Environmental Sciences University of New Brunswick

Overview

Navigating the complex issues involved is a challenge that requires a broad range of skills and perspectives pertaining to earth’s environmental system: its biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. This type of training is brought together at the Environmental Sciences program at University of New Brunswick.

Admission to the Faculty of Science's Environmental Sciences program for Fall 2021 will open when the program receives final approval from the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Council. Contact sciconnect@unb.ca if you are interested in this program.

Six streams to choose from

Living organisms are constantly interacting with their environment and changing in response to it. At relatively small time-scales, individuals do this biochemically, physiologically and behaviourally; at large time-scales, populations do this by adapting. At a time when our planet is being transformed by human activities, it is important to understand how living entities can or cannot respond to such changes. This stream focuses on a deep knowledge of the various life forms on our planet and their responses at all levels (molecular, cellular, organismal, population and community) to the environment.

Understanding the properties and reactivity of molecules, in addition to their identification and quantification, is at the heart of understanding and mitigating human impact on the environment. This knowledge is essential for monitoring industry, investigating and solving environmental problems, and creating paths for human activity that are less harmful to the environment. This stream focuses on training in chemistry.

The amount of data collected for sampling and monitoring the environment is on the rise, as many different monitoring technologies are developed and used. Consequently, there is a need for trained personnel to develop and use mathematical, statistical and other quantitative methods in the environmental sciences, environmental engineering, and environmental monitoring and protection. This stream focuses on in-depth mathematical and statistical training.

For society to continue to function, extraction of our gradually depleting geologic resources will remain a necessity (e.g., aggregate, fertilizer, metal, petroleum and water for agriculture, communications, construction, lubricants, plastics, renewable energy, transport). The next generation of scientists must not only carefully manage these dwindling resources, but also explore and extract them with much greater awareness and consideration of both the risk of environmental degradation and pollution, and the subsequent management of waste material. This stream provides the student with knowledge and understanding of a broad range of environmental and socio-economic issues and how such issues relate to the science of geologic resources.

Across our environment, water has the capacity to dissolve solids from the earth’s surface and substrate, transport the solutes, and precipitate new materials. The solutes can be essential nutrients for life, or toxic contaminants. When flowing as surface- or ground-water, it may also remove, move, and deposit solid material. This stream provides the student with the relevant science underpinning the global water supply and water quality, river and coastal erosion, and siltation. Electives allow students to further investigate any interest in hydrogeochemistry, biosphere interactions or water management.

Among the many challenges that humanity faces at this beginning of the 21st century are concerns arising from climate change and various impacts on societies resulting from the interaction of Earth with the Sun. To face these challenges requires advancement of our knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of the Sun and its effects on the Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere and atmosphere. The goal of this stream is to provide a curriculum that will focus on the study of various physical processes taking place in the solar-terrestrial environment, and quantify the energy transport mechanisms that drive life on planet Earth.

Careers

• Government and education

• Conservation and non-profits

• Meteorology and climatology

• Water and waste treatment

• Site mitigation and remediation