Florida Atlantic: Bold Initiative Tackles Global Challenges

Florida Atlantic University recently launched an innovative new school within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science to help address the critical intensification of environmental risks that are particularly acute in South Florida, but also affect communities across the globe.

The School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability (ECOS) is comprised of an array of existing disciplines and units to augment Florida Atlantic’s research, teaching and community engagement, while creating an environmental hub at the university. The school also creates a stronger link between the scientific discovery underway at Florida Atlantic’s northernmost campus – Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce – and the academic mission of the university.

“Our expert faculty and scientists at the Schmidt College of Science and Florida Atlantic Harbor Branch are forging a path that leads to a resilient future, both with research and through training the next generation of scientists, problem solvers and policymakers,” said Valery E. Forbes, Ph.D., dean of the College of Science. “We are in a prime location to study the environment and its intersection with urban areas – with the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian River Lagoon, the Everglades and numerous freshwater ecosystems converging in the largest metropolitan area in the state.”

ECOS serves as an umbrella for graduate degrees in environmental science, marine science and oceanography. The school also serves as a connector for numerous preexisting educational programs at the undergraduate and AROUNDCAMPUS graduate levels, and as a platform for engaging external partners from the private sector, government and nongovernmental organizations.

Colin Polsky, Ph.D., professor of geosciences and the director of Florida Atlantic’s Center for Environmental Studies, was named the founding director of ECOS.

“FAU has long been a strong contributor to advancing environmental knowledge in South Florida,” Polsky said. “Now that we have a ‘school of the environment’ to amplify our interdisciplinary work, we can compete at the highest levels for the top faculty and students.”