My name is Grace Arabian and I am currently an undergraduate student in the Physical and Environmental Geography program at the University of Toronto. While I study hard during the year, my summer has allowed me to take my education beyond the books. Through funding from the Centre for Global Change Science (CGCS), I have had the opportunity to work as a research assistant with Professor Nick Eyles at UTSC. 

My experience began in April, with an exciting field camp in Iceland, where I and 18 other students were able to study environmental science through hands on experience. The course was led by Dr. Eyles, Kathy Wallace, our Teaching Assistant, and Kristinn Gudjonsson, an Icelandic geologist. Located along the Mid Atlantic ridge, where the North American plate and the Eurasian plate are splitting apart, Iceland is the ideal place to study geology. We were able to study everything from geothermal energy, volcanoes, glaciers, to climate change. Each student was required to prepare a poster on a topic and present it in the field. My topic was on Icelandic earthquakes. It was great to be able to present to my peers about the South Iceland Seismic zone, an area with transform faults that can have earthquakes of magnitudes up to 7. The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with the perfect mix of education and adventure. 

Next it was back to Canada, where I have spent most of my time working with Kathy Wallace, a Ph.D student here at UTSC.  The basis of my summer project is to explore intracratonic earthquakes is Southern Ontario using a series of maps. Despite being in the centre of the Canadian craton, Ontario has been prone to major earthquakes in the past. Many people will remember the Val-de-Bois earthquake that occurred in June last year. The 5.0 magnitude earthquake was felt all along southern and eastern Ontario and into several of the US states. My project has been to investigate the relationship between the earthquake epicentres and the geologic history. Earthquakes felt today are a result of rifting that occurred millions of years ago, when the world's supercontinents Rodinia and Pangea broke up. Part of my summer research includes creating a scientific poster and presenting in front of my peers who are also participating in CGCS.

As a part of my learning process, in May I attended the annual conference held by the Geologic Association of Canada (GAC) at the University of Ottawa with Kathy. Kathy and I attended several sessions on various topics in geology, particularly focusing on the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben and earthquake hazards within the region. 

Though my focus has been on earthquakes, in June I was able to stray a little from this research and work with Tom Meulendyk, a research assistant for Dr. Eyles. Tom's current project investigates the sand dunes at Long Point, Lake Erie. Tom and I went up to Long Point in mid-June and surveyed the dunes using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). The experience was great for learning how to use geophysical equipment, as well as getting hands on field experience. I was even lucky enough to spend my 21st birthday up by the beautiful beach and exploring the dunes.

Like every other undergraduate student, I am still unsure of where my studies will take me and what the future has in store. Working with Dr. Eyles has given me a truly unique summer experience, allowing me explore the landscapes of Iceland, begin my own research, attend a conference, and get hands on field experience.

By Nick Eyles

I spent a very pleasant afternoon 'geologizing' with members of the Georgian Bay Land Trust out on the Pancake Islands in Georgian Bay. These small islands (45o 20.43'N   80o 17.57'W) lie at the entrance of Parry Sound and tell a very big story. Here are classic Georgian Bay scenes with windswept pines growing right out of glacially smoothed rock on clusters of smoothed whaleback islands made famous by the Group of Seven.

The flat low-lying Pancake Islands are just five minutes by boat from Killbear Provincial Park and Killbear Marina at the end of Highway 559, which leads west off from Highway 400. For those who are geographically challenged, it's about three hours away from Toronto. But the landscape is out of this world...

The group was an eclectic bunch drawn together by their commitment to preserve this part of Ontario from development. We were there to transport ourselves far back in time when the geography of Ontario (and our planet) looked dramatically different. It's an opportunity to see ourselves for what we are; a 'Johnny-come-lately' species who somehow misguidedly think the entire planet was created just for us. It's good to be humbled and have our existence put in perspective now and again.

