Senior Practicum

The Senior Practicum is a year-long capstone program for all IoES Environmental Science majors and one of the best environmental science and policy educational experiences in the world.

We have designed the Practicum to launch our students into impactful careers. And it works: alumni routinely describe it as the best thing they did as a UCLA student–a life-changing year. In some cases, students go on to work for the clients.

The program pairs teams of five to seven students with a faculty member or other environmental expert. Then it connects them with clients ranging from the Natural Resources Defense Council to the U.S. National Park Service to Northrop Grumman.

Real World Solutions

Clients from across the nation come to IoES with environmental systems and sustainability problems. Students conceive and deliver science-based solutions, working in small groups with support from faculty and outside experts. The Practicum empowers our students to take the lead in finding answers to critical questions, such as:

How seriously do hydraulic fracturing spills threaten groundwater supplies?
Do industrial livestock operations increase antibiotic resistance to critical drugs?
Can spectral light reduce the numbers of malarial insects-protecting millions by changing light bulbs?
How can we save bobcats and other free-ranging wildlife from pest control poisons?
How can a mid-sized California city go carbon neutral?

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Real World Clients

Our partners include leaders in government, the non-profit world and business—prominent institutions such as the National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, Walt Disney Imagineering and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Clients often return to participate year after year—the Practicum generates valuable information and resources for their missions. Meanwhile, they’re making a valuable contribution by educating the next generation of environmental problem-solvers.

Among their many accomplishments, our students have:

Mapped potential groundwater pollution from lead and manganese contamination in the City of Maywood, CA, moving research closer to identifying a source for this long-standing problem with the area’s water supply.
Investigated the potential for recreational coastal waters to serve as an under-appreciated reservoir of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), ultimately increasing the likelihood of beachgoers and surfers being exposed to pathogens.
Found that affluence, ethnicity and childhood environment shaped what type of nature Los Angeles residents wanted to experience in their urban parks. This suggests city parks should be tailored to neighborhood communities rather than dictated by top-down planning
Researched the potential for using sensors mounted on industrial-scale drones to enforce low-sulfur fuel standards for cargo ships in California waters, and detect violations when ships use cheaper, dirtier, illegal fuels that contribute hazardous air pollution to port communities in Los Angeles.
Created methodology to identify and assess social, financial, and environmental co-benefits that may stem from carbon offset projects related to livestock operations. Demonstrating the full value of offsets, therefore incentivizing the continuation and expansion of offset programs for both public and private sectors.

Interested in Becoming a Practicum Client?

2022-23 Partners

L.A. County Department of Public Health
Natural Resources Defense Council
Center for Biological Diversity
California Office of Health Hazard Assessment
The Nature Conservancy
The City of Los Angeles
The Bay Foundation
Agriculture for Africa
Aquarium of the Pacific
Los Angeles Waterkeeper
Sustainable Production Alliance
LARC – The Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability
WILDCOAST
City Plants

2019-20 Partners

The ADEPT Group, Inc.
The Bay Foundation
Bludso’s Bar & Que Restaurant
Centro de Ecología Aplicada de Neuquén and The Nature Conservancy
Conservation International
La Brea Tar Pits and Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
SEED LA
Sustainable Conservation
Taylor Guitars
UCLA IoES
WildEarth Guardians

2018-19 Partners

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The ADEPT Group, Inc.
The Bay Foundation
Bludso’s Bar & Que Restaurant and the J Howard Restaurant Group
The Blue Prosperity Program at UCLA
Los Angeles Waterkeeper
Los Cerritos Channel Watershed Group
Mountains Restoration Trust
Natural Resources Defense Council
Producers Guild of America – Green (PGA Green)
Surfrider Foundation
Taylor Guitars

2016-17 Partners

The Bay Foundation
Council for Watershed Health
National Park Service – Sequoia National Park
National Park Service – Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
STAND L.A.
SNAPP (Science for Nature and People Partnership)
Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project
Sustainable Conservation
Taylor Guitars
Tejon Ranch Conservancy
TreePeople
USC Sea Grant

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B.S. in Environmental Science