Environmental Science

This subject explores psychological and social dimensions of environmental sustainability and landscape and ecosystem management. The subject examines the ways humans experience, interact and behave in the physical environment. This is done by exploring psycho-social dimensions of human-environment interactions examining frameworks for understanding environmental concern and environmentally significant behaviour. Topics include: psychological bases for human-environment relationships (considering biological and cognitive needs, social identity and other forms of motivation); frameworks for understanding attitudes to environmental issues and for understanding environmentally significant behaviour; strategies for enhancing, awareness, concern and action for sustainability.

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Modern human societies have developed an apparently insatiable appetite for the production and consumption of energy, which has brought with it far-reaching adverse consequences to the environment. Energy is a well-understood aspect of science; thermodynamics describes the fundamental principles that determine the efficiency with which energy can be harvested, stored, produced, transmitted or consumed. The environmental impacts of the production and consumption of energy are less fully understood and have to be balanced against the availability of key resources, the cost of managing those resources, the efficiency with which they may be utilised and the political and ethical consequences of obtaining them.

This subject provides a quantitative survey of the chemistry and physics behind conventional and alternative energy sources, including fossil fuels, bio-fuels, the capture of energy from solar, geothermal, hydro and wind sources and their storage, and the generation of energy from nuclear fission and fusion processes. Each energy source is assessed in terms of its environmental impacts, its dependence on critical or scarce resources and the social or political consequences of reliance on that energy source with respect to long-term sustainability.

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This subject focuses on how science contributes to environmental decision-making and management. Students will investigate how science from different disciplines is used and apply it to the process of study design, monitoring, assessment, and evaluation. Workshops associated with each module will emphasize practical aspects of how decisions get made in the face of scientific uncertainty. An individual capstone project will provide opportunities for in-depth critical thinking and analysis in an area of interest chosen by the student. By the end of the subject, students will have developed a scientific toolbox that they can use to solve real-world environmental problems after graduation whether undertaking further study or in the workforce.

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This subject aims to provide students with the skills to undertake and critically evaluate environmental risk assessments. Students will learn a range of qualitative and quantitative tools from a variety of disciplines, and apply them to environmental risk problems. Students completing this subject should be familiar with the concept of exposure pathways; understand the ecological processes associated with contamination in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; be able to develop empirical models; estimate exposures and responses in ecological systems; and develop a critical understanding of methodologies used in environmental risk assessment.

Topics include the concepts of risk assessment, psychology and history of risk perception, Australian standards for risk assessment, risk assessment frameworks, exposure pathways, hazard assessment, casual and empirical modeling, inference from data, endpoints and management goals, interval arithmetic, logic trees, environmental toxicology, decision-making under risk and uncertainty, social context of risk, and risk management.

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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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This subject explores and evaluates green infrastructure technologies, including green roofs, green walls, green facades and water-sensitive urban design installations. Students study the underpinning science that supports these technologies and their use in urban environments to achieve environmental, social and economic outcomes, including plant ecology, horticulture, hydrology and the science of growing media including soils and green-roof substrates. There is a strong emphasis on understanding the functions of different design systems and the engineering applications of green infrastructure in landscape and building installations. The subject also uses case studies, field visits and industry practitioners to investigate, analyse and evaluate green infrastructure technologies and systems.

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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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The ability to model natural and human phenomena is key to understanding physical, biological and human environments. Models can be conceptual, logical, mathematical and software based; this subject explores how models of varying complexity can be used for modelling systems in the real world depending on resolution needed and information available.

Population growth, disease propagation, traffic flows, pollution dispersion, earthquake impacts, climate and energy prediction models are widely used to plan for the sustainable use of resources and management of the natural and built environment. Using real-world examples drawn from physics, chemistry, biology and earth sciences, this subject introduces students to framing these, sometimes complex, systems firstly as conceptual models, then as logical and mathematical models. These logical and mathematical models are then brought to life using tools such as software representations and simulations for the system of interest.

These real world models are used to test hypotheses and observables. Visualisation tools along with the ability to formulate and simulate natural and human systems are skills readily transferrable to many science, engineering, business and medical professions.

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The transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions will involve a significant transformation of the global energy system. This will fundamentally change where energy is generated and how it is consumed. These required changes will have broad economic, socio-environmental, and geopolitical challenges. Such as, the uneven endowment of wind and solar resources in regions that may be rich in biodiversity, with or without large human populations, or existing transmission infrastructure. However, continuing to rely on fossil fuels also exposes nations, businesses, and essential services to geopolitical instabilities and social injustice. A systematic view is needed to analyse, predict and chart viable pathways for our energy transition.

This subject provides a capstone experience for the Environmental Science major specialisation in Energy Transition, while also providing a sustainability lens for discipline-focused majors in the energy space. This subject builds upon a fundamental understanding of thermodynamics, chemical, mechanical and/or electrical energy to explore the role of energy in nature and human society. Students will learn about the various forms of energy generation with their associated environmental and social impacts, and the degree to which the supply and demand of energy must be transformed, in order to mitigate climate change while conserving biodiversity and sustainable economic development. Students will evaluate real-world decision-making problems, and develop the skills needed to assess and critique energy transition pathways towards a sustainable future.

The energy transition is also a key component of environmental, social and governance (ESG) of businesses. Students will learn from industry experiences and potentially present to an industry panel.

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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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A capacity to interpret data is fundamental to making informed decisions in everyday life. The design of experiments, analysis, and interpretation of biological data also lie at the very heart of the scientific enterprise. You cannot be a scientist without an understanding of data and design. This subject introduces you to fundamental concepts in data science for biology, with emphasis on modern statistical methods. Drawing on real biological problems and datasets, as well as drawing on data collected by the class, the lectures cover foundational concepts in experimental design and statistical modelling. The subject emphasises hands-on problem solving. As well as a solid grounding in statistical methodology, you will also develop practical skills, developing your capacity to design experiments, collect data, and analyse those data using the R statistical environment.

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