Master of Environmental Science

This subject equips participants with an understanding of the role and limitations of science in environmental debates and decision-making. Global changes to the atmosphere, hydrological cycle, land-uses, urbanisation, climate, pollution, biodiversity, pests, and diseases are having profound impacts on the planet, its people and other species. You will gain an appreciation of strengths and limitations in the diversity of scientific approaches used to understand and manage environmental changes. These approaches include empirical observation, mathematical and statistical modelling, and expert opinion. The subject highlights the breadth of environmental changes, and the range of scientific methods that can be used to address these issues. Collectively, these elements provide a sound foundation for science-based advocacy and management that recognises the scientific and social contexts of environmental debates.

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Environmental Risk Assessment aims to provide you with the skills to undertake and critically evaluate environmental risk assessments. We outline the history and social context of risk and explore the psychology of risk perception. You will be introduced to quantitative and qualitative tools with the objective of giving you the ability to select, apply and assess technical and socially based risk assessment. The subject is structured to develop your skills in writing reports and participating in group exercises.

While the contact period is six intensive days, the learning period is longer. Reading materials are distributed in May and a small assessment task is set to encourage you to be fully prepared. You will be required to complete a take-home examination and a substantial practical report in the weeks following the course.

The subject is made up of lectures in the mornings and practical exercises in the afternoons. It assumes no formal background in quantitative methods. An understanding of basic statistical concepts (means, medians, standard deviations, confidence intervals, basic linear regression) is an advantage. If you have not been involved in an undergraduate statistics class before, contact the subject coordinator to discuss your options.

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This subject will examine current topics in the discipline of environmental science. The choice of topics will be driven by the students in the subject under the direction of the subject coordinators. Students will organise, lead and participate in discussions of relevant material such as journal articles, media stories and environmental impact assessments. Students will also deliver an oral presentation to communicate their research on a current topic in environmental science.

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In this research project, students undertake a substantial research project in the area of Environmental Science. The research will be conducted under the supervision of a member of academic staff. A list of research expertise and interests in the Environmental Sciences is outlined on the Faculty of Science website. The results of the project will be reported in the form of a thesis and an oral presentation.

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In this research project, students undertake a substantial research project in the area of Environmental Science. The research will be conducted under the supervision of a member of academic staff. A list of research expertise and interests in the Environmental Sciences is outlined on the Faculty of Science website. The results of the project will be reported in the form of a thesis and an oral presentation.

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This subject will provide practical insights into the role of science and scientific thinking within a genuine workplace context. Students will be assigned to syndicate groups and, using a variety of techniques, they will work as a team to solve an industry-relevant problem that has been identified by their assigned Industry client. In addressing this task students will draw upon on their Environmental Science knowledge and other skills developed in the professional tools subjects they have undertaken. On commencement of the project, students will be required to spend a specific time in the business setting and to then maintain regular contact with the business, as well as the project supervisor, across the duration of the subject.

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This subject will provide practical insights into the role of science and scientific thinking within a genuine workplace context. Students will be assigned to syndicate groups and, using a variety of techniques, they will work as a team to solve an industry-relevant problem that has been identified by their assigned Industry client. In addressing this task students will draw upon on their Environmental Science knowledge and other skills developed in the professional tools subjects they have undertaken. On commencement of the project, students will be required to spend a specific time in the business setting and to then maintain regular contact with the business, as well as the project supervisor, across the duration of the subject.

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This subject provides a coverage of the different systems significant in the design of buildings, which are described in terms of 3 interlocking systems: human, mechanical and natural systems.

Human Systems
• Concepts of environmental comfort: heat, light and sound
• Occupational Health, Safety and Environment
• Post-Occupancy Evaluation

Mechanical Systems
• energy efficiency, alternative energy sources and energy management
• active solar heating and cooling systems;
• electrical, telecommunications, transportation and building management systems;
• air-conditioning system designs; refrigeration, heating and air handling plants;
• façade design, natural ventilation and mixed mode systems;
• displacement ventilation, evaporative cooling and radiant cooling systems;
• special servicing conditions
• acoustical design and noise control

Natural Systems
• passive design techniques for buildings
• waste and water treatment techniques, WSUD (water sensitive urban design)
• green infrastructure and ecological services
• integrated greenery – green roofs and vertical greenery

Sustainable building standards like Green Star and NABERS will also be introduced and used in the discourse of the lectures.

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Wildlife Management has varied goals, addressing issues as diverse as conservation and biodiversity, human-animal conflict, pest animal control, overabundance and potential for disease spill over.

This subject will expose students to real-life examples of wildlife management in Australia, and provide them with opportunities to meet and interact with relevant professionals in this field during synchronous online teaching sessions. Although examples in this subject are based in Australia, the principles students engage with are applicable across the globe. All synchronous teaching activities will also be recorded, and thus available asynchronously.

Staff from a variety of government and not-for-profit agencies involved in wildlife management will present an outline of their management programs and provide detailed information about specific management issues and activities. Further materials to support the themes discussed, and to provide students with additional background and context for each management example, will be provided through asynchronous delivery.

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This subject gives an overview of the weather and climate extreme phenomena in the tropical region, as driven by the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere on a wide range of time and space scales. Topics include tropical cyclones, ENSO theory, Monsoon depression and Monsoon lows, cloud clusters and squall lines, tropical-extratropical interactions, the governing equations at low latitudes, momentum and heat exchanges in the ocean and atmospheric boundary layers, fundamental causes of ocean circulation, ocean wave theory including wind-waves and tides, Kelvin and Rossby waves, and intraseasonal oscillations.

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This subject addresses the fundamental processes that govern atmospheric and oceanic motion, and how these processes interact to control the weather and climate of the Earth. Topics include the fluid dynamics of the atmosphere and ocean, the scaling of the equations of motion, the shallow-water system, vorticity and divergence, buoyancy driven flows, and numerical modelling of atmospheric and oceanic flows. On completion of this subject, students should have an appreciation of the fundamental processes that govern atmospheric and oceanic motion and interactions on a range of time and spatial scales. A qualitative as well as quantitative understanding of the atmosphere is to be gained, with the substantial mathematical analyses covered during the subject. Students will also receive experience in constructing simplified models of the atmosphere and ocean.

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This subject presents a comprehensive view of the processes that are responsible for the structure, composition and properties of the atmosphere. It will focus on local and regional scales, covering aerosol and cloud processes such as formation, precipitation and lightning. It will address how these atmospheric processes and composition interact with the climate system - discussing major weather systems, land use, air quality and greenhouse gas fluxes. This subject will involve a face-to-face or virtual field trip to the Creswick campus in week 5 of semester to observe the atmospheric boundary layer state and chemical composition using state of the art monitoring equipment.

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The subject will discuss some basic statistical methods for analysing climate dynamics with the aim of understanding the physical mechanisms driving the observed structures (statistics). The subject will emphasise how these methods can be applied and will explore the potential pitfalls in interpreting statistical results. The subject will start with a discussion on the basics of probability theory, time series analysis, stochastic models and multivariate data (pattern) analysis. It will then focus on the principles of decision making in statistical analysis (significance tests), which is followed by a discussion of the pitfalls and general strategies in statistical analysis.

This subject is taught as part of the Victorian Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences (VIEPS), a collaboration between various Australian universities that share the teaching of graduate subjects in geoscience and atmospheric science.

This subject is taught by Monash University, and students will be expected to participate in person at Monash University during the teaching period. In order to complete this subject, you will need to enrol via your University of Melbourne study plan, as well as register your enrolment with the home teaching institution.

You can find information regarding this subject, including important participation requirements and how to register as an external student, via the VIEPS website here: https://www.monash.edu/science/schools/earth-atmosphere-environment/honours/vieps

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The aim of this subject is to explore processes governing convection in the atmosphere, with a particular emphasis on severe convective storms and tropical cyclones. Specific topics covered include buoyancy, local convection, cellular convection, stability, severe storms - including supercell storms and squall lines, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones.

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The aim of this unit is to describe the design of global atmospheric models as they are used in Numerical Weather Prediction, seasonal prediction and climate simulation. The unit aims to provide a basic understanding of all aspects of global atmospheric modelling. It will describe modelling techniques required to apply the fundamental equations that govern atmospheric flow in the settings of a modern General Circulation Model.

This subject is taught as part of the Victorian Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences (VIEPS), a collaboration between various Australian universities that share the teaching of graduate subjects in geoscience and atmospheric science.

This subject is taught by Monash University, and students will be expected to participate in person at Monash University during the teaching period. In order to complete this subject, you will need to enrol via your University of Melbourne study plan, as well as register your enrolment with the home teaching institution.

You can find information regarding this subject, including important participation requirements and how to register as an external student, via the VIEPS website here: https://www.monash.edu/science/schools/earth-atmosphere-environment/honours/vieps

View detailed information in the Handbook

Extreme weather and climate events have large impacts on people and the environment. It is vital that these events are well predicted on weather forecasting timescales to limit the damages they cause. It is also important that the characteristics of these events in a changing climate are well understood so that we can be prepared for future climate extremes. This course will focus on how weather and climate extremes are characterised locally and internationally, how they have changed and how they will change under global warming. The processes that lead to these events and how they are forecast will also be explained. Statistical techniques for analysing extremes will be introduced. This course will also include discussion of how extremes are communicated in terms of mitigating risks for forecast events.

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The history of Earth’s climate provides examples of widely different states, ranging from cold glacial climates to hot greenhouse climates. Palaeoclimatology seeks to reconstruct past climate conditions and understand the dynamics and variability of the climate system on a range of time scales. This course will explore key examples of past warm and cold climates, including the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the Pliocene, the warm last interglacial period and the last glacial maximum. The drivers and mechanisms of past climate change will be discussed, with a focus on topics of current debate in palaeoclimate science. Proxy records used to reconstruct past climate will be discussed, such as ice cores, marine sediments, tree ring and coral records. The use of climate models to simulate past climates will also be a explored. The course will also address the relevance of past climates for understanding future climate change due to human activity.

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Knowledge of genome structures from various organisms and the rapid development of technologies that exploit such information are having a big impact in biology, medicine and biotechnology. This subject describes the structure and expression of genomes in higher organisms and provides an understanding of the technologies used to analyse and manipulate genes. Students will learn how the modification of genes in cells and whole organisms can be used to discover gene function or to modify phenotype. The structure of eukaryotic chromosomes is presented to demonstrate how genetic material is replicated and how transcription of RNA is controlled. We illustrate how pathways that regulate RNA and protein are integrated to control cell metabolism and cell fate. The content will cover the bioinformatic techniques used to interpret and extend genomic information. The approaches of functional genomics to the study of specific human diseases will be discussed to illustrate the application of molecular biology to the study of human biology and health.

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This subject focuses on common statistical approaches used to analyse biological data sets. Topics covered include research and experimental design, hypothesis testing, estimation, and statistical modelling for univariate and multivariate data. In interactive classes, students will consolidate concepts before working through examples in the context of different disciplines within the biosciences (including biomedicine, genetics, environmental science and ecology). The computer-based workshops will provide opportunities to translate theoretical knowledge into practice with emphasis on statistical interpretation, reasoning, and basic coding skills. By the end of the subject, students will have the statistical skills required to design, analyse, and interpret their own biological research.

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This subject provides a detailed knowledge of vegetation structure and natural values of Victorian plant communities and their assessment, including environmental limiting factors, threats due to land use, development and fragmentation, and management issues related to environmental impact assessment and conservation of native vegetation. The subject will be based around short excursions to examine different vegetation types in the Melbourne region, and a series of special lectures by scientists, managers and consultants from both the government and private sectors. Topics will include:

• ecology and natural history of Victorian plant communities;
• environmental impacts and vegetation assessment;
• conservation and management issues (e.g. revegetation, rare species, fauna habitat, weed invasions);
• biodiversity legislation and government agencies;
• consulting services and client focus.

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This subject is designed for students wishing to take a summer course, and who are interested in the biology of native plants and plant communities and environments in Victoria. It is suited to students studying environmental science or environmental studies.

Topics covered include:

• biogeographic regions of Victoria: climate, landforms, geology, soils and vegetation types;
• biology of Victorian plants: intraspecific variation and adaptation to local conditions, ecotypes and clines, mallee plants, coastal plants, alpine plants;
• conservation and threats to the Victorian flora: weeds, diseases, pests, fire, extinctions.

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This subject describes how technologies enabling the sequencing of complete genomes have transformed biological research in the past decades. Bioinformatics provides the tools to analyse these massive data connecting nucleic acids to the structures and functions of life. The advanced topics will review current knowledge on genomics and transcriptomics and describe the databases used to gather this information.

