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This blog is written by the Environmental and Geographical Sciences team at the University of Northampton. This will keep you up to date with both student and staff activities.

The Environmental and Geographical Sciences team includes staff with interests in biological sciences, conservation, ecology, environmental sciences, environmental statistics, geography and waste management. We offer a range of degree programmes and have a number of postgraduate research students. For more information about studying with us please visit http://www.northampton.ac.uk/.

Monday 18 May 2015

First year Environmental Science and Geography students take part in Citizen Science projects

As part of the module Fundamentals of Environmental Science the first year students took part in a number of citizen science projects.  The students took part in surveys of biodiversity, water quality, climate and air quality in areas around Avenue Campus.  

The air quality survey saw students identifying trees and the lichens found upon them.  In the water quality survey the pond in Avenue Nature Reserve was sampled and the life found in the water identified.  For the climate survey a quick look at the clouds in the sky and measuring the speed at which bubbles travelled over a known distance allowed the wind speed and direction to be estimated.  The biodiversity survey involved the study of a section of hedge and a count of the invertebrates found within the hedge.

Identifying the aquatic
invertebrates
Carrying out the pond survey

The data were collated to produce a large dataset.  The students then all had to write up one of these investigations as a scientific report, while considering the usefulness of citizen science.