GENE Catalog (aka Grey Book): Class of 2010 - West Point

T
MESSAGE TO CADETS
he mission of the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering is to
enhance the intellectual, military and ethical development of all cadets by
providing an understanding of the Earth, its people, and the interactions between the two.
We offer studies in geography, environmental engineering, environmental science, and
geospatial science, disciplines that have unquestionable relevance for our Army and Nation.
The Department’s overarching theme is to better understand the world in which we live.
We offer a diverse group of majors and honors programs, which prepare cadets for service
in the Army and encourage a lifetime of intellectual growth. These include:
1. Human Geography: the spatial study of people, their activities, and the places
they inhabit.
2. Environmental Geography: the study of the interactions between people and the
natural environment.
3. Environmental Science: an integrative study of processes that shape the
environment and how human activity affects and is affected by these processes.
4. Environmental Engineering: the study of engineered processes to solve
environmental problems to protect human health and preserve the fragile
environment in which we live.
5. Geospatial Information Science: the integration and analysis of satellite, GPS,
and map intelligence information.
Our majors and honors programs will prepare cadets for lifelong professions that are
personally rewarding and important to our Nation. Despite the continual changes in our
Army and throughout the world, there are several constants that continue to serve as
guideposts for our profession.
� Understanding weather and terrain will always be among the keys to victory in
battle.
� Understanding other people is necessary to preserve peace.
� Understanding our Earth is critical for our future health and well-being.
These imperatives describe what we in the Department of Geography and
Environmental Engineering offer to you, first in our core course in physical geography and
continuing with our exciting majors, honors programs, and environmental engineering
sequence. In some respects, our mission is the same as every academic department at West
Point, to prepare cadets for a career in the Army and a lifetime of service to the Nation.
Each academic course has the objective of developing you as a self-learner, problem solver,
and critical thinker; all of which are attributes critical for success as a leader in the Army.
In choosing a major, you select a subject to investigate in depth. Both the knowledge
gained and the learning skills developed in this process better prepare you to contribute to
the Army and the Nation. Your task in selecting a major is to find the subject that excites
you and inspires a vision for your future. We have much to offer—Let me tell you more!
i