The course will provide to non-specialised life-scientists the core concepts in genomics and bioinformatics. It will describe how to utilise public databases to retrieve biological information and develop a critical understanding of the methods used to generate them. This subject will explore how genomes are sequenced and annotated, and how connections are drawn between the different levels of molecular organisation to build a systems understanding of complex biological processes.

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The lecture component of this subject covers the main sources and types of environmental contaminants with a focus on water contaminants and their effect on water quality. Frequently used analytical techniques in environmental and industrial monitoring and analysis, not covered in the prerequisite or other second year level chemistry subjects, will be outlined in the context of achieving desirable environmental outcomes. These include: volumetric analysis; gravimetric analysis; optical techniques (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry); electroanalytical techniques such as potentiometry (ion-selective electrodes, potentiometric stripping analysis) and voltammetry (polarography, anodic stripping voltammetry); analytical separation techniques (ion chromatography, extraction); and automatic analytical techniques (flow injection analysis).

The practical component of this subject involves the application of chromatographic (ion chromatography, gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography), electroanalytical (potentiometry, polarography and anodic stripping volatmmetry) and optical (atomic absorption spectrometry) analytical techniques to environmental samples.

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This subject delves into the intricate chemistry of Earth's environmental systems, with a focus on the interconnected realms of the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere (soil). Through an exploration of the structure, composition, and chemical processes within these systems, students will gain a deeper understanding of the delicate balances that sustain life on our planet. Additionally, students will examine the influence of human activities on environmental health and learn how environmental data informs the development of protective measures at both national and international levels.

Key topics include:

• Understanding the chemical dynamics of Earth's environmental systems, encompassing the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere. Explore the chemical mechanisms and interactions that influence the environmental dynamics of our planet.
• Examination of the sources, chemical characteristics, and effects of environmental pollution.
• Introduction to the principles and practical applications of quantitative chemical analysis, environmental monitoring, and statistical methods for interpreting and reporting environmental data.

A key aspect of this subject will be the investigation of a current advanced environmental chemistry issue that will be covered in lecture material during weeks 7 and 8. The students will work in a small group for this assignment. The practical component of this subject will involve the application of titrimetric, optical (spectrophotometry, atomic absorption/emission spectrometries) and chromatographic (gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography) analytical techniques commonly used in environmental chemistry.

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Excitons lie at the heart of many important natural and technological processes including photosynthesis, vision, energy efficient lighting and solar energy conversion. An exciton is a coulombically bound electron-hole pair that is generated in a material either by light absorption or electrical charge injection. Because of the strong coulomb interactions, excitonic materials are very efficient absorbers of light, possess excellent light emission properties, and can exhibit a variety of unique phenomena, such as up- or down- conversion, that can enable us to move beyond the efficiency limits of existing materials. This Masters course provides an overview of exciton science. Advanced topics include techniques to probe excitons, the properties of various materials classes that involve excitonic interactions and applications in photosynthesis, solar cells and light emitting technologies.

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This subject explores the chemical transformations in the Earth's atmosphere, which is influenced by both natural processes and human activities. The subject will provide an introduction into the chemistry of the stratosphere and the troposphere to explore some important problems, such as acid rain, ozone depletion, photochemical smog, greenhouse gases and global warming.

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The emergence of organic electronics is transforming current electronic technologies that will lead to light-weight flexible devices such as foldable displays, building-integrated lighting and low-cost solar cells. This subject will give an overview of this new technology area. A range of topics will be covered including materials design and synthesis, materials characterisation, and device applications. There will be an emphasis on organic semiconducting materials and photovoltaic devices.

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This subject will discuss general principles of laser action, the properties of laser beams, some specific types of lasers, laser-based spectroscopic methods, laser photochemistry, ultrafast lasers, and lasers in mass spectrometry.

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This subject explores the fundamentals of structure determination as applied to organic and biological molecules, with a focus on mass spectrometry based ion chemistry and instrumentation. The combination of background theory and range of examples will enhance students’ ability to acquire and analyse experimental data.

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Catalytic processes are ubiquitous in natural and synthetic systems. A firm base of knowledge on catalysis is an essential tool not only for students interested in synthesis but also those who seek a deeper understanding of biological and industrial processes. This subject provides an overview of catalysis. A range of catalytic processes will be discussed with emphasis on transition metal catalysis, organocatalysis and photocatalysis. Case studies involving biological and industrial processes will form part of the lecture series.

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This subject deals with how ultrasound interacts with bubbles in a liquid to generate sonochemical reactions. The production of functional nano- and micro materials using ultrasound, and how surface-active solutes affect sonochemical reactions will be discussed. The use of sonochemistry to decompose organic pollutants, for synthesising biofunctional materials and in other specific applications will also be discussed.

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This subject explores the major historical developments of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and the role of analytical chemistry in environmental monitoring, assessment and regulation. This subject provides an overview of trace level pollutant measurement using isotope surrogate dilution with measurement performed on LCMS and GCMS instrumental techniques. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated flame retardants and per and poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) will be used as case studies to explain the relationship between chemical properties with analytical measurements as well as environmental fate, behaviour and ecological impact.

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This subject will discuss the theory of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, relevant experimental techniques and its application in molecular structure determination. The theory of pulse Fourier Transform NMR will be presented along with the methods of spectral processing. Key aspects of proton chemical shift, spin-spin coupling and coupling constants will be discussed. ¹³C and heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy as well as the theory and application of advanced 2D techniques will also be detailed. A combination of 1D and 2D methods will be applied to determine the structure of complex molecules.

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AIMS

This is a specialised elective subject covering a range of environmental and waste treatment topics of key importance to society and of relevance to most chemical engineering industries. The subject builds on core chemical engineering knowledge and is complementary to the material presented in the Sustainable Processing subject.

In this subject, students will develop a broad understanding of the nature of waste streams and the principles underlying their treatment. The subject will allow students to learn how to apply chemical and bioprocess engineering knowledge in the design and operation of a range of processes used to treat a variety of domestic, industrial and agricultural wastes. In addition to traditional processes, emphasis is placed on how improved processes can be developed to meet future challenges.

The principles and technical knowledge developed in this subject are central to chemical engineers working on waste treatment in chemical industries and for municipal water and environmental management.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics covered include: the characteristics of liquid and solid wastes and the objectives of waste treatment; important waste assay procedures; primary, secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment processes; physical and chemical treatment processes for both liquid and solid wastes; biological waste treatment and the role of various microbial groups: anaerobic, facultative, aerobic and aerated lagoons and factors affecting their design; activated sludge and related processes; adherent growth processes and associated design considerations; biological and physico-chemical removal of nitrogen and phosphorus; anaerobic processes and their use in liquid and solid waste treatment; treatment and disposal of biosolids; recycling and reuse of wastes; sustainability and cleaner production.

A practical laboratory session using a bench scale wastewater treatment system will also be conducted.

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Applied Ecology is the science of understanding and managing ecosystems. The subject describes and evaluates the applications of ecological concepts for the conservation and management of natural and human-altered ecosystems. In particular, it identifies the implications of global and local changes for ecosystems, communities and individual species, especially within the Australian environment. It examines approaches to management and conservation of terrestrial resources and ecosystems, the control of pest species, and restoration of modified habitats.

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AIMS

In this subject students will learn about the fundamentals of the solid waste stream in modern society. Emphasis will be placed on the life cycle aspects of waste and the prospect of minimizing waste and maximizing the economic value of waste streams. Interaction between solid wastes and liquid and gaseous waste streams will also be considered. The subject builds on knowledge from subjects such as CVEN90043 Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering where general principles of sustainability are discussed. Student knowledge of systems and material cycles, learnt in subjects such as ENEN90031 Quantitative Environmental Modelling and CVEN30010 Systems Modelling and Design or their equivalent in other subjects forms the basic grounding for the subject. The subject is of particular relevance to students wishing to establish a career in waste management, but is also relevant to a range of engineering design disciplines where design for the total life cycle of the product or infrastructure should be considered.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Regulatory aspects of waste management, sustainability programs in government and private sector, life cycle assessment, organic waste treatment and management, inorganic waste treatment and management, landfill hydrology and design, cleaner production strategies, hazardous waste management, collection and transport logistics.

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AIMS

This subject explores the scope and methods for improving energy efficiency across a range of sectors. Improving energy efficiency is one of the key responses to increasingly scarce natural resources and problems caused by pollutants arising from energy production and use. A range of energy supply and usage scenarios will be considered including transport, manufacturing, commercial and domestic sectors. Collection of information by auditing and then using this information for planning, demand management and impact assessment will be investigated.

Knowledge gained in this subject will allow graduates to practice in the area of energy efficiency. This subject draws on students’ fundamental understanding of engineering efficiency, as well as their ability to use mathematics and statistics to analyse data to inform innovative solutions. The subject complements other subjects offered in the energy theme of the Department such as Energy for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Areas of study include: potential for improvements in energy efficiency in petrol and diesel vehicles; energy efficiency technologies for the manufacturing, commercial and domestic sectors; demand side management; integrated resource planning; energy auditing; and economic and environmental impacts.

These are applied to the following thematic areas;

• Introduction: fundamentals, energy conversion, supply, distribution and utilisation of energy, Indices, indicators and measurements
• Advanced energy systems
• Energy audits
• Manufacturing sector
• Commercial sector (office & retail)
• Residential sector
• Transport sector
• Life cycle energy analysis
• Developing countries & remote areas
• Energy policy and planning

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AIMS

This subject provides understanding of the principles of development and sustainability in the context of renewable and non-renewable energy sources. Social, environmental and financial implications of technologies to de-carbonise emissions and technologies that can offer a future non-carbon energy supply are discussed.

This subject uses project based learning where students work in teams to investigate the appropriateness of a selected energy source or a selected technology for a particular country, region or a location. Students learn to apply the principles of sustainability and development.

Knowledge gained in this subject will allow graduates to practice in the area of energy policy and planning. The subject complements other subjects offered in the energy theme of the Department such as Solar Energy, Energy Efficiency Technology and Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

• Introduction: What does 'sustainable' mean? What is development? A model for sustainable development
• Consumption (needs versus wants), Global perspectives (inequality and resource distribution)
• Role of energy in development
• Requirements for an sustainable energy supply
• Carbon versus non-carbon energy supply - overview (resources, usage)
• Problems with past patterns of energy use
• Energy efficiency (potential and limits)
• Energy Policy
• Transport futures and peak oil (resources)
• Carbon capture and storage
• Nuclear fission and fusion
• Renewable energy technologies - large and small
• Discussion Forum: Reality of Sustainability.

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AIMS

In this subject students will learn about the fundamentals of water quality and the associated standards for use as potable water, recycled water or discharge into the environment in a sustainable manner. The subject will include the identification of risks and measures to control those risks and various treatment processes including physical, chemical and microbiological treatment of water and wastewater. The concept of integrated water management will be introduced and reinforced in the group based project work throughout the semester. Students will learn about the systems for water reclamation and reuse. This subject builds on a range of student’s general knowledge of water systems engineering that is developed in subjects like Systems Modelling and Design and builds on general knowledge of chemistry and biology. It is also assumed that students have developed skills on identifying and sourcing information, and can effectively work as a team to solve larger problems.

Graduates from this subject may apply the skills developed in the water supply, waste water treatment, or water sensitive urban design areas.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

This subject covers theoretical and practical management aspects of sustainable water supply and treatment, wastewater treatment and reuse. Specific topics include:

• Integrated water management
• Risk identification and management for water services
• Water quality guidelines, regulations and performance criteria for treatment plant design
• Water treatment processes and waste disposal
• Wastewater treatment - physical, chemical and biological treatment technologies
• Systems for water reclamation and reuse.

The students will produce a conceptual design of a water and wastewater treatment system for a small town.

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AIMS

Environmental problems are highly complex and challenging to analyse and are often addressed through modelling. Being skilled at environmental modelling is a core professional requirement for an Environmental Engineer. This subject focuses on environmental modelling methodology including the steps of model conceptualisation, model construction, model evaluation and model application using a range of energy, water and waste models. The subject complements ENEN90032 Environmental Analysis Tools and ENEN90028 Monitoring Environmental Impacts which provide other core environmental engineering skills. It provides modelling skills for a wide range of discipline based subjects such as ENEN90006 Solid Wastes, ENEN90034 Environmental Applied Hydrology and ENEN90027 Energy for Sustainable Development. The subject is of particular relevance to all Environmental Engineers but is also of relevance to a range of engineering and environmental analysis disciplines that require advanced modelling skills.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

The relationship between theoretical and empirical understanding and their use in model conceptualisation and construction will be explored. This subject introduces a range of environmental modelling techniques applicable to different environmental problems. In this subject students will conceptualise and construct, evaluate and utilise their own model to undertake a technical evaluation of a specified range of potential solutions to an environmental problem. Students will also develop professional judgement skills to critically evaluate models and model results.

