Category: Ecology and conservation

Title Belong at Brighton with images of students on campus in the background

Starting at uni with us in 2023?

We know you’re going to have a brilliant time here and to get your student life off to the best possible start find out all the information you’ll need by visiting the dedicated Starting at Uni pages on the University of Brighton website.

Come along to one of our online events, details of the next one below 👇

Get ready for your course: School of Applied Sciences

Friday 28 July 2023 – 10-11am online
Hear about how you can prepare for your subject and ask any questions to get your studies off to the best start. For students studying: biology, ecology and conservation, biomedical science, geography, and environment, or pharmacy.

Click here to join the event on Microsoft Teams at 10am on 28 July

Online enrolment

You can enrol from August 21 and we’ll send you an email to remind you.  Once you’ve enrolled, you’ll be able to access My Studies where you’ll find all the information you need to prepare for your course.

Still have questions? Chat to a current student online.

Laura RubyLeave a comment
Close up of young people in white lab coats using a pipette and test tube

A taste of student life at our Applied Science and Engineering residential summer school

Our on campus residential summer school is open for applications from year 12 students who are thinking about applying to science and engineering courses at university. Apply now.

The summer is school is a real opportunity to try out what it’s like to study at university, learn and use the facilities on our Moulsecoomb campus and stay on site in student halls.

During the day participants take part in a programme of science and engineering taster lectures and practical sessions run by academics and student ambassadors which could include sessions such as blood typing or a session on fungi in the labs. There are also sessions about applying to university, a student life Q&A, a session from the library team and a talk from Brighton Students Union.

In the evenings there are social activities which could be a trip to the beach, a BBQ or bowling before heading back to the halls of residence. Participants share a student flat in our Moulsecoomb halls, with their own bedroom in a flat with 6-8 students and shared living room/kitchen.

Group of young people sitting on the floor in a circle working
Group of young people using VR headsets
Young people outside Herstmonceaux observatory
Two scientists in white lab coats hidden by smoke doing an experiment

In the evenings there are social activities which could be a trip to the beach, a BBQ or bowling before heading back to the halls of residence. Summer school participants share a student flat in our halls, with their own bedroom in a flat with 6-8 students and shared living room/kitchen.

By the end of the week everyone will have tried out lots different science and engineering sessions, made new friends and have a much idea of what it’s like to move to university!

Book your place

Applications are open until 31 May. We would love to see you there!

More about University of Brighton summer schools

Stephanie ThomsonLeave a comment
City Nature Challenge 2023 advert

City Nature Challenge 2023

Attention all budding naturalists! Get involved with the City Nature Challenge, an international campaign to discover and record as much wildlife as possible over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. Just download and use the iNaturalist app.

What is the City Nature Challenge?

The City Nature Challenge is an exciting global citizen science event to discover and record as much wildlife as possible, using the free iNaturalist app, whilst helping people connect with the nature on their doorstep. Locally, City Nature Challenge is organised by University of Brighton, University of Sussex, The Living Coast and the South Downs National Park. The UK event is co-ordinated by The Natural History Consortium, and the global event is co-ordinated by the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles and California Academy of Sciences.

This year, the Brighton & Eastern Downs region will be taking part in the global City Nature Challenge alongside over 450 city regions worldwide, including 22 across the UK.

Anyone can take part between 28 April and 1 May – young and old, experienced naturalists and curious beginners.

Where and how to get involved

Continue reading “City Nature Challenge 2023” →

Stephanie ThomsonLeave a comment
Title Belong at Brighton with images of students on campus in the background

Get ready for uni – live event 28 April

Our 2023 online get ready events will help you prepare for university and to meet other students that’ll also be joining this year.

Join us for our get ready for your course event to hear about how you can prepare for your subject, and ask any questions, to get your studies off to the best start. For students studying: biological sciences, biomedical science, geography and environment, or pharmacy.

Friday 28 April 2023 at 2-3pm

Click here for details on how to join the session

In this live one-hour MS Teams session one of our senior lecturers will start by delivering a presentation, followed by time for you to answer any questions you might have. The session will highlight what you can expect from studying here, how we will support you to build your skills, what kinds of learning you can expect to benefit from, what a typical week looks like, and how we will support you.

Find out more about all of our upcoming events here

Laura RubyLeave a comment
Student ambassador and attendees in white coats using lab equipment

Saturday science club gets up close to nature

Students from years 8, 9 and 10 at local schools took part in our Saturday Science clubs, giving a taster of what it’s like to study science-based subjects at university.

The club ran over four Saturdays, with experiments, talks, hands-on practical work in the lab and the opportunity to chat to our students and staff. The theme, Enchanted Earth – a study of nature up close, introduced the students to subjects including biological sciences, biomedical science, ecology and conservation, geography and environment.

