School of Earth, Environment and Society


The School of the Earth, Environment and Society (SEES) offers both natural and social science courses and programs, including undergraduate degrees in Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, and Geology. The School also offers a master's program in Geology and a graduate certificate in Geospatial Technology. By bridging the natural and social sciences, SEES prepares students for a variety of careers relevant to important societal issues, including water and energy resources, climate change and sustainability. Many of our students take advantage of our extensive course options in geospatial sciences, important technologies broadly utilized in a variety of disciplines.  

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News and Stories

BGSU professor at the forefront of space sustainability research

Dr. Timothy Pape's work on managing resources beyond Earth is gaining global recognition

Many people think about sustainability in terms of the recycling center at the edge of town, the wind turbines dotting the landscape, or the organic farm down the road.

But for Dr. Timothy Pape, assistant professor in the Bowling Green State University School of Earth, Environment and Society, the sustainability perspective stretches well beyond the horizon — and even the globe — into the realm of outer space.

Pape, who also serves as a research associate with the PlanetStewards project at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, devotes a portion of his work to looking at how we can approach the physical universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere in an ethical and sustainable framework.

Otiso studying socioeconomic side of toxic algal blooms in Kenya

A complex problem cannot be fixed with a simple solution — so as Bowling Green State University researchers continue to study the issue of harmful algal blooms (HABs), they are using multiple scientific disciplines to do so.

A BGSU-led research trip to Kenya examined water quality in Lake Victoria, which, despite large climate differences from the North American Great Lakes, experiences HABs just like the western basin of Lake Erie does.

While BGSU water-quality researchers seek to establish universal rules for algal blooms, Dr. Kefa Otiso worked in tandem with colleagues from the BGSU Department of Biological Sciences, researchers at Kisii (Kenya) University, Technical University of Kenya, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) and local officials within the Lake Victoria watershed to explore the socioeconomic and public policy side of HABs.  Read more...

Updated: 07/01/2025 07:02AM