Rachel
Smith

Why did you choose to study your course at NTU?

I chose to study at NTU because Nottingham is easily accessible from all over the UK. The Brackenhurst Campus, at which my course is taught, is also absolutely beautiful and instantly felt like a home from home. I think that Southwell is a lovely town and has volunteering opportunities such as the Potwell Dyke Grasslands Action Group.

What do you enjoy most about your course?

I enjoy the variety of taught material as well as the freedom to study what you find the most interesting. My lectures have a great variety of teaching methods incorporated within them and we are encouraged to work with our course mates often which is good for improving our team working skills. I loved the Wales field course at the start of my final year because I was able to put all of my ecological knowledge to the test in a new environment and made lots of new friends!

Tell us more about your placement(s) and the projects you were involved with. What did you do and what did you achieve?

I completed a year placement with Manx Wildlife Trust on the Isle of Man. The first stand-out project I was involved in this year was a feasibility study into the reintroduction of freshwater pearl mussels. This endangered bivalve went extinct on the Isle of Man in the early 1900s for reasons unknown, and the project hopes to one day bring them back. I investigated the water quality patterns of all monitored rivers on the Island, writing a report about my findings. I included maps to display my data and recommendations for what needs to happen next.

I assisted with tree planting sessions and helped manage volunteers at the Hairpin Woodland Park, including the creation of the brand new ‘Logstickle Course’! I had a fantastic time building steps and balance beams, which made me feel more confident in my practical working abilities.

When I started with MWT, I soon realised that my knowledge of GIS (Geographic Information Systems – a mapping computer software) would benefit the team. Having learnt about the software in my second year at university, I was eager to put my skills into practice. I have been able to digitise maps from the archives, update maps of the reserves and help with planning permission forms. I even taught a couple of staff members the basics!

Another project that I took the lead with was the annual carbon emission audit. I had to gather information on MWT’s fuel consumption, waste, material use and the livestock we were responsible for. As a part of this project, I designed a comprehensive form for all staff members to fill out so that the data is easier to gather in the future and sent feedback on the ease of the process to the central Wildlife Trusts team.

How did your placement(s) help with your personal development and your study?

Since returning from placement, I see myself as a new person. I am looking at my peers as colleagues and thinking about how we can all work together to improve our future employability. For example, I have recently set up a debate club in order to discuss conservation topics with my peers, improve our critical thinking skills and develop our self-confidence. To do this effectively, I reached out to the NTU Debate Society who provided me with advice. It is evident that I have learnt how to utilise all the tools at my disposal!

Looking back on my year with MWT, I realise how much I have developed. My confidence has certainly grown, as has my knowledge of wildlife conservation, both practically in the field and behind the scenes in terms of legislation and planning.

Not only have I learnt about how important it is to maintain strong communication within the workplace, but in terms of conservation goals, how important it is to collaborate with the public.

It is because of this that I applied for, and was offered, a role within the Isle of Man UNESCO Biosphere team as a Youth Representative. It is now my role to engage with the youth of the Island and collaborate with those who want to get involved. I will also be sitting in on the UNESCO Biosphere Stakeholder Partnership Group which will further help connect valuable organisations, including the Manx Wildlife Trust, with whom I completed my placement.

Why would you recommend your course to someone considering studying it?

I would absolutely recommend this course. There has been a broad range of topics covered, allowing me to discover new ideas and learn more about the things that interest me the most.

I have no complaints about the teaching of this course, all of my lecturers have been great and the field courses especially helped to bond the groups of students and staff together. This created a community within the course that not many courses can relate to due to their size.

Living on Brackenhurst, it is easy to forget that you have access to the wider range of NTU buildings such as those in the City and on Clifton campus. I recommend that students on the Ecology and Conservation course attempt to make the most of these resources and form connections with other groups of students as who knows where these connections can take you!

What are your plans for after the course and how do you feel your course has / will help you to achieve that goal?

I would say that my experiences have certainly opened my eyes to what my future career could be. Being immersed in wildlife has fuelled my desire to make positive change and helped me to develop a love for the complexity of ecology at a landscape scale.

After graduation I hope to focus on the voluntary role that I gained off the back of my placement, allowing me to get the most of the opportunity. I hope to see a youth engagement project through from start to finish.

It would be ideal to be able to do this while working in conservation, but with limited roles available on the Isle of Man, I would also find it useful to continue volunteering for Manx Wildlife Trust and further improve my employability.

In the future, I can see myself going into a job in research, or being a large-scale nature-based solutions project manager.