission, seven years in the making, may be the species last chance at survival.
With early-stage research funding from
National Geographic, Coffman, Hunter,
and their team just returned from Laos
where they mapped, measured, and
gathered data on about 500 previously
unknown cypress trees and seedlings
and began to implement a national
conservation plan to educate locals
about the cypress and propagate the
tree in nurseries so that a new generation
can carry the species forward.
“The trip was fantastic and a great
learning experience!” said Hunter, who
mapped the trees using GPS and created
a geographic information system (GIS)
database. “I learned a lot about the
steps involved in planning and carrying
out a large field expedition.”
THE OPPORTUNITY
It took four days travel from San Francisco
to reach the swamp, an unforgiving
environment infested with leeches. The
team had to be on alert for roaming
elephants, Bengal tigers, cobras, and
poachers. Worse, there were unexploded
landmines along the nearby border,
which was part of Ho Chi Minh Trail
during the Vietnam War.
None of that phased Coffman and
Hunter. “We worked with scientists
from the Laos federal government, the
National University of Laos, and the
Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, as
well as local villagers,” Coffman said.
“This was an opportunity of a lifetime.”
NEW U SF GEOSP A TI A L
ANALYSIS L A B ( GSA L)
W HA T IS GIS AND WHY DO I NEED IT?
b y P r o f. D a vi d Saa h
Geographic Information Science (GIS) can be defined as the
integrative science of abstracting physical, spatial, and
temporal relationships in order to gain both quantitative and
qualitative insights. Today, GIS and its related technologies
are ubiquitous parts of life. As an industry, GIS is one of the
fastest growing sectors in the modern economy. According to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the labor market in this
sector is growing at an annual rate of almost 35%, and the
commercial subsector within this field is growing by 100%.
Many large institutions rely on GIS (e.g., U.S. Forest Service,
National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the
World Resources Institute) and have developed GIS teams to
integrate spatial problem solving across disciplines.
The newly formed Geospatial Analysis Lab (GsAL) will bring
this type of interdisciplinary focus to GIS at USF. Development
of the USF’s GsAL is composed of four main elements that are
being developed using a phased approach: Education,
Research, Internal Presence, and External Presence. Education
includes the development of classes that can be utilized by the
MSEM program and other departments both at the graduate
and undergraduate level. This is to be complemented by a
cer tificate program and can be utilized by non-degree
students and can be tailored to a specific industry. Research
will focus on the disciplines that utilize geospatial analytics
and disciplines that can be integrated into existing efforts
(The Sudan Research program between Environmental
Science, Economics, and Sociology for example). Internal
Presence incorporates building relationships within and
between departments for the purpose of training and
research. External Presence is focused on leveraging
existing external relationships to position USF as a premier
GIS research and training institution within specific disciplines
as defined by the Internal Presence effort. A lot of this may
sound like mumbo jumbo, but it’s real, alive and in action. This
plan, like all plans, will change based on the needs of its users.
If you have questions, contact David Saah at dsaah@usfca.edu
ADJUNCT FACULTY:
ANDREW CHANG
I am a marine ecologist with the
Smithsonian Environmental Research
Center, one of the nineteen campuses
o f t h e Smithsonian Institution, and
have conducted research in the
San Francisco Bay region for fifteen years. While our research
group is based in Maryland, I run the Pacific coast section of a
lab that studies the population biology and community
ecology of coastal marine organisms. Our core mission is to
identify non-native species in the Bay and surrounding
coastlines, learn how their life cycles work in these new
environs, and determine what effects they might be having on
resident communities. We seek, in short, to make the
consequences of moving species to strange new oceans both
known and predictable – including how these species will
interact with changing climate regimes.
Teaching at USF has always been a challenging and rewarding
experience for me. I have taught Conservation Biology and a
variety of other courses for the MSEM program since 2008.
