It is great to have joint events within our fairly recently formed School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. Students who have returned from placements in places ranging from Italy to Taunton reported on their experiences: caring for snakes, developing food and toiletries that are about to be released onto the market, and running investigative projects that will change how companies work.

Seventy 2nd year students from Chemistry, Biology, Agriculture, Food Marketing and Environmental Science attended in our joint event, brilliantly run by NU Careers Service. I just had to sit back and enjoy the stories from our returning students and feel the excitement and anticipation of our 2nd years as they will start to apply for year long placements.

The wettest windiest day of the year, hence impossible to get not blurred photos, but we soldiered on, working with Abi from Northumberland National Park. We collected water and vegetation data to continue to monitor the restoration work on Lampert bog: Po is monitoring the water table depth while the others are looking at dissolved organic carbon, the effectiveness of the brash and woodchip for stabilising and vegetating the reprofiled gullies, and the effect of the brash cutting on the bog communities.

Induction week for Environmental Science and Earth Science students. We took the bus then boat to one of my favourite places: the astoundingly beautiful Northumberland Coast and the Farne Islands. Sadly the puffins had gone, but the seals were still blubbering about and the weather was absolutely beautiful. Only one or two of the students felt the effects of the waves on their digestive systems –  i think it was the waves that were the culprits, not the freshers week socialising.

We had 5 exceptional MEnv students with final year projects on phytoremediation, sustainable audit of a well-known business, carbon storage, and, of course, UAV images of bogs. These students have been engaged, enthusiastic, competitive, inquisitive, hard-working and fun throughout their 4 years with us. Ollie took the opportunity to spend his 3rd year studying in Canada, but happily he came back. Anyone would be lucky to employ any one of these guys, and it has been a pleasure and a privilege to teach and play ring of fire with them. Keep in touch.

We will also hugely miss Dr Liz Stockdale who has gone off to AHDB. An excellent DPD, lecturer and line manager.

I can see I might need to learn to straighten my hood when I have my photo taken in future.

3rd year Environmental Science will be planning their projects in a couple of weeks. I went out to Lampert SSSI with Abi (NNPA) and Richard (NU) to generate some ideas for them and the biology students.

Follow the link to show how our previous grazing work has been digitized by the National Park as part of an exhibition at the Sill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wucItqfdkP0&feature=youtube

These are just a few of the current projects:

Comparison of the effectiveness of heather brash, wood chip and nothing – on the stabilisation and revegetation of the peat

Blocking drains creates pools – maybe a student will want to investigate the aquatic invertebrates

Can you see where the brash was cut from? We could monitor the regrowth of the vegetation compared with the uncut area

First year BSc Environmental Science (and Countryside Management) students get to  carry out their first investigative project at Belford Burn, Northumberland using the field skills they have been learning. I love it, because they have to do all the work – the questioning, the thinking, the risk assessment, equipment lists, the printing… I just get to ask questions like, “why do you think that is important?” and “how do you think you will measure that?” and “how will you decide where will you sample”?

Some of the projects are illustrated below:

Measuring water flow – comparing to different techniques (flow meter and ping pong ball) to see how water flow changes down stream

Comparing floral diversity with arthropod diversity in woodland, heathland and arable habitats

Using aquatic invertebrates and a field nitrate colorimeter to assess pollution –  from the source of the river in the hills, through grassland, arable and urban habitats

Verdict: the students are better at remembering equipment than I am ; next year we want more rain before we go; sheep aren’t as scary as some London born and bred students might have previously thought; mistakes were made and learned from; we all had a brilliant time.

I am Helen Adamson, ecologist, lecturer, degree program director for MSc Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management, senior tutor, contact for students wanting to study abroad. I work with the environmental science, agriculture, food marketing, agri-business, countryside managers, rural studies, animal science and earth science students in the School of Natural and Environmental Science, Newcastle Uni.

I love: bogs and moors and moss and grass and experiments and data – and working with students.

I don’t love: it when students ask me a question by email that I have posted on BlackBoard and said in a lecture.

I also enjoy: trying to play the fiddle, turning cartwheels, live streamings at our cinema and doing stuff with Church.

On this blog I’m planning to track some of the brilliant and fun things our students get up to while they are learning. And maybe one or two other things that cross my mind.

Slightly bedraggled, but happy