130. Imperial, 5 March 2024
We had
a long discussion with both students on their backgrounds and experiences. We discussed the current environment issues
and asked what they would like to change for the future. Answers included enforcing SuDS (sustainable
urban drainage) and delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Over
lunch we discussed with Professor Sue Grimes (Royal Academy of Engineering
Professor of Waste & Resource Management) and Professor Stephen Smith (Professor
of Bioresource Systems and Head of Section – Environmental and Water Resources
Engineering) developments at the university and the courses they run. We also talked about future collaboration and
what we could do differently. The
University is now offering, alongside its long-standing MSc in Environmental
Engineering programme, an MSc in Environmental Engineering with Data Science.
This reflects the need for better data management especially around modelling
and monitoring.
It was
great to meet the students and staff and hear how we were making a difference.
Biography of Gurleen Gakhal
Gurleen
Gakhal is a student at Imperial College pursuing an MSc in Environmental
Engineering. She graduated from the University of Leicester with a first-class
degree in Natural Sciences (Life and Physical Sciences).
At the
University of Leicester (UoL) Gurleen held the position of President of the UoL
OXFAM Society (2021/2022) and one of her first tasks in this role was to
prepare a presentation about the upcoming COP26 conference. This required her
to research into the climate crisis and she realised that the main issues with
the climate crisis were that people in least developed countries (LDCs) were
being affected drastically by the actions of people in developed countries.
This resonated strongly with Gurleen as her home country, (Punjab, India) was
being affected by flooding caused by climate change. This fuelled her desire to
use her scientific knowledge gained from her degree to help develop sustainable
water and energy resources/systems that would have minimal environmental
impact. Moreover, Gurleen was introduced to the vitality of water treatment in
LDCs because of its ability to completely transform public health, socio-
economic conditions and quality of life. Whilst doing research on the ‘Water
Dilemma’ for a presentation, Gurleen learned how OXFAM have aluminium sulphate
granules kits to eradicate impurities from water. This encouraged her to take
up a placement at Severn Trent Water, where she learned about water treatment
in the UK. Gurleen was given the opportunity to visit the Titteworth Reservoir
where the importance of water treatment for not only the public, but for the
environment too was highlighted.
This
experience encouraged Gurleen to undertake her MSc degree in environmental
engineering as she wished to gain more specialised knowledge about water
treatment in the UK and the potential to support LDCs with the ‘Water Dilemma’
and improve quality of life. She wishes to use the interdisciplinary nature of
her undergraduate degree, combined with the knowledge from her master’s degree
to help in the development of resources which can benefit the population of
today with minimal environmental impacts, thus helping the UK reach one of its
COP26 goals - sustainable management of water treatment.
Kieran is a
student at Imperial College pursuing an MSc in Environmental Engineering. He
graduated from the University of Surrey with a first-class BEng degree in Civil
Engineering.
Kieran has
been fascinated by the concept of sustainability for some time, with his
interest first sparked when he was introduced to the subject while studying
geography. From that point forward, he has been eager to pursue a career in
sustainability and water.
He believes
wholeheartedly that there is a responsibility on all to leave the world not
only in a better state but also in a more sustainable one. This perspective has
been shaped by the privilege he has enjoyed, having always had access to clean
water and the security of stable resource networks. Kieran believes that
engineers, amongst others, have skills to make this happen and to take
responsibility to drive change.
Keiran’s
particular fascination with sustainable development and water first emerged
when during his A-Level, instead of choosing a topic for independent
investigation based on human geography he took the step to conduct a study on
sustainability of the environmental regeneration of a local watercourse. His
passion in this area was further amplified when, for his BEng dissertation, he
based his research on the adaptation of traditional water treatment processes
for use in Tillaberi, Niger. It was an enriching experience that deepened his
understanding of the field and gave him the opportunity of being able to apply
his theoretical knowledge to help solve the global crisis.
During his
studies at the University of Surrey, he was presented with the opportunity of
working in an Infrastructure consultancy. Working within the highways and
drainage team, he saw first-hand the application of SuDS schemes and the first
point of the urban water cycle. This was an invaluable experience for him where
he contributed to the technical submissions of such projects and was able to
observe on-site the construction of such drainage strategies.
Currently as
he is pursuing his MSc degree in environmental engineering, he is looking
towards being able to apply the diversity of skills he has gained throughout
his academic and professional career to date and build upon the foundation to
establish himself in the field of environmental engineering.
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