dead material - msc geography

WELCOME

The MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments is a full-time postgraduate course delivered over 3 semesters (12 months). It is directed at graduates from Geography, Geosciences and other related disciplines in the social and natural sciences, and at professionals in the field who are interested in furthering their knowledge (upskilling) of coastal and marine environments.

Up-to-date news of our MSc programme can be found on Facebook 

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Why did we develop a new MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments? Since the emergence of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) policy and practice in the 1990s, EU policy regarding catchment, coastal and marine management has continued to emphasize the importance of integrated and participatory approaches to progress sustainable development in the coastal zone. This MSc programme, theoretically informed and with a strong field-based and applied focus, is offered in direct response to new emerging discourses on the long term health of coastal and marine environments. It seeks to challenge and facilitate students to engage with but go beyond established scientific conceptual and theoretical perspectives, engage new ways of understanding the complexities of our evolving physical coastal and marine environments, and develop critical insights that can support policy and practice in sustaining these increasingly vulnerable environments. A driving motivation of the programme is the conviction that informed decision making for addressing environmental change and adoption of appropriate management, planning and policy strategies in coastal and marine environments should be based upon appropriate scientific evidence. 

Visit the NUI Galway Courses page here for information on how to apply, entry requirements and assessment.

Applications are now open for 2017/18. Please contact Dr Liam Carr (+353 91 492314)  or Dr Kevin Lynch (+353 91 495779 ) for more information.

Our MSc programme students have participated in: 

• DataCamp: Online educational courses in the R statistical programming language, including data analyses and graphing skills
• Ryan Institute Research & Open Day (“Learn-Live-Lead”), NUI Galway
• SMARTSkills 2015: Imaging Marine Microorganisms: Microscopy and Photography of Plankton, NUI Galway, Ireland 
• The 11th Annual Conference of Environment Ireland (“Environmental policy and management”), Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland 
• Ryan Institute Research & Open Day (“Learn-Live-Lead”), NUI Galway
• Catchment Science 2015 (“An International Conference exploring the application of catchment science to the environmental and economic challenges facing farmers, policy makers and regulators”), Wexford, Ireland 
• RV Celtic Voyager Research Cruise, Galway, Ireland
• 9th Irish Earth Observation Symposium 2015 (“Remote Sensing and Earth Observation”), NUI Galway, Ireland 
• Open Source Geospatial Tools for Forest Remote Sensing, NUI Galway, Ireland 
• Full day workshop: Appropriate Assessment for Ecologists, Engineers and Planners via Aster Environmental Ltd
• Drones, Data X Conference, Westport
• Full day workshop: Coastal Processes, Modelling and Forecasting via JBA Consultants (UK)
• 2 hour training: CSO database training/workshop via Central Statistics Office 
• SPSS training via PFH Technology Group
• 2nd National Event for the Support Team of the Atlantic Action Plan: Implementing the Atlantic Action Plan and Measuring the Ocean Economy 
• Postgraduate career day 
• 3rd Irish Geomorphology Scientific Workshop 
• IQUA meeting on ‘Extreme Events’ (a Quaternary perspective)
• Sci:Com 2015, the first all-island national Science Communication Conference, Athlone
• 2 Day Workshop: Coastal Risk and Climate Change Workshop: Solutions, opportunities and adaptation, Westport
• The 48^th Conference of Irish Geographers (CIG) 2016,  Dublin
• Mapping Ecosystem Services Symposium, Waterford IT, Ireland  
• Field workshop: UN expert on fisheries governance meets local traditional seaweed harvesters, Renmore, Galway

Why offer an MSc in “Coastal and Marine Environments: Physical Processes, Policy and Practice"?

Staff in Geography and the Ryan Institute (National University of Ireland, Galway's hub for Environmental, Marine and Energy research) devised this programme in 2013 in direct response to the rapid changes that have being directly impacting coastal and marine environments in Ireland, EU and worldwide. New EU Directives have changed the face of governance and terms like ‘integrated’ and ‘sustainable’ are now core concepts in coastal and marine management. These approaches include commitments to work in concert with the natural processes that shape these environments and to incorporate implications of climate change and sustainability in all decisions. However, scientific training is rarely offered in conjunction with these new policies. This Masters programme has been designed to integrate science, policy and governance so that students are trained to fill some of these gaps and start professional careers in these areas. 

Says Programme Director Dr. Eugene Farrell,

“At a local level, national policies that control how the Irish coastal and marine environments are managed and achieve Good Environmental Status by 2020 require personnel trained in both science and policy. Most new coastal and marine policies at national and European levels - like Harnessing our Ocean Wealth and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive – include commitments to consider the natural environment and the implications of climate change in our decisions. These initiatives clearly show the need and potential for new and innovative courses, research, and academic qualifications in this area. The EU has agreed its funding framework for the next decade through Horizon 2020 and one of the core 7 research themes is Marine and Maritime activities. This means that there are currently a series of large research projects coming to fruition requiring PhD candidates with strong foundations in the coastal and marine sciences and Industry opportunities for trained personnel.”

“Our vision is that the MSc will support the future trajectory of the next generation of scientists and leaders by building a clear pathway for students from undergraduate programmes through the one-year MSc and, for top performers, onto research PhDs. The MSc Programme is attracting top performing undergraduates locally and abroad. In our first two years we have students from all over Ireland, including NUIG, UCC, TCD, UCD, NUIM, and LIT, the UK, USA, Canada, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Spain, France, and South Africa. A particular strength of the programme is that we have students with very diverse backgrounds in Geography, Environment & Natural Science, Geosciences, Biology, Zoology, Land Use Planning, Archaeology, Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, EU Law and International Business, and Offshore and Ocean Engineering” says Dr. Farrell. 

