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• (Requirements for students entering prior to Fall 2024)
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Sponsored by:

• The Office of Undergraduate Studies
• The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
• The Department of Geology

Science and Global Change
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Using Science to Understand and Respond to the Global Climate Crisis

Our Vision: To prepare students for resilience in a future of global change.

Our Mission: In the "Fearlessly Forward" 2021 University of Maryland Strategic Plan, climate change is identified as one of Humanity's grand challenges, and the University set as its first goal in that context to "Invest in faculty, student, alumni, and partner capacity to take on grand challenges through multidisciplinary and engaged research and curricular innovation." Science & Global Change has been the University's first on-going living-learning program for students of all majors which focuses specifically on the issues of the climate crisis and how it impacts their lives. SGC introduces students to the scientific mode of thought and its application in diverse spheres of human activity. To prepare students for the realities and prospects of societal changes due to global climate change, we encourage an understanding of resiliency (the ability to maintain operation and function despite changing external conditions) and the ways that we might achieve it. Recognizing the effectiveness of peer-supported and experiential learning in building confidence and comprehension, SGC provides opportunities for students to explore global change and other science-related issues in depth through critical examination of popular and technical literature, through internships and research, and through experiential travel-study in a living-learning environment.

Our Values:

• Empiricism: an accurate understanding of the world only happens through subjecting questions about the physical universe to direct observation and testing.
• Interconnectedness: successful learning and expansion of knowledge requires the connection of concepts, methods, and experiences from different disciplines and contexts rather than their compartmentalization.
• Intellectual Curiosity: the drive to explore diverse topics and interests, especially those outside one's chosen major, is critical to grasping unfamiliar ideas, developing an active learning mind, and increasing excitement in higher education.
• Excellence: mastery of professional standards of collaboration, communication, and practice is vital preparation for student's future careers.