Lessons learned in the classroom are only a small part of Lakeland College’s bachelor of science: environmental management program (BASEM).

After spending three years in Lakeland’s labs and learning spaces, as well as out in the fields, farmland, wetlands and rivers on and surrounding campus, BASEM students head out on practicum. There, under the guidance of faculty and with the support of their practicum supervisors, they plan and implement their own capstone projects, returning to Lakeland for the Conference on Environmental Management in March to share their findings.

Wetland reclamation

The hands-on and practicum aspects of the program were a key factor that convinced Katie Diamond, from Pierceland, Sask., to enrol in the program.

“Instead of going to university to get a degree, the BASEM program was a really good option,” Diamond explains. “Lakeland gave me the hands-on learning, the field work that you use every day. It prepared me for the environmental regulations. You have three years of school and then practicum for the rest of it.”

She completed her practicum at Cenovus Energy, working in their Earthworks office in Lloydminster, working as a front-line supervisor for lease construction and reclamation for the observation program. Her boss at Cenovus was the one who suggested the topic of her capstone project – Monitoring the success of ephemeral wetland reclamation using LiDAR, GIS and satellite imagery.

“We follow a lot of regulations when we are constructing oil leases,” Diamond explains. “This is a good way to show that we’re doing a good job reclaiming them and putting them back the way they were.”

Diamond designed the parameters of her project herself, including the data she would need and how best to collect it. Though it was challenging, she says her faculty advisor at Lakeland and the team at Cenovus supported her along the way.

“Cenovus was really helpful with anything I needed for my practicum,” she says. “They made sure I had the resources I needed, as well as however much time I needed to complete my fieldwork. A couple of people out of Calgary set me up with the software I needed to collect the data. It’s a great group of people there and they helped me with everything I needed.”

Her colleagues at Cenovus also helped her with her presentation, giving her feedback and advice before she returned to Lakeland to share it with faculty and industry representatives at the conference.

“I learned tons working at Cenovus and getting mentored by the supervisors there,” Diamond says. “They’re a really great company and the Earthworks office is amazing.”

Diamond has accepted a full-time position at Cenovus.

Hydrocarbon impact

BASEM student Tajudeen Iman came from farther away to attend Lakeland. From Nigeria, he held a masters degree in engineering and ran a poultry farm when he decided to move to Canada for his studies.

“My first love is the environment,” Iman says. “Coming to Lakeland was really rewarding for me. I really enjoyed the program. Now, I’m working in the field, and when I’m there, I get to see the things we were taught in class in real time.”

Iman completed his practicum at SLR Consulting in Grande Prairie. For his capstone presentation, Evaluating hydrocarbon impact at an active gas station, he spent his time assessing the environmental impact of active and non-active gas stations while responding to spills.

After he graduates in June, Iman will be the first international student to complete the BASEM program.

“One of the best decisions in my life was coming to Canada and taking this program,” Iman says. “There are so many opportunities in terms of jobs in the environmental industry, the consulting industry, and in wildlife and fisheries. I didn’t realize how many opportunities are available in this industry until I took the program.”