In the first term, training is provided in project planning and management, communication, information technology and professionalism. Work in small groups provides experience of the skills required of a professional environmental scientist, for example, teamwork, time management, written and oral presentation, risk assessment and safety, financial planning, negotiation, delegation, ethics, and responsibilities. These transferable skills are integrated into the practical work and small group teaching throughout the course. Spectroscopic, chemiluminescent and chromatographic analytical techniques for air pollutants, toxic metals, volatile organic compounds, pesticides and radioactive substances are applied. Training in a range of other facilities and sources of information is also provided, including environmental standards, national and international policy and legislation, regulation, monitoring programmes, environmental databases, geographic information systems and computer modelling packages, environmental impact assessment tools, and environmental economics.
Much practical experience is gained in the form of hands-on work, site study tours and case studies.
The hands-on work develops a variety of analytical and computing skills. It consolidates the specialist and transferable skills with the diagnostic tools to form an integrated experience of environmental diagnosis. These case studies, together with that of the Silwood Wetlands carried out on campus, provide experience of monitoring, modelling, data interpretation with regard to legislation and environmental standards, evaluation, and presentation of results to the customer. Teams have the opportunity to role-play as local authorities, environmental consultants, industrialists, and other interested parties. Research projects Individually chosen 5-month research projects addressing practical applications of environmental diagnosis start in April.