Conservation biology is a rapidly evolving discipline, and this
class seeks to equip students with both academic theory and
practical skills to deal with the many difficult management
problems in today’s world. Humans are a fundamental part of
nature, and we must find ways to coexist with the intricate
ecosystems around us while supporting the often conflicting
interests of different groups of people. The students in the
MSEM program have a great range of backgrounds and
experiences, and I’ve always enjoyed the different perspectives
and approaches that they bring to conservation.
ADJUNCT FACULTY: AARON FRANK
Aaron Frank received a J.D.
fro m Em o r y U nive r sit y.
His are as of inte re st s
include Environmental Law,
Environmental Ethics, and
Wildlife Policy. He is the
Founder and a Board Member
of the California Wildlife
Center, a veterinary hospital and rehabilitation center
for native wildlife and marine mammals in southern
California. He was recently a visiting professor at
the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Israel
(a coexistence program for Arabs and Jews) where he
taught International Environmental Law, Environmental
Anthropolog y, and Environmental Conflict and
Cooperation. He also sits on the Board of the Friends
of the Arava Institute. In 2013, Aaron won the USF
Distinguished Teaching Award for adjunct faculty.
S EVENT H A NNUAL JO SE DE ACO STA
L EC T U R E W ITH DR. PETER VI TOUSE K
T HE HAWAI I A N I SL A NDS
A MO D EL F OR HU M A NEN VIRO N M ENT I NTE R A CTI ON S
Dr. Peter Vitousek continued the tradition of stimulating
presentations as part of the annual de Acosta Lecture Series
this Spring. The de Acosta lecture series was initiated through
a generous donation of USF Alumna and Board of Trustees
member Michelle Skaff and her husband Dan. The lecture
series is named after José de Acosta, a sixteenth-century
Jesuit scientist who did an enormous amount of natural
history research in South America. The de Acosta lecture is a
featured event for the environmental programs each year and
is cosponsored by ENVS, ENVA, MSEM & the Dean’s Office in
the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Development Office.
In his presentation, Dr. Vitousek discussed how Hawaii can be
used as model to understand human uses of and interactions
with the environment, focusing on an in-depth analysis of
traditional Polynesian-based agriculture on the islands. He
reviewed the unique soils and volcanic history of the islands
and their ecosystems, as well as the inputs of nutrients from
local sources as well as from atmospheric dust. Dr. Vitousek
also explained the substantial differences in agricultural
approaches across the range of Hawaiian islands (as well as
in other Polynesian South Pacific Islands), and he related these
different approaches to the unique environmental conditions, in
particular soils, of the islands, highlighting how these traditional
cultures adapted their approaches to the environmental
opportunities at each island. For example, the distribution of
historical agricultural areas closely match soil conditions, and
dramatically different approaches to agriculture were used in
rain-fed dryland areas versus in irrigated wetland areas.
As always, the de Acosta lecture provided an interesting mix
of science and policy issues. In addition to his presentation,
Dr. Vitousek spent the afternoon at USF, meeting with a number
of undergraduate and graduate students and USF faculty, providing more insight into his work in Hawaii as well as newer projects
exploring agricultural issues in China and beyond. Thanks to
Dr. Vitousek for his engaging presentation and interactions!
FALL 2014 MS E M PAN EL DISCUSSIO N
O N C ALI FO R N IA WATER CHALLEN G E S
In October 2014, the MSEM program sponsored a panel
discussion focusing on: “Water Solutions for a Drier
California.” The event was attended by over 70 students,
alumni, and faculty, and featured an engaging mix of
presentations and discussion. The panelists for the event
were: Dr. James Fiedler (Santa Clara Valley Water District),
Dr. Thomas Harter (Dept. of Land, Air, and Water Resources,
UC Davis), and Steve Ritchie (San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission and MSEM faculty member). The panel
was moderated by Luisa Valiela from US EPA, Region 9.
Panelists discussed challenges for reducing both
residential and agricultural water use within the state, as well
as considerations for increasing reliable water supplies.