Specific topic areas:

• System conceptualisation
• Model construction and validation (computational accuracy)
• Model evaluation
• Calibration and optimisation
• Model uncertainty assessment techniques
• Issues of appropriate model complexity
• Students will have an opportunity to review a modelling topic of their choice.

Students will use a numerical programming language to undertake modelling tasks and will be required to learn some programming skills in the subject.

Please view this video for further information: Quantitative Environmental Modelling

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AIMS

This subject provides the application of principles of solar energy engineering. A number of solar technologies and applications methods are investigated.

This subject uses a project based learning where students work in teams to design a solar system for a particular application considering environmental, social and financial constraints. Students learn to apply the principles of solar energy and design.

Knowledge gained in this subject will allow graduates to practice in the area of renewable energy industry. The subject complements other subjects offered in the energy theme of the Department such as Energy for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

• Introduction to Solar Energy in the energy economy; Fundamental heat & mass transfer; Radiation properties of materials; and selective surfaces
• Solar Geometry and solar angles; atmospheric effects and radiation prediction; and Solar radiation measurement
• Flat plate collectors design and performance characteristic
• Concentrating collectors design and performance characteristic; Evacuated tube collectors
• Solar System design methods
• Fundamentals of photovoltaic systems
• Solar process heating
• Solar drying, Solar cookers, Green houses and Solar stills
• Solar water pumping; Solar refrigeration
• Built environment applications passive and active systems
• Solar hot water and solar heat pump systems.

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In this subject, students will learn surface and groundwater hydrology with an emphasis on engineering applications. Techniques for statistical analyses of hydrological variables and mathematical modelling of hydrological processes will be introduced for engineering designs and investigations. The subject will introduce groundwater principles and modelling. Students will also acquire knowledge of surface water and groundwater quality.

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AIMS

This subject examines in detail the main forms of non-renewable energy and their uses, including:

• The composition and origin of coal, oil, natural gas and uranium
• The performance of coal, gas, liquid fuel and nuclear power generation
• The performance of power plants featuring steam turbines, gas turbines and reciprocating engines.

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Conservation planners and managers must contend with important questions about competing priorities and strategies. Which species should we protect? What should be the objectives for the conservation of an ecosystem? How should we balance multiple values of a site, and which sites should be prioritised for protection or conservation action? Which conservation practices and tools will best achieve the intended outcomes? The answers to these questions depend not only on the biological and physical characteristics of ecological systems, but on human relationships with nature.

The subject builds on foundational knowledge in ecology and environments. Students will develop an understanding of psychological and sociological theory relevant to conservation decision making, scenarios and practice. They will also develop skills grounded in social science that can support conservation planning based on integrated ecological and social principles. Topics for consideration include:

• ecological, psychological and cultural factors that influence the species and ecosystems that society and managers prioritise for protection;
• cognitive and cultural influences on conservation objectives and strategies;
• the impact of value conflicts on the success of conservation projects;
• the relationship between conservation and the welfare of both animals and humans; and
• the role of tools such as education and engagement, citizen science, citizen informed and participatory decision making in managing conservation challenges.

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Terrestrial ecosystems provide a wide range of values—from biodiversity and carbon storage to clean water and recreational opportunities in interaction with social systems. Managing ecosystems to sustain these values requires understanding what values exist in a given ecosystem, their interactions with society and how they change over time and space. However, natural ecosystems and the social context within which they are embedded are inherently variable across scales—capturing the many ecosystem values presents a significant challenge. This unit will explore the principles of, and approaches to, ecosystem assessment and monitoring across both the biophysical and social domains. We will focus on developing practical skills in the design of social and biophysical assessments, data collection and the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data associated with natural resources and their management. Example assessment approaches include ecological monitoring, forest inventory, stakeholder analysis, participatory mapping and value-based conversations, among many others. We will draw on examples from a range of ecosystems around the world.

This subject will involve practicals and a three-day, pre-semester field trip.

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The course covers the fundamentals of spatial analysis for ecosystem management and conservation problems. Students will develop skills in the application of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for landscape analysis of data. Methodologies for collecting, analysing and interpreting spatial data will be considered through theoretical and practical approaches. These will include data collected by drones through to satellite derived measures at a continental to global scale. Students will learn the spatial skills essential to environmental management by applying industry standard tools and methods. Finally, students will develop an understanding of the emerging technologies in data collection and analysis.

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This subject describes the physics of the climate system, and how the system is represented in numerical models.

Key aspects include:

• Radiation balance and heat balance of the earth
• Carbon dioxide, water vapour and other Greenhouse Gas absorption spectra
• Other key climate drivers including solar variability, aerosols and clouds
• The global carbon cycle and the modelling of other greenhouse gases
• Impacts of climate change including sea level rise and extreme events

It covers aspects of uncertainty and chaos to understand why climate models are imperfect but invaluable tools. Students will build a simple climate model and run numerical experiments with different greenhouse gases. Existing knowledge in python programming is recommended but can be acquired throughout the course. The subject will also briefly discuss the processes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The 12 lectures cover the following themes: 1. Introduction; 2. Radiative forcing; 3. Climate feedbacks; 4. Carbon & gas cycles; 5. Oceans & sea level rise; 6. Aerosols & Clouds; 7. Variability and El Nino*; 8. Water Cycle and Extremes; 9. Ensemble & probabilistic projections, D&A; 10. Scenarios, carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management; 11. Climate Targets, carbon budgets and the Paris Agreement*; 12. Wrap Up

The lectures are accompanied with weekly exercises that provide students with hands-on conceptual learning, modelling and data analysis experience.

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Urban soils can present distinct and unique challenges to the land manager, landscape architect or horticulturist responsible for developing, maintaining or improving urban landscapes. Often compacted, contaminated, or otherwise unsuitable for plant growth, urban soils require assessment, solutions and practical methods to ensure successful outcomes. This applications-oriented subject covers several fundamental soil science issues with direct relevance to urban landscape impacts, uses and requirements. Topics covered include compaction, nutrition, contamination, water supply, drainage and structural soils.

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This course will cover a variety of aspects of environmental geochemistry, including equilibrium processes (thermodynamics, solubility, mineral precipitation, redox reactions), kinetics and rates of reactions, application of geochemical and isotopic tracers to understanding environmental processes, and environmental mineralogy. Applications will include hydrology and hydrogeology, contaminants, weathering and CO2 sequestration, and acid-mine drainage. The course will develop the geochemical tools required to understand processes in these environments.

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Subject content includes: Physical Hydrogeology, Chemical Hydrogeology, Field Study/Methods and Management and Assessment.

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Archaeological science is an intersection of natural sciences and cultural heritage that covers a wide range of examples of interdisciplinary scientific applications to archaeological and cultural heritage questions. This subject will introduce students to the key knowledge and theoretical frameworks essential for archaeological science studies and form the foundation for further studies in the area. Key geoscience-based areas to be discussed include dating and chronometry methods, compositional analysis, analytical approaches, provenance, isotopic analysis, and experimental archaeology. The cultural focus will be on Indigenous and Australian archaeology, as well as input from related studies from world archaeological science. The subject will also examine the relationship of past societies to current societies.

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Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in an increasingly urbanised world. This subject will introduce students to urban ecology and landscape ecology concepts and illustrate how they can be applied to plan and design more ecologically sustainable human landscapes. Topics include the concept of scale in ecology, land transformation and habitat fragmentation, the structure and components of landscapes, patterns and processes along urban-rural gradients, the impacts of urbanisation on biodiversity and strategies to mitigate them.

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This subject prepares students for environmental management roles by providing them with the principles of how human impacts on the environment might be detected and managed. The principles will be placed within the legal and social contexts of environmental impact assessment. At the completion of the subject, students should understand three aspects: prediction of the kind of changes that might occur with human activities; the design and implementation of proper monitoring programs that can detect changes; and assessment of those changes. Additionally, a strong emphasis is placed on the practical implementation of principles.

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Modelling is a fundamental component of Environmental Science, being used for prediction, monitoring, auditing, evaluation, and assessment. This subject introduces students to a wide range of models used by environmental scientists including models of climate change, population dynamics, pollution, hydrology, habitat and species distributions. Both deterministic and stochastic models are used as examples. The subject explains how to develop conceptual models that can then be quantified and analysed using mathematical and statistical methods. Topics covered include development of the basic model structure, estimation of parameters and calibration, methods of analysis, sensitivity analysis, model evaluation and model refinement. The subject teaches students how to simplify apparently complex problems.

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There is increasing recognition around the world of the threats facing urban environments and their water resources. In many cities water demand is approaching or exceeding limits of sustainability, leading to increasing interest in alternative water sources, such as stormwater harvesting, wastewater recycling and desalination. At the same time, receiving environments such as urban streams and bays are threatened by pollution and erosion from stormwater runoff, or eutrophication due to discharge of poorly-treated wastewater. There is also increasing recognition of the importance of water in the urban landscape, and of its role in the welfare and health of humans.

The concept of “water sensitive urban design” (WSUD), also known as Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) has developed in response to these changes. It aims to better integrate water into the urban landscape, improving the sustainability and liveability of cities (for example through the sustaining of health urban vegetation), while securing adequate resources for growing cities.

This subject reflects the integration inherent in WSUD. The course will teach you about the individual urban water cycle components (water supply, wastewater, stormwater, groundwater), but will primary focus on their interactions and integration, and particularly their interaction with the built and natural environment.

The subject includes a mix of lectures and project-based learning, including a major project (broken up into stages throughout the semester), a full-day excursion and workshops involving leading WSUD experts from public and private industry. The subject will cover:

1. An introduction to WSUD (its principles, objectives, context within other urban planning and sustainability policy & practice) in developed and developing countries
2. Water in the urban landscape, the urban water cycle and its component characteristics
3. Social, environmental and economic impacts of urban water management
4. Structural tools and techniques (conceptual design, operation, maintenance)
5. Non-structural tools and techniques
6. Choice of scales
7. Analysis methods (water balance calculations, water end-use analysis)
8. Lifecycle cost analysis and multi-criteria evaluation frameworks
9. Design tools and software (e.g. MUSIC, Urban Developer, House Water Expert)
10. Institutional and implementation issues
11. Integration between water and other urban design elements

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This subject focuses on statistical models of the distribution of species and ecophysiological models of species niches. These two areas of environmental modelling have grown substantially in the last decade or two, and have become core parts of ecology. They are closely related, but they differ philosophically and practically. They are both used for understanding and predicting the distributions of species. The statistical models (also known as habitat suitability models, bioclimatic envelopes or ecological niche models) use observed geographical distributions to characterise relationships between a species and its environment and can be considered ‘top-down’ in approach. Ecophysiological (or mechanistic) models take a ‘bottom-up’ approach by characterising the physiological processes influencing a species’ distribution and integrate models of microclimates, energy balance, heat balance, and water balance.

You will learn about both approaches from lecturers who are world experts in these topics. The subject will help you to understand the merits and drawbacks of the two approaches to species modelling and equip you with important skills that are in high demand in ecology and conservation. The subject includes the following topics: compilation, processing and management of data, fitting models by statistical estimation and empirical measurement, spatial prediction of distributions (mapping), and model evaluation.

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The air is an undervalued environmental resource - subject at times to catastrophic and chronic pollution events. 'What constitutes good air?' 'What environmental protections are in place?' and 'How do we know the air quality?' are all questions addressed in this subject. Major infrastructure projects require air quality assessments and emergency/health service providers need to assess air quality data to advise the public. Working with industry professionals working in the air quality space and exploring low-cost sensor technology interfaced with python code students will build their own air monitoring sensor and design an experiment to evaluate the air we breathe - synthesizing the findings into an air action plan.

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Currently, there is more than sufficient food produced on a global scale to feed the population. This has been an upward trend throughout agricultural history, whereby humans have altered their cultivation habits to produce more. However, the continued rise in productivity is unlikely to continue under current systems within which resources are finite. The full impacts of this on a global scale are yet to be experienced by much of the population, largely in developed areas, although viability has dropped in many food producing systems due to increases in input costs of fuel, water, fertilizers and pest and disease control. Meanwhile, at the regional scale, food production systems are already found to be unsustainable with dropping productivity in previously fertile and highly productive areas. The reasons for the production declines are varied and complex, ranging from climate impacts to unsustainable cultivation methods leading to land degradation, reduced fertility and biodiversity required for healthy ecosystems.