Employment and Career Opportunities

With coastal and marine resources increasingly promoted as being central to revitalising the Irish and global economy, the coming years will require well informed and educated leaders who understand the complexities of the interaction between the economy and health of these environments. Our taught Masters programme has been designed to integrate science, policy and governance so that are trained to start professional careers in these areas. On graduating you will have opportunities across various fields including, but not limited to: Coastal and Marine Science, Environmental Monitoring, Professional Consultancy, Ecological Appropriate Assessment, Socio-Economic Impact Assessment, State/Semistate/NGOs, Environmental and Project Management, Planning, Governance, University and Private Research, Terrestrial and Oceanographic Surveys, Tourism, GIS, Heritage, and Teaching 

The Marine Instituteis the national agency responsible for Marine Research, Technology Development and Innovation (RTDI) in Ireland. They have produced a brochure  Oceans of Opportunity with a list of exciting careers available in Marine Science, Engineering and Technology that include:

• Seafood (fisheries, aquaculture, seafood processing and seaweed)
• Shipping, Ports and Services
• Marine Renewable Energy
• Offshore Oil and Gas and Seabed Resources
• Marine and Coastal Tourism and Leisure including Cruise Tourism
• Marine Information Communication Technology
• Marine Biotechnology and Bioproducts 

  Guest lectures/workshops  have included:   

• Dr Barry O’Dwyer, UCC, EPA, Integrating Climate Change data into the decision-making process
• Aster Environmental Consultants, Opportunities and solutions provided by nature
• Dr Liam Carr, Fulbright Scholar & Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit, NUI Galway, Meaningful stakeholder participation
• Dr Conor Murphy, NUI Maynooth, Are the recent extreme weather events changing the unwritten agreement between the Government and the people of Ireland?
• Philip Farrelly, National Rural Network, The GLAS scheme: opportunities and adaptation in a changing climate
• Mayo County Council, Planning and engineering management of coastal erosion and other risks
• Dr Wesley Flannery, Queens University Belfast. Marine Spatial Planning Workshop
• Training for RV Celtic Voyager: Dr. Rachel Cave, NUIG EOS, Chemical Oceanography ; Dr. Bob Kennedy, NUIG, Zoology, Benthic Ecology; Prof. Peter Croot, NUIG, EOS, Radionucleides; Dr. Amy Lusher, GMIT, Ocean Pollution/Microplastics; Dr. Anthony Grehan, NUIG, EOS, Ocean Conservation; Dr. Sheena Fennell, NUIG, EOS, Oceanographic Instrumentation
• Mr. Conor Kretsch, Executive Director, COHAB Initiative.  Ecosystem Services Approach Workshop
• Mr. Gus McCarthy, McCarthy Keville O’Sullivan Planning & Environmental Consultants, Appropriate Assessment related to extension of Galway Harbour
• Dr. Stephen Hynes, NUIG SEMRU, What’s in the sea for me? Valuing market and non-market marine ecosystem service benefits
• Dr. Brendan Flynn, Political Science and Sociology, NUIG, Fishers’ Knowledge Workshop
• Dr. Ronan Hennessy, Ryan Institute, NUIG. Geomatics: Field and Laboratory Techniques Workshops
• Dr. John Joyce, Aqua TT, Snr Scientific Project Manager. Challenges in communicating science

Recent student activities....well done to all the staff and students for participating on all the different projects! 

Students and staff at the 11th Annual Conference of Environment Ireland, “Environmental policy and management”, Croke Park, Dublin

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The MSc field class meet with Mayo County Council Senior planner Iain Douglas to discuss Local Authority challenges in managing a vulnerable coastal barrier system from storms and human activity; Iain shows the students the different engineering interventions designed to mitigate inland flooding.

Step 1. Dr Audrey Morley collects offshore sediment cores with the students on the RV Celtic Voyager; Step 2. Jessep Englert and Daithi Maguire prepare core for laboratory analyses; Step 3. Core analysis! MSc student Jake Martin in Plymouth University (UK) working the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to analyse the polymer structures of microplastics; MSc student Michelle Curran in Rutgers University (New Jersey, USA) doing geochemical analysis in order to examine past extreme weather events in Ireland. Also in pictures: Daithi Maguire running the geophysical multi-beam system during the cruise.

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Traditional seaweed harvesters meet with Dr Metzner (chief of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Food and Agriculture Organisation in the United Nations) and Karin Dubsky (Coastwatch Europe) at Renvyle, Galway. Sean O’Conghaile demonstrates traditional harvesting methods. The students got to participate in the discussion between the stakeholders and the scientists and managers.

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MSc students complete an impromptu beach clean after the field class with Dr Metzner and employ habitat survey methods to assess biodiversity at the site.

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 2014-2015 students trip to Giants Causeway and Murlough National Nature Reserve in Dundrum Bay which is a fragile 6000 year old sand dune system owned by the National Trust (UK) and managed as Ireland’s first Nature Reserve since 1967. This trip occurred on the way to the Conference of Irish Geographers in Queens University, Belfast.

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1st annual MSc barbq in summer 2015 with Drs Terry Morley and Kevin Lynch doing the grilling; 1st annual cornhole competition ended up with a resounding staff victory* (* web admin privilege abuse)

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 Media Coverage:

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