New Master’s Degree Melds Environmental Measurements Science and Policy

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April 27, 2017 –  A new interdisciplinary master’s program, designed to give students the skills to conduct rigorous scientific measurement and analysis of toxins, hazardous substances and other materials in the earth’s atmosphere and surface, will be offered this fall.
The aim is to equip students with a better understanding of environmental measurements science and policy.
“The idea is that you want to use the best available science to inform the process of policymaking” says YuYe Tong, chemistry professor and program director for the Master of Science in Environmental Metrology & Policy. “Our vision is to teach and train people to be skillful with both sides of the equation – to understand the science and the processes through which how science can best inform the policymaking.”
Tong says the new two-year program, offered through Georgetown’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, is the first of its kind in the United States.  
Real-Life Reflections
Faculty members and experts from Georgetown, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will teach in the program.
Antonio Possolo, chief statistician of NIST, for example, will lead the program’s course on Statistical Methods in Environmental Metrology.
“What’s happening in real life will be reflected in the classroom, and vice versa” Tong notes.
Education Gap
In addition to coursework, the program includes a 10-week summer internship and a capstone research project.
Tong says the new program also leverages Georgetown’s location in the nation’s capital and its proximity to federal agencies.
“There’s a gap in terms of education in chemical and biochemical metrology and even at NIST it can take several years to train people in terms of mastering the principles and methodologies in metrology,” says Tong.
Ensuring Chemical Safety
He notes that the Master of Science in Environmental Metrology and Policy begins at a time of widespread ...

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