This subject will explore the biological issues contributing to the reduction of productivity we are currently observing in these fragile agricultural systems and explore the future issues that are likely to impact on systems thought to currently be more stable. We will thereby understand the components that contribute to sustainable food productivity and learn which of these are most unsustainable and will require future investment in systems change to maintain productivity.

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The interactions between spatial context and ecosystem composition and structure can have a significant influence on the management of our natural environment. Spatial and temporal patterning of ecosystems can influence ecosystem functioning which in turn can affect resource availability for flora and fauna, dynamics of plant communities, and lead to the alteration of disturbance regimes. Humans play a critical role in shaping the spatial context on ecosystems within landscapes, both creating and affecting these relationships. This subject will cover the principles of landscape ecology with a focus on understanding how spatial heterogeneity, spatial extent, agents of change (i.e. fire, climate) and the role of humans (i.e. forest management, urbanisation) influence ecosystem patterns and in turn ecological processes (i.e. plant migration, meta-population dynamics, provisioning of ecosystem services). Case studies will be drawn from international and domestic examples from urban, agricultural, and forested landscapes.

This subject will involve lectures, practicals and a 3-day field trip.

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The subject follows the fate of water as it moves into and through a broad range of land systems and the soil processes that influence the quality and quantity of water. These landscapes include upland forested catchments, extensively managed rural landscapes, intensive land use along floodplains and urban landscapes. The subject develops knowledge of the key water and soil processes that interact with natural and managed terrestrial systems, and students will gain a solid understanding of ecosystem functioning that will allow them to apply soil and water knowledge to address environmental, conservation and rehabilitation issues. Understanding the role of hydrology and soils across these ecosystems is critical for a range of professions including environmental and agricultural scientists, geographers, ecologists and plant scientists.

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The course covers the fundamentals of fire behaviour and the key drivers. Students will examine the importance of the key factors affecting fire behaviour including fuels, weather, topography and ignitions. Methodologies for measuring fuels, fuel moisture, and weather will be examined through theoretical and practical approaches. Using these skills, students will learn computer and manual approaches for predicting the extent and intensity of landscape fires in a range of ecosystems. Finally, we will assess the potential changes to fire patterns under global climate change.

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This subject will investigate the role of terrestrial ecosystems in the global carbon cycle and in a changing climate. Students will learn the scientific basis for climate change and the impact that a changing climate might have on terrestrial ecosystems and how ecosystems influence climate. We will learn what adaptation actions we can take to manage ecosystems in a changing climate. We will discuss the role ecosystems play in the global carbon cycle and the degree to which terrestrial ecosystems can be used as a carbon sequestration options. We will evaluate the requirements for forest carbon accounting and will apply carbon accounting tools in hands-on accounting sessions with industry partners. This scientific understanding will be extended to discuss policy instruments under consideration in Australia and in the international arena for the potential role of ecosystems in carbon emissions trading. The subject will equip students with state-of-the-art knowledge on the impact of climate change on forest ecosystems and with practical experiences in forest carbon accounting.

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Ecological Restoration examines the principles and practices needed to restore terrestrial ecosystems in a range of modified landscapes from settled to agricultural to forested. The subject’s focus is ecological, although consideration is also given to socio-economic factors that influence restoration programs. Lectures and field trips explore ecological principles and projects from site to landscape scales, encompassing biodiversity values and ecosystem services. The subject is delivered via a compressed-semester model including a one-week intensive in the mid-semester break, which will aim to include an overnight two-day field trip to north-eastern Victoria.

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Native forests are globally important natural resources. Their conservation and management is critical to local and regional populations for the biodiversity that they harbour and the ecosystem services that they provide. This subject will explore the conservation and management of native forests around the world.

We will cover the principles of forest dynamics and sustainable forest management for a range of objectives, including wildlife habitat, water yield, carbon sequestration, and timber production. The subject will integrate ecological, environmental, economic, and social perspectives on the conservation and management of native forests through lectures, forest modeling exercises, and a week-long field trip to the Central Highlands of Victoria.

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This subject is designed to develop students’ understanding of the physical processes, dynamics and linkages operating within the earth’s coastal systems. The beaches, dunes, estuaries and rocky cliffs that comprise the coast are some of the most intensively utilised landscapes worldwide and Australia is no exception. Population growth, development, and climate change are pushing natural functioning systems to the brink. However, intense human impact is only a relatively recent phenomenon. Coastal landforms operate over much longer timescales than people. Beaches and dunes have natural cycles of erosion and deposition over decadal to centennial scales while cliff erosion may relate to a history developed over several hundred thousand years. It is therefore impossible to successfully manage, or simply enjoy this environment, without knowledge of how it evolved and operates. During this subject we will explore the operation and management of the key landforms found at the shore. The drivers of change on the coast, from waves and sea level to weathering and sediment, will all be analysed. The key management strategies from seawalls to nature-based infrastructure will be discussed and critiqued. Only through a thorough understanding how landforms operate can our coasts be managed for current and future generations. This subject will equip you with the skills and knowledge fundamental for a successful career in the public, private and not-for-profit environmental sectors. This subject involves the completion of a field trip, which will incur an incidental cost. Further information regarding any incidental field trip costs (as well as key information regarding the field trip) can be found via the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Field Trip website here: https://sgeas.unimelb.edu.au/study/field-trips

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Everyone knows what ‘Sustainable Development’ is, but if you stop to think, it may become less clear. Sustainable development has become a chameleon, suiting different needs and fulfilling different roles for different people with different interests. In this subject, we will explore this appealing-yet-slippery idea with the aim of deciding whether it is a suitable concept with which to explore the cultural, environmental, and economic challenges facing society. Is sustainable development a useful idea, do we need to move on, or can we take it back?

In addition to the debates over sustainable development, this subject will provide students with the skills needed to examine, analyse, and report on challenges related to their interests. At its heart, the subject explores the primary question of sustainable development, which is whether it can be useful in a world (seemingly) approaching numerous catastrophic tipping points. The climate is changing, the oceans are acidifying, the soils cannot keep producing our food, and wealth is being concentrated amongst a smaller and smaller segment of the world. Is sustainable development helpful in understanding, and ideally changing, these trends?

There are also more practical considerations surrounding the debate over sustainable development. Some people might be interested in having a greater impact on the world through development projects, micro-credit, or volunteering. Is sustainable development helpful? Can the concept help individuals seeking to improve our world (or at least trying)? Does it help ensure that their efforts are beneficial and not perverted by opposing interests and processes?

It is also worth considering whether sustainable development might not be better thought of as an analytical framing: as a way of pulling apart problems or projects in order to better understand or assess their impact on ecological sustainability, development, or economics? Is sustainable development an analytical tool for making sense of ‘wicked’ problems?

In this subject we will review the history of sustainable development, which draws together literature from Geography, Sociology, Engineering, Psychology, Economics, and the Sciences. We will explore critiques of sustainable development, and force ourselves to consider whether it is possible, practical, or even useful in the ‘real world’. We will explore several key challenges, using sustainable development as a lens or framing. And finally and most creatively, we will attempt to reinterpret sustainable development in a world of growing inequality.

For more information see: http://briansresearch.wordpress.com/teaching/sustainable-development/

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This subject examines the impacts of disasters in cities. It will explore why some groups are more vulnerable to particular hazards than others, while considering the role of social capital and adaptation for increasing the resilience of urban communities to disasters.This is important because the trend towards increasing urbanisation and larger cities is a major contributor to the rising toll of disaster losses globally. In addition, climate change predictions indicate that natural hazards such as bushfires, floods, storms and cyclones are likely to increase in intensity and possibly also frequency in many places, including cities. Contemporary cases will be used to highlight key issues and policy debates. Implications for urban planning and disaster planning and management in cities and at the rural-urban interface will be considered.

Cases and examples will be drawn from around the world, primarily from developed countries. Students will have the opportunity to examine case/s of their own choosing (with approval from the subject coordinator), and will undertake locally based research in preparation of the field report. There will be a local field trip associated with this subject.

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Rivers are amongst the hardest of natural resources to manage. They are long and thin, and so maximise the impact of catchment changes; they also focus environmental, social and production pressures. Rivers are the archetypal example of the conflict between private and public goods. In most western countries we have done an effective job of degrading these resources. The last 20 years has seen a transformation in the way rivers have been managed. We are now less concerned with protecting people from rivers (via flood mitigation), and more focused on environmental rehabilitation and protection. This subject equips students to manage rivers more effectively by integrating catchment management activities. In reality, there are not many things that we do to manage rivers: change landuse, change flow, change water quality, change riparian vegetation, or make structural changes to the river. In this course we concentrate on (a) how much do you have to alter each of these management levers in order to produce the most cost effective improvements in river condition and sustainability; (b) how do we integrate the management of many levers at different scales; and (c) how do we evaluate whether we have had any effect. The subject has a strong emphasis on how to develop strong and successful policy for managing natural systems. The principles for managing rivers apply to managing most natural resources, so students can be confident of learning general management and policy principles.

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This subject examines the nature and causes of past changes in Earth’s climate during the Quaternary Period (the last 2.7 million years), with a particular emphasis on the last glacial-interglacial cycle. It aims to place modern climate and the projections of future global warming into a longer-term perspective, and will allow students to understand why human interference in the climate system may be a legitimate cause for concern. Emphasis is placed on how Earth materials (ice, rocks, sediments, biological materials) record past climate changes, the techniques used to extract this ‘palaeoenvironmental information’, and the principles that govern how this information is interpreted.

A series of lectures covering the theoretical elements of the subject will immediately precede 10 days of field study (in either Tasmania, mainland SE Australia or New Zealand). The field component focuses on how particular environments (e.g. coastal, lake, fluvial, cave, and glacial) preserve evidence of past climate change. Additional lectures and practicals following completion of the field work will focus on the types of analytical methods employed in this field, the nature of the data that are produced and how these are processed and interpreted. By the end of the subject, students will not only appreciate the dynamics of Earth’s past climate and the mechanisms that have forced it, but also the way in which we practice this important and growing field of study.

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Fire is one of the most important controls over the distribution of vegetation on Earth. This subject examines the role of fire in natural systems, with a particular emphasis on the importance of fire in determining global vegetation patterns and dynamics over long periods of time. The aim is to understand how terrestrial systems have evolved to cope with and exploit fire, and to place the extreme flammability of Australia's vegetation within a global context. The subject will examine concepts such as resilience, positive feedback loops, hysteresis and alternative stable states. The use of fire by humans to manipulate environments will be examined, with a particular emphasis on the variety of approaches employed by people across a diversity of environments over long periods of time, allowing an exploration of the social and cultural dynamics of fire and environmental management. A March field excursion in Tasmania will visit a number of sites which will exemplify the subject themes. The practical exercises leading up to the field trip will focus on how to gather fire-related ecological data. The practical exercises following the field trip will be devoted to processing, analysing, interpreting and reporting on the field data. At the end of the subject, students will have gained an understanding of the way in which fire has shaped natural systems, as well as acquiring the skills necessary to formulate and test hypotheses.

The estimated additional cost of the 7 day field trip to Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, is in the vicinity of $900.

More information about this subject's field trip can be found here: https://sgeas.unimelb.edu.au/research/palynology-palaeoecology-and-biogeography#teaching

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This subject examines principles in the two disciplines of hydrology and ecology, emphasising the application of both to understand how to solve environmental management problems in river ecosystems. The subject focuses primarily on processes occurring within the channel, while the surrounding catchment type is considered as background context. The subject examines water in terms of quantity and quality; and the physical channel and floodplain systems in which it is conveyed and stored, along with transported materials such as sediments and organic matter. The subject also examines population, community and ecosystem dynamics of riverine organisms and their geographical distributions and diversities. Through practicals and fieldwork, students should develop skills in acquiring, analysing and presenting hydrological and ecological data, and in the identification and proper field sampling of stream biota. Students should become aware of the multidisciplinary nature of environmental management and the need for critical examination of ideas in the literature.

