Welcome from the Dean

Founded in 1967 as the Institute of Ecology, the Odum School of Ecology is the first standalone school of ecology in the world. The Odum School is committed to providing teaching, research, service and outreach activities that create science-based solutions to environmental problems.

Every day, our students, staff and faculty make contributions that help to make the world a better place. Members of our River Basin Center combine science and policy to maintain and restore healthy aquatic ecosystems and equitable access to fresh water. Faculty and students in our Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases study the processes by which pathogens evolve, switch hosts and spread through populations, providing information that’s critical for disease prediction and management. We study biodiversity and ecosystem processes in natural and human-made habitats throughout the world, contributing to the conservation and restoration of the life support system of planet Earth.

The Odum School is proud to partner with other units at UGA, with local communities, and with the businesses that power the economic engine of Georgia. We come together to address environmental challenges that are too complex to be addressed alone. Our Sustainability Certificate and the Land Conservation Legal Clinic bring together students, staff and faculty from across campus to work with corporations, nonprofits and community groups to tackle environmental issues important both regionally and globally. As our founder Eugene P. Odum would say, our community is more than the sum of its parts. Together, we emerge as a remarkable force for change. 

Please explore our website and become more familiar with our programs and partnerships. The students, staff and faculty of the Odum School stand ready to play their part to make Georgia—and the rest of the world—a better, safer and more sustainable place. We invite you to join us on our journey.