Redesigning the 2nd year Environmental Science field class for the COVID-19 year
Dr Neil Mitchell provides us with insight on how fieldwork can be redesigned in light of lockdown by sharing his experience of delivering the module EART20042 Environmental Field Course.
Meet your lecturers: introducing the first year teaching team
The common first year of our undergraduate degree programmes provides new students with the skills they need to specialise on any of our Pathways starting from year 2. Our common first year also allows students to transfer between courses if their interests shift during their first year – between Environmental Science and Earth and Planetary Science. We would now like to introduce you to the teaching teams for the common first year…
International Student Experience at UoM: Kashish Aswani
Kashish Aswani is a second year BSc Environmental Science student and has worked as a Student Ambassador for the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences throughout academic year 2019/20. In her role as Ambassador, Kashish has been helping staff with the delivery of Earth Science Matters events, UCAS Visit Days and webinars. Kashish told us about her experience in the UK as an international student for some insight and reflections…
Meet our alumni: an interview with Niall Maguire
Niall Maguire is a recent graduate from the MEarthSci programme at UoM’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Niall now works as a Graduate Consultant in Site Evaluation and Restoration for Arcadis. We caught up with him to find out how he secured the role and what the job involves…
To live and study in New Zealand: a year abroad with Emily Barnes
Emily Barnes has recently completed her fourth and final year of study at the University of Manchester for her degree in Geography and Geology. Emily undertook her third year of study in New Zealand, and has kindly shared her experiences of international study for this blog post.
Research Roundup: new findings on crystallization in magmatic systems published in Nature Geoscience
New findings from researchers at the University of Manchester, in conjunction with collaborators at Keele University, Durham University and University College Dublin, Ireland, suggest that precious metal mineralisation may form very rapidly in sub-volcanic magmatic systems, and that the concept of crustal magma chambers may need to be re-evaluated. Dr Brian O’Driscoll from Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Manchester was a co-author of the published paper.
Modelling the potential spread of COVID-19 in a refugee camp
Dr Tucker Gilman and Professor Andrew Chamberlain report on an international collaborative effort to model the potential spread of the Covid-19 virus amongst the residents of the Moria camp on the island of Lesvos. The aim of this project is to use computational models to test the effectiveness of different mitigation measures that may help to limit the rate of spread of infection amongst the refugee and migrant community living in the camp.
Teamwork and Fieldwork: Environmental Studies in the Arctic Part 2
Join PhD student Emma Burns on her second trip to the Arctic for the British Antarctic Survey short course covering ‘safe and effective fieldwork in the polar regions’.
Public Engagement, Palaeontology and ‘Purls of Wisdom’: an interview with Elspeth Wallace
Elspeth Wallace is a PhD student in Palaeontology with Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Manchester. Alongside her studies, she works as the Education and Public Engagement Officer for iCRAG, the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences. I asked Elspeth about how she obtained the position at iCRAG and how she manages work and study. She told me additionally about her yarn-based initiative to raise awareness of climate change and sustainability: Purls of Wisdom. First and foremost, I had to ask how the job role had changed due to recent circumstances relating to COVID-19.
Plastics in the environment
Dr Ian Kane told us about the work that academics and students at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Manchester are doing to investigate the impact of microplastics on oceanic ecosystems. The outcome of these investigations will be used to inform future mitigation measures against plastic pollution.