Environmental & Health Sciences
The academic programs in the Department of Environmental and Health Sciences immerse students in content-rich curricula through active engagement in inquiry, analysis and practical applications. Each discipline emphasizes critical thinking, laboratory and field-based problem-solving, scientific and general writing, library and Internet research, and teamwork.
All of our students take part in laboratory research, clinical studies and field work. In addition, the internship program offers placements in local government, business and educational organizations. Meanwhile, our location in the northern Green Mountains puts countless field-work and outdoor activities within reach.
Together, these experiential learning opportunities provide the training and foster the skills that greatly enhance our students' marketability following graduation.
Please note: Our education department offers teacher licensure programs in life science (7-12), physical science (7-12) and physical education (K-6, 7-12, K-12).
Improving Lives and Inspiring Students
JSC's small class sizes make it easier for students to get to know their professors. In the environmental and health sciences department, this intimacy often leads to students working with faculty on research projects.
Dain LaRoche, an assistant professor who focuses on exercise physiology, recently received a $66,000 research grant from the Vermont Genetics Network. He is using the funding to study the effects of strength training on the speed of nerve and muscle activation in older adults.
With the assistance of two JSC undergraduate students, Professor LaRoche runs tests on women from the local community and our campus. One of his key goals is to develop training interventions that will restore muscle function in previously inactive older adults and reduce fall risk.
Interestingly, this study is showing that much of the decline in muscle function as we get older may be due to physical inactivity and not just the aging process. Professor LaRoche is hopeful that his findings will enable elderly people to maintain their independence and improve their quality of life.
Professor LaRoche's assistants are actively involved in collecting data and conducting research—experience that is helping to prepare them for their careers. Equally important, they are contributing to work that they find both relevant and inspiring.
Student Profile
Danielle Owczarski
"The professors in my major are extremely intelligent and expect students to be professional and attentive."
Department News
- In early December, Les Kanat was asked to present a geologist's perspective on nuclear power... Read more