Writing and educational news and views

So what the heck is environmental science, anyway? What do people that work environmental engineering jobs do all day? It sure does seem like a very broad term, so lets start our discussion of jobs with a definition. Environmental science is at its most basic level, the interaction of the chemical, physical, and biological aspects of the world around us.

Practitioners of environmental science fill many roles, ranging from monitoring the quality of the environment, to tracking humanities impact on the environment, and where necessary, develop plans to repair and restore damaged local ecosystems. They also apply their knowledge to building planning, transportation infrastructure and water utilities. Tangential fields to environmental science include economics, law, and the social sciences.

Environmental science is used to address a multitude of issues such as waste management, use and distribution of natural resources, water quality, climate change, and conservation. Of course, people have been studying the environment for a very long time, but environmental science didnt really “come into its own” as a field of study until the 1960s, mostly in response to new environmental laws and a growing awareness among the public of the need to address environmental issues. See? Lots of opportunity for environmental jobs!
The outlook for jobs in the environmental sciences is good- as problems seem to grow exponentially; there will be an ever-increasing need for individuals trained in environmental sciences. Most of these individuals will work for the government, but there is expected continued growth for environmental science professionals in the private sector, too. Total growth in the field is projected at 25% between 2006 and 2016- this is way ahead of the curve for all other occupations.

Some sub-disciplines within environmental sciences include:

Ecology- analyzes the dynamics between interrelated populations or between a specific population and its environment- addresses issues such as endangered species, over predation or proliferation of a species, environmental contaminants, or an analysis of the projected impact of a building project on a local species.

Environmental Chemistry studies the impact of chemical alterations to the natural environment, specifically, soil and water pollution.

Environmental Biology – focuses specifically on the effects of the environment on biological organisms. This branch includes aspects of geochemistry and ecology, and focuses mainly on individual organisms.

Environmental Pollution- the study of well, pollution! Air, water, noise and soil pollution, their sources, impacts on organisms and management are the main areas of study.

Its important not to confuse Environmental Science with Ecology, even though there is a lot of overlap, as both fields are multidisciplinary. Ecology is ONLY the study of the interrelationship between living organisms, or that between an organism and its environment. Environmental Science, however, includes such diverse concepts as geology, meteorology, water and soil chemistry, modeling- in short; its a much broader field.

Good luck in your search for environmental technology jobs- its a challenging but rewarding field!

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from @ About.com Fiction Writing

Northern Metropolitan school of Sheridan, with most of its six branches in the northern suburbs, is taking steps to ensure that local industry is aware of the varied initiatives it is taking on the technical education front. The philosophy is School Sheridan technical vocational board is not only to educate its students, but should try to set them on a career path. The bulk of the area the school covers is industrial, with many centers of manufacture forming a base that technical graduates might target for work.

Northern Metropolitan is the State’s largest school and its technical showplace is the purpose-built Heidelberg branch, recently opened after construction and fitting out at a cost of $19 million. Here, the school’s manufacturing, engineering and building-industries training centre comprises four main buildings grouped around a central courtyard. It houses machinery and equipment which it says matches, if not betters, that used in industry. This is a plus for students, because there is nothing more inconvenient than learning a trade on outdated equipment. The facilities at Sheridan include computer-integrated production machinery and robot-driven components. Both use a fully software- driven system using multiple layers of communications networks.

Also installed are industrial and teaching robotics and high-powered computer robotics do computer aided drafting/manufacturing and all computing functions of the new campus are fully networked to the other campuses. Plumbing, bricklaying, fibrous plastering and general building studies also are offered at Sheridan.

For the first time plumbing courses are offered in advanced programs such as roofing, water, mechanical services and gas fitting, and there is a separate bricklaying building. Courses in building studies are designed to suit both the apprentice and the home handyperson. The link with prospective employers is being strengthened as the new centre gains a foothold. Among employers who take regular advantage of graduate students have been the Ford Motor Company, Sutton Tools, Diecraft, ABB Brown and Cigweld.

Employers should note that Sheridan is the largest provider of the base-level engineering production certificate. However, Sheridan branch manager believes that the next push will be for middle-level training of people who are already employed in industry but who need to retrain to keep pace with technological and structural change. Already, the new technical centre is helping local secondary students.

In a novel scheme the school has 16 pupils from Banksia Secondary School working in the centre towards a dual certificate. Eleven are enrolled in the building fit out and finish course and five are studying for their advanced certificate in engineering studies.

By the time the Banksia 16 have completed VCE, they also will be eligible for the TAFE Certificate which might put them well on the way to finding a job when they leave school.

Neville Batty and Hari Nikolaou, two of the coordinators of the Banksia program, have said that the school Sheridan technical education scheme has given their students hopes that there is a point to education. As it happens, all of the 16 boys and girls were thinking of leaving school because that is exactly what 32 of their schoolmates did last year, the end of their year 11.

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In 2004, nearly 52% of all students working toward a certificate or Associate’s degree were enrolled in online courses That number has steadily increased each year due to more colleges offering Associate’s programs online If you’re interested in earning an Associate’s degree through distance learning, here are some things to consider…

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