91159 Environmental Remediation
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Subject handbook information prior to 2021 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 91107 The Biosphere AND 91123 Biocomplexity
Recommended studies:
91154 Ecology; 91110 Experimental Design and Sampling
Description
This is an environmental science subject focused on the practice and philosophies behind responsibly remediating degraded landscapes across the world. It builds on prior understanding of ecosystem processes and explores the complexities of environmental degradation across terrestrial and marine systems using real-world case studies underpinned by current research findings. Students engage in hands-on laboratory and field practicals, contribute to critical discussion-style lectures, conduct an independent research project of their own design and participate in online learning. They draw links between anthropogenic processes and their impacts on natural environments, conduct local-scale professional site assessments and write professional reports providing potential research-grounded solutions to environmental degradation.
The professional skills developed in the practical, written and online aspects of the subject are applicable to a diverse range of careers, both within and beyond the focus of environmental remediation science.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Explain the practice and philosophies of responsible environmental remediation for both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. |
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| 2. | Design local-scale environmental remediation programs suitable for a range of different contamination events. |
| 3. | Demonstrate laboratory sampling techniques that are current professional standards. |
| 4. | Conduct independent site assessments of degraded landscapes. |
| 5. | Comprehensively document a range of evidence for environmental degradation within a landscape. |
| 6. | Evaluate the current state of a landscape within a professional scientific report. |
| 7. | Research the history of a local site and surmise the original conditions and species present. |
| 8. | Work both independently and in teams to solve complex and multi-faceted environmental problems. |
| 9. | Creatively contribute your own ideas to a relatively new discipline in science. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of following course intended learning outcomes:
- Analyse: Assess how ecological processes are influenced by human activity. (1.2)
- Synthesise: Design interventions combining the principles of sustainability and conservation to support the protection and management of the environment. (1.3)
- Apply: Demonstrate the application of research methods to design appropriate ecological field and laboratory studies to test scientific questions. (2.1)
- Analyse: Investigate and critically evaluate scientific evidence and literature. (2.2)
- Synthesize: Discover and hypothesize solutions to new and emerging environmental problems. (2.3)
- Apply: Demonstrate proficient time management, personal organization, teamwork skills, data collection, laboratory skills, data handling, quantitative modelling, and computer literacy skills. (3.1)
- Analyse: Select and use mathematical and statistical approaches to problem-solving and ethical decision-making for biological, ecological, and conservation purposes. (3.2)
- Synthesise: Explain the requirements of compliance with workplace health and safety procedures, animal ethics, and environmental impact assessments. (3.3)
- Apply: Demonstrate the ability to reflect and make effective judgments about one's own work as a professional environmental scientist. (4.1)
- Analyse: Evaluate and use appropriate technological and scientific skills to investigate ecological issues and use initiative to adapt to new situations. (4.2)
- Synthesise: Appraise evolving concepts in environmental science, including mainstream and alternative sources of knowledge and technology, to enhance the application of scientific practice and skills in a professional context. (4.3)
- Analyse: Examine and articulate the role of environmental science within local, regional, and global settings. (5.2)
- Synthesise: Use evidence-based approaches to actively engage with communities on complex issues around environmental science matching the structure and level of communication to the target audience. (5.3)
- Apply: Demonstrate an appreciation of historical and contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges relevant to environmental science. (6.1)
- Analyse: Develop cultural awareness for ethical and respectful practices, and when developing community relations. (6.2)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject contributes to your personal, professional and intellectual development, and the development of the following graduate attributes:
Graduate Attribute 1 - Disciplinary knowledge
The disciplinary focus of the subject is to develop a sound understanding of the practice and philosophies of responsible environmental remediation for both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The conceptual underpinnings of this subject make it a nexus between the complex environmental problems that are impacting the Earth’s landscapes and our modern-day methods for assessing and addressing these problems. We examine local-scale as well as global-scale case studies throughout the subject’s main topics.
This knowledge and its application is presented throughout all learning aspects of the subject and assessed in the Independent Research Project as well as the Knowledge and Skills Review.
Graduate Attribute 2 – Research, enquiry and critical thinking
We live in an increasingly urbanised world with a growing human population and usable land, particularly in areas like Sydney, has significant value. Recovering land that has been historically contaminated is a relevant and growing industry for Australia. You will be required to actively seek new and relevant research relevant to your own case study, and critique the efficacy of various remediation strategies to determine the most suitable method for your own case. You will also consider the value of landscapes to humans.
The major research-based assessment for this subject is the Independent Research Project.
Graduate Attribute 3 – Professional, ethical and social responsibility
Throughout the session, you will understand the role that human development and disturbance has had on both natural and developed landscapes, as well as explore the exciting research area of environmental remediation and the process of ethically and correctly restoring ecosystem functioning.
This subject is heavily practice-oriented and you will be engaging with a wide range of professional skills relevant to a career in environmental remediation. The professional skills you will develop include the practice of a site assessment, as well as preparing a detailed EPA-compliant site assessment, testing laboratory remediation methods using small-scale environmental microcosm experiments and applying scientific analysis to determine the efficacy of your chosen methods.
Your professional and ethical skills will be assessed in the Knowledge and Skills Review as well as the Independent Research Project.
Graduate Attribute 4 - Reflection, innovation and creativity
The Independent Research Project is designed for you to use your own level of initiative and seek out a local-scale degraded landscape in Sydney that you would ideally remediate, and complete a Site Assessment. Using a firm base of scientific research and supporting case studies, you must then develop your own innovative Remediation Plan of how you would design and apply an environmental remediation plan to your site. You can select to use a single proven remediation method and adapt it for your site, detailing why this is the best scenario above all others, or you can combine a combination of potential methods with the aim of achieving a more positive outcome for the site. You have the creative scope to design an entirely new remediation method, as long as you’re able to firmly justify your choices in developing the new design.
