25 years of Environmental Sciences at the URJC

The degree is celebrating its quarter of a century and those responsible for it have prepared several activities to celebrate it.

Raul Garcia Hemonnet

The Rey Juan Carlos University celebrated its 2022th anniversary in 25. In this 23/24 course, the degree of Environmental science also reaches that age and has decided to celebrate it with several activities, organized by the degree coordination, which will serve to verify the evolution of these studies over two and a half decades.

First of all, this Friday the 20th, a chat with graduates of all stages of the degree, “we want current students to see, first-hand, how to deal with work in the sector,” says Silvia Martín Velázquez, professor in the Geology area, second-year coordinator and one of the organizers. Furthermore, this first activity will allow us to draw an overview of the evolution of social perception of environmental issues over these 25 years.

All coordinators have also been asked to explain, “what the importance of the different fields of the discipline and the social vision of these studies and the environment were like in their time,” indicates the URJC professor. These reflections will be published soon on the website of the School of Experimental Sciences and Technology (ESCET).

Competition for institutes

In addition to these two initiatives, the coordination of the degree, headed by Inmaculada C. Suárez, is preparing an Environmental Sciences contest in the institutes. The objective is to make the degree known to future students because the centers that will participate will be in the Móstoles area.

A lot of practice

In these 25 years, one of the main strengths of the degree has been the number of hours of practice. “We have many laboratory practices and field trips, something that is highly valued by students and that differentiates us from other degrees in the region,” says Silvia Martín. On the other hand, the degree manages to maintain a balance between the different disciplines that comprise it and the teaching staff is specialized in the different areas. Likewise, a large part of the teaching staff works in the environmental sector, either in private companies or in public administration, “which allows direct contact with the world of work,” explains the URJC professor.

An anniversary that confirms the maturity of a degree that aims to provide new answers to the climate challenge that today's society is experiencing.