The rocks here are beautifully banded, pink-coloured gneisses and look like stirred bread dough, kinked and contorted into beautiful folds. Hence the names of the islands or so it is believed. These deformed rocks provide a graphic illustration of the processes that occurred more than 1 billion years ago some 20 kilometres below the Grenville Mountains. These formed when a large piece of northern Southern America collided with then eastern North America (the coast lay somewhere around Sudbury at that time). This collision was the opening shot in a whole bunch of plate tectonic collisions (called orogenies) that culminated in the formation of a large supercontinent called Rodinia. The modern day Himalayas are a good analog for what Ontario would have looked like then. Of course, the mountains were later eroded down to stumps and their deep roots are now exposed at surface. 

The area lies within the Parry Sound Shear Zone, an ancient suture between colliding crust. Deeply buried beneath the weight of the Grenville Mountains, these rocks moved and deformed like warm toffee. The complex folds and bends in the gneiss on the Pancake Islands record multiple phases of deformation of metamorphic rock where folds were refolded again and again. Some rocks are so thoroughly sheared out they are finely laminated (mylonites); others are blurred by partial melting (migmatites).

There are several other aspects of these rocks that we could explore here but in short, they are the smoking gun of ancient plate tectonics; the planet worked then the way it does today. Which is great news for geologists trying to understand the past.

The 30,000 islands extend along the eastern side of Georgian Bay from Killarney to Honey Harbour. It's worth taking the time to discover the many islands dotting the entrance to Parry Sound west of Bateau Island such as the Mink Islands. These are very accessible to several marinas (most have a water taxi service) and the port town of Parry Sound. A kayak is the perfect vehicle here because of the very shallow water (which can get very rough).

The Georgian Bay Land Trust aims to ensure that the 30,000 islands remains a viable ecosystem in the face of relentless development. To many folks it is simply 'cottage country', a yet to be developed extension of Muskoka. In fact, it is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in recognition of its unique landscapes, flora and fauna, cultural history and, of course, its geology.

The Niagara wine region has been blessed by its geographic locations bounded in the north by Lake Ontario and in the south by Lake Erie.  The last glaciations that ended 10,000 years ago formulated the Niagara Escarpment, mainly the St. David's Bench, that promotes a microclimate known for good air flow, soil drainage and soil quality for vineyards. However, grape vines in the winter are inactive and vulnerable to the cold air mass from the North during winter. Lake Ontario, which is not frozen in the winter, is able to moderate the cold air with its pool of sensible heat and high specific heat capacity.  Similarly, Lake Erie is able to ease the hot summer weather from invading this wine producing region.  But as we see in climate change, fluctuating maximum and minimum temperature will continue to push the grape vines' adaptive ability to the limit. In fact, this condition calls for a shift in the Niagara region to produce grapes that are more suitable in a warm climate.  This warmer climate will also have an effect on the transformation of the conventional fruit production that is vital to the survival of the local economy.

The tour of the wine region began on our second day at the vineyards of Chateau des Charmes. Dr. Tony Shaw, a professor at Brock University, pointed out the place that was the first winery to install a wind machine to combat climate change and cold nights which are not suitable for the growing of grapes.  Even though the climate in the Niagara Region is observed with increasing temperature, the increasing variability of temperature translates to more days of cooler minimum temperature that happen at night. To prevent the cold nights from interfering with the growing of grapes, a wind machine has a temperature sensor that will automatically spin its blade to push a warmer air to the surface when approaching -15 to -16°C.  While cool and warm air masses do not mix, such use of technology is able to prevent the loss of grapes by inverting air columns at the surface.

Also on our wine tour, we visited at Stratus, where we were welcome by its LEED Silver awarded retail gallery and offered a sample of white wine by our host Phyllis. At the back of the building, we discovered similar a wind machine was erected within the vineyard. In addition to frost damage, Phyllis pointed out another danger posed by the invasion of Asian long-horn beetles. The Asian beetles, once hatched, feed on the leaves to reduce the photosynthetic productivity of the grapes, which delay the ripening of grapes and reduce their quality. In addition, fieldworkers often encounter the problem of extensive molding of the grape vines that allow the growth of fungus to overtake the development of grapes.

