Alice Malone

During my A Levels I was studying geography and chemistry. I really loved the combination and wanted to study something that combined the two, and I knew I wanted to go into Earth Sciences or physical geography.

I remember coming across BSc Environmental Geoscience at Edinburgh and feeling confident it would be the right course for me. I was really attracted to the variety of the course and optional modules which would allow me to study a blend of geology, climate, science, chemistry and environmental systems.

The opportunity for fieldwork was also highly attractive for this course. During the Open Day I saw the wide variety and high level of research that was taking place in the School of Geosciences and was instantly drawn. I knew it was a prestigious university and that I would be getting high quality teaching and learning. I chose Edinburgh specifically because of the closeness to nature and easy access to the rest of Scotland. The first time I visited, I remember seeing Arthur’s Seat and knowing there were green spaces that would be good for my mental health while I was studying (I was right!). I loved the look and feel of the city - the history, the castle, the buildings. I could tell that there was a lot of culture within Edinburgh.

In my fourth year, I joined a voluntary project through Moray House School of Education & Sport, which did environmental education outreach work with a school in Edinburgh, teaching SEND children about growing food and maintaining a garden. My interest in outdoor leadership started to develop from that experience as I felt really inspired by the people running the course & the teachers involved. It was very real world and practical, impacting real children's lives.

The title of my research project was “Benthic Nitrification-Denitrification Coupling in Response to Changing Sea Ice Conditions in the Barents Sea”. Essentially, how the nitrification processes may or may not change with climate change, as we go into a warmer climate; and how that will affect the Arctic environment with the melting of sea ice. These were huge topics in climate science and environmental change, and very high-level analysis. It was interesting to be able to see all the research that's been being done in this area. But I also think that it directed me down more of an environmental perspective, at a grassroots and practical conservation level.

Immediately following graduation I began a role in outdoor activity leadership and developed my experience in teaching practical outdoor techniques such as navigation, bushcraft and plant identification skills. Soon after, I began an internship with Affinity Water as an Environmental Projects Officer, where I was given a project to create a climate change risk assessment reviewing predicted changes in surface water flooding with climate change, and the associated risk to company assets.

Since I showed an interest in biodiversity and conservation - they let me take the project in this direction as much as possible and I became involved in a catchment-wide restoration project to mitigate the predicted risks to biodiversity in the chalk streams of Hertfordshire. Through this experience I realised I wanted to learn more about land management and invested time in voluntary practical conservation both with my local national park, the Peak District, and with The Conservation Volunteers in Leeds. I gained days in the field getting practical experience as well as learning to lead and assist groups of volunteers. I was also working as an outdoor instructor at the time which allowed me to save up money to go to New Zealand.

Aotearoa, New Zealand, has an interesting perspective on environmental conservation and land management due to the indigenous prevalence in the country. It’s an important perspective and worldview that we don’t necessarily see in our westernised society.

This Māori proverb, meaning “care for the land, care for the people, go forward” relating to environmental stewardship and social responsibility, emphasises the interconnectedness of land and people. These principles are infused throughout the culture and I wanted to learn more about land management with this holistic worldview in mind.

I was inspired to do an internship with the Learning Environment, a land care regeneration and community resilience project founded by a an amazing group of people running an orchard, community vegetable garden, a native plant nursery and ecological service. The focus is on ecological restoration of native plant species and building community resilience and wellbeing, particularly connecting with the local Māori community.

I learned a lot about land management and community outreach during this internship, as well as native plant identification and invasive plant and animal control. I also got to put my skills in GIS into practice.

I was introduced to the concept of kaitiakitanga, meaning guardianship of the land using the principles of mātauranga Māori, the traditional knowledge system of landcare. This cultural knowledge led me to my position at Kaitiaki ō te Ngahere as an Ecological Restoration Team Member. The main aim of this work is to restore mauri, or life force, to areas of land and forest that have been neglected or overrun using techniques of ecological restoration and invasive plant management. This included monitoring changes in native vegetation cover, pest animal levels, species diversity, and the mass and numbers of pest plant species.

Then there was revegetation, the enhancement of the native bush, which involved weed replacement or suppression using both chemical and physical pest plant control measures to manage weeds infestations and limit further spread, known as biosecurity. These are mostly invasive plant species brought over from the UK and Europe during colonisation. Finally, there was an intense planting season throughout winter, with maintenance to ensure optimal conditions for survival and hope that the native bush will flourish over the coming years.

I’d like to take my role in more of an outdoor and environmental education route. Being over there in the vast mountain landscape inspired me to do more outdoor activity. I will be starting an outdoor instructor development course, to increase my confidence in outdoor leadership skills.

The transferable skills in reading and understanding academic research got me interested in indigenous perspectives, like holistic worldview studies that have been done on nature connection and nature & wellbeing.

I think doing this degree inspired me to figure out my main areas of interest and apply that understanding to get experience in this area. The skills gained during fieldwork, using GIS, and doing data collection, have been skills I’ve used throughout my career. I became familiar with GIS tools used in the field within the sector, including ArcGIS. I can now tick off that I know how to use them which has been really helpful in interviews. If you can tell someone you can use GIS, they’ll be pretty happy with that!

I was also involved in Geoscience Society and Yoga Society on their committees. This was good for communication skills like social media, email newsletters, public announcements, posters - another great skill employers are looking for!

I don't have a specific defining moment, but my entire third and fourth years were really key development years for me. I loved developing my own research project with Dr. Sian Henley as my supervisor, who works in marine biogeochemistry. Her advice was inspiring and helpful and made the entire experience enjoyable, interesting and expansive. Munro bagging, getting into the Scottish mountains and having amazing people to do that with was also a huge highlight as well as the Lake District field trip in first year!

Join societies and be involved in their committees, and their community.

Keep your mind open to a variety of courses and choose modules that excite you. At Edinburgh you’re able to choose different optional modules. That means you're touching on such a wide variety of topics and courses, meaning you can take your degree exactly where you want to take it.

Rather than feeling that you need to exactly know where it's going to take you or where it's going to lead post university, just choose ones that interest and excite you; and be open to all of the opportunities. Try to consider your time at university as lifelong learning – this isn’t the end, but an opening to so many more experiences and opportunities.

And then also make best friends with your course mates, because they’ll get you through it!

Wholesome, inspiring and expansive.