Category Archives: Postgraduate Geoscience

Women in Engineering – part 1

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Mosopefoluwa Oikeh, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Environmental and Petroleum Geochemistry, writes about Women in Engineering.  Here’s part 1 of her blog celebrating International Women in Engineering Day:

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I began to show interest in engineering and science as a child after my elementary education. At elementary school, I was introduced to subjects related to engineering like introduction to technology and general science. I found this subjects more interesting and applicable, as there were practical sessions for some topics.

Careers in science and engineering are prestigious professions in Africa and if successful as a female, you become an icon even though the chances were slim.  However, as a child I wanted this prestige and this birth my interest in science and engineering. In addition, I had two science teachers while at college who spurred my interest in chemistry and physics because of the teachers’ creative teaching styles and practicality of the subjects.

My ambition is to be competent at providing engineered solution to issues that affect the environment. I aspire to research ways to harness carbon capture potentials of so called greenhouse sources e.g. landfill and oil polluted soils.

The decision to study geology and petroleum geology as first and second degrees respectively informed my choice of specialising in environmental science. This human activities and impact on the environment increased my awareness of our endangered earth. I believe It is not just enough to create problems in a bit to harness energy, it is safe and responsible to solve the environmental problems that arise in the process

Environmental engineering is one field I am also interested in and plans to gain professional qualifications in this area as well.

Currently, I am doing a postgraduate taught programme in environmental and petroleum geochemistry. This course addresses issues with pollution, assessing and quantifying pollutants, mapping pollution sources and its fate in the environment. I am happy the knowledge gained so far is helping so well in progressing my career

Newcastle University’s career service has been a very helpful medium. It organises career sessions involving talks from industries and professionals in my field. It also provides information about job and research opportunities which may not be opened to the general public. The library resources are wonderful, accessible and up to date.

My advice to young girls is to identify their passion, pursue it with vigour and strive to be the best at it. As a girl, you are not an alternative or option, but a necessity. This statement remains true in any chosen career- as long as you are competent in your chosen field. I hope to inspire young girls first by being a role model to influence those around me. Also, I aim to utilise opportunities I have to creatively teach science subjects to inspire the young ones.

#INWED17

 

Engaging with Industry – Environmental Consultancy MSc

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Sophie Metcalf, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Environmental Consultancy, writes about her experiences so far with industry and what she has gained from guest lectures and site visits offered by Newcastle University.

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Experience and knowledge of industry is important when studying Geoscience. For many of us, the end goal is to get a job. Therefore, it is important to hear from the horse’s mouth about what techniques are currently being used, how academic research is being applied to those techniques and what the geosciences job sector is currently looking like. What better way to hear this and apply it to our studies than guest lectures and site visits?

Not only is it important to get an insight into industry, guest lectures and site visits also enrich the learning experience and mean that as MSc students, we get a perspective different to the usual academic one. Here at Newcastle University we have excellent industry links and balance the content of the courses between academia and industry well.

Guest Lectures:

During my first semester here, I have sat through many guest lectures from industry experts. These have given our classes an alternative view to some of the theories and content we have covered in class. For example, as part of the Solid Waste Management module Forbes McDougall (Head of Circular Economy at Veolia UK) lectured on the Circular Economy and his experiences in the Solid Waste Management sector. This provided valuable insight that you couldn’t get from standard lectures alone.

Site Visits:

So far during my first semester here, I have had the opportunity to participate in quite a few site visits/field trips. From identifying geological features along the Northumberland coastline, visiting geotechnical soil testing labs and to sampling waters at acid mine water remediation sites. These have been opportunities to apply knowledge and concepts covered in lectures to industry and real world examples. In particular, the visit to Acomb mine water remediation site, not only gave the class the opportunity to sample and analyse treated waters. The trip was also an opportunity to see the application of leading research undertaken within the department.

 

Research aspects of my degree – Environmental Consultancy MSc

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Sophie Metcalf, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Environmental Consultancy, writes about the research aspects of her degree and how she has benefited because of it.