Currently, in addition to the Niagara region, the north shore of Lake Erie, Pelee Island and Prince Edward County represent about 80% of Canadian wine, with the rest coming from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. However, the warming from climate change poses an immediate threat to the future of Canadian wine output. Setting wind machines to create a temperature inversion can only be a temporary solution as once the climate warms beyond control, other adaptive measures may need to be considered in preserving the production of wine. Solutions such as shifting the production to grapes that are more suitable for a warmer climate can make a significant impact on the local agricultural and wine industries in the Niagara Region.

Jerry Jien
PhD Student, Environmental Science

My name is Tom Meulendyk and I'm currently working as a research assistant with Dr. Nick Eyles at University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC). I graduated from UTSC where I worked with Nick for my senior level project, publishing a paper in a peer-reviewed journal (Eyles & Meulendyk, 2008). I then went to the University of Calgary where I did my Masters on the geophysical mapping of ice patches in the Northwest Territories.

Though I do spend time in the office, working as a researcher takes me beyond the desk and provides an opportunity to explore the natural environment and use innovative geophysical equipment. The position gives me the freedom to choose the direction of research and manage each project. My current study takes place at Long Point, Ont.



Hidden from plain sight, Long Point is a 40km sand spit (one of the longest in the world) that juts out into eastern Lake Erie. The public can access the spit through Long Point Provincial Park and discover its beautiful sandy beaches, extensive marshlands and see a variety of wildlife. Long Point is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, attracting thousands of bird watchers in spring and fall.

Our research takes us beyond the confines of the provincial park. With help from the Canadian Wildlife Service, we were stationed within Long Point National Wildlife Area. This 3,200 hectare area has been maintained in its natural state - a combination of beaches, woodlands, ponds, wet meadows and big sand dunes. Think of a vegetated Sahara Desert!

The complex system of dunes, up to 25m in height, is the backbone of the spit and the focus of our research. While it is known that the ridges of dunes have formed here over the last 5,000 years, the stages of dune construction and maturity have not been explored; the right geophysical techniques have only just come along.



To answer these questions, Nick and I surveyed the dunes using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) that reveals the structure and layering deep below the surface. The radar system works by sending pulses of electromagnetic energy into the ground that reflect back as they encounter variations in the subsurface. The result is a two-dimensional cross-section of what is below your feet.

Our radar data provide a detailed picture of how the dunes grew and were sculpted by wind and storm events over time. Another important aspect of our fieldwork involved making observations of how young dunes are being formed today along the shoreline. During our time at Long Point, we enjoyed riding ATVs to each site, having lunch by the old lighthouse and spotting turtles, deer and bald eagles amongst the dunes. Using GPR over tall dunes in the summer heat can be demanding, but the surrounding beauty of Lake Erie and the excitement of discovery makes the hard work rewarding. 



The processing and analysis of the GPR data is the next step as our work returns to the office and I am eager to see what the data tells us. We are working towards a model of how dunes form and mature and once again intend to publish the data so it becomes part of the wider knowledge of sand dunes. Our work will yield new insights into how the shoreline of Lake Erie has evolved through time. At Long Point, there are massive problems created by human settlement close to the shoreline, including erosion and flooding.

Field work is an essential part of geology and as geophysical techniques are developed we are able to explore what's under our feet and make new insights into how our Earth has evolved.

Eyles, N. and Meulendyk, T. (2008) Ground penetrating radar study of a Pleistocene ice-scoured glaciolacustrine sequence boundary. Boreas 37, 226-233.

