#18 Dec. 5, 2025
Eric Zimmerman
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IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES:
TODAY Fall quarter deadline to change Grading Option or
submit a Withdrawal form for a Fall class
Click here to see UCSB’s 2025-26 Registration Pass Times.
To view UCSB’s Quarterly Deadlines click here
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GRADING OPTION REMINDER:
All courses taken to fulfill major requirements MUST BE TAKEN FOR
A LETTER
GRADE unless only offered Pass/No Pass (e.g. ENVS 190 and 192).
This includes
all lower-division Preparation in the Major classes as well as all
upper-division
courses, including the Area C Outside Concentration.
Any grade other an a “F” is considered passing and will apply.
Students could retake
any class with a grade of C- or lower to replace the grade at a
future
date. Note: some
sequential courses do
have minimum grade requirements to advance in to the next course
in the
sequence (i.e. Chem 1A, 1B, 1C, or Math 3A, 3B, etc.).
Make sure to check your current quarter’s courses and make sure
the grading option
is correct!
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INDEX:
# 1-5: There several UCSB
environmental courses
with environmental foci still looking to fill seats. Check them
out as they
could be good Area C “Outside Concentration” courses!
1) Bren’s
ESM 438 - Public
Speaking Skills for Environmental Professionals
Could be petitioned to apply to ES Area B electives!
2) Open spots in GEOG 130, Urban Environment
3) GEOG 186/286 Analysis and Modeling of Movement - open spots in Winter
4) Open seats: Global Studies 178: Global Politics of Climate Change
5) Numerous Winter 2026 ANTH Open Courses
6) The
UCSB Edible
Campus Program is offering volunteering opportunities
to members of the Isla
Vista and UCSB communities for December!
7) Study
or Intern
Abroad in 2026 with UC Davis - Applications are Open
for Summer Abroad
Internships, and Virtual Summer Internships
programs in many environmentally focused
opportunities!
8) Part-Time Paid Student Opportunity with SB’s
Environmental
Defense Center:
looking for enthusiastic
and organized Event Assistant Intern to help bring
EDC’s signature
fundraiser, Green & Blue: A Coastal Celebration, to life.
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CONTENT:
1) Bren’s ESM 438 - Public Speaking Skills for Environmental Professionals
This four-unit public speaking class is a survey of skills for environmental careers. Each week, students will focus on one topic in environmental public speaking, from elevator pitches to science presentations and podcasts to flash talks. Weekly lectures and readings will cover best practices and examples in the theme. Friday sections will allow students to practice public speaking and build a portfolio of refined pieces to submit in finals week.
To enroll:
Undergraduate Students: Undergraduates must petition to enroll in a graduate class. To do so, please send a copy of your unofficial transcript and the completed form to the instructor (alexandra...@ucsb.edu). Details on enrollment codes are in the syllabus. Once the form is completed by all parties, the registrar will enroll you in the course directly.
Graduate Students: Please email acad...@bren.ucsb.edu and cc the instructor. They will provide you with an enrollment code that you can enter into GOLD to enroll in the course.
See attached flier for more info.
NOTE: This class could be
petitioned to
apply to the Area B ES Electives!!!
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2) Open spots in GEOG
130, Urban Environment
We're able to take a few additional students
this year and,
in the past, about 1/3 or so of the students in the class have
come from ES.
It's an engaging format with field visits to urban and suburban
environments in
Santa Barbara and Goleta, and individual reports on those places
produced by
students on a web wiki and shared among the class. It's all
project-based
learning and doesn't have traditional exams or lab assignments. In
the past,
students who have taken the course have been interested in urban
planning,
architecture and landscape architecture, hydrology, ecology, urban
climate,
urban greening, sustainability, and urban forestry. We’ve even
had
multiple students later go on to Masters degrees in those areas.
Instructor:
Joe McFadden (mcfa...@ucsb.edu;
If you have any questions, please email me.)
Class meets: Tue/Thur, 11:00–12:15 p.m.
Course description: This course explores the biophysical
environment of
cities, suburbs, and other settlements. It focuses on several
major themes,
including urban soils and constructed surfaces, water, solar
radiation,
atmosphere/climate, vegetation, and human thermal comfort. The
course uses
field work in a range of urban sites as an important way of
learning how these
factors interact. Each student will produce field site reports,
present their
findings, provide critical review of their peers’ reports, and
prepare a
synthesis assignment that makes broader connections among sites
and processes.
