Mission

The mission of the School of Earth and Climate Sciences is to serve the citizens of Maine, the nation, and the world through education that teaches and disseminates scientific knowledge, research that expands the realm of knowledge in basic and applied Earth, environmental, climate and interdisciplinary sciences, and service that applies our knowledge for the benefit of society.

  • Education. The School’s education mission is to provide its undergraduate and graduate students with a faculty of experienced and knowledgeable educators who provide current content in a field and laboratory enriched learning environment. Modern facilities and state-of-the-art equipment provides our students with the tools and experience required to make professional contributions to science and humanity. The Department develops and provides innovative learning environments for the comprehensive education of Earth scientists and scientifically literate citizens. It distributes knowledge to an audience of peers and citizens through academic literature and diverse professional activities.
  • Research. The School’s research mission is to understand the processes, controls and linkages that drive the physical and chemical evolution of Earth’s lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and atmosphere. Our research covers spatial scales ranging from microscopic to global, and time scales ranging from seconds to billions of years. The School comprises a community of world-class scholars who generate scientific knowledge at the cutting edge of Earth, environmental, and interdisciplinary scientific inquiry. This knowledge serves to inform both our teaching and service.
  • Service. The School’s service mission is to provide leadership, expertise and cooperation with other university, state and federal programs and organizations, by building intellectual strength and resources. Through its programs of outreach and professional service, the School helps put knowledge to work to create new opportunities that advance our economy, improve K-12 science education, and address a variety of scientific and social policy problems related to the Earth and Climate Sciences.

In its commitment to these activities, the School strives to:

  • Engage in discovery-based scientific research recognized worldwide for its excellence.
  • Foster independence, critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, and life-long learning both inside and outside the University community.
  • Recruit and retain an undergraduate and graduate student body with strong academic and leadership potential.
  • Enhance Earth and Climate Science education through involvement with K-12 teachers on and beyond the campus.
  • Broaden and deepen the educational and research environment by increasing the diversity of our faculty, staff, and students.
  • Provide leadership and support in the application of new scientific knowledge to the state, the nation and the world.
  • Foster the development of scientific leaders and a scientifically literate society by providing leadership and support within the state for science education at all levels.