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Research plays an important part of the Geosciences MSc courses here at Newcastle. Not only are students required to undertake their own research project, our studies are complimented and enhanced by the research active staff teaching the taught components of the course.

Newcastle University is renowned for the high quality research undertaken both university wide and within the School. This ultimately means that as MSc students here, we are being taught by some of the country’s top academics. Being part of a department has so many research active staff means that there are a multitude of exciting opportunities made available to students for their research dissertations. This is one of the most exciting aspects of being an MSc student here and is what drew me to applying. It is an exciting challenge to develop a research project alongside my academic supervisors that is at the cutting edge of the field. Having the opportunity to work so closely with research staff here has been an amazing opportunity for gaining knowledge and experience.

Not only does research play an integral role as part of the MSc research dissertations but it also plays a role in enhancing the lecture content. Not only do the lectures cover standard course content and skills, our lectures often incorporate the cutting edge research of the teaching staff. This is often in the form of case studies and field visits. As students it is so important to see how the theory we are learning is applied not only to research but also to industry and real world applications.

Site Visits and Field Trips – Environmental Consultancy MSc

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Sophie Metcalf, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Environmental Consultancy, writes about her field trips and site visits involved in her course.

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As part of the MSc programme here, students are required to undertake a personal research dissertation. Due to the nature of the subject, projects often includes site visits to the area of interest for observation and sampling. Recently I undertook my preliminary site visit as part of my research dissertation, which gave me the opportunity to get out of the city and into the beautiful countryside of North East England. The North Pennines are classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the mid-march sunshine most definitely brought out the best of this beautiful landscape!

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The North Pennines

My project is focused on geochemical investigations of abandoned metal mine sites in the North Pennines, so my first field visit involved undertaking a reconnaissance of the sites I will be looking at. All the sites have heavy metal contamination from the historic land use as metal mines. The project is funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund and is part of the larger OREsome project being undertaken across the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is an amazing opportunity to work in such a beautiful area of the country and on some sites that have been un-researched and untouched until now. This project will build on work already undertaken by staff within the Geoscience department to quantify the metal contamination entering water courses in the North Pennines, which eventually reaches the River Tyne and Newcastle.

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Site investigation

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Dr Neil Gray, Degree Programme Director of Geoscience Programmes

It is sometimes easy to forget that such a vibrant city such as Newcastle, is located to closely to some of the most stunning countryside in the country. I am greatly looking forward to undertaking more site visits to this beautiful part of the world, to undertake sample collection.

Why I chose Newcastle University

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Mosopefoluwa Oikeh, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Environmental and Petroleum Geochemistry, writes about her decision to study at Newcastle University.

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I believe that certain factors are worth considering before choosing a university or course of study. Excellent teaching and research standards, amazing student experience and career prospects are just a few determinants I examined while reviewing universities in the United Kingdom.

As an international student, I wanted the best student experience I could get. The thought of leaving home for a new environment and how easy it would be to acclimatise was daunting. However, I had friends in Newcastle University who shared their student experiences with me which helped calm my nerves. I found this to be true as you get to meet students from diverse cultural backgrounds and ethnicities, thereby creating opportunities to socialise and learn about other cultures. There are occasional side attractions and social activities organised by the student union and other registered societies which makes the experience exciting.

Talking about teaching and research standards, civil engineering as well as some other departments was rated world leading or internationally excellent. In addition, I desired to study a master’s degree taught course that will reflect petroleum geology and environmental science and I found a perfect course at Newcastle University. The university is ranked one of the best and one of the top 20 most targeted universities by UK’s leading employers; as such increasing career prospects.

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city with rich cultural heritage and a vibrant student city. The nearness of the university and accommodation to the city centre makes it accessible and exciting to dwell in. The people are warm and lovely. The city’s night view and monuments are nice for relaxation and reflection. When it is time to withdraw from the social attractions and concentrate on studies, the university campus is an excellent place. The libraries are strategically located around the campus and can be accessed anytime of the day, during school term. The city has a local airport which connects other cities within the UK and some countries. Living and studying in Newcastle is one choice I have never regretted.