Stony Brook University

SoMAS is one of the nation's leading coastal oceanographic and atmospheric institutions, and the expertise of SoMAS' faculty places Stony Brook in the forefront in addressing and answering questions about regional environmental problems, as well as problems relating to the global ocean and atmosphere. The primary focus of the SoMAS faculty is on fundamental research designed to increase understanding of the processes that characterize the coastal ocean and the atmosphere. SoMAS faculty are also committed to applying the results of research to solve problems arising from society's uses and misuses of the environment. SoMAS includes mission-oriented institutes in several major areas: the Institute for Terrestrial and Plane­tary Atmospheres, the Living Marine Resources Institute, the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science, the Long Island Groundwater Resource Insti­tute, and the Waste Reduction and Manage­ment Institute. These institutes add a wealth of varied resources to education and research.

The SoMAS offers undergraduate majors in  atmospheric and oceanic sciences, environmental studies, marine sciences, and marine vertebrate biology; and minors in environmental studies and marine sciences. See the separate entries for environmental studies (ENS),  marine sciences (MAR), and marine vertebrate biology (MVB) in the alphabetical listings of Approved Majors, Minors, and Programs. The SoMAS also offers several cooperative programs with departments in the College of Arts and Sciences (Chemistry, Biology, and Geosciences) and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Chemical and Molec­ular Engineering). See the entries for those programs in the alphabetical listings of Approved Majors, Minors, and Programs for more information. Research opportunities in marine sciences, atmospheric sciences, envi­ronmental studies, and waste management are available to undergraduates.