Climate science and earth and ocean science co-op

by | Programs

Common types of co-op work

  • Climate change
  • Earthquakes
  • Mining
  • Air and water quality
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Ecology
  • Wildlife assessment and tracking
  • Botany
student in snow throwing boiling water in the air

Sample co-op positions and employers

  • Upstream environmental operation, water team – Husky Energy Inc.
  • Research geomorphologist assistant – BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
  • Laboratory assistant, petrophysics – Natural Resources Canada
  • Oceanographic data processing – Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
  • Coastal naturalist – Calliope Consulting Inc.
  • Junior project officer – Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
  • Geologist co-op student – Teck Ltd.
  • Underwater acoustic analyst – Ocean Networks Canada
  • Environmental co-op student – National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces
  • Digital remote sensing research – Natural Resources Canada

Knowledge you can gain on your work term

Earth and ocean sciences

  • oceans and atmosphere and the dynamic processes that drive ocean and atmosphere circulation, weather patterns and global climate change
  • the internal and external processes that shape the earth and its landscapes
  • the nature of tectonic forces, earthquakes and volcanoes
  • rocks and minerals and mountain building
  • the physical, chemical and biological nature of sediments at sea and on the land
  • geometric, kinematic and dynamic analysis of deformation structures in rock bodies
  • mineralogy and optical mineralogy
  • study natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunami, landslides, flooding, extreme weather and meteor impacts
  • the scientific basis of topics and issues affecting the world’s oceans
  • use earth science to explore areas such as geoscience, geophysics, ocean-atmosphere, geochemistry, life on earth or ocean science

Scientific method

  • gather evidence through observation and experimentation
  • analyze data, define a research problem and predict the outcome
  • use inductive reasoning and deductive methods to form testable, falsifiable hypothesis
  • design an approach or experiment to test and evaluate hypotheses
  • observe and record the results of research
  • analyze results using chemistry knowledge and mathematical techniques
  • draw conclusions
  • communicate the results and identify the need to conduct further research

Computer skills

  • create and modify scientific software
  • use science software
  • develop and use computer modeling as a proxy for physical experiments
  • develop and use computational methods to analyze large data sets

Field work

  • observe behaviour or properties of subjects or phenomena
  • measure subjects or phenomena or their environment
  • identify and collect samples for analysis
  • use field equipment, tools and machinery

Lab work

  • take accurate measurements
  • follow the methods and techniques relevant to chemistry
  • develop and optimize methods and techniques
  • analyze, make, purify, modify and characterize compounds, samples or devices
  • use, maintain and troubleshoot lab instruments
  • troubleshoot procedures
  • use safe and careful practices

Education and training

    • teach science at a level appropriate to the audience
    • assess achievement of learning outcomes
    • train and supervise others to perform scientific or lab procedures