By Nick Eyles

The first episode of Geologic Journey takes us through the geology of the European plate from its western (youngest) margin in Iceland to its oldest (the Alps) where it collides with Africa. En route, we stopped in the ancient city of Edinburgh, Scotland in hot and very unscottish weather. It's a wonderful place built on the remains of long dead volcanoes shaped by glaciers. An appropriate setting for what has been called the 'birthplace of geology'.

James Hutton is a name that keeps cropping up in the first episode of Geologic Journey. He is best remembered for noticing what everyone else had missed. He identified major gaps in layers of rock, requiring rocks to be laid down, eroded away leaving remnants that are covered by new rocks. Geologists talk about 'unconformities' between one set of rocks and another, recording a much more complex Earth history than that envisaged by his contemporaries.

To the east of Edinburgh is Siccar Point. These cliffs hold a special place in the history of geological science because they expose an unconformity discovered by Hutton in the spring of 1788 during a boat trip down the coast with several companions.

Hutton downplayed the significance of Siccar Point because by 1788 it was old news. Often portrayed as an objective thinker free of any religious dogma, Hutton was a firm believer in a divine creator, a self-identified 'Deist' adhering to what today is known more or less as 'intelligent design'. He had published his 'Theory of the Earth' three years earlier in which he set out a model of the planet where a creator gets things going and the Earth runs thereafter like a giant clock. He was a landowner and invoked cycles of erosion and deposition, of destruction and renewal whereby the planet's soils could be replenished and sustain mankind. His ideas were based to a large degree on his reading of earlier French geologists and he'd already identified other unconformities in southern Scotland long before visiting Siccar so rather than representing a major discovery it essentially confirmed his existing ideas. It was scarcely mentioned by him when he rewrote his ideas as a book in 1795. Hutton's role was raised to iconic status ('the Father of Modern Geology') by Charles Lyell in his geology textbooks written in the 1830's.

But Hutton wasn't quite finished. He saw our planet as being long lived and subject to constant remorseless change as varied geologic processes erode, make sediment and deposit it to form rock. In other words the planet evolves. By studying modern volcanoes, oceans, deserts, etc., we gain information that we can use to interpret ancient rocks and ancient worlds long gone. That's why geologists are always on the road climbing volcanoes, studying glaciers, rivers, exploring oceans, etc., (that's why geologists have so much fun!). This approach is called 'uniformitarianism' and it was the key that later unlocked the dynamic world view of Darwin (who was trained as a geologist).

Pretty important guy that Jimmy Hutton, eh? Here's to the Scots.

Frabaer! (that means "fantastic" in Icelandic). "Fantastic" is about the only way to describe our recent field trip adventure to Iceland. I was lucky enough to be the Teaching Assistant for our environmental science undergraduate Field Camp with Professor Nick Eyles at University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC). Most of the 19 students were enrolled in Environmental Science; however, several were from other disciplines. All had a keen interest in learning about our planet and how it works.

Our trip was led by Dr. Eyles and Icelandic geologist Kristinn Gudjonsson. Kristinn appeared with Dr. Eyles in the Geologic Journey II series in the Tectonic Europe episode featuring Iceland, which is airing this Thursday, July 14 at 8:00pm on CBC! We visited several locations featured in that episode, including Dr. Eyles' research hut!

Iceland provides a unique opportunity for the study of environmental science and the processes that shape our planet. Known as the "land of fire and ice", Iceland is positioned along the Mid Oceanic Ridge, located directly on the plate boundary separating the North American and European tectonic plates.

The students' study of Iceland began long before they boarded the flight to Reykjavik. During the winter term, students selected their research topics. This research was a key component of the Field Camp curriculum. The work included producing a professional quality poster regarding their topic and providing an oral presentation in the field while in Iceland. Presentations were given outdoors at a variety of locations that included a glacial kettle hole, the terminus of a glacier and at the edge of a volcano. These poster presentations allowed students to learn not only about Icelandic environmental science, but also helped them to develop professional presentation skills valuable in both business and in future scientific research.

