Tag Archives: environmental engineering

Practical elements of the MSc Environmental Engineering

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Takudzwa Chipamaunga, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Environmental Engineering, writes about the laboratory sessions involved in her degree and how these practical elements link to real issues

As part of the MSc Environmental Engineering course, I have attended several laboratory sessions, the most recent one where I had the chance to test the quality of River Tyne water. The laboratory facilities in the School gives one access to research equipment that is at the forefront of technology, which includes a range of apparatus for making measurements and investigating water treatment processes. I find that conducting experiments in the laboratory sessions, with discussions before, during and after the experiments an effective and enjoyable approach of moving from passive to active learning. I feel as if the active learning has exploited my natural curiosity about environmental affairs and what I enjoy about the sessions is that it gets me to think of the questions before they are answered during the experiments.

In general, the course has so far provided me with the scientific skills and the understanding of the fundamental chemical, physical and biological processes fitting for a practising environmental engineer. I have gained experience of practical analytical methods to evaluate pollution of the natural environmental and engineered treatment systems. I have so far developed a good understanding of sciences which reinforce Environmental Engineering and sustainability of the environment. I would now be confident to go out in the field upon completion of my course having gained this experience and I believe that the laboratory studies bridge the gap between analytical models and real environmental issues.

My passion for Environmental Engineering

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Takudzwa Chipamaunga, a postgraduate student studing an MSc in Environmental Engineering, writes about her passion for the subject and what she hopes to achieve from her postgraduate degree

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After doing an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering, I wanted to choose a Postgraduate course that directly specialised in matters that would help to protect the environment. I want a career that would have a global impact on our future and the future of the planet by making it a mission to think and act through respecting and protecting the environment; for this reason, I thought environmental engineering would be the best route. This interest was further fuelled by a voluntary project I took part in Nepal with other volunteers as part of the Post Disaster Relief building work following the two devastating earthquakes the country experienced in 2015.

Building airbag earthquake proof homes and schools for the local people in Nepal gave me a whole new perspective on life. It felt good to contribute in activities that helped to restore hope where it was lost for the locals, and it was then when I realised that if I could make such impact on a small scale, how great would be to continuously do it but on a larger scale. As an environmental engineer, I know I will be able to overcome and help prevent the negative effects natural disasters have on society and the environment, like the situation in Nepal. Upon completion of my degree, I do hope to gain a greater understanding in ways to enhance the quality of life on the planet which will help make life better for people around the world.

My passion for Environmental Engineering

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 Alexander Alfageme Schmidt, a postgraduate student writes about his passion for the subject and what he hopes to gain from his postgraduate degree in Environmental Engineering 

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Before starting my Masters degree in Environmental Engineering I had honestly done very little that someone could say was directly linked to environmental engineering. Although my BSc was in Applied and Environmental Geology I mostly learnt a lot about rocks and minerals for 3 years. It wasn’t until my final year that I took a module on environmental geology that I realised that my interests lay in environmental issues and not solely in rocks (shocking I know). I began reading further into this and becoming more and more interested in how people were going about trying to solve environmental issues around the world, at the time acid mine drainage and land remediation strategies were of particular interest.

When I saw there was a course called environmental engineering I knew straight away what I wanted to do my masters in. In doing this course I hope to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to make a difference. By the way things seem to be going globally, working to maintain our environment is going to become an even greater challenge than it already is, and I want to be part of the solution.

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.

Celebrating International Women’s Day – Women in Engineering

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Takudzwa Chipamaunga, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Environmental Engineering, writes about what its like being a woman in a male-dominated sector and how having a female mentor encouraged her to further her studies in the field.

After doing an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering, I wanted to choose a postgraduate course that directly specialised in matters that help to protect the environment. I want a career that would have a global impact on our future and the future of the planet by making it a mission to think and act through respecting and protecting the environment; for this reason, I thought environmental engineering would be the best route.

During my second year at my previous university, I did an internship with a Waste and Environmental Services consultancy firm in the UAE where the Technical Director of the organisation was a woman and had a similar background in academics as mine; she started off as a civil engineer, progressed into the Environmental and Sustainability field and worked her way to the top. During the internship, she gave me the opportunity to carry out my final year dissertation topic on a project the organisation was working on, where she became my mentor and supervisor. The project we tackled was implementation of healthcare waste management approach in the UK to the UAE. The team I was in was able to launch legislation and policies directed to waste management in three different emirates and we were able to drive down waste management problems.

What made it cool? A diverse pipeline of female talent via leadership teams and employees worked together to make a difference in the pursuit to achieve a safe and sustainable initiative.  Working alongside the team and receiving guidance from the technical director further encouraged me to pursue a career in the field as I learnt a lot and had grown a greater interest in the subject along the way.

Today I enjoy seeing females choosing STEM-based programmes to pursue paths as engineers and consultants in various industries. I believed that this has really driven closure of the gender gap in many male-dominated sectors, and definitely helps in giving young girls hope for the future!

Volunteering with the Disaster Relief Building project in Nepal

Volunteering with the Disaster Relief Building Project in Nepal