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This subject deals with structural geology, large scale tectonic processes and methods for extracting geological information from geophysical datasets. In the structural geology and tectonics component, students explore advanced aspects of tectonics to link deformation processes and features across a range of scales, including via field work. The subject will begin with a one-week pre-semester field trip to East Gippsland, where students will develop their geological mapping, regional geology and structural analysis skills. This field trip will also include intensive style teaching with a parallel lecture and practical program held on-site. In the geophysics component, students explore potential fields, focusing on the gravity and magnetic methods and how they can be used to understand geology. Students work with industry standard software (e.g. Geosoft - Oasis Montaj) which performs the maths in the background. Topics include: maps, projection systems, datums and GPS; theory, acquisition, processing and interpretation steps involved for gravity and magnetic methods; image enhancement and qualitative interpretation techniques.

The field trip will take place in the weeks immediately prior to the normal commencement of classes for Semester 1. The estimated cost of the field trip is $380 but this may vary slightly at time of field trip.

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Earth’s sediments record over 4 billion years of environmental evolution and host our modern societies’ water resources. This subject gives a broad introduction to the sedimentary record of Earth’s history as well as groundwater systems in sedimentary aquifers. Topics covered include facies analysis and petrology of carbonate, terrigenous and chemical sediments; techniques used in stratigraphic analysis; sedimentary geochemistry and its applications; post-depositional processes, including diagenesis and weathering, that alter rocks after their formation; chemical interactions between minerals and groundwater in weathered rocks and weathering products; application of sedimentary geology to understanding sediment-hosted resources; characterisation of surface and groundwater systems; rock properties affecting groundwater flow; water balance; groundwater resource assessment; and groundwater supported ecosystems.

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This subject explores the vast diversity of life that has inhabited planet Earth throughout its 4.5 billion year history and biology’s dynamic role in shaping Earth’s environments; from the inhospitable early Earth to the modern world we see around us. From the perspectives of energy flow, metabolism, species-species interactions, and evolutionary innovation, we explore the origin of life, photosynthesis and the oxygenation of the atmosphere, biogeochemical cycles, and life in extreme environments. Using paleontological principles we unravel the vast amount of information contained within fossils, including: paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on microfossil compositions; and broad evolutionary patterns of speciation and extinction spanning the appearance of the first biomineralized tissues half a billion years ago, to the rise and fall of dinosaurs and mammalian megafauna. The topics covered in this course also provide insight into a range of problems in the energy, minerals and environmental industry sectors.

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This subject will investigate, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the fundamental physical and chemical processes governing groundwater flow and composition, including aquifer properties, regional geology, hydrology and water-rock interactions. Field and laboratory methods such as well tests, water analysis in the field and in the laboratory and data analysis are demonstrated and used to characterise hydraulic conductivity and mixing, water types and potential contamination. A one-week field excursion to the Newer Volcanic Province and the Limestone Coast will draw together many of these concepts and will emphasise surface and groundwater connectivity and groundwater supported ecosystems.

This subject will have a 1-week intensive field trip that will be delivered in the week prior to the start of Semester 1 (pre-teaching period) and 6 weeks of teaching during weeks 1-6 of Semester 1.

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The assessment and development of deep subsurface CO2 l storage sites requires a diverse range of technical skills as well as a good understanding of regulatory and environmental protection requirements and objectives, and socio-political advocacy. This course comprises five days of lectures and practical exercises covering the workflow of technical / scientific assessments, discussing common problems and industry best-practice to achieve safe and secure geological storage of CO2. Following an introductory ‘back-story’ to carbon capture and carbon utilisation, the work flow will commence with basin and play scale analyses and rapidly focus onto portfolio management for storage site screening, storage site selection and site analysis for future appraisal and development operations.

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This module outlines the fundamental theory and techniques of field work in environmental geology. It aims to give students the essential tools for the assessment of environmental hazards associated with mining operations and how to measure their effects.

This subject is taught as part of the Victorian Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences (VIEPS), a collaboration between various Australian universities that share the teaching of graduate subjects in geoscience and atmospheric science.

This subject is taught by the University of Tasmania, and involves a field trip in Tasmania. In order to complete this subject, you will need to enrol via your University of Melbourne study plan, as well as register your enrolment with the home teaching institution.

You can find information regarding this subject, including important participation requirements and how to register as an external student, via the VIEPS website here: https://www.monash.edu/science/schools/earth-atmosphere-environment/honours/vieps

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This subject will teach how to interpret structure and stratigraphy on seismic data and in the field and the interactions between structure and stratigraphy during basin development. The interpretations will be used to assess hydrocarbon and gas-storage potential in the basins. The subject involves one week in the lab and one week in the field along the Otway coast at Port Campbell and Apollo Bay. The subject will examine the 2D and 3D geometries of extension, inversion, compression, salt diapirism and strike-slip deformation and the sedimentation/erosion and stratigraphic patterns that develop. In the field, we will mainly examine the deformation and sedimentation that occurs during extension and inversion and determine the basin environment of deposition through geological time.

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In this subject you will learn about the history of urban agriculture in countries around the world and explore the various roles of urban agriculture in modern-day cities. Given the nature of the subject, a wide diversity of topics will be covered including but not limited to: plant growth requirements, agricultural inputs (such as water and nutrients), soil contamination, pests and diseases, urban-specific production methods, design and management of community gardens and edible landscapes, mainstream and alternative crops (fruit and vegetables), agro-ecology principles and practices ; and the economic value of residential food gardens. You will be required to implement and maintain an allocated crop plot in the Burnley Field Station throughout semester. Field visits will also form part of this subject.

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Invasions are natural ecological phenomena. Dispersing individuals encounter suitable habitat, establish, spread and evolve. In this way, species have radiated outwards from their origins, colonised distant offshore islands, and species have spread in response to changes in climate.

Human-induced invasions of plants, animals and diseases in modern times have dramatically altered the scales of time and distance over which invasions take place. Their impacts can be considerable, wiping out unique communities, endangering rare species, adding considerable costs to agriculture, horticulture and forestry, and having effects on the health, leisure and livelihoods of people. Tools such as pesticides and biological control can often be used to great effect, while for other invaders there are no obvious solutions. There may be unwanted side-effects of control methods on non-target species, they may adversely affect human health, and may cause considerable public concern. Integrated management strategies can be developed using ecological information about the species but these must be implemented in a real world that involves economics, politics, opinions and social interactions.

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This subject explores the ways people know and interact with nature in the context of ecosystem management. Through a series of local and global case studies, students will critically reflect on real world examples, grounded in ideas and theories drawn from social sciences. By exploring dimensions of power, knowledge, and values, students will analyse the ways in which communities participate, drive, and determine what healthy ecosystems mean. Tensions between government, corporate and community aspirations will be drawn out through the case study examples.

This subject has a particular emphasis on Indigenous knowledges, self-determination and conceptualisations of Country. The field trip will provide students an opportunity to hear from communities directly about their connections to, and applications of caring for Country.

Students will gain insights into different nature framings and perspectives.

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This subject is a core subject within the Master of Public Health, the Master of Epidemiology, the Master of Science (Epidemiology) and the Master of Biostatistics. Students should enrol in this subject early in their program of study.

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency in human populations and the application of this study to control health problems. It is a fundamental science of public health.

Three main tasks of epidemiology include description, causal inference and prediction. This subject focuses on the first two and emphasises the application of epidemiological evidence to informing public health practice and policy.

Description: the epidemiological measures of disease frequency and summary measures of population health are introduced and used to describe patterns and trends in disease occurrence within and between populations. The role of routinely collected data, particularly for surveillance of infectious diseases, is discussed.

Causal inference: is key to applying epidemiological evidence to controlling health problems if interventions are to be effective. In this subject, causal inference is considered within the modern counterfactual framework. Causal diagrams, which are an integral part of this approach to causal inference are introduced. The common experimental and observational study designs, and systematic reviews, and their relative strengths and weaknesses are discussed. The implications of common types of bias (selection bias, information bias, and confounding) are discussed, as are methods to minimise them. Methods to control for confounding, including standardisation, are discussed.

Differences in characteristics of the major sources of morbidity (infectious disease, non-communicable disease, and injury) are discussed in the context of prevention and early detection of disease. Transmission dynamics of infectious diseases are introduced in this context. The applicability of epidemiological evidence (external validity) to interventions in target populations is introduced. Measures of the validity and performance of tests for early detection are introduced.

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This subject examines the science, technology and policy instruments of a broad range of renewable energy technologies including solar, wind and water as well as other thermal renewables. Specifically, the subject covers:

• Solar: Overview of the fundamental physics of solar radiation; Technical details of photovoltaic cells and concentrating solar power systems
• Wind and water: Overview of the fundamental physics of motion involved in energy in wind & water; Technical details of wind turbines and hydro-power systems, including pumped Hydro-Energy Storage
• Other thermal renewables: Overview of the chemistry and technologies for biomass for heat and electricity and liquid biofuels
• Renewable integration and policy: Overview of renewable energy policy considerations; Understanding challenges of integration of renewables into power systems. This includes managing variability and the opportunities provided by storage and demand-side management.

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In recent years, there has been a greatly increased interest in the impacts of the built environment on health and wellbeing. At present, spatial inequalities in regards to access to jobs, affordable housing, social services, and healthy food results in a greater burden of disease for particular social groups and in particular geographic areas. Many of the health problems in cities today, including obesity, violence, and depression, are linked to poor residential and recreational environments, lack of access to jobs and social services, and low social cohesion. Urban decision-makers like planners and designers influence physical, social, natural, cultural, and economic environments. They therefore have a key role in ‘planning health in’, rather than ‘planning health out’, of communities.
This subject will provide a local and international background into current policies and practices related to pursuing health and well-being objectives as a central part of urban planning work. It will cover: the influence of planning over key health determinants, international good practice, the current legislative framework, and Health Impact Assessment. A strong skills focus will ensure that planners, designers and other professionals are able to assess existing sites, plans, and policies from a health perspective.

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This subject was previously known as Urban Sustainability and Climate Change.

Human activity has altered the earth's natural environment significantly. This has resulted in biodiversity loss and warming of the earth’s climate, the implications of which are often distributed unequally. Organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have documented the risks associated with continued climate change. This has given rise to international agreements such as the Paris Agreement to limit warming to 1.5oC. While there are increasing commitments by nation states to address this international goal through the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, actions to date have not been to the scale, and at the pace necessary to achieve it. The role of cities and urban activities in contributing to this goal must be enhanced, and the international goals translated across levels of policy.

This subject will provide students with an understanding of the key factors contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss, and their centrality to urban planning and broader built environment activities. Students will critically analyse the complex interrelationship between environmental processes, climate change, urban change, sustainability goals and urban planning policies. Current urban planning issues including: sustainability, climate change, resilience, and vulnerability; will be critically analysed and applied to current and future urban problems arising from climate change (e.g. sea level rise, urban heat). Local and global examples will be drawn upon. The subject’s learning activities will equip students with the capability to propose urban planning solutions to address climate change – through both the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, and adaptation to unavoided impacts – to facilitate urban sustainability. Consideration of the equity and justice implications of proposed solutions will be facilitated.

Through completion of this subject students will be provided with exposure to cutting edge urban planning approaches to address and solve climate change and sustainability problems. Students will be well prepared to take elective subjects which focus in detail on environment, resilience and sustainability topics. A field trip to a site of interest to climate change and sustainability within Melbourne will be undertaken to embed learning in a real world urban planning example.

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This subject will discuss how urban landscapes are managed. Students will study policy, planning and process issues; landscape and park typology and classification, community consultation; structures, systems, classifications and contractual relationships in urban landscapes; landscape documentation, project planning and implementation; management of urban vegetation; sustainability concepts and benchmarks and case-studies/examples of urban landscape management practice. Guest industry speakers will provide real world examples and experiences relevant to urban landscape management

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This subject focuses on how to access and understand basic climate science and data and how to accurately communicate to a broader audience. The subject covers the fundamentals of climate science, including the physics and chemistry of climate change, future climate projections, climate extremes, and the interactions between the atmosphere and land, forests and the oceans. The subject also interrogates how global changes in climate lead to impacts on society, ecosystems, and economies. The subject has a particular focus on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. To develop practical skills, students will make use of these scientific reports and concepts learnt in class to prepare short assessments that clearly and concisely communicate and translate aspects of climate science. The course culminates in a negotiation session where students take on the role of a state representative within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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The subject provides an understanding of the economic analysis of market and government decisions affecting the environment. Topics include economic principles used in analysing private sector decisions on resource use and preservation, externalities and public goods reasons for government intervention, the theory and practice of benefit cost analysis, case study illustrations to water, forests, greenhouse gases and biodiversity.

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AIMS

The subject has a strong practical component with a five-day field camp during the week before the mid-semester break involving student-led environmental monitoring. There is also a semester long project to design and implement an environmental monitoring program supported by weekly practice classes.