Our travels included visits to geothermal areas on the Reyjkanes Peninsula and also a visit to a geothermal plant to learn how geothermal processes are used to generate energy. We hiked through Skaftafall National Park in the area of the Vatnajokull ice cap. That one hike alone was a journey through an outdoor "textbook" of a number of disciplines such as fluvial geomorphology, glaciology and the study of slopes.  However, most of us would agree that the highlight of our trip was our journey to the top of Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano that made headlines around the world last year for wreaking havoc on European airspace. Our trip to the summit began in specialized four-wheel drive vehicles that transported us across miles of snowpack and glacier. We then hiked across steaming fields of lava up to the edge of the crater. It was an exhilarating moment for us all as we stood in the strong winds under blue skies, looking down on newly created earth.

Our students' enthusiasm was evident throughout the entire trip, reflecting their enjoyment and appreciation of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.  The geological and environmental learning opportunity that Iceland provided us was unequalled. Really, there is no place on earth quite like Iceland. The learning experience extended beyond science and included both professional and personal development for students. For many this was their first time leaving Canada and for some it was their first time even going on a hike!
Kathy Wallace, Ph.D. Student

Studying environmental science at UTSC can lead to many different careers. In the following Q&A, UTSC chats with Environmental Science graduate Sean Salvatori.

UTSC: What were your favourite subjects in high school?

SS: My favourite subjects in high school were physics, chemistry and algebra.

UTSC: Did you always know you wanted to study environmental science?

SS: I always knew I enjoyed environmental sciences but I didn't know until first year university on which area of environmental science I was going to focus.

UTSC: How did you come to study at UTSC?

SS: I was accepted at Scarborough and it was an easier transition from small-town Ontario to Toronto than St. George, and it was closer to my hometown for visits.

UTSC: What was your favourite part about studying at UTSC?

SS: My favourite part about Scarborough was the intimate nature and good people who both attended the school and who taught there. There was a lot of interaction outside the classroom with people who are still friends today.

UTSC: What was your favourite part about studying environmental science?

SS: I enjoyed the fieldwork and field trips most of all.

UTSC: What did you want to be when you "grew up"?

SS: A firefighter.

UTSC: Where are you working now?

SS: I work in the Toronto office of Dillon Consulting Limited but travel and work out of many of our offices across Canada.

UTSC: Do you have any advice or tips for high school students looking to study environmental science?

SS: Spend as much time outdoors observing the environment as you can. Learn how natural systems work and their interactions. Always evaluate both sides of any environmentally based issues.

UTSC: Did your degree in Environmental Science help you get to where you are today?

SS: All the courses I took as part of the Environmental Science degree are applicable to the work I do today as a consulting hydrogeologist.

Iceland is a superb lab for environmental scientists. Its volcanic landscapes and rocks are still forming and only recently colonized by plants, animals and humans. It's a wonderful lab for studying volcanoes, coastal landforms and glaciers, and the dramatic impact of volcanic activity on ice caps, climate and vice versa. The effects of volcanic eruptions and climate change on human culture are also very clear and offer a wealth of topics for student projects and presentations.

Environmental science students from the Department of Physical and Environmental Science visited the island in late April and early May as part of two Field Camp courses (EESC16 and EES D07).

Iceland is an island right in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean simply because it has been raised up above sea level by the rising magma of the Iceland Plume, a giant column of hot rock rising up through the Earth's mantle. Think of a lava lamp.

The Iceland Plume is a persistent feature of the Earth's mantle, one of the few fixed features on a planet of moving plates and convecting mantle rocks. It forms a 'hot spot' that has been fixed in its present location for tens of millions of years. By about 64 million years ago, the plume began to pump out enormous volumes of magma to the floor of the ocean and onto the margins of surrounding landmasses such as Greenland, Scotland, England and Ireland.

