Department Of Environmental Sciences, JU

issions of pollutants and greenhouse gases through human activities seem to exceed the capacity of the earth both in local and global scales. As a result, our earth has lost natural balance, causing numerous conflicts, crises and environmental problems. In order to reach a true understanding and fundamental solutions for the environmental problems, it is vital to ask ourselves how the Earth and human beings are to coexist in the future. In view of the environmental concern, the Department of Environmental Sciences was established at Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, in April 1999 as an interdisciplinary undergraduate course by integrating all branches of natural sciences including technology managements. Internationally renowned scientist Professor Syed Safiullah was the founder chairman of the department. The education and research here have been conducted with two main pillars of vision for the establishment of the department - “Sustainability” and “Safety of the Earth”. These are horizontal platforms of the cross-disciplinary studies without barriers between the different fields of sciences. We believe that this system leads us to provide meaningful solutions for the demands concerning an environmentally sustainable future of our Earth. To achieve excellence in environmental leadership, the main goal of the functional entities of the department essentially centers on team-work of environmental studies with a holistic approach considering human dimension as a significant factor. Department of Environmental Sciences is an academic department in the faculty of mathematical and Physical sciences. In addition to a full undergraduate program, the department also offers graduate degree programs leading to Master of Science, master of philosophy and doctor of philosophy emphasizing basic research of a disciplinary or interdisciplinary nature. The unique juxtaposition of several sciences in one department fosters cooperation and exchange among traditional disciplines that share similar methodological and philosophical problems. The research endeavors of both faculties and graduate students, whether disciplinary or interdisciplinary, deal largely with problems of fundamental scientific interest and to a lesser extent with applied science, management or policy making.