SPECIAL TOPICS

The MSc Environmental Hazards and Risks Management program offers several special topics courses in the second and third semesters, to cover specialized content and gain particular or additional knowledge.

Climate change

Semester

2

Description

Climate change has become the defining environmental topic of modern times and environmental hazards are at the core of climate change issues.

The objective of this course is for students to learn the science, impacts and risks of climate change and strategies of mitigation and adaptation. 

The course will present a global overview of the issues and the students will work on case studies in the Mediterranean environment.

Learning Outcomes 

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 

• describe the fundamental processes driving climate change at the global scale
• identify the impacts and risks in the Mediterranean environment
• explain the concepts of mitigation and adaptation
• discuss mitigation and adaptation strategies in the Mediterranean environment
• use simulation tools relating to mitigation strategies

Learning Approach

This course consists of a mixture of lectures, group work and individual projects with a focus on a Mediterranean case study.
 

Lecturers

Emmanuel GARBOLINO
Climpact Data Science

Céline PHILLIPS
Agence de la Transition Ecologique (ADEME)

Elodie BRICHE
Agence de la Transition Ecologique (ADEME)

Inorganic soil & water pollution

Semester

2

Description

Agricultural activity and human population demand for food have increased considerably in recent years. Farmers have used toxic fertilizers and fungicides to increase agricultural productivity and combat fungi and bacteria. However, with time, the use of these chemicals has resulted in contaminated and poisoned soils. Similarly, mining activities with extraction and waste disposal can induce metal and metalloid contamination in soils or in runoffs on or beneath the surface.

This course aims to present case studies of metallic pollution in agricultural and mining activities. The module will provide further mineralogical and chemical background in relation to contaminated sites.

Advection transport will be used to model the dispersion of contaminants with time, using physical and chemical properties of soils and sediments. Models fitting normal rainfall conditions (inflow/evaporation changes) will be compared and adjusted to fit real conditions, and further used to simulate disturbed rain cycles (climate or anthropogenic changes).

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 

• describe the chemical enrichment associated with seasonal changes
• analyse laboratory data critically and constructively
• produce preliminary chemical interpretation on a robust database

Learning Approach

This course consists of a mixture of lectures and practical work with open source chemical software.

Lecturers

Christophe RENAC
GEOAZUR Research Laboratory

Introduction to industrial risks

Semester

3

Description

This course will center on Industrial trace metals in the environment. It will describe the role of metals in the environment including the biotope, with a specific focus on the marine environment. Fundamental reactivity, distribution and properties will be discussed, as well as the ecological impact of heavy metals and metallic radionuclides. 

Learning Outcomes 

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 

• describe the role of metals in the environment
• understand how trace metals are affecting the environment and biotope

Learning Approach

This course consists of a mixture of lectures and practical work.

Lecturers

Christophe DEN AUWER
Institut de Chimie de Nice
 

Business and Project management

Semester 

3

Description

This course will introduce students to the concept of business and project management. It will describe the goal of project management and show how tools can be used to formalize the process.

The course will demonstrate how to build a business project: assemble and lead a well-comprised team, explore and analyse the market, demonstrate a value proposition and a sustainable competitive advantage, design the revenue models and craft a financial forecast, secure the legal and intellectual property aspects.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 

• understand the basic concepts of business & project management
• design and build their own business project

Learning Approach

This course consists of a mixture of lectures and practical work.

Lecturers

Sophie MONTEIL
Incubateur Paca-Est

Crisis management

Semester 

3

Lecturers

Dennis FOX
Université Côte d’Azur