Today, the North Atlantic Ocean is still widening and the Iceland Plume is still working away below. The rising plume hits the base of the thin Icelandic crust, mushrooms outward below it and as it does, it pushes the crust apart. Thus the island is slowly expanding. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge between the North American and Eurasian plates lies right along the Central Rift Zone and Reykjanes Peninsula. It is characterized by major fissure eruptions when enormous volumes of highly fluid 'flood basalt' pour out of the ground like blood from a deep cut. The addition of new rock along the rifts forces the plates apart in a jerky motion marked by swarms of earthquakes. Repeated eruptions and rifting push aside older rocks thereby creating a continuous spreading process; the driving force behind plate tectonics. This is how oceans widen from young narrow seas like the modern Red Sea to mature oceans like the Pacific and Atlantic.

Continuous spreading of Iceland's crust is reflected in the age of its volcanic rocks. The youngest rocks occur in a narrow belt along the centre of the island, flanked either side by belts of successively older rocks. The youngest rocks are found along its mid-ocean ridge and are forming today as you read this.

Iceland is truly the land of ice and fire. Indeed if it weren't for glaciers, the landscape would be verydifferent consisting of flat, low lying lava plains built up from the successive outpouring of liquid flood basalts. But for much of the time that Iceland has been above water, it has actually laid below large ice sheets. Here, huge piles of volcanic rock now form high mountain ridges that were built by the rapid cooling of magma quenched below ice.

Icelanders are hardy people and have had to endure frequent famines when livestock were killed off by drifting volcanic gas clouds and ash falls. The 1783 eruption along the Laki fissure located between Myrdalsjökull and Vatnajökull spilled out almost 15km³ of lava which covered 580km² of the surrounding landscape; the second largest such flow anywhere in the world in the last 10,000 years (the nearby Eldgja eruption of 934-38 AD from Katla volcano was the largest known worldwide). In 1783, huge lava fountains sprayed red hot lava as high as 1500 m. Ash was thrown 13km into the atmosphere in enormous eruptive columns. Outgassing during the eruption released an estimated 120 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide (SO₂) creating an acidic haze across Europe causing many deaths and destroying crops. Food shortages attributable to Laki helped foster unrest that lead to the French Revolution in 1789. In Iceland, fluorine gas was a toxic killer, some 255 of the island's population died as a result of famine created by deaths of farm animals eating toxic grass.

Glacier thinning has greatly accelerated over the past 30 years. The largest ice cap in Iceland, Vatnajökull (8000 km²) has lost 10% of its mass since 1890 when it reached its maximum size in the last 10,000 years (the so-called 'Little Ice Age'). It was this cooling that ended the Norsk occupation of Greenland. Vatnajökull's margin is in full retreat exposing much new land in its wake.

Today, Iceland is bruised financially and emotionally after their economic woes of late 2008 and they are investing heavily in their biggest natural resource; geothermal energy of which they have much. They now have expertise to drill to depths of 5km to tap hot plasma at temperatures of up to 550^oC to drive state-of-the-art thermal power stations. These feed energy hungry industries such as aluminum smelters and there is talk of exporting power to Europe and powering hydrogen cells to fuel the Icelandic fishing fleet, its biggest user of imported oil. The City of Reykajvik is the largest urban area in the world (with a population just over 200,000) to be heated by geothermal power, commencing in 1939. Today, it obtains hot water from the Hengill volcanic area some 30km away, one of the largest geothermal areas on the island. Some 75 million cubic metres per year of hot water are piped to the city each year. The storage tanks overlooking the city from the hill at Öskjuhlíd have a restaurant on top. The first power plant in the Hengill area at Nesjavellir has been operating since 1990; the latest (2006) geothermal power plant in the Hengill area is at Hellisheiði.

The very recent fissure eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in March of 2010 (which had been quiet since 1823) resulted in the evacuation of several farmers; one of whom I had interviewed in 2009 sitting among vines growing in his greenhouse heated of course, by geothermal energy. His farm survived and new opportunities beckon with increased tourism. Today, it is possible to ride in the comfort of a truck to the summit of the volcano; the route crosses the upper part of Mýrdalsjökull Ice Cap under which lies the slumbering giant of Katla volcano.

