Sustainability Summer School Programme - 2021 entry

In view of the distinction articulated by UNESCO defining sustainability and sustainable development: ‘Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal (i.e. a more sustainable world), while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it (e.g. sustainable agriculture and forestry, sustainable production and consumption, good government, research and technology transfer, education and training, etc.)’.

 

Issues concerning sustainability, such as, global warming and climate change, pollution (e.g. marine, air and plastic pollution), biochemical cycles, loss of biological diversity, environmental deterioration as well as poor health and poverty, have challenged the environment and the well-being of its organisms. In the current century, universal efforts have been put into action to address those challenges, and different implementations by governments and societies have been considered in order to achieve a long-lasting healthy impact on our environment and beyond (see, The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)).

 

This module will provide you with insights into sustainability and how the current advancements in areas of engineering, mathematics, renewable energy, mining/geology, physics and/or computer sciences can be utilised to address and achieve these goals. 

 

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics/themes:

 

This module will introduce learners to the notion of environmental sustainability and how sustainable developments are considered to address global challenges. The module will provide learners with the opportunity to explore and analyse those aspects of sustainability through different themes (Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Engineering, Renewable Energy, Geology & Mining, and/or Computer Science).

 

The academic component will involve topics and projects related to each theme offered, where students will work with and engage in different teaching and learning activities offered by world-leading academics from the University of Exeter. This component will offer a combination of (synchronous/ asynchronous) lectures, seminars, plenary talks, project work and/or educational field trip(s).  Learners will have the opportunity to work individually and in groups on learning activities offered by the leading academic(s) and/or research assistant(s). The programme will help learners build a solid foundation and an in-depth understanding of a chosen project (related to one of the themes offered-a student will choose only one project to work on). This will be beneficial to earn an international experience in developing knowledge and skills while working collaboratively (as part of a group and/or independently) with provided supervisory guidance and support. Learners will also have the opportunity to provide a short presentation about their projects and to develop invaluable and necessary transferable skills (i.e. communication, team work, development of innovative ideas, time management, etc.) while working on the content of this programme. Details about the topics covered for Summer 2022 can be found here.

 

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:

 

1. Describe current areas of study in sustainability 

2. Analyse and interpret scientific assumptions and results

 

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge:

 

3. Develop skills to reason and solve problems

4. Demonstrate an ability to observe and asses scientific/field experiments and draw conclusions

 

Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Skills and Knowledge:

 

5. Communicate effectively and accurately both orally, including through presentations, and in writing

6. Operate effectively within a team

 

The academic component of the programme comprises the study of different topics within some or all of the themes (Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Engineering, Renewable Energy, Geology & Mining, and Computer Science) offered by the College. These topics and projects will be offered by specialist academics from the EMPS College at the University of Exeter. Themes covered may vary each year.  

 

2022 Sustainability Summer Programme Syllabus-themes (this content may vary from year to year):

Renewable Energy; Mining; Mathematics; Physics; Engineering

 

 

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