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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

Florida Institute of Technology offers programs of study leading to Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in environmental science, the M.S. degree in meteorology, the M.S. degree in environmental resource management, and the M.S. degree in Earth remote sensing. These programs are designed to prepare students for careers in industry, government, colleges and universities, or consulting firms. Emphasis is on the application of scientific principles to the maintenance and wise use of the environment. The environmental science curriculum provides a thorough background in the biological and chemical fundamentals of natural systems and water and wastewater treatment systems. The principal areas of emphasis in environmental science are related to freshwater and estuarine problems in areas such as eutrophication, toxic wastes, aquatic ecology, and hydrology; to groundwater contamination problems from sources such as septic tanks, landfills, and underground storage tanks; to air pollution, such as air quality monitoring and impacts of air pollutants on natural systems; to renewable energy, environmental and marine remote sensing, and real-time spectral monitoring of environmental systems using in situ sensors, aircraft, and ships as well as satellites and geographic information systems (GIS). Atmospheric science is focused on understanding Earth’s gaseous envelope, predicting its evolution, and mitigating human impacts. The M.S. program at Florida Tech is uniquely interdisciplinary, drawing on expertise from the College of Engineering, the College of Aeronautics, the College of Science, and the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts. As such, the M.S. in meteorology can have special emphasis in areas such as marine meteorology, water resources, atmospheric chemistry, aviation meteorology, or remote sensing.

The Department also offers an M.S. program in coastal zone management and M.S. and Ph.D. programs in the marine sciences of biological, chemical, geological, and physical oceanography, with specializations in geophysical remote sensing of the environment and in ocean engineering. A highly interdisciplinary education is emphasized in this program.

Degree requirements and additional information may be found at http://coe.fit.edu/dmes/oceanography.php.

Research Facilities

The programs offer extensive facilities for instruction and research, such as an environmental optics laboratory and satellite data reception, as part of the Florida Tech Center for Remote Sensing and the Geographical Information System (GIS) facility. The marine and environmental sciences laboratory is equipped with such standard water analysis equipment as balances, ovens, muffle furnaces, a chemical oxygen-demand apparatus, a macro-Kjeldahl apparatus, pH meters, and spectrophotometers. Analytical instruments provided for advanced study include an ion chromatograph, a total organic carbon analyzer, an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, and an auto analyzer. For the M.S. in meteorology, collaborative research is conducted with specialists from the nearby NASA Kennedy Space Center, the USAF 45th Weather Squadron, the NOAA National Weather Service, the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, WHIRL (Wind and Hurricane Impacts Research Laboratory), and local government agencies and corporations. The synoptic meteorology laboratory is equipped to download and analyze weather data and is a node for SuomiNet.

Financial Aid

Graduate teaching and research assistantships and endowed fellowships are available to a limited number of qualified students. For 2009–10, typical financial support ranges from $16,000 upward, including stipend and tuition, per academic year for approximately half-time duties. Stipend-only assistantships are sometimes awarded for less time commitment. Students with internships may receive an hourly salary.

Cost of Study

Tuition is $1015 per graduate semester hour in 2009–10. New students must pay a tuition deposit of $300, which is deducted from the first semester’s tuition charge.

Living and Housing Costs

Room and board on campus cost approximately $4500 per semester in 2009–10. On-campus housing (dormitories and apartments) is available for full-time single and married graduate students, but priority for dormitory rooms is given to undergraduate students. Many apartment complexes and rental houses are available near the campus.

Student Group

Graduate students constitute more than one quarter of the approximately 4,000 students on the Melbourne campus. They come from all parts of the United States and from many other countries.

Student Outcomes

Graduates of the program obtain positions in places such as the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; St. John’s River Water Management District; Brevard County; Sarasota County; Volusia County; South Florida Water Management District; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; National Park Service; Lockheed Martin; NASA; Dynamac; Bionetics; Jordan, Jones and Goulding, Inc.; Florida Groundwater Services; Harris Corp.; Walt Disney World; NOAA National Weather Service; and the U.S. Air Force.

Location

Melbourne is located on the east coast of Florida. The climate is extremely pleasant, and opportunities for outdoor recreation abound. The John F. Kennedy Space Center and Disney World/EPCOT Center are nearby and the Atlantic beaches are within 3 miles of the campus.

The Institute

Florida Institute of Technology was founded in 1958 by a group of scientists and engineers pioneering America’s space program at Cape Canaveral. The environmental remote sensing program utilizes the technology developed by the space program. Florida Tech has rapidly developed into a residential institution and is the only independent technological university in the Southeast. It is supported by the community and industry and is the recipient of many research grants and contracts, a number of which provide financial support for graduate students. The campus covers 175 acres and includes a beautiful botanical garden and an internationally known collection of palm trees.

