Water: Systems, Science, and Society (WSSS)

Certificate Program
www.tufts.edu/water
617-627-3645

Tufts University's graduate certificate program, Water: Systems, Science and Society (WSSS) is a model for integrative graduate education both within and outside Tufts-a model that organizes research and training according to the problems to be addressed, integrating across disciplinary boundaries. To this end, this unique certificate program has three goals:

1. To develop interdisciplinary research projects that will make significant local, national, and global contributions.
2. To educate a diverse, ethical, skilled set of professionals who are trained to be multidisciplinary even as they develop a specialization.
3. To meet the growing global demand for interdisciplinary water experts.

By meeting these goals, Tufts and WSSS graduates will be able to respond to the interdisciplinary, integrated water-related research challenges identified in the recent NSF report on Complex Environmental Systems. These graduates will be uniquely equipped to develop integrated, interdisciplinary solutions to the complex science, public health, economic, engineering, environmental, behavioral, planning, and policy issues surrounding U.S. and international water crises.

To ensure sufficient depth and expertise in a particular discipline, graduate students in the WSSS Program enroll in and obtain their degrees from an existing school or department, fulfilling all requirements for that program. In addition, students take a set of electives from four broad core areas, participate in unifying seminars and workshops specific to WSSS, undertake an interdisciplinary professional experience or field internship, participate in a research practicum, and conduct interdisciplinary research. Upon completion of these activities, a WSSS Certificate is obtained. Significant extra time is not added to a student's graduate program because several WSSS core courses are allowed to fulfill some requirements in participating WSSS departments.

FACULTY/SPECIALTY

Paul Kirshen (WSSS Co-Chair and Director, Engineering School Coordinator)
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Integrated management and planning, climate and environmental change, water resources engineering

Beatrice Lorge Rogers (WSSS Co-Chair, Nutrition School Coordinator)
Ph.D., Brandeis University
Food policy and economics

Jonathan Kenny (Arts and Sciences School Coordinator)
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Characterization of natural and contaminant organics in surface water and sediments

Jeffrey Griffiths (Medical School Coordinator)
M.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine; M.P.H.&T.M., Tulane University
Water borne diseases, national policy

William Moomaw (Fletcher School Coordinator)
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sustainable development, trade and environment, technology and policy implications for climate change

Mark Pokras (Veterinary School Co-Coordinator)
DVM, Tufts University
Wildlife medicine

Acacia A. Warren (Veterinary School Co-Coordinator)
DVM, Universidad de Guayaquil
Genetic mapping, disease markers

Jordan Willett (Program Administrator)
BAH, Queen's University

Heather Angstrom (Program Administrator)
B.A., Colgate University