Steve Ritchie set up the recent reduction in available
water within the region under the ongoing drought, noting
that the three-year period of 2012-14 was the driest threeyear period in the 97-year hydrologic record of the city
(and this was in the late fall, before this year’s record
breaking conditions). Jim Fiedler focused on the multiple
efforts that the SCVWD and other water agencies are
doing to address these shortfalls, including rebate
programs, improved outreach to promote conservation,
upgrading infrastr u c ture , an d th e in cre ase d use of
re c ycle d water. Thomas Harter focused on agricultural
water use, highlighting the critical importance of
groundwater for agriculture and other users within the
state and ongoing impacts to ground water quality,
including nitrate contamination. Luisa Valiela nimbly
kept the flow of the discussion moving and provided a
wide range of challenging questions for the panel.
This was one of our first panel discussions, but we intend
for it to become an annual fall tradition. If you have interests
for a particular topic for next year’s panel, please let us
know as we are in the early stage of planning for fall 2015.
CURRENT STUDENTS
A LE J A N D R A A R CE
A NT ONIA ESTEVEZ-O LEA
I received a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and I am now in my second
year in the MSEM program. I decided to enter the
environmental field to protect and manage resources,
in particular water. Growing up in a town where water
is inaccessible, I understand the importance of
conserving and protecting resources. This experience
motivated me to continue my education so that I
can integrate sustainable engineering practices into
current water distribution systems.
The MSEM program is teaching me to be more selfconscious about water resource management and has
inspired me to focus on green infrastructure so we can
meet the water demand of today’s population in a
sustainable manner. This program changed my views
because I trained to see the world as a static system
and only offered solutions for existing problems. The
program has given me the tools to think critically in a
dynamic environment in order to reduce and mitigate
environmental impacts. It has also inspired me to look
for new solutions in order to adapt to climate change.
Last summer I interned for the San Francisco Public
Utility Commission in the Engineering Management
Bureau where I learned more about current and future
water infrastructure. I hope to use this experience to
achieve my ultimate goal of changing current
engineering and management practices in order to
adapt to the changes that the water sector will see as
a result of climate change.
I became an Agronomy Engineer
because food security is something
that I’ve always been co n ce rn e d
with. I started working in vegetable
production, with an emphasis in
greenhouse tomatoes. Later on, I
co-founded a consulting business focused on the implementation
of good agricultural and manufacturing practices to guarantee
food safety in fresh produce. Working as a consultant, I had the
opportunity to get involved with several projects where the
devastation of the environment was extremely palpable. So I
decided to pursue a master’s degree in environmental
management; after researching schools, I determined that USF
was the best fit for me.
During my first semester at USF, I decided to apply to the MBA
program to pursue a MSEM/MBA dual degree. Besides the
unit/cost/time advantages of doing a dual degree, graduating
from both programs provides me with many competitive
professional advantages. To me, the MSEM/MBA dual
program is a killer combo that is providing me with the
business skills, the environmental management skills, and the
vision that will allow me to fulfill my professional goals.
The MBA is providing the knowledge and skills for being
successful in building a more productive and compassionate
business. It allows me to bring sustainability into business and
to create a balance between production and the environment.
Thus, the focus of the MBA at USF is on d eve lo ping a
comprehensive global perspective valuing social justice.
After a year and half of being an MSEM/MBA student I’m not
only concerned about food security but am also passionate
about our natural resources and their management, creating a
balance between production and the environment.
My professional goals after graduation are to create a balance
between food production and the environment; to be able to
communicate and transmit the impor tance of natural
resource management; and to promote sustainable practices
not only in the agricultural sector but also in other production/
business sectors. And the MSEM/MBA program is giving me
the tools to achieve this.
MSEM FALL 2014 MASTER’S PROJECTS
ALLISON CHAN
The Future of Direct Potable Reuse in California
DANIEL WEST
Does Thorium Have a Place in the Future U.S. Energy Mix?
