Physics/Maths/CompSci student -> career in environmental science?

[CatWhisperer]

Physics/Maths/CompSci student --> career in environmental science?

Hi there

I am 29 years old and after completing a tertiary foundation certificate to gain University entrance, I am about to embark on a 4.5 year long conjoint degree as follows:

BSc component: majoring in Physics
BA component: majoring in Logic & Computation (a variety of pure maths, compsci, philosophy - predominantly logic-based - and linguistics papers)

Basically at the end of it I will have a physics major, enough maths to have an unofficial maths major, and a fair bit of comp sci under my belt too.

Now it gets weird :-) Last year I found a casual/part time job at an environmental engineering/environmental science company who do a lot of really amazing work around my city and have a big focus on sustainability, which is fantastic in my opinion. The work I have been doing is office administration and marketing (which I have several years of experience in). Recently they gave me a permanent part-time position, so I'm happy about that, but the directors want to know where I'd like to go in the company from here.

I definitely want to move out of the administrative work I am currently doing, and they're willing and open to hearing my suggestions and start planning a role for me.

My question is, during the course of my degree, and at the end of it, what practical contribution could I make to the science team? They are predominantly environmental scientists, but I would rather work in science than in engineering (which might seem at first glance to be the obvious choice).

If it helps, our website is www.morphum.com - might give you a better idea of the work we do.

Thanks in advance for your time :-)

 

[JakeBrodskyPE]

Environmental engineering is mostly concerned with the flow of water, soil quality and stability, water quality, and its effect on wildlife.

A degree in Physics, with emphasis on computational aspects, can help you to interpret the data and understand the limits of measurement. For example, flume flow measurements have artifacts that should not be ignored. Meteorology needs to be accounted for as well. The computational side of your degree will help immensely.

Please note that scratching an academic itch is one thing. Putting it to use is another. They can be very different endeavors. Just because your degree is in one endeavor, doesn't mean you have to follow it like a religion.