Applications are now open for Fall 2021 enrollment in the Humphrey School’s graduate programs in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP) at the University of Minnesota, with upcoming application deadlines on December 15th and January 15th.

Students interested in learning more are invited to join a virtual STEP info session on December 14th at 1PM Central (Info & RSVP), where they can hear from our Director of Graduate Studies and STEP Coordinator, as well as some of our current students.

The STEP area focuses on public issues arising at the intersection of science, technology, environment, and society that shape human well-being, environmental sustainability, and social justice in a complex and diverse world. Students in the STEP area can pursue careers in:

• Energy and Climate Policy
• Risk and Resilience Assessment and Management
• Technology Innovation and Policy
• Water, Energy, and Food Systems
• Conservation and Land Use

The STEP area’s degree programs are particularly well-suited to motivated students with an undergraduate degree or professional experience in a STEM or related field, who are looking to make a broader impact through public affairs.

Continue to read to learn more about STEP.

Check out their MS-STEP Degree Program (a two-year professional graduate program) and their STEP Graduate Minor program (a 9-12 credit minor degree for UMN graduate students). The Humphrey School also offers a PhD in Public Affairs with a STEP track. At the end of the post is a list of upcoming Spring semester classes to peruse. Competitive graduate research assistantships in the Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy are available for highly qualified applicants.

Some highlights of STEP student activities in the Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy include:

• Attending the United Nations climate change negotiations as observer delegates
• Researching Energy Resiliency through Global Convergence Lab on-the-ground in Puerto Rico
• Producing reports, peer-reviewed research papers, and policy toolkits on topics like environmental justice and community solar
• Participating in convening workshops with policymakers and practitioners on topics like transportation electrification and equity
• Joining an interdisciplinary community of practice for scholars engaging in solutions-oriented research at the interface of people and nature, led by STEP faculty Bonnie Keeler

Recent STEP alumni work in international, national, state, and local organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Lab, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, National Grid Renewables, the Center for Energy and the Environment, 3M, and Xcel Energy.

If you have specific questions, or would like to arrange a time to meet with current faculty or students, reach out to our STEP Area Coordinator, Olivia Schares, or Director of Graduate Studies, Gabe Chan.

Spring 2021 Classes

• PA 5715: Survey of Current Issues in Sci, Tech, & Environmental Policy
  • The objective of this course is to explore current topics at the interface of public policy with science, technology, and the environment. You will gain an understanding of current “hot” topics in science, technology and environmental policy; further develop your critical thinking skills; develop discussion facilitation skills; and understand some of the social and historical contexts that have led to the current topics. The class will be taught in a seminar style, with students leading some discussion sessions.
• PA 5721: Energy Systems and Policy
  • This class will give a broad overview of energy systems in modern society, the social and environmental implications of current technology choices, and the market and policy structures that govern energy production and use. Topics will include state and federal regulatory jurisdictions, utility business models, oil and gas markets, local government policy, electrification, renewable and distributed energy, and consumer end-use trends. This class will provide a core understanding of the physical constraints  the underlie modern energy systems, and the policy tools use to manage the social and environmental impacts of those systems.
• PA 5721: Emerging Sciences & Technologies: Policy, Ethics, & Law
  • Innovations in emerging science & technology bring great benefits to human welfare, but also non-trivial risks to people and the environment. Develop an understanding of how these trade-offs might be balanced in making policy and law, and show how risk assessment and management, markets, government intervention, and ethics are involved in doing this. We’ll consider if green (new) deals make sense in terms of promoting innovation, how intellectual property rights are used to protect innovations, and if/how the process & products of innovation raise ethical challenges that disadvantage some. We will apply these principles to innovations including genetic modification, new (nano-) materials, and artificial intelligence.
• PA 5741: Risk, Resilience, & Decision Making
  • This course embraces how risk assessment informs policy development and decision-making in a cross-disciplinary way by addressing core natural science issues on technological impacts and core social science issues on public values and perceptions of risk. It will cover important issues related to risk assessment, including assessment methods; risk management processes, issues and methods; the role and treatment of uncertainty; factors in decision making; risk-based rule making; public values; risk perception and risk communication. We will address scientific, technical, social, political, and ethical issues.
• PA 5751: Addressing Climate & Energy Challenges at the Local Scale
  • Why is action by local organizations, governments, and communities critical for energy innovation in the face of climate change? What policies, programs, and technical solutions are being explored at sub-national levels and how are they implemented? This course examines energy and climate innovations at community and local scales to prepare you (students) for professional work on climate change and energy issues at local and community levels – key areas of activity for careers in sustainability, environmental policy, climate change, and resilience.
• PA 5761: Environ, Systems Analysis at the Food-Energy-Water Nexus
  • Agricultural lands, water resources, and energy production and transport are interconnected systems with implications for policy and management at a local to global scale. This course will explore contemporary issues at the nexus of food, energy, and water with a focus on Midwestern landscapes. Specific topics include fam policy, permitting pipelines and energy production, mitigation of air and water pollution, and strategies to incentivize the. conservation and restoration fo landscapes. Students will develop professional skills in systems thinking, scenario analysis, science communication, facilitation, and collective leadership.
• PA 5243: Environmental Justive in Urban Planning & Public Policy
  • Environmental racism can be defined as policies and practices that result in communities of Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPoC communities) being overexposed to environmental harms and being denied access to environmental goods. The environmental justice (EJ) movement in the United States was birthed in the 1980s with the aim of ending environmental racism. Early EJ activism was led by Black rural communities protesting the disproportionate presence of toxic waste facilities in their neighborhoods and Latinx migrant farmworkers who were overexposed to harmful pesticides. Central to the course is the understanding that structural racism, in the form of social, political, and economic forces, has denied BIPoC individuals and communities their rights to live in clean environments and access natural resources that allow communities to build and maintain their physical, mental, emotional, and fiscal health.
• PA 5743: Social Innovation Design Lab: Making Your Idea a Reality
  • Do you have an idea for an organization, initiative or venture that could address a social or environmental problem? This course is designed to help aspiring social entrepreneurs and changemakers from all disciplines develop a viable proposal for social change. Course content includes an introduction to human-centered design thinking, change management, leadership skills, non-profit and for-profit business models, and social entrepreneurship frameworks. At the end of the course, students present their project to a panel of experts. Students will be prepared to compete in the Acara Challenge for funding if interested. Students or teams interested in this course should apply by emailing a 1-page resume and project description (1 paragraph to 1 page) to acara@umn.edu.