Mariah Murphy

Last year I participated in a two-week study tour of Vietnam where we visited the Department of Environment in Ho Chi Minh City and met with academics from Van Lang University to learn more about waste management.

The environment is endlessly fascinating and I’m inspired by the concept of ecology where numerous biotic and abiotic elements interact to create equilibrium between life, growth and decay.

It’s important to understand and protect our environment because it provides us with sustenance, building materials, clean air, a liveable temperature range, water, recreation and a whole range of other benefits.

My course is really practical with plenty of laboratory sessions and field excursions. Next year I’ll complete a mandatory 12-week work integrated learning project and I’ll also go to Lake’s Entrance for a week to do a course on environmental sampling and analysis.

Last year I participated in a two-week study tour of Vietnam where we visited the Department of Environment in Ho Chi Minh City and met with academics from Van Lang University to learn more about waste management. We also visited a landfill area and attended a conference where we exchanged research outcomes with local university students.

I really enjoyed learning about hydrogeology – before I started this program I didn’t even know what an aquifer was! The subject was challenging, but with guest lecturers from industry presenting some of the classes, I know it has direct applications in the field.

My plan is to get as much industry experience before I graduate and then I’d like to secure a position in the land contamination sector. I also want to continue my involvement in the community and perhaps use my environmental engineering skills to benefit a not-for-profit organisation.

Jobs in the environmental science and engineering sector are diverse – an environmental engineer at the Environment Protection Authority has a totally different workload to an environmental engineer at a mine at Broken Hill.

I love what I do because it is interesting, challenging and dynamic.