Component skills taught in this subject:

• Conceptualising environmental responses
• Selecting and using environmental measurement techniques (considering scale issues)
• Analysis of environmental monitoring data.

This subject is a critical foundation for a career for environmental engineering but is also relevant to civil and other engineering disciplines where environmental impacts of engineering projects must be addressed to ensure sustainable engineering solutions.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Selection of measurement techniques and consideration of measurement scale, conceptualising environmental responses to human activities, environmental sampling and monitoring design, systematic review of causal evidence, statistical analysis of environmental effects, risk assessments for occupational health and safety during environmental field programs.

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This subject develops the skills to understand and assess the social impacts of development, including international development projects, resource management, and proposed infrastructure or new policies. We do this in two ways: by looking at how to assess the impacts of proposed projects, and through evaluation techniques for existing developments or projects. In each case we develop practical skills and interdisciplinary techniques to appraise and evaluate impacts. These techniques draw from anthropology, development studies, and the policy sciences, and move beyond simple summative assessments and financial accounting. We consider the social and environmental contexts in which any form of appraisal is embedded, and the capacities of different actors (from the state to NGOs and community groups) to avert or mitigate negative impacts through learning, negotiation, and citizen participation. Examples, some presented by guest speakers, are drawn from Australia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. At the completion of the subject students will have developed the conceptual skills to understand the impacts of development; be familiar with the range of methodologies and techniques used in impact assessment; understand development evaluation; and will be able to apply this in critical evaluation of the impact of projects and programmes.

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This subject introduces and analyses critical concepts and terms central to debates over climate change, including risk and uncertainty, adaptation and mitigation, burden sharing, and problems and issues relating to regimes, strategies and policy instruments for addressing global warming. The subject considers the rise of climate change as a policy problem. It reviews and analyses the history of climate change policy as it has evolved nationally and internationally. It examines the interactions between national and regional climate policy, including in Australia, the United States, the European Union and China. It analyses debates and concerns that have led to the evolution of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and more recent arrangements. Students will consider a range of policy instruments, including carbon taxes and emissions trading, and technologies that have been proposed or deployed to address this issue. This subject enables students to understand the evolution of a critical global environmental issue. It offers insights into technical, political, ethical and ecological issues that have framed climate change policy, and enables students to think critically about and participate in developing policy in this domain.

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This subject engages with critical concepts and issues related to environmental politics and policy. Special attention is paid to the political dimensions of policy development and implementation, with reference to national and international domains. Students will be introduced to relevant theories, cases, and tools for policy makers and environmental activists. Students will consider a variety of case studies including climate change, ozone depletion, water management, land conflict, forest preservation, waste and 'sustainability planning'. Case studies will be drawn from Australia, Southeast Asia, and other global contexts. The subject is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Students will gain a practical understanding of issues confronting policymakers and other political actors in relation to a range of environment problems and solutions.

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It is perhaps obvious that human behaviour is having a negative impact on our environment. Behavioural change, thus, is pivotal to ensure a more environmentally sustainable future. However the question of behavioural change is vexed. Some argue that humans are ‘naturally’ greedy and selfish, others suggest that we are ‘puppets’ - the victims of the social structures engendered by capitalism, and yet others trust that good behaviour will follow from the ‘truth’; knowledge about environmental problems. These and other views of behaviour set up particular change strategies. The above examples suggest three strategies for changing behaviour: provide people with incentives that will lead them to ‘choose’ different behaviours, or the transformation of social structures such as capitalism and patriarchy, or the provision of environmental education.

This subject examines the question of behavioural change from a number of disciplinary perspectives (psychology, sociology ecology, marketing and economics). Each discipline ‘sees’ the problem differently and this allows us to map insights and gaps in these knowledges. These purported differences can be understood and reconciled; behaviour is show to be a function of the physical, social and psychological aspects of social practices. This allows for a more holistic understanding of behaviour and the strategies that might create behaviour change.

NB: This subject uses a ‘flipped classroom’ mode of delivery. Most weeks require the watching of a vodcast prior to attending a 2 hour seminar. The success of the seminars and student learning is governed by individuals’ preparation and participation. This subject covers a lot of theory and requires active engagement. The consideration of societal behaviour change will likely engender a consideration of your own behaviour, including as a student.

Topics and themes include:

The effect of disciplines: behaviour and behavioural change from the perspectives of psychology, sociology, behavioural economics, ecology and marketing
How insights afforded by the disciplines can be used to create an more holistic and integrated understanding of behaviour change
Critiquing programs for behaviour change

Weekly topics: (1) Defining behaviour, (2) Perspectives: Behavioural Economics, (3) Perspectives: Marketing, (4) Perspectives: Psychology, (5) Perspectives: Sociology, (6) Perspective Ecology, (7) Integration, (8) Strategies: Social Marketing, (9) Strategies: Nudge, (10) Trans-disciplinary Perspectives 1, (11) Trans-disciplinary Perspectives 2

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This subject will focus on the complex topic of climate change mitigation. Climate change mitigation includes actions we take globally, nationally and individually to limit changes in the global climate caused by human activities. Mitigation activities are designed to reduce greenhouse emissions and/or increase the amount of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere by greenhouse sinks.

The subject will provide a critical and multidisciplinary overview of strategies for climate change mitigation but focuses on the technical feasibility and effectiveness of different mitigation options in the many different sectors that emit or sequester greenhouse gases. We will discuss in detail the emissions profiles and potentials for reducing emissions in energy systems, transport, buildings and industry, but we also include agriculture and land based systems and new breakthrough technologies. The subject will discuss the criteria and considerations for evaluating climate change mitigation, assess the feasibility in a technical and economic sense and the potential transformation pathways.

The strengths and weaknesses of mitigation strategies will be discussed in the context of national and international frameworks and economies. It will be demonstrated that climate change mitigation cannot be achieved by a single action but that multiple approaches may be necessary to achieve meaningful mitigation and that many societal sectors will be required to take action.

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This subject focuses on climate change adaptation, and in particular its environmental, political, social and policy dimensions. It explores the ways in which climate change poses risks to human wellbeing, and the ways these risks can be managed. It draws on examples from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, and in particular on the teaching staff’s concurrent research on climate change adaptation on small islands. It explains that adaptation and its success can be thought of and approached in multiple ways, shaped in part by existing interests and the varied and dynamic places in which adaptation is being consciously or unconsciously implemented. The subject also highlights that adaptation poses, as well as addresses, risks, and that decisions about adaptation need to be considered critically and iteratively. The subject is taught in an intensive mode. Topics include:

• Issues of complexity, uncertainty, knowledge, power, and practice in researching and implementing climate change
• The relationship between adaptation and other processes of change, including development
• Strategies for change at global, regional, local and individual scales, their inter-relations and how they may be facilitated.

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The course covers the fundamentals of setting and achieving bushfire management objectives for ecological and fire protection purposes in natural ecosystems. It covers the contents of a fire management plan, setting objectives, developing fire prescriptions, undertaking monitoring and evaluation of the management process, and review.

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The Asia Pacific region is of crucial importance to Australia and to the future management of global forest resources. The region has over half the world’s population and countries with the fastest growing populations and economies. This is placing increased demand on forest resources in the region and elsewhere. There are extensive spiritual and cultural associations between people and forests in this region and an extensive history of forest use and development. In this subject students experience the diversity of connections between forests and people in Laos and Vietnam to illustrate the importance of forests to local and national development, and contemporary forest policy and management challenges in the region. The program includes policy briefings and site visits to conservation and production forests, local village forests, hydropower and plantation development projects and small- and large-scale forest industries.

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This subject consists of a two-week field class in China in July with some pre-departure (in semester 1) and post-field-trip (in semester 2) workshops/seminars in Melbourne. The subject is designed to develop students' interests in Asia, in China in particular, and in the interactions between society, economy, government, and the environment. While in China, students will interact with local communities, academics and environmental managers who will inform them about issues and processes in China. These interactions will be supplemented by site visits and household interviews. The field trip will be under the supervision of the subject coordinator. Students are responsible for the cost of travel, accommodation and food.

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This subject provides students with advanced level analysis and interpretation of the range of issues associated with the conservation and management of cultural environments. The subject advances student knowledge of cross cultural issues as they relate to natural and cultural resource management in diverse socio-cultural environments and examines specific issues pertaining to the evaluation and management of cultural resources. The range of topics includes conservation trends; world heritage cultural landscapes; heritage and conservation management tensions; valuing nature through diverse knowledge interfaces; and the reclamation of ethnographic images and objects by indigenous and local peoples

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This subject consists of a 12-day field trip to East Timor in the mid-year break, with a series of compulsory pre-departure information sessions in late semester 1 and a post-trip workshop in early Semester two. The subject is designed to develop students’ understanding of the Asia-Pacific region and in particular of the complex geographies of small island and post-conflict states. Students will gain an in situ appreciation of the historical and contemporary issues relevant to East Timor and develop their empirical and analytical research skills while carrying out small group research into the impacts of conflict, climate and culture on social and economic development and the environment. While in East Timor, students will participate in a number of rural, urban and remote site visits during which time they will interact with local communities, civil society leaders, academics, government and aid organizations.

The East Timor Field Class subject (GEOG30026/GEOG90025) involves a full program of activities comprising travel to and around East Timor, including across remote and rough terrain using various modes of transportation (car, boat, foot). Students will be provided with privileged access to local Timorese communities and experiences, in both an urban, regional and rural setting. The East Timor Field Class subject can be emotionally and physically demanding and will include a level of personal intensity and challenge, and students are expected to be active managers of their own personal health and safety (with the support of teaching staff). A further field work plan, risk assessment, with Faculty OHS team review and approval, covering COVID-19 global pandemic and general field/travel risk mitigation in the East Timorese and Australian context will be carried out in consultation with students closer to departure.

Expected costs for the field class in 2025 will between $5000-$6000 (in addition to tuition fees).

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This subject provides an overview of the horticultural industry from plant production to installation and establishment of plants in the landscape. It introduces plant propagation techniques and plant growing systems; site analysis, with specific reference to the properties of urban soils and related issues affecting plant performance; plant quality; planting techniques; plant establishment; water delivery and management issues; and the plant maintenance activities during production and at planting that are required for designed landscapes to succeed.

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This subject explores the identification, selection and design use of plants in urban landscapes. The content includes an introduction to botanical nomenclature, plant selection, sources of information, planting design, planting plans, the design use of major plant groups, and recognition and identification of representative plants. Case studies of plant use and management in urban landscapes and relevant site visits are also discussed.

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Green infrastructure is the network of natural and designed vegetation elements within our cities and towns, in both public and private domains. Green infrastructure includes traditional green elements such as urban parks, gardens and trees, as well as newer green roofs, green walls and rain garden technologies. Green infrastructure provides a number of significant economic, social and environmental benefits and is an effective means of helping to adapt our buildings, communities and cities to climate change. In this subject students will gain insights into aspects of policy and planning, design and management of green-infrastructure and how it can improve ecosystem service provision in cities. The use of green infrastructure as ‘living architecture’ and the design considerations involved will be discussed. At the building scale, this will include an understanding of the improved energy efficiencies provided by green infrastructure and their role in building star energy rating systems. At the neighbourhood and landscape scale, the role and function of different green infrastructure technologies and systems will be discussed, including roles in ameliorating urban climates, improving urban water retention, use and quality providing more liveable urban communities for people and wildlife.

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This subject explores the design, specification and management of green roofs and walls. The content will include guidelines and policies supporting green roofs and walls, relevant typologies and categories of use, requirements for successful design, construction and maintenance, development of specifications and project management and local and international case studies. Students will gain a thorough understanding of green roof and wall design and function, the benefits provided to cities and people and gain hands on experience through practical activities and visits to local project sites.

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Environmental Sustainability is one of two core subjects for the Master of Environment degree. This subject provides students with a strong foundation in interdisciplinary understanding of critical environmental sustainability issues, and how and why they have emerged, in the context of policy, management, and governance across scales and sectors.

Exploring environmental sustainability through an interdisciplinary lens, this subject considers concepts and principles fundamental for understanding the complex nature of the environmental crises facing humanity and, in turn, for developing solutions. Environmental Sustainability will cover:

• The fundamental earth system processes that provide humanity’s life-support system;
• The conditions that have led to the Anthropocene, and its implications for life as we know it;
• Global and local environmental challenges, including for biodiversity, water, energy, and food, in relation their natural and social environments;
• Complex social-ecological systems and their role in contributing to and solving critical environmental sustainability issues;
• Different perspectives, and the influence of worldview, values and beliefs on sustainability;
• The role of individuals, governments, business and innovation in building a sustainable future; and
• Management, governance, and social-ecological issues for achieving environmental sustainability.

