Engineering Spotlight
Deborah (Erin) Enns and Melisa Gunn
Reprinted with permission from
Co-op Connections | July 2008
Today's Environmental Engineers
Deborah (Erin) Enns and Melisa Gunn4th-year Environmental Engineering Co-op Students and
2007/2008 Co-Presidents of the Environmental Engineering Student Association
After four and a half years at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and University of British Columbia (UBC) we will be ready for exciting careers in environmental engineering!
The joint program between these institutions gives us an opportunity to experience studying environmental engineering at UNBC – the best small university in Western Canada (Maclean’s 2005 rankings). We also have the opportunity to study near the Pacific Ocean in a large multi-cultural university located within a vibrant world-class city. Our environmental engineering program offers the best of both worlds.
The newly accredited environmental engineering program focuses on the fundamentals of engineering and environmental science. This includes the interactions of major environmental systems: concepts of heat; mass transport; fluid dynamics; industrial pollution prevention and control; design of waste water technologies; industrial process design; hands-on wastewater analysis and treatment; geo-environmental and mining environmental engineering; and the process of water and dispersion of pollutants in surface water and groundwater.
At UNBC, we developed a foundation in mathematics, biology, chemistry, and environmental science. In our third and fourth years, we enjoyed a change in study environment when transferring to UBC where we gained a thorough, hands-on understanding of engineering fundamentals, analysis and design primarily through courses in civil, and chemical and biological engineering. We also took classes in mining engineering, and earth and ocean sciences to fulfill our technical electives requirements. We are currently completing 12 consecutive months of co-op work experience and will complete our degree with a final term at UNBC where we will focus on practical environmental engineering design problems.
With our technical expertise, hands-on problem solving skills and keen understanding of environmental issues we anticipate being in high-demand, especially in resource industries such as forestry, mining, pulp and paper, chemical process, fisheries, agri-food, and oil and gas. As environmental engineers we are essential to the new “environmental economy,” which includes environmental reclamation, remediation and restoration. We can perform a variety of roles ranging from field work to management with various government departments, research organizations and environmental consulting companies.
Liam Baker, an environmental engineering alumnus, had some great comments about our program before graduation.
“With environmental issues becoming increasingly important in our society today, I feel like the environmental engineering program will give its students a leg-up over other engineering faculties, as it provides an incredibly strong background in environmental issues as well as technical skills and knowledge that students in environmental science programs don't receive, making it more applicable in the real world.”
