MILJØ302 Environmental Sciences

In this course, students will develop theoretical and practical skills related to basic and applied environmental science. The course is designed to make students aware of the interaction between biological, geological, hydrological, physical, and chemical processes within a catchment area. Teaching activities will include fieldwork with sampling, laboratory analyses, processing and interpretation of data, and finally presentation of the results.

After a brief introduction, the course begins with three field days of investigations and sampling. The fieldwork will take place in a catchment area in Ås, where students will collect samples of soil and water, and measure gas exchange. In the second week, students will carry out necessary analyses of the collected samples in the faculty’s laboratories. In the third week, data is processed, interpreted, and compiled into a poster and an oral presentation. The work is done in groups.

The course also aims to provide general competence in environmental science and firsthand knowledge of the various specializations in M-MILJØ. Students with different educational backgrounds are brought together to create a vibrant and engaging academic community.

After completing the course, students will have the following learning outcomes.

Knowledge:

Students have in-depth knowledge of research in environmental science related to pollution and resource management. Students have an advanced understanding of the interaction between biological, geological, hydrological, physical, and chemical processes in nature.

Skills:

Students will use simple but relevant methods to collect and produce data, critically assess the quality of these, and compile the results in an independent analysis. Students will then gain experience in presenting their own results in an oral presentation along with a self-produced poster with relevant references. Students can acquire, assess, and refer to environmental scientific information and subject matter.

General competence:

Students will be well prepared to later carry out their own fieldwork, process data, and compile this with other available knowledge. The students will be able to identify issues and possible solutions to specific environmental questions, be able to reflect, argue, and contribute to academic discussions about environmental science.