HENRY WALTHER
Clean Up Techniques Used for Coastal Oil Spills: An
Analysis of Spills Occurring in Santa Barbara, California,
Prince William Sound, Alaska, the Sea of Japan, and the
Gulf Coast
ROSEMARIE ACOBA
Addressing the Health Risks of Toxic Chemicals in
Consumer Household Products
BRYAN HODGES
Evaluation of Respirable Crystalline Silica Controls for the
Shale Gas Industry
TARA FITZGERALD
Remediation Options for Mercury-Contaminated
Sediments Within the Yuba River Watershed
TOTRAN MAI
Improving Habitat Conservation Plans for the California
Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense)
WEIJIA LI
Controlling PM2.5 in Chengdu: Analysis and
Recommendations from the China, U.S., and California
Experience
JOHANNA SAYO
Removal of Ethinylestradiol in Wastewater to Improve
Water Quality and Environmental Health
WING SUEN
A Comparative Analysis of Building Energy Efficiency in
Hong Kong and Singapore
Lone Mountain Native Plant Preserve - Vegetation Monitoring of Dune Restoration.
(From left to right) Lindsay Aratani, Alejandra Arce Gomez, Robin Hunter, Hannah Hart, and Penluck Laulikitnont.
Students in the California Ecosystem class monitor plants in the dune restoration area within the USF Lone Mountain
Native Plant Preserve. Over 400 native plants were planted by students, faculty and staff from Environmental Science
and Studies departments in December 2012, including 13 Federally Endangered Franciscan manzanita shrubs.
ALUMNI UPDATES
JASO N SI MO N
PI M L AU LI K IT N O N T
Jason Simon, MSEM class of 2010,
works as the D i r e c t o r o f P o l i c y
S t r a t e g y a t Enphase Energy, a
company whose mission is to
develop technologies to dramatically
increase the use of solar energy.
“Enphase is the global leader in its technology class and the
products that it manufacturers are disruptive to electric
utilities’ existing business models,” explains Simon. “My
job is to ensure the appropriate policy mechanisms are in place
to decrease the use of fossil fuels and increase the use of
renewable resources for electricity generation. This involves
working with utilities, regulators and legislators to assist in
guiding policy development and implementation.”
Pim Laulikitnont, MSEM class
of 2014, is currently working
for Olofson Environmental,
Inc. (OEI) as a biologist.
The main project she is
working on is the Coastal
Conser vancy ’s Invasive
Spartina Project (ISP). For
the ISP, her duties include mapping and treatment of
invasive spa r tina , salt marsh restoration by planting
native Spartina foliosa and Grindelia stricta, and
clapper rail monitoring (now Ridgway’s Rail).
Previous to working at Enphase Energy, Jason was a senior
policy analyst in the Renewable Energy Market Development
division at the California Public Utilities Commission. He was
involved in conducting analysis and developing policy to direct
the procurement of renewable resources for the State of
California. In this role, he studied the long-term need for
different types of renewable technologies and the value that
these technologies can provide to the electricity grid.
C H R IS S Y PE PIN O
“The breadth of different subject matter in the MSEM program
really opened my eyes to the challenge ahead, and gave me a
good perspective on where I wanted to participate,” explains
Simon. “There is a large community of people addressing the
climate issue in many different areas, and I believe it will
continue to grow in size and scale at a relatively rapid pace,”
says Simon. “The MSEM program is one of the oldest
environmental management programs in the nation, but its
influence in shaping minds to address 21st century climate
challenges has just begun.”
Chrissy Pepino, 2013 MSEM graduate, recently
switched gears from environmental communications
to conservation planning, and is now working at The
Trust for Public Land. In her role as the Conservation
Vision Program Coordinator, she is responsible for
writing city and state park assessments, greenprints,
and park system evaluations. On the weekends,
Chrissy is still trying to explore all the bike routes
in the area and will be once again participating in
Climate Ride, a cycling trip promoting bike advocacy
and environmental sustainability.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
Let the MSEM community know what you are up to. Email your latest news:
msem@usfca.edu
MS Environmental Management
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
www.usfca.edu/artsci/msem
C H A N G E T H E WO R L D F R O M H E R E
SEE INSIDE STORY. Photo by David McGuire.
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