The laboratory microcosm projects also provide opportunities for you to select and apply your own creative remediation methods to the small-scale contamination experiments. You will be able to determine the efficacy of your chosen methods and evaluate whether it would be viable at a larger scale scenario.
The Independent Research Project provides the opportunity for professional reflection beyond the four walls of the university classroom. Continued intellectual development will be fostered in the Knowledge and Skills Review.
Graduate Attribute 5 - Communication
This subject has strong focus on refining professional, graduate-level communication skills. You will be expected to present high-quality written work reflecting your individual case study in the Independent Research Project, in line with the current standards of Australian site consultancy firms and the NSW EPA. You will visually communicate your site layout in the Site Report using a scale map, highlighting the features relevant to your environmental assessment.
You will also capture and include clear and unaltered photographs of outdoor features as supporting evidence in your Site Report, understanding that site photos are a critical line of environmental evidence and can be used for legal purposes.
Graduate Attribute 6 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges and Connection with Country
An important site assessment skill taught in this subject is conserving culturally-significant Aboriginal sites and how to identify these sites from trace environmental evidence. You are provided with examples of common evidence that you may encounter during site inspections, what they may mean, and what the next steps are in the line of site conservation.
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject is delivered through lectures, workshops, laboratory practicals, online learning modules, independent research and a field trip.
There are online lectures each week throughout the semester. The lecture series is closely linked to the practical components of the subject, as well as the assessments. Engaging with lectures is essential to developing a full understanding of the learning material, and will assist you in achieving success in this university subject.
In the first half of the semester, there will be online research consultation workshops each week where students can consult with each other, as well as environmental experts, to get guidance on their independent research projects. The Independent Research Project is the key independent learning activitiy for the subject, and consulting with our subject's experts is highly recommended.
The laboratory practicals represent small-scale microcosm experiments to determine whether environmental remediation plans for a given contamination event could work on larger scales. This includes working in teams to simulate an oceanic oil spill using model ecosystems and real crude oil, as well as working independently to phytoremediate a hazardous contaminant from degraded soil within a microcosm. All laboratory practicals will adhere to the recommended guidelines of social distancing, interactions and hygiene.
There are self-paced online learning modules linked with the laboratory practicals and the field trip which will be readily available to access on UTSOnline throughout the semester. Online modules are a mix of different media (including news and scientific articles, historical images, maps and videos) which will vary, depending on the topic. These modules are designed to complement your learning in other aspects of the subject and help prepare you for hands-on practical work, as well as supplement your overall learning in Environmental Remediation. Each online learning module should take you no more than 30 minutes to complete, and they will vary in duration depending on the complexity of the topics presented.
The field trip to a remediated field site is an essential learning component for the subject and attendance is highly recommended. Details of the field trip will be available on UTSOnline before the semester commences and discussed in more detail during the semester.
Content (topics)
This subject explores a diverse variety of content focused on the important topics of:
- The complex causes of environmental degradation
- Lingering contaminants and pollutants that may reside in soils and water and Negatively impact species
- The methodology of a site assessment
- The philosophies and goals behind environmental remediation
- Terrestrial remediation; including the mechanical relocation of wastes
- Phytoremediation
- Invasive species ecology and management
- Cleaning up crude oil spills
- Groundwater remediation
- Ecosystem restoration and bush regeneration
- Safeguards for preventing environmental degradation
- Applying for a job in the field of environmental science
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Independent Research Project - Site Assessment
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.2, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.2, 5.3 and 6.2 |
| Type: | Case study |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Criteria: | A comprehensive guide to the Independent Research Project will be made available on UTSOnline and in the Subject Manual, as well as discussed in Lectures and Workshops. The Independent Research Project is submitted in two sections, with feedback being provided for each section shortly following your submission. This subject offers optional consultation sessions where you can immediately receive feedback and advice on your site selection, site assessment process and findings. |
Assessment task 2: Independent Research Project - Remediation Plan
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 6 and 9 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 5.3 |
| Type: | Portfolio |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 35% |
| Criteria: | A comprehensive guide to the Independent Research Project will be made available on UTSOnline and in the Subject Manual, as well as discussed in Lectures and Workshops. The Independent Research Project is submitted in two sections, with feedback being provided for each section shortly following your submission. This subject offers optional consultation sessions where you can immediately receive feedback and advice on your site selection, site assessment process and findings. |
Assessment task 3: Knowledge and Skills Review
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge 2. Research, inquiry and critical thinking 3. Professional, ethical and social responsibility 4. Reflection, Innovation and Creativity 5. Communication 6. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges and Connection with Country |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 9 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.2, 2.3, 3.3, 4.2, 5.2, 5.3 and 6.1 |
| Type: | Exercises |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 35% |
Minimum requirements
You are expected to attend all discussion lectures during the semester.
This subject also has compulsory practical laboratories, workshops and a field trip. You must attend the workshops and field trip in order to complete and submit the assessments that are linked to them. If you are unwell or experiencing any difficulties related to attendance, please contact the subject coordinator as early as possible.
Required texts
The main textbook for this subject is available for free in full digital format through the UTS Library - Clewell A F (2013) Ecological restoration principles, values, and structure of an emerging profession, Washington DC, Island Press.
Recommended texts
Other recommended sources of information will be provided via UTSOnline and referred to in classes. For the Independent Research Report, you are also expected to independently engage with the UTS Library and Google Scholar to find scientific research papers, reviews and articles relevant to your individual case study.
Due to the open-access nature of Wikipedia and lack of peer-review in information dissemination, do not use Wikipedia as a primary information source.
References
Additional references for specific concepts and case studies will be provided during the lectures.