Applying

Forms and instructions for applying for admission and assistantships are sent on request. Admission is possible at the beginning of any semester, but admission in the fall semester is recommended. It is advantageous to apply early. Entering students are expected to have had courses in chemistry, calculus, physics, and biology as well as a year or more of advanced science courses. The GRE General Test is required for admission.

The Faculty and Research Areas

• (For additional information see http://www.fit.edu/faculty/profile)
• Thomas V. Belanger, Professor; Ph.D., Florida. Limonology, oxygen budgets, groundwater/surface water interaction, eutrophication.
• Charles R. Bostater, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Delaware. Remote sensing, hydrologic optics, modeling of toxic substances, coastal physical oceanography, numerical modeling.
• Sen Chaio, Ph.D., North Carolina State. Numerical weather prediction, boundary layer meteorology, mesoscale meteorology, tropical weather systems.
• Iver W. Duedall, Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., Dalhousie. Chemical oceanography, physical chemistry of seawater, marine pollution, ocean management.
• Joseph Dwyer, Professor; Ph.D., Chicago. Physics and space sciences, lightning, atmospheric electricity, thunderstorms.
• Howell H. Heck, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Arkansas. Hazardous wastes, permitting regulations, waste water.
• Steven M. Lazarus, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Oklahoma. Mesoscale predictability, coastal meteorology, atmospheric modeling, data assimilation.
• George A. Maul, Professor; Ph.D., Miami. Coastal physical oceanography, climate and sea change, Atlantic tsunamis, Earth system science.
• Jean-Paul Pinelli, Professor; Ph.D., Georgia Tech. Energy dissipation, structures, wind.
• Hamid K. Rassoul, Professor; Ph.D., Texas at Dallas. Lightning, space weather, aeronomy, auroras.
• John H. Trefry, Professor; Ph.D., Texas A&M. Marine geochemistry, trace metals, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, marine pollution.
• Tom Utley, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Florida Tech. Aviation meteorology, military meteorology, atmospheric pollution mediation.
• John G. Windsor Jr., Professor and Program Chair, Environmental Sciences; Ph.D., William and Mary. Environmental analysis, organic compounds, water quality, air quality, environmental education, environmental management.
• Adjunct Faculty
• Frank R. Leslie, M.S., Harris Corporation.
• Carlton R. Parks, M.S., Acta, Inc.
• Michael Splitt, M.S., University of Utah.
• Robert W. Virnstein, Ph.D. St. John’s River Water Management District.
• RESEARCH INTERESTS
• Within the broad discipline of environmental science are areas of specialization that focus on physical, biological, or chemical issues of natural and human-made systems. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the environmental sciences, the Department offers programs that link the following areas in an integrated systems approach, focusing on quantitative techniques:
• Environmental Biology. Aquatic ecology, eutrophication of lakes, water quality indicator organisms, microbiology of wastewater treatment, wetlands systems, limnology, environmental planning, and impact statements.
• Environmental Chemistry. Chemistry of natural waters, wetlands, nutrient cycling, nitrogen transformations, biogeochemical mass balance modeling, management models for water quality control, non-point-source pollution, and waste treatment.
• Environmental Modeling. Specialized environmental climatological environmental systems, theoretical studies and numerical modeling of coastal processes, water quality modeling and toxic chemical modeling, and hazard assessments of chemicals in the environment.
• Environmental Resource Management. Applied management practicums in internship opportunities are offered, such as EIS development and review, policy analysis, and natural resource management in developing countries.
• Global Change. Global temperature change and sea level rise, carbon flux, and ozone depletion.
• Remote Sensing and Real-Time Optical Spectral Monitoring. Earth remote sensing utilizing optical and microwave radiometry based on aircraft and ships and in estuarine, coastal, and inland waters and satellite altimetry. The program maintains the Center for Remote Sensing, with an image processing/remote sensing facility and an environmental optics laboratory.
• Sustainable Development. Population control, wise use of resources, and environmental economics, with a special focus on islands.

Correspondence and Information

Florida Institute of Technology
Dr. John G. Windsor Jr., Program Chair
Environmental Sciences Program
Melbourne, Florida 32901
Telephone: 321-674-8096
Fax: 321-984-8461
Email: dmes@fit.edu


Florida Institute of Technology
Graduate Admissions Office
Melbourne, Florida 32901
Telephone: 321-674-8027
800-944-4348 (toll-free)
Fax: 321-723-9468
Email: grad-admissions@fit.edu