USF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT NEWSLETTER • SPRING 2015

THE MSEM LE AF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGR AM

MSEM BEGINS TO OFFER ACADEMIC CONCENTR ATIONS

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

DISCOVERY OF A LIFE TIME IN REMOTE L AOS

USF ECOLOGIST R ACE S TO SAVE ENDANGERED C YPRE SS FROM E X TINC TION

by Ed C a rp e nte r | O f f ice of Co m m unic at io n s a n d M a rketing

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.

CHAN CE TO SAVE AN EN DAN G ER ED SPECIE 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.

Photo by David McGuire.

NATIO NAL G EOG R APH IC J O IN S TH E EFFO RT

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.

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.”

TH E O PP O RT U N IT Y

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.”

FACULTY UPDATES

ADJUNCT FACULTY:ANDREW CHANG

I am a marine ecologist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, one of the nineteen campuses of the 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. f rom Emor y University. His areas of interests 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 Anthropology, 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.

NEW USF GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS LAB (GSAL)

WHAT IS GIS AND WHY DO I NEED IT?

by Prof . David Saah

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 certif icate 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

FALL 2014 MSEM PANEL DISCUSSION ON CALIFORNIA WATER CHALLENGES

SEVENTH ANNUAL JOSE DE ACOSTALECTURE WITH DR. PETER VITOUSEK

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS A MODEL FOR HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS

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, provid-ing 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!

(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 infrastruc ture , and the increased use of recycled 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.

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 three-year period in the 97-year hydrologic record of the city

CURRENT STUDENTS

ALEJANDRA ARCE

I became an Agronomy Engineer because food security is something that I’ve always been concerned 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 developing 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 importance 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.

ANTONIA ESTEVEZ-OLEA

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 self-conscious 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.

ALLISON CHAN The Future of Direct Potable Reuse in California

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

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)

DANIEL WEST Does Thorium Have a Place in the Future U.S. Energy Mix?

ROSEMARIE ACOBA Addressing the Health Risks of Toxic Chemicals in Consumer Household Products

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

MSEM FALL 2014 MASTER’S PROJECTS

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.

JASON SIMON

Jason Simon, MSEM class of 2010, works as the Director 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.”

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.

“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.”

ALUMNI UPDATES

PIM L AU LIKITNONT

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 Conservancy’s Invasive Spartina Project (ISP). For

the ISP, her duties include mapping and treatment of invasive spar tina , salt marsh restoration by planting native Spartina foliosa and Grindelia stricta, and clapper rail monitoring (now Ridgway’s Rail).

W E W A N T T O H E A R F R O M Y O ULet the MSEM community know what you are up to. Email your latest news: msem@usfca.edu

CHRISSY PEPINO

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.

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

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PERMIT NO. 11882MS Environmental Management2130 Fulton Street

San Francisco, CA 94117-1080

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www.usfca.edu/artsci/msemCHAN G E T H E WO R L D FROM H ER E

SEE INSIDE STORY. Photo by David McGuire.