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Sustainable Landscapes combines social and ecological disciplines to consider the management of urban and rural/regional landscapes for sustainable futures. Subject teaching includes weekly lectures and a 1x weekend field trip to observe and discuss management of landscapes for sustainable outcomes. Australian and overseas case studies are drawn upon to cover the following topics:

• the meaning and significance of sustainability in the context of urban, urban fringe, rural, and regional landscapes and their futures;
• rural and urban land use, and drivers of current and future landscape change, including fragmentation, social change and transformation, biodiversity loss, industrialisation, intensification, pollution, sovereignty, and security;
• assumptions around land ownership, ethics and economics that influence issues of environmental security, commons and sustainable regional futures; · the utilisation, degradation, and management of rural and urban biophysical resources for sustainable futures, including maintenance of ecosystem services and processes;
• the involvement of different stakeholders in decision making for regional, service, rural, fringe and urban areas, including the role of relationships and social features such as politics, memory, and values; and
• the role of governance, including institutions, deliberative democracy, empowerment; and community based natural resource management in navigating landscape change.

The content and the issues raised will draw upon and integrate theory, knowledge and practices from different disciplines familiarising students with systems theory and how it is integral to framing an understanding of landscape management. Theories of complex adaptive systems, social ecological systems, uncertainty, resilience and complexity will also frame the investigation of these issues. Landscape ecology sciences, social sciences (including cultural geographies) and policy frameworks will be drawn upon in analysing and evaluating landscapes and their futures, with a strong focus on community-based knowledge systems. Students will engage deeply with the literature that informs these ideas and will develop a critical understanding of their value and limitations.

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Social entrepreneurs are individuals who establish an enterprise with the goal of solving complex social or environmental problems, including poverty, access to health, homelessness, climate change and food waste. They have been credited with success in disrupting the traditional forms and purpose of business and charity by creating innovative social enterprises that meld the best features of business and the non-profit sector. This subject seeks to equip students with a critical understanding of the social enterprise form and support them in developing a startup social enterprise with the purpose of solving a social and/or environmental problem. Designed and delivered with input from leaders in the social enterprise sector, the subject features lectures and workshops on social enterprise design, business modelling, pitching, social finance and measurement, as well as addressing the difficulties and dark side of social enterprise. In the subject students will develop an idea for a startup social enterprise and develop a business plan which they will pitch to a Shark Tank panel of experts. Prizes will be awarded to the best ideas to help develop these solutions into successful social enterprises.

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Energy production and industrial activity produces chemical air pollutants that, in the absence of controls, create unsafe air, degrade the ozone layer, and heat our planet. This subject teaches students about the processes that lead to the formation of air pollutants, the mechanisms responsible for their transport and transformation in the environment, and the technological and regulatory options available for their control and abatement.

Earth’s atmosphere as a chemical reactor, interpreted in terms of material and energy balances, reaction kinetics, and transport phenomena. Important air pollutants, including CO₂, NO_x, SO_x, VOCs, particulate matter, halogenated compounds, and air toxics. Global impacts of air pollutants on human health and the environment. Mechanisms of air pollution formation and release. Engineering controls and regulatory abatement mechanisms for air pollution.

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Topics considered in this subject include premium principles, including variance principle, Esscher principle, risk adjusted principle; applications of utility theory, premium calculation and optimal reinsurance retention levels; reinsurance problems; stochastic ordering; comparisons of random losses in terms of risk measures; ruin theory, explicit solutions for the probability of ultimate ruin, the effect of reinsurance on ruin probabilities.

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This subject will give an overview of the tools required to operate successfully in an organisational environment. The focus of the subject is the internal workings of an organisation and specifically addresses three main areas: working with people, managing budgets and understanding basic accounting, and managing processes and projects.

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AIMS

The aim of this subject is for students to develop familiarity and competence in assessing and designing computer programs for computational efficiency. Although computers manipulate data very quickly, to solve large-scale problems, we must design strategies so that the calculations combine effectively. Over the latter half of the 20th century, an elegant theory of computational efficiency developed. This subject introduces students to the fundamentals of this theory and to many of the classical algorithms and data structures that solve key computational questions. These questions include distance computations in networks, searching items in large collections, and sorting them in order.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics covered include complexity classes and asymptotic notation; empirical analysis of algorithms; abstract data types including queues, trees, priority queues and graphs; algorithmic techniques including brute force, divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming and greedy approaches; space and time trade-offs; and the theoretical limits of algorithm power.

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AIMS

This subject introduces the fundamental concepts of computing programming, and how to solve simple problems using high-level procedural language, with a specific emphasis on data manipulation, transformation, and visualisation of data.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Fundamental programming constructs; fundamental data structures; abstraction; basic program structures; algorithmic problem solving; use of modules.

The subject assumes no prior knowledge of computer programming and is not suitable for students with prior programming experience.

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The physical, social and engineering sciences make widespread use of numerical simulations and graphical representations that link underlying their theoretical foundations with experimental or empirical data. These approaches are routinely designed and conducted by researchers with little or no formal training in computation, assembling instead the necessary skills from a variety of sources. There is an art to assembling computational tools that both achieve their goals and make good effective use of the available computational resources.

This subject introduces students to a wide range of skills that are commonly encountered in the design and construction of computational tools in research applications:

• Formulation of the task as a sequence of operations or procedures that express the context of the assigned problem in a form accessible to digital computing (Mathematica).
• Implementation of this formulation using computer languages appropriate for numerically intensive computation (C, C++, Fortran)
• Modularization of computationally intensive tasks, either as user-written procedures or existing libraries (for example BLAS, lapack)
• Documentation of the code to explain both its design, operation and limitations (LaTeX)
• Instrumentation of the code to verify its correct operation and monitor its performance (gprof)
• Optimization of the code, including the use of parallelization (OpenMPI)
• Visualization of data using graphical packages or rendering engines (Geomview, OpenGL)
• Interaction with the code through a graphical user interface (Python, Matlab)

These skills are introduced to the student by undertaking a short project that is selected in consultation with the Subject Coordinator.

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This subject will provide an understanding of your university studies within Victorian schools through a substantial school based experience.

The subject includes a placement of up to 20 hours within a Victorian school classroom, offering an opportunity to collaborate as a Tertiary Student Assistant (TSA) under the guidance of a qualified teacher.

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AIMS

The aim of this subject is to develop students’ capability to analyse, interpret, and communicate environmental data commonly encountered in environmental engineering research, assessment, and design. The subject equips students with core skills in exploratory data analysis, statistical inference, time series analysis, and multivariate data analysis, enabling them to summarise environmental variables effectively, identify appropriate statistical models for different problems & data structures, and draw sound inferences about underlying environmental processes. Students will apply a range of analytical methods, from classical statistical approaches to contemporary resampling methods where appropriate, to generate both deterministic and probabilistic insights from data.

The subject is organised into three integrated parts: Exploratory Data Analysis, Time Series Analysis, and Multivariate Data Analysis. It begins with methods for summarising and visualising data, probability models, hypothesis testing, and linear regression, providing a foundation for statistical reasoning and uncertainty analysis. It then examines the temporal structure of environmental data through time series decomposition, stochastic processes, forecasting, and forecast verification. The final part introduces multivariate methods for analysing complex environmental data sets, including matrix-based concepts, principal component analysis, and multivariate data-driven modelling. Throughout the subject, students work with environmental data sets drawn from real applications and develop practical analytical skills through Python-based tutorials and exercises.

The mathematical content builds on concepts introduced in undergraduate engineering mathematics and statistics, and this subject extends them in an applied environmental context. A key component of the subject is the translation of conceptual understanding into real-world problem solving through numerical methods and Python-based data analysis. The subject provides an essential analytical foundation for capstone design projects, research training, and professional practice, where the ability to interpret variability, uncertainty, temporal dynamics, and multivariable relationships in environmental data is increasingly important. It therefore supports the development of fundamental skills for careers in environmental engineering and related fields, where evidence-based analysis and clear communication of data-driven findings are critical.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Specific topics include:

1. Exploratory Data Analysis – Understanding Data, Variation, Uncertainty, and Relationships

• Summarising Data: Quantitative and Graphical Methods
• Probability Models and Goodness-of-Fit Tests
• Statistical Inference and Central Limit Theorem
• Statistical Significance and Hypothesis Test
• Linear Regression
• Prediction and Uncertainty Analysis Using Linear Regression

2. Time Series Analysis – Understanding Temporal Dynamics and Predictability

• Introduction to Time Series Analysis
• Decomposition of Time Series Data
• Analysis of Stochastic Components
• Autoregressive and Moving Average Processes
• Estimation in the Time Domain and Stochastic Ensemble Forecasting
• Forecast Verification

3. Multivariate Data Analysis – Understanding Structure and Predictability in High-dimensional Environmental Data

• Introduction to Multivariate analysis
• Principle Component Analysis (PCA).
• Multivariate Linear Regression
• Prediction Using Large Datasets with PCA

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AIMS

This subject forms one of the core units in the Masters of Energy Systems and the overall aims are to introduce the students to the tools and skills needed to analyse energy systems. To accomplish this overall aim, the subject introduces material and energy balances used in energy system calculations, and introduces and applies the Laws of Thermodynamics to simple energy systems.

This subject, together with ENGR90028 Introduction to Energy Systems, ENGR90030 Non-Renewable Energy, SCIE90014 Renewable Energy and ENGR90032 Energy Supply and Value Chains provide the core technical content for the Masters of Energy Systems.

The ability to analyse existing or new proposed energy systems is essential in assessing the merits and economics of our energy supply. This subject gives the students the opportunity to learn and apply these fundamental tools and skills with relevant and realistic energy systems.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Topics include:

• Thermodynamic properties
• Equations of state
• The conservation of energy in and around energy processing systems
• Evaluation of enthalpy changes with and without phase change
• Simplified energy balances for batch, steady-state and adiabatic systems
• Estimation of heats of combustion
• Simultaneous material and energy balances
• Entropy, the Second Law of Thermodynamics and Carnot’s principle
• Simple thermodynamic cycles
• Exercises in process optimisation and the solution of ill-defined process problems.

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AIMS

This subject will introduce students to the use of imagery in the mapping of both human and natural environments. Imaging is often the most convenient way to gain spatial information about the environment, especially for large areas. Analysis and interpretation of the imagery requires understanding the principles of electromagnetic radiation, interaction of light with the atmosphere and the object surface, and how the reflected light is recorded by the imaging sensors. This enables the students to identify and analyse the image content such as different land cover types, vegetation, water, and man-made objects. Once interpreted, the information must be communicated to others, usually in the form of maps or reports. This subject builds on a student’s knowledge of the physical and built environment relevant to their discipline and allows them to interpret and communicate that knowledge. On completion of the subject students should have the skills to perform routine image analysis tasks in the workplace using industry standard software. The subject is of particular relevance to students wishing to establish a career in infrastructure engineering, civil engineering, property management, surveying, spatial information and urban planning but is also relevant to a range of disciplines where imaging should be considered.

Please view this video for further information: Imaging the Environment

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AIMS

To introduce students to the techniques and technology of remote sensing: the extraction of information from satellite and airborne image data. This subject assumes prior knowledge of image processing techniques such as that acquired in subjects such as GEOM30009 Imaging the Environment. Students passing this subject will have the skills to work under supervision in a spatial information or remote sensing agency of consultancy providing services, for example, to natural resource managers.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

Use of image processing systems. High level digital image processing, correction and classification; applications of remote sensing in the geosciences, engineering, and resource assessment and inventory; image data in geographic information systems. Detailed application studies in emergency/disaster management, environmental assessment and geological mapping.

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This subject combines practical spatial data management with the underpinning theories of spatial and spatiotemporal data representation and handling from Geographic Information Science. Spatial information is answering ‘where’ and ‘when’ questions – which are fundamental in decision making in complex systems, be it in urban planning, traffic and infrastructure management, environmental management, public health and sustainability, or any other social, economic, and environmental context.

The subject introduces foundations of effective, efficient, and large-scale spatial data management. This subject will cover the concepts, methods, and approaches that allow for efficient representation, querying, and retrieval of spatial data, in a modern ecosystem of spatial databases interfacing a geographic information system.

The knowledge acquired is fundamental for subsequent studies in spatial data analytics and visualisation, and is of particular relevance to people wishing to establish a career in the spatial information, the environmental, or the planning industry. It is also suited for every postgraduate student who is looking for solid skills with Geographic Information Systems.

