Iowa State department chair says new climate science major is unique nationwide

A new undergraduate major in climate science at Iowa State University is starting small but has ambitions.

Kristie Franz, professor and chair of Iowa State's Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, said, "Maybe we'll be an example to other universities. I think the more students we get studying this topic, the better understanding we have of the challenges we face. It can only benefit society."

The Iowa Board of Regents approved the new major — a bachelor of science in climate science — for Iowa State in July, and Franz said while that was too soon to officially recruit any students for this fall, two freshmen are already ready to select the major, and a few other students might be interested.

"So, all in all, it's small numbers, but we definitely are getting interest among students," Franz said. "We will welcome as many students as are willing to come."

Iowa State described in its program request to the Board of Regents that a "well-trained, adaptable workforce" is needed to address the challenges of floods, droughts, heat waves and widespread crop failures, among the other impacts climate change is already having on the environment, agriculture, food security, human health, water availability, human migrations and economies — impacts that are projected to get worse in the years and decades ahead.

To prepare such a workforce, the university's new major is focusing on basics and then playing to local strengths in order to educate students not only in how climate systems work, but also how to communicate with broader audiences.

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'We're not going to have a track in hurricanes or coastal issues, but that's OK.'

Franz said the core of the major — 35 or 36 academic credits out of 74 or 75 credits in total — will give students a background on how the Earth's climate system works: "How do oceans interact with the atmosphere? How does the land surface interact with the atmosphere? What are the general dynamics of the atmosphere?"

The core coursework also includes paleo-climate science — looking at climate in the past, present and future.

Along with 24 credits in supplemental natural science, math, statistics and social science courses, students in the major will also take 15 credits of coursework in at least one of six pathways: "advanced climate science; data visualization; design and planning for sustainability; climate, food, agriculture and biodiversity; policy and human behavior; and science communication," according to the program description provided to the Board of Regents.

Franz said the pathways allow students to have specialized training, "taking the science and then applying it to a problem, for example."

In addition to understanding how the planet's systems work and knowing about climate impacts on society — and ways to prevent or mitigate those impacts — students will also "be competent with data analysis and science communication," according to the major's description.

"To solve a lot of the problems we face as a society, we need to be able to communicate with each other, and we need to be able to communicate with diverse groups. That just means rethinking how we talk to one another, how we present data, what type of issues we talk about and how we talk about them," Franz said about the importance of science communication skills.

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The university plans to staff the program with existing faculty.

Iowa State does not necessarily need to become a powerhouse in something like hurricane modeling or wildfire science to stand apart from other climate science programs. "Yeah, we're not going to have a (academic) track in hurricanes or coastal issues, but that's OK. We don't need those here. We have plenty of other options," Franz said.

There are other undergraduate academic major programs around the country in climate science. Iowa State identified some similar bachelor of science degrees, including at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (applied climate science), UCLA (climate science) and Oregon State University (earth science with a climate science option).

The University of Michigan also offers a bachelor of science in engineering with a concentration in climate science and impacts. The University of Montana offers an environmental science major with a concentration in climate science and environmental change. The University of Colorado-Boulder offers a bachelor of arts in atmospheric and oceanic sciences.

"There may be a handful of programs out there that call themselves climate science, but what we're doing here and our approach to it with this interdisciplinary training is pretty unique," Franz said, adding "nationwide" as a qualifier to the uniqueness of Iowa State's approach.

In addition to agricultural research and the study of geological and atmospheric sciences, Franz said the university's strengths include its College of Design. There are questions of how to design buildings and communities to use less energy and be adaptable to the effects of climate change, and the design college is also home to the major's data visualization pathway.

There's still work to be done with setting up the major, including developing experiential opportunities for students such as internships, study abroad programs or working with faculty on research projects — ways for students to learn outside the classroom.

A $2.2 million donation from Dr. John Graether, a retired ophthalmic surgeon from Marshalltown, is assisting the program through the establishment of The Graether Family Fund for Climate Science Advancement, which is being used to support an assistant teaching professor, develop internship opportunities and assist Franz with directing and marketing the program, according to the university's description for the Board of Regents.

Franz said the major will continue to adapt over time. "We've been studying climate for a really, really long time, and I expect we'll continue to study climate for a long time, regardless of what we do as far as climate change mitigation."

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Phillip Sitter covers education for the Ames Tribune, including Iowa State University and PreK-12 schools in Ames and elsewhere in Story County. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Iowa State department chair says climate science major is unique