Secondary Field in Energy and Environment May Be Offered

A new secondary field in energy and the environment will likely be available to students by next fall, following a review of the proposed requirements by a diverse group of faculty in the humanities and the sciences.

Students pursuing the secondary field will be required to take one class on energy science, one class on the environment, and two electives which will be drawn from a broad array of courses in the sciences, government, and economics, according to Environmental Science and Engineering Professor Daniel P. Schrag.

“Dealing with climate change—both trying to mitigate it by reducing emissions and adapting to it because some of it is going to happen anyway—those are some of the greatest challenges our society is going to face in the next century,” said Schrag, the primary architect for the new minor. “The idea is to design a secondary field that will encourage as many different students from as many different backgrounds [as possible] to participate.”

Though many involved in the creation of the new minor are affiliated with the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Schrag said that the minor will not be offered by SEAS itself.

Instead, due to interdisciplinary nature of studying environmental policy and energy, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences will be asked to create a special committee to administer the new secondary field. The proposed requirements will then be voted on by a committee in FAS.

But Schrag said that the greatest challenge facing the potential energy and environment minor is not the approval process, but rather the dearth of faculty in several key areas related to environmental science.

“There is a great need for additional faculty in many areas of energy and the environment—in particular, in energy technology,” said Schrag, adding that faculty members were “stretched very thin” in order to offer classes in that field.

Area Dean for Environmental Science and Engineering Steven C. Wofsy agreed, saying that demand for the new secondary field may help to attract new talent to Harvard in environmental science.

“We really view it as a help in enlarging and modernizing the curriculum,” Wofsy said.

The new secondary field will likely be one of several courses of study in applied science to receive official recognition during her deanship, according to SEAS Dean Cherry A. Murray.

A new concentration in biomedical engineering debuted this fall, and Murray has said that she hopes to introduce additional concentrations in electrical engineering and applied physics within the next three years.

—Staff writer Evan T.R. Rosenman can be reached at erosenm@fas.harvard.edu.

This article has been revised to reflect the following clarifications:

CLARIFICATIONS: September 30, 2010

An earlier version of the Sept. 28 news article "Secondary Field in Energy and Environment May Be Offered" stated that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences "will create" a committee to administer the secondary field. To clarify, FAS will be asked to create the committee before such a definitive action occurs.

The article also stated that the proposal will be voted on by FAS. To clarify, a committee within FAS will be reviewing the proposal.