Our ambassadors play an important role in the club, supporting lecturers and making sure the students have fun learning and discover more about what it’s like to be a science student.

Continue reading “Saturday science club gets up close to nature” →

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Ecology and Conservation second-year fieldwork

Applied Ecology and Conservation Field Course module

As part of the second year Applied Ecology and Conservation Field Course module, we visited a range of local wildlife sites, such as the British Wildlife Centre, Waterhall, Knepp Estate, Rye Nature Reserve, Blue Reef Hastings and the Hastings Fisherman’s Protection Society. The module very well attended and the students continued to build a diverse skill set. Along the way there were some interesting talks on ecological processes as well as surveys and management experiences. Opportunities for further involvement in the form of volunteering or final year projects have also arisen and these offer excellent opportunities for employment. One of the highlights was the Knepp bird ringing day were we had the opportunity to get close to some amazing birds thanks to Penny, Josie and Dave.

Yellowhammer bird
Yellowhammer (photo: Zoe Lawson)
A bullfinch sitting on a hand
Bullfinch (photo: Zoe Lawson)
Continue reading “Ecology and Conservation second-year fieldwork” →

Laura RubyLeave a comment
A frog in the grass

Froglife workshop and fieldwork

In November students went along to Froglife’s ‘Discovering dew ponds: Amphibian habitat management training workshops’. These sessions were run by the wonderful Jennifer Hooper and William Johanson. Split into two sessions, the first covered amphibian ID and a habitat management theory session. This included sessions on how to identify many of the amphibian species native to the UK, such as the smooth newt, and their eggs. The students were also tasked with coming up with ideas on how to make example landscapes more amphibian-friendly.

The second session was more hands-on! Despite the heavy rain, the group worked on a pond in Stanmer Park that had been struggling to hold water. This was likely due to damage to the liner underneath, so a lot of stomping was done to compact the sediment beneath the liner to prevent any water from leaking into the sediment below. These workshops were really helpful to those studying or going on to study our final year ecological consultancy Ecological Impact Assessment module, as it gives an insight into what conditions amphibians need and what their habitats might look like.

Pond in Stanmer Park

Laura RubyLeave a comment
Amy testing samples in the lab

Amy’s summer internship success

Amy Austrin secured a five-week internship as part of the Interreg REDPOL (reduction of pollution by endocrine disrupting compounds at source) project this summer, and helped Dr Wulan Koagouw in the lab. Read what Amy has to say about the skills learned during her internship.

280L of artificial seawater, 300 cleaned mussels and 120 tissue samples later…Over the last 5 weeks, I have spent some fantastic days in the laboratory with the Redpol team at the University of Brighton. It has truly been an invaluable experience.

Amy working in the lab

From day one my supervisor Wulan made me feel comfortable within the lab and talked me through the programme to make sure we could fit in two rounds of exposures within my time there. As a student who feels very comfortable doing fieldwork, I was nervous about being within the lab. Although there was a lot to learn to ensure each step was performed correctly, Wulan talked me through each process I would be performing clearly, which allowed me to feel confident to undertake the tasks correctly. Some of my responsibilities was creating the artificial seawater, pipetting tissue preservatives, setting up the cold room and the final task of dissecting the mussels for molecular and histology analysis.

Throughout the weeks, my confidence and abilities have grown in all these areas, showing that this opportunity has provided me with transferable skills for future lab experience and experimental design. Some of the essential skills gained are being aware of potential cross-contamination and learning the anatomy of mussels to identify the correct tissues for dissection.

Also, the importance of asking questions as you learn so much! I got to discuss the rationale for concentrations of each contaminant, how collaborations with other universities and researchers help inspire experimental design and the hopes for the future impacts of the research.

This internship has definitely inspired me on what I would like my future career to be. Thank you to Interreg RedPol for the opportunity!!

Take a look at our ecology degrees
Find out more about REDPOL

Laura RubyLeave a comment
You'll belong at Brighton graphic

Learn more about your chosen courses

We have a number of events for offer holders and applicants giving you the chance to chat to staff and students to help you in your decision making. They’re a great way to learn more about the course you have applied for and get to know us better.

When you book we’ll show you relevant dates for your course and which campus to come to. You can also check the campus where your course is based using our course finder.

Visit us!

  • 22 March – Moulescoomb campus applicant event for architecture, technology and engineering; business and law; applied sciences; humanities and social science; media
  • 22 April- Moulescoomb campus applicant event for architecture, technology and engineering; business and law; applied sciences; humanities and social science; media

About your applicant event

Our applicant days vary but typically include a subject session, an interactive session, facilities tour, student experience talk, campus tour and accommodation tour.

You can also find out more about student life through our advice desks which are available on the day.

Find out more about the event and book your place

Stephanie ThomsonLeave a comment