Complex Solutions to Environmental Problems

Content

Global and local environmental problems and comprehensive insight into their solutions.

The carbon cycle, CO2 and carbon footprint in terms of energy flows on earth. Comparing the carbon footprint of different processes, unconventional solutions.

An overview of atmospheric, water, and soil pollutants and their effects on the environment, living organisms and humans. Synergistic and specific effects resulting from the combination of pollutants.

Fundamentals of environmental toxicology, including the necessary analytical methods.

Basic principles of environmental management, pollution control vs. sustainable development, environmental audit.

Selected environmental and energy laws and the main points of European environmental and energy policy and the possibilities of their implementation into practical economic life.

An overview of the complex environmental impacts of various economic sectors (energy, industry, transport, agriculture).

Overview of the best and other available technologies for environmental protection according to types of pollution and individual sources of pollution.

Learning outcomes

After the course students will be able to:

• Identify global and local environmental issues
• Compare and contrast various pollutants and their effects
• Measure specific air/water pollutants and aerosols and analyze the measured data
• Understand the basics of environmental toxicology
• List and summarize the best available technologies in all areas of the environment (air, water, waste, greenhouse compounds, soil pollution)
• Apply the principal laws in the field of environmental and energy legislation
• Understand basic principles of environmental management
• Comprehensively address the problems of specific sources of pollution
• Propose a solution to one of the proposed complex environmental problems

Programme

In this blended intensive course, the students will get the opportunity to meet with their teachers and peers online for the first 10 weeks when they take part in lectures and discuss the covered topics. A part of the virtual learning will be short tasks ensuring the students understand and can apply the knowledge gained during the lectures.

The onsite week will be dedicated to hands-on activities during which students obtain new knowledge about certain pollutant measurements and they will try out many of the analytical techniques themselves. They will measure, as well as analyze and interpret the data. In small groups, students will propose their solutions to specific environmental problems and will assess the realistic feasibility of their solution and its local/global impact.

Students will also visit the meteorological station and air pollution monitoring unit.

Assessment

Each student will select a specific topic relevant to global/local environmental issues (confirmed by the lecturer), will process the available literature, and will present the class a unique solution to the problem. Very complex problems can be processed by couples of students.

In addition, in-person active participation on the hands-on activities of the onsite week in Bratislava is required for getting ETCS, especially active work in the small groups and measuring experimental data.

Lecturers

• Prof. Anna Ruttgerson, University of Uppsala

• Prof. Dirk Verschuren, Ghent University 

• Prof. Lorenzo Squintani, University of Groningen

• Prof. Zdenko Machala, Comenius University Bratislava

• Prof. Milan Lapin, Comenius University Bratislava

• Dr. Miroslav Singer, Comenius University Bratislava

• Assoc. Prof. Marcela Morvova, Comenius University Bratislava

• Dr. Vladimir Zdimal, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague

• Dr. Lucia Bustin, TSI GmbH, Aachen, Germany

 

• Students from below listed ENLIGHT partner universities are eligible to participate.

  Students will be selected at each of these universities separately. Students interested in the course need to apply via their home university. They should contact their faculty or programme to verify whether it can fit in their curriculum and to ensure academic recognition of the credits obtained.

  The application consists of a CV and motivation letter.

  3 students per university will be accepted. Specific contacts and information per university are below.

  University of the Basque Country: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  University of Bern: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  University of Bordeaux: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  Comenius University Bratislava: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  University of Galway: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  Ghent University: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  University of Groningen: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  University of Tartu: Application instructions for students at the University of Tartu

  Uppsala University: Application instructions for students at Uppsala University.

Silvia Hlavinkova
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