Understanding the impact of public water supply processes on macronutrient cycling – Elizabeth Flint

As a remote student undertaking PhD project centered around secondary data analysis, I wanted to undertake a placement that allowed me to work in more collaboratively in an industry setting and to gain a deeper understanding of peatlands and to develop my GIS and fieldwork skills. I reached out to the Water Research Centre (WRc) about the possibility of undertaking a 3-month placement with them. After a couple of Zoom calls, we had talked through all of our expectations from the placement and agreed on a period in which I could join their ‘Environmental Geoscience and Hydrology’ team.

During the internship I was able to work on a wide range of Environmental Impact Assessment projects, predominantly relating to the development of onshore windfarms in peatland landscapes. I contributed to tasks involving the processing and analysing environmental data on QGIS, as well as writing chapters and technical appendices for EIA reports. I was able to get an insight into project management, contributed to tenders and costings for new work, undertook UK policy reviews and was able to attend a policy related conference in Edinburgh. Helping colleagues plan and undertake peatland survey fieldwork across some beautiful remote locations in Scotland and Wales was a really great experience, despite some wind and rain!

 

I found the time spent with WRc to be extremely fulfilling and the team were so welcoming and supportive – thanks to the EG&H team for being so lovely