In this subject, we will discuss the intricacies of computational representation and management of spatial information. The subject takes a spatial database perspective to management of extensive spatial datasets. The subject will cover the modelling, loading, transformation, analysis, and retrieval of spatial data in spatial databases. The subject covers data representations (vector, raster, and network data); spatial operations, including geometric, topological, set-oriented, and network operations; spatial indexes and access methods, including quadtrees and R-trees. The subject exposes the students to the whole lifecycle of spatial data management in a team-based project.

Please view this video for further information: Spatial Data Management

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This subject focuses on the advanced language required for successful graduate study in English. In this subject students will develop critical approaches to researching, reading and writing. They will also develop the ability to plan and present confidently on a research topic and to write a literature review fluently and accurately. Particular attention is paid to grammatical and stylistic aspects of written and spoken academic discourse. Students write and present on a research topic that is relevant to their field of study.

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Linear models are central to the theory and practice of modern statistics. They are used to model a response as a linear combination of explanatory variables and are the most widely used statistical models in practice. Starting with examples from a range of application areas this subject develops an elegant unified theory that includes the estimation of model parameters, quadratic forms, hypothesis testing using analysis of variance, model selection, diagnostics on model assumptions, and prediction. Both full rank models and models that are not of full rank are considered. The theory is illustrated using common models and experimental designs.

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This subject is designed to provide students with detailed training in statistical methods as applied to the design and analysis of projects undertaken by postgraduate students, across all disciplines.

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What conclusion can be drawn from a pool of data? How can a scientist draw meaningful conclusions while not overreaching? How can modelling help the scientist interpret data? This subject will address these questions by teaching students critical thinking and data analysis skills. After completing this subject students will understand the basic principles of sampling and experimental design, how the results of statistical analyses are reported, the statistical thinking behind common statistical procedures and will be able to carry out a range of standard statistical techniques.

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Modern science and business makes extensive use of computers for simulation, because complex real-world systems often cannot be analysed exactly, but can be simulated. Using simulation we can perform virtual experiments with the system, to see how it responds when we change parameters, which thus allows us to optimise its performance. We use the language R, which is one of the most popular modern languages for data analysis.

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The subject offers a range of projects in modules that offer experience in laboratory techniques and computational methods; the relative weights are indicated in the module descriptions. Students must select four projects with a combined weighting that contains at least 25% Computational Physics and 25% Laboratory Physics. The laboratory projects include nuclear physics, particle physics, diffraction, electronics, atomic physics, optical physics and astronomy. The computational projects are designed to develop programming skills and to introduce a range of numerical methods commonly used in physics research will be based on model problems in physics; these may include electronic structure theory, molecular vibrations, stellar structure, quantum spin systems, large-scale magnetic systems and gravitational lensing by point masses. Some projects may be offered that merge laboratory and computational work with approximately equal weighting.

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What is conflict of interest? What should a scientist do when they find fraud is occurring on a scientific research team? How does a scientist write and defend an animal ethics submission and get it approved? What are the ethical issues associated with peer review? This subject is intended to give students a broad overview of research ethics in a scientific context. It will include topics on scientific integrity; conflicts of interest; data recording management; authorship and peer review; animal experimentation and regulations; privacy and confidentiality of records; and, finally, research in humans.

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Why is it essential that scientists learn to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences? What makes for engaging communication when it comes to science? How does the style of communication need to change for different audiences? What are the nuts and bolts of good science writing? What are the characteristics of effective public speaking?

Weekly seminars and tutorials will consider the important role science and technology plays in twenty-first century society and explore why it is vital that scientists learn to articulate their ideas to a variety of audiences in an effective and engaging manner. These audiences may include school students, agencies that fund research, the media, government, industry, and the broader public. Other topics include the philosophy of science communication, talking about science on the radio, effective public speaking, writing press releases and science feature articles, science performance, communicating science on the web and how science is reported in the media.

Students will develop skills in evaluating examples of science and technology communication to identify those that are most effective and engaging. Students will also be given multiple opportunities to receive feedback and improve their own written and oral communication skills.

Students will work in small teams on team projects to further the communication skills developed during the seminar programme. These projects will focus on communicating a given scientific topic to a particular audience using spoken, visual, written or web-based communication.

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This subject involves completion of an 80-100 hour science or technology work placement integrating academic learning in science areas of study, employability skills and attributes and an improved knowledge of science and technology organisations, workplace culture and career pathways. The placement is supplemented by pre- and post-placement classes designed to develop an understanding of science and technology professions, introduce skills for developing, identifying and articulating employability skills and attributes and linking them to employer requirements in the science and technology domains. Work conducted during the placement will be suitable for a graduate level of expertise and experience. While immersed in a work environment, students will be expected to challenge themselves by accepting roles and responsibilities that stretch their existing capabilities. They will interrogate the requirements of specific careers and continually monitor their own progress towards developing the necessary knowledge, skills and attributes to thrive in these roles.

Students will be responsible for identifying a suitable work placement prior to the semester. Application for credit need to be submitted via the Internships Portal at least 3 weeks prior to internship commencement and within the Key Dates mentioned on the website. More information is available on the subject webpage here: https://science.unimelb.edu.au/students/plan-your-study/internship-subjects. If you have questions on how and where to find internship, you should contact the Careers and Industry team in the Faculty of Science at hyperlink: https://forms.your.unimelb.edu.au/4747166?SID=a3xOY000000018z

On completion of the subject, students will have completed and reported on a course-related project in a science or technology workplace. They will also have enhanced employability skills including communication, interpersonal, analytical and problem-solving, organisational and time-management, and an understanding of career planning and professional development.

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This subject aims to establish an understanding of how chemical and biochemical engineering principles can be applied to the sustainable production of chemical products. The subject will focus on the application of biological conversion processes, in particular the use of microorganisms, and the conversion of renewable biomass feedstocks using chemical and biochemical pathways. This subject introduces students to the area of sustainable chemical production and bioprocessing, an area of growing importance to society.

Topics covered will include: biochemistry of biological feedstocks; basic microbiology, cell structure and nutritional requirements; products from microbes and bioprocesses; cell growth kinetics and product formation; batch and continuous microbial growth and product formation; cellular maintenance energy and endogenous respiration; design of fermentation processes; bioreactor design and kinetics; industrial sterilisation & aseptic design; chemical conversion of biomass; biochemical separation processes.

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AIMS

This subject introduces students to aspects of reactor system design. Chemical reactors are at the heart of any major chemical process design. Chemical reaction engineering is concerned with the exploitation of chemical reactions on a commercial scale. Chemical reaction engineering aims at studying and optimizing chemical reactions in order to define the best reactor design. Hence, the interactions of flow phenomena, mass transfer, heat transfer, and reaction kinetics are of prime importance in order to relate reactor performance to feed composition and operating conditions. The subject will also cover catalytic reactor system.

This subject is one of the key parts of the chemical and biochemical engineering curriculum upon which a lot of later year material is built.

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AIMS

This subject comprehensively covers the thermodynamics of chemical and physical systems of relevance to chemical engineers.

The laws of thermodynamics, which govern energy and the direction of energy flow, are amongst the most important fundamentals of chemical engineering that students learn during their course. This subject revises and expands the students’ understanding of the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics, from both classical and statistical perspectives. Students learn about the concepts of entropy and equilibrium in detail, which form the basis for the topics of phase equilibrium, mixture properties, mixture equilibrium, reaction equilibrium and interfacial equilibrium.

The concepts covered by this subject provide the fundamental basis for chemical and process engineering and are utilised throughout all sectors of industry by engineers. This subject provides students with the ability to perform detailed calculations of complex systems to predict the performance of process unit operations, to aid in their design and operation.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

This subject focuses on the definitions and applications of the laws of thermodynamics, especially the implications of entropy and equilibrium on phases, mixtures, chemical reactions and interfaces:

• First law of thermodynamics.
• Second law of thermodynamics and entropy.
• Phase equilibria of pure substances, including fugacity.
• Mixtures and phase equilibria of mixtures, including activity coefficients and vapour-liquid equilibrium.
• Chemical reactions and reaction equilibria.
• Interfacial thermodynamics.

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AIMS

This subject covers topics required to understand systems involving fluids, both in motion and at rest, and their application in engineered systems. These include dams, pipes, open channels, pumps and both liquid and gaseous flow, with relevance to civil, mechanical, infrastructure and environmental engineering contexts. Students will gain an understanding of the fundamentals of how fluids behave and how this can be applied to solve engineering challenges. Topics covered include - Fluid statics, manometry, derivation of the continuity equation, mechanical energy balance, friction losses in a straight pipe, Newton’s law of viscosity, treatment of pipe roughness, valves and fittings; simple pipe network problems; principles of open channel flow; compressible flow, propagation of pressure wave, isothermal and adiabatic flow equations in a pipe, choked flow. Pumps – pump characteristics, centrifugal pumps, derivation of theoretical head, head losses leading to the actual pump head curve, calculating system head, determining the operating point of a pumping system, throttling for flow control, cavitation and NPSH, affinity laws and pump scale-up, introduction to positive displacement pumps; Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, Multi-dimensional fluid flow-momentum flux, development of multi-dimensional equations of continuity and for momentum transfer, Navier-Stokes equations, application to tube flow, Couette flow, Stokes flow.

Please view this video for further information: Fluid Mechanics

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Being an effective communicator is essential to gaining employment and for ongoing career success. Technical skills matter, but to be a valued member of a workplace, you need to be able to communicate your ideas, analyses and conclusions effectively to a variety of stakeholders.

This subject will equip you with the written, oral and interpersonal communication skills required to survive and thrive in a scientific workplace. Through seminars and interactive workshops, you will be exposed to a wide range of communication elements, from how to craft the perfect email to working in culturally diverse settings.

You will be given regular opportunities to practise and develop your skills, give and receive feedback and work in a variety of group settings to improve your teamwork and interpersonal skills. Understanding your own communication preferences is another key aspect of this subject.

All assessment tasks in this subject are modelled around real-world activities you will encounter in the workplace and will enable you to develop your professional skills.

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This subject provides students with an introduction to quantitative techniques and strategies used in research in a range of life science disciplines, including agriculture and food science, biological sciences, and ecosystem sciences. The subject will focus on the design of research projects, investigation and interpretation of data, and the application of scientific computing to research problems. Teaching and learning will be centered on hands-on sessions in which students work with real-life data. There is a particular emphasis on developing scientific reasoning, statistical intuition, and experience in the practical application of common quantitative methods.

The subject is designed for students with little or no background in statistics or mathematics.

Topics include:

• An introduction to sampling techniques and experimental design
• Description and exploration of data
• Visualization using univariate and bivariate plotting
• Introduction to elementary probability
• Linear models as analytical tools for univariate problems
• Statistical inference using linear models and related techniques
• Interpretation and presentation of the results of statistical models
• Logistic regression models for binary outcomes
• Practical skills working with data in the R software environment

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The minerals industry is of utmost importance to the Australian economy. This subject focuses on the liberation, size reduction, size separation and concentration separations in minerals processing. A range of design processes in extractive metallurgy, including hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy will be highlighted. Concepts behind aspects of physico-chemical principles of mineral separation processes to produce metals and ceramic products from ores as well as recycled materials and consumer products will be described. The systems approach to recycling of products, process sustainability and environmental considerations is extremely important in mineral processing and this will be studied in detail.

Indicative content: mineral processing separation concepts; the importance of sustainable mineral processing; the mechanisms used in dewatering mineral tailings; influence of material properties on recyclability; influence of recycling on material purity and properties; development of case studies in recycling products to recover valuable materials.

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This subject will cover the application of chemical engineering principles to modern food processing and packaging. Students will develop a broad understanding of the nature of food components and the principles underlying their processing. The importance of sustainability principles in food manufacture will be a key focus, as the industry adapts to the challenges of climate change and limited water resources. The subject will allow students to learn how to apply chemical and bioprocess engineering knowledge in the design and implementation of important industrial food processes with minimal environmental footprint. The principles and technical knowledge developed in this subject are central to chemical engineers working in the food industry.

Topics will include an overview of processes for preserving and transforming food, fundamentals of food chemistry, water activity and drying, microbial control, evaluation and statistical data analysis of sensory properties and product formulation. Mechanisms to reduce the sodium, water and energy footprint of food processing and to minimise food waste will be presented. Content will be provided on the requirements for food packaging and particularly on the use of biodegradable packaging from a sustainability perspective. Particular focus will be given to important processed foods such as dairy (cheese, dairy powders, and yoghurt manufacture) and fermented beverages (wine and beer production).

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