Studying environmental science at UTSC can lead to many different careers. In the following Q&A, UTSC chats with Environmental Science graduate Mandy Meriano.

UTSC: What were your favourite subjects in high school?

MM: My favourite subjects in high school were biology and geography.

UTSC: Did you always know you wanted to study environmental science?

MM:No, I didn't even know you could learn about environmental science or have a career in one before I came to UTSC! Since my Mom and uncles were all physicians, the general expectation in my family was that if you go to university, you might as well go to medical school. I still remember the moment when I decided to study environment science: it was when my first year biology professor told the class that the water we drink today may be the same water that dinosaurs drank millions of years ago!

UTSC: How did you come to study at UTSC?

MM: UTSC sent me an offer of admission to do general sciences and I accepted.

UTSC: What was your favourite part about studying at UTSC?

MM: I loved the smaller class sizes that allowed much interaction between students and instructors. The Highland Creek valley as a backdrop to the campus was just fantastic for doing course fieldwork. I also made some great friends during those years!

UTSC: What was your favourite part about studying environmental science?

MM: Fieldwork! I loved getting out of the classroom and into the field. Most of the time it was both challenging and rewarding all at the same time.

UTSC: What did you want to be when you "grew up"?

MM: I wanted to be an astronaut.

UTSC: Where are you working now?

MM: I actually work right here at University of Toronto Scarborough! I just started here in November, though. Before that, I was a researcher with the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research in Christchurch, New Zealand. I've also worked as a consultant in hydrogeology with an environmental consulting firm.

UTSC: Do you have any advice or tips for high school students looking to study environmental science?

MM: Make sure to choose the environmental science program that fits in well with your goals and ambitions. Professional registration and certification are becoming more and more important so you want to make sure that your university degree allows you to obtain a professional status following graduation.

UTSC: Did your degree in Environmental Science help you get to where you are today?

MM: Absolutely! My degree prepared me for the challenges of a career in environmental science and gave me the confidence to follow my passions.

Studying environmental science at UTSC can lead to many different careers. In the following Q&A, UTSC chats with Environmental Science graduate Nicole Januszczak.

UTSC:What were your favourite subjects in high school?

NJ: I really enjoyed Sciences and Mathematics.

UTSC: Did you always know you wanted to study environmental science?

NJ: No, not at all. I enrolled in a Geology Field Camp early in my undergraduate years and was hooked!

UTSC: How did you come to study at UTSC?

NJ: I started out at the St. George campus of U of T downtown but after my first year, I opted for the program available at UTSC.

UTSC: What was your favourite part about studying at UTSC?

NJ: I appreciated the sense of community amongst the students and the accessibility of professors and TA's.

UTSC: What was your favourite part about studying environmental science?

NJ: I loved the hands-on learning approach and the relevance to the world we live in.

UTSC: What did you want to be when you "grew up"?

NJ: Funny... I could never peg that down.

UTSC: Where are you working now?

NJ: I work for De Beers Canada Inc., a diamond mining and exploration company, as the Exploration Programme Manager.

UTSC: Did your degree in Environmental Science help you get to where you are today?

NJ: Absolutely. I was able to tailor the program to suit, at the time, my new-found passion for Geology. I completed the Environmental Science degree at UTSC but was able to enter an M.Sc. program, and ultimately a Ph.D. program, in Geology given my qualifications from my undergraduate program. It also furnished me with the undergraduate knowledge requirement to register as a Professional Geoscientist with the APGO (Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario).

UTSC: Do you have any advice or tips for high school students looking to study environmental science?

NJ: Environmental Science is a very broad field, not unlike engineering. Just as engineers do, pick a specific aspect of Environmental Science that fires you up and follow it. I chose to study Geology and have been fortunate enough to find success in my career and a job that I'm eager to get to everyday.