Exploring Environmental Pollution

If you want to find out how the lives we live affect the world we live in, if you are interested in environmental chemistry and if you are looking for practical training and hands-on experience in modern techniques for analyzing our environment then this could be the programme for you! Its emphasis is on providing field and laboratory skills relevant to the practical study of environmental pollution, and on developing knowledge and understanding of key theory, so that you will be able to determine appropriate solutions to many different environmental problems.
Contemporary methods for the sampling and analysis of environmental pollutants are taught in interactive lecture classes. Field sampling, and laboratory practical classes will allow you to practice your skills, and data interpretation workshops will help you draw conclusions from the data that you have generated. Specific aims are:

  1. To introduce the basic concepts of environmental analysis
  2. To discuss sampling philosophies and appropriate sampling, preservation and storage methods for different environmental media (e.g. waters; soils)
  3. To describe the theory and operation of the main analytical instrumental techniques used in environmental analysis.
  4. To raise awareness of the importance of data quality and of the ways in which data quality is monitored and described.

By the end of this module, you will:

  1. Be able to design an environmental pollution study using appropriate sampling and analysis techniques.
  2. Be aware of the operating principles, advantages and limitations of modern analytical instrumentation.
  3. Have practical experience of sampling and analyzing environmental media such as water or soils by some of these techniques.
  4. Have practical experience of processing the data produced by some of these techniques, including the generation of data quality descriptors.

The module combines elements of environmental science and analytical geochemistry and is taught by a lecturer in environmental geochemistry.

Preparation and assessment

Students will be given advance notice of all pre-programme reading material.
Depending on individual credit transfer needs, students will be assessed by a mix of on-going and final stage assessment. At the end of the summer school, students will be awarded a certificate stating the programme studied and their grade.

Who should attend:

The Exploring Environmental Pollution programme is open to everyone, so you do not require any formal qualifications, but a basic statistical knowledge is required and you will also need to be familiar with the use of spreadsheets for data analysis (or at least be prepared to learn!). This course will be of particular interest to anyone thinking about a career in environmental analysis, environmental pollution or geochemistry.