Bemidji State University to Add New Minor in Water Science

Bemidji State University’s Center for Sustainability Studies will be offering a new water science minor for students who would like to study issues around water quality and availability.

According to a release, this new addition will be available in Spring of 2022.

Carl Isaacson, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Center Chair, said students pursuing the new minor will gain an in-depth understanding of both water quality and water quantity management issues that our global and local communities face.

“Water drives the presence and abundance of life on Earth, and human actions have greatly impacted the quantity and quality of water resources,“ he said. ”By enrolling in this minor, students will complete courses that focus on the impact of human activities on the presence of nutrients and pollutants in our waters, as well as courses focusing on how water is distributed and managed across the surface and within the Earth.“

The water science minor will include courses in environmental hydrogeology, a branch of geology about underground or surface water, chemistry, and toxicology. Students may also explore coursework in limnology, the study of fish, soils, wetlands ecology and wastewater treatment.

This minor is said to be designed to provide students with flexibility, while guaranteeing that they understand the basics of what is impairing water quality and availability, with a raised focus on human impacts.