What is Parasitology? One of the biggest threats to human health today in the developed and the developing world are parasites. Parasitical relationships differ from other areas of ecology in that they not only depend on another species to survive but in the process of doing so, they cause harm to the host. Where there…
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Conservation: History and Future
What is Conservation? Defining Conservationism We define conservation as a broad approach to preserving what is already there and the due care and attention to protecting it for the future (1). It is also dedicated to restoring something to a natural state and maintaining equilibrium. It is a practice and a philosophy, utilizing scientific tools…
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Environmental Law: Government and Public Policy Towards the Environment
What is Environmental Law? Humanity has been aware of its environment far longer than there have been laws to protect environments. Environmental law, or sometimes known as environmental and natural resources law, is a term used to explain regulations, statutes, local, national and international legislation, and treaties designed to protect the environment from damage and to…
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Environmental Perspectives
I am an environmental engineer and was a consultant on that topic for 45 years. I am sharing some of what I’ve learned through 3 lectures that I’ll give to whoever wants to listen and wants to pay for my travel. This lecture is the most technical of the three and is about topics I…
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Zoology: Exploring the Animal Kingdom as Academic Pursuit
Defining Zoology Biological life on planet Earth is undoubtedly immense and the subject that studies it – biology – is such a vast area of study that no graduate in the subject could hope to understand all of it. Increasingly, biology graduates are looking for ways to find their niche early and focus on one…
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Climatology: The Science of Global Weather Systems over the Long Term
What Climatology Is Climatology, or sometimes known as climate science, is the study of the Earth’s weather patterns and the systems that cause them. From the ocean oscillations to trade winds, pressure systems that drives temperature, airborne particles that influence local conditions and even the phases of the moon and Earth’s wobble all affect the…
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Geology: Examining the Planet’s Physical Processes
Defining Geology Geology - from the Greek geo (Earth) and logia (study) (1) has a long and prestigious history in unlocking many of the secrets of the Earth. We define geology as the study of the Earth, the materials and processes, structure, and even the physics and chemistry that underlie them. It also includes within…
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Microbiology: Tiniest Lifeforms Under the Microscope
What is Microbiology? Microbiology is the study of the tiniest forms of organic life (1) – typically, those too small to be seen with the naked eye. The word “microbiology” is, like many scientifically-derived terms, from the Greek language. It consists of the word “mīkros”, translated into English for "small", “bios” which means "life" and…
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Geoscience: Unlocking the Planet’s Nature
What is Geoscience? “Geoscience”, also known as “Earth Science” is not a single discipline but an umbrella term for any science relating to planetary processes (1). Anything to do with the physical structure of the planet, its various atmospheres from the bottom of the oceans to the upper limits of the atmosphere, from short-term weather…
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Biotechnology: Combining Engineering with the Biological Sciences
What is Biotechnology? The word “biotechnology” is a portmanteau word of “biology” and “technology”. Also know in a shortened form as “biotech”, it uses biological and natural processes to tackle and solve some of the world’s biggest technological and industrial problems. Anything that uses biological cells and living material – including genes and gene sequences…
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