Iowa Debuts New School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability
PHOTO: JILL TOBIN
SEES students receive hands-on learning experiences through visits to the UI's Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory and other outdoor classrooms.
As an ExxonMobil geologist, Leon Aden (80BS, 82MS) mentors students interested in Earth science who are as undecided as he was in college about which career path to take.
While Aden didn’t decide until his sophomore year to study geology, students today can explore a wide range of options early in core classes while working toward a degree. That’s thanks to the newly established School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability (SEES) within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
In July 2025, SEES combined the departments of geographical and sustainability sciences and Earth and environmental sciences with the environmental sciences program. Now, SEES undergraduate students can explore majors in Earth and environmental science, geographical and sustainability science, and environmental policy and planning, while SEES graduate students can study geography or geoscience. “We really wanted to have one place, one door, where students who were interested in studying the environment and sustainability could come in,” says Emily Finzel, the department executive officer of SEES.
Under one roof, the interdisciplinary programs can better collaborate on research and equip students for meaningful careers that address today’s complex environmental challenges. Training includes hands-on courses, research, and opportunities for fieldwork both on campus at Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory and around the world.
PHOTO: JILL TOBIN
Sadie Richter, a geologist who graduated from Iowa's program in 2025, studied everything from the state's glaciers to Martian minerals while an undergraduate researcher.
To Aden, the change is revolutionary— particularly in helping recruit students and faculty. That is why the 2014 UI Distinguished Alumni Award for Service recipient and his wife, Vicki Aden (81BSE), donated $450,000 to upgrade the home of SEES, Trowbridge Hall.
Built in 1916, Trowbridge Hall originally housed the dental sciences department. While the building has its limitations, a renovation project started last year. The lobby now bares SEES’s name, with plans to update furniture, modernize study spaces, and add faculty offices and research labs.
The upgrades are especially exciting to Henry Frederick (25BS), who graduated with a bachelor’s degree and is now pursuing a master’s in geoscience at Iowa. When considering where to go for the master’s, Frederick considered the hydrogeology research he had already done as an undergrad. He also thought about the improvements coming to Trowbridge Hall through the SEES rebrand. “I felt like going anywhere else would be a step down,” says Frederick.
When thinking about the future of SEES, Frederick adds, “It’s very encouraging to see a commitment towards improving the program, both from the university and alumni.”