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Environmental toxins include pesticides, food additives, industrial waste, plants, chemicals, metals, fungi and bacteria. Environmental toxicology majors study how many of these agents exist around us, how much of them we are actually exposed to, how sensitive we are to these agents and how we should regulate their use. Toxicologists address constantly-changing concerns about the safety of our environment and natural resources.
Real World
Since the major covers an extremely broad range of courses and topics, graduates are in high demand in the contemporary work force. Environmental toxicology majors from UC Davis are currently working as forensic analysts, pharmaceutical test agents, pest control officers, risk assessors and field sample monitors.
Major Requirements
Mastering the subject of toxicology requires extensive preparatory work in chemistry biology, biochemistry and physiology. More specialized study topics include ecology, genetics, physics, mathematics and computer science.
Major Adviser
Name: Susan Kancir
Contact: sgkancir@ucdavis.edu, (530) 752-1042
A Student Perspective
The "E-Tox" program deals directly with issues of public policy and technology. The field is so new and rapidly developing that many of our courses don't even have textbooks; we learn directly from the research experiences of our expert instructors. Since the program is fairly small, we get to know our fellow students and our instructors very well, and we have a great deal of one-on-one interaction with the faculty.
~ Carolyn Vaughn, senior
A Faculty Perspective
The area of toxicology has great relevance to society and deals with pressing problems of considerable importance. Among these are the toxic disasters that threaten many people at once and the continuing degradation of the environment that occurs quietly and insidiously. Our students are well prepared to work in this area, and the program also provides a strong general science background that readies students for careers in many different aspects of chemistry and biological sciences.
~ Robert Rice, professor
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