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3) GEOG 186/286
Analysis and Modeling of Movement - open spots in Winter
Professor Somayeh Dodge is teaching GEOG 186/286 Analysis and Modeling of Movement. Course info here
Go beyond static maps! This course equips you with the knowledge and skills to analyze how things in our world move and change over time. We dive deep into spatiotemporal analysis, exploring movement processes ranging from migrating animals and human crowds to the spread of natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires. You will master the process of transforming trajectory data into real geographic insights and learn how to extract and investigate movement patterns from individual and population movement data.
The course is also listed under the Interdisciplinary Data Science Curriculum
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4) Open seats: Global
Studies 178: Global Politics of Climate Change
Thursdays, 2-4:50 pm
Course description: How do societies understand and transform their environments? How do we evaluate whether societies are sustainable? What will it take for us to achieve sustainable development? This course approaches these questions during a difficult time—the Anthropocene—an era in which human activities are reshaping the global physical-environmental basis of human civilization and the survival of thousands of non-human species.
Students can contact global-...@ucsb.edu
with enrollment questions.
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5) Numerous Winter
2026 ANTH Open Courses
See attached fliers for more details!
Anth106 – Cultural Evolution
Anth 123MG: Introduction to Data Analysis for the Social Sciences
with R
Anth 153T: Primate Behavior
ANTH 162: Prehistoric
Food
Production
ANTH 197BW: Biology of Women
Need an add code or don't have the prerequisite? Reach out to us anth-under...@ucsb.edu.
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6) The UCSB Edible
Campus Program is offering volunteering opportunities to members
of the Isla
Vista and UCSB communities for December!
We aim to teach sustainable gardening practices and address food insecurity in the IV community through volunteers in our community gardens. As a volunteer for the Edible Campus Program, you have the flexibility to choose where and when you would like to help out in our gardens, making it easy to fit into your schedule.
We are looking for any person interested in helping us maintain our thriving community gardens from December 12th through January 4th. If you are in Isla Vista or the area during this time and wish to help your community, please contact Connor, our volunteer coordinator, or fill out our Volunteer Interest form to find out how you can help!
December Volunteering Interest Form
Contact Connor: sa-ecpv...@ucsb.edu
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7) Study or Intern
Abroad in 2026 with UC Davis - Applications are Open for Summer
Abroad
Internships, and Virtual Summer Internships programs in many
environmentally focused
opportunities!
We are happy to announce that applications are
now open for
2026 UC Davis Summer Abroad, Summer Abroad Internships, and
Virtual Summer
Internships programs. Students across all UCs are eligible to
enroll in UC
Davis summer study abroad programs.
UC Davis Summer Abroad
Earn 6-8 units in 3-5 weeks. All
programs are taught in English and are open to students of
all majors and
class levels.
Colombia
– Agriculture and the Environment (New)
Europe – Sustainable Cities of Northern Europe
Europe – Brewing and Beer (New)
France – Introduction to Winemaking
Mexico – Building Sustainable Water Treatment Systems
Netherlands – Sustainable Urban Systems in the
Netherlands
Thailand – Microbiology Lab in the Kingdom of
Smiles
UC Davis Summer Internships (Abroad and Virtual)
Agricultural and International Development in Japan (New)
Environment,
Green Tech, Sustainability (Abroad – New Zealand, Spain, and
Virtual Worldwide)
Wildlife,
Conservation, and Veterinary Medicine (Australia, Costa Rica,
South Africa,
Thailand)
The attached document highlights programs that we think would be of particular interest to the students you work with.
Additional Resources
Upcoming events and program info sessions
Global Learning Conference 2026
Connect with us across social media
Click here to receive additional information about programs and funding.
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8) Part-Time Paid Student Opportunity with SB’s Environmental
Defense Center: looking
for enthusiastic
and organized Event Assistant Intern to help bring EDC’s signature
fundraiser, Green & Blue: A Coastal Celebration, to life.
We’re looking for an enthusiastic and organized Event Assistant Intern to help bring EDC’s signature fundraiser, Green & Blue: A Coastal Celebration, to life. This exciting role blends creativity with hands-on nonprofit experience as you support our team in planning major events, coordinating our silent auction, and engaging with our community. If you’re motivated, outgoing, and eager to learn in a mission-driven environment, we’d love to have you join us!
Please visit our WEBSITE for the Job Description, Time Requirements and Application Procedure.
Act now! Deadline to apply is December 19, 2025 and starting in the beginning of January 2025.
-- Eric D. Zimmerman (he/him) Student Services Manager, Lecturer Environmental Studies, UC Santa Barbara To schedule a Zoom advising appointment visit: https://tinyurl.com/8nrcckds "Work Hard ~ Play Harder!"