AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the school year comes to a close, extreme weather is ramping up. Recent flooding in the Houston area and tornadoes in West Texas are reminders that weather is difficult to predict around the globe. A new degree program at the University of Texas in Austin hopes to address that.
Starting in the fall, UT’s Jackson School of Geosciences will offer a program in climate sciences.
“We’re seeing a lot of students now. They take one class and they say, ‘Hey, this class made me realize that climate science is what I want to do,’” assistant professor Geeta Persad said.
Persad developed the program alongside Dr. Kerry Cook.
Persad said there has been a demand among students for the program. Gen Z ranks climate change as one of their top concerns for the future, a Pew Research Group study found in 2021.
“Every time I tell a student, ‘hey, we’re offering a new climate system science major to them.’ They’re just like, ‘of course, why would you not this is one of the biggest challenges of our time,’” Persad said.
UT Austin will be the first major university in the state to offer a degree program in climate science, and will be one of the few in the nation.
“Everybody is realizing that they need people with expertise, expertise in climate science in order to understand how climate risk is going to affect their operations,” Persad said.
Why UT Austin is focusing on the climate
The Jackson School already employs many researchers who are exploring climate sciences, Persad said.
“Given the number of students we have, and the number of students we train, we will also have automatically a large impact,” Geological Sciences Department Chair Danny Stockli said. “It’s really about the impact of the climate system on us, the environment, and ultimately, probably long term, sustainability (and) survivability.”
The university already has technology and staff for the new major. Persad said the university’s resources will allow them to take the lead in the field.
“It’s a really powerful place to be training the next generation to engage with these topics,” Persad said.
Extreme weather and politics
Climate change is a major hot button issue for many. This makes the University of Texas, a state-run school, an interesting place for a degree program on climate science.
“At the end of the day, this is a science question,” Stockli said. “Whether you call it climate or you call it extreme weather, this is really what it’s about. It’s about the impact and how we can help Texas and the country and the world.”
The degree program opens up to undergraduate students this fall.