Bachelor's degree in Environmental Chemistry and Bioresources

The bachelor's degree in environmental chemistry and bio-resources offers a unique multidisciplinary training in Quebec, as 70% of courses include laboratory work and field trips.

Courses on the marine environment, the atmosphere, the valorization of bioresources and major environmental issues are on the menu.

Offered intensively over seven semesters, including two in the summer where paid internships are held, this program allows you to obtain the professional title of chemist awarded by the Ordre des chimistes du Québec.

objectives

General objectives

• Provide cutting-edge and innovative training in the field of chemistry;
• Train professionals able to tackle the inevitable environmental challenges facing Quebec society and capable of helping businesses develop and optimize the use of renewable resources;
• To make students autonomous and creative with respect to the valorization of bioresources;
• Demonstrate the fundamental place of chemistry in the study and solution of environmental problems.

Specific objectives

At the end of their studies, the students:

• Have acquired the fundamental knowledge necessary for the professional practice of chemistry;
• Have benefited from multidisciplinary training that will enable them to work daily with stakeholders from other relevant disciplines in environmental issues;
• Will be able to address environmental problems in an approach that focuses as much on prevention as on intervention;
• Have acquired the necessary knowledge to eliminate industrial waste or to valorize it, that is to transform it into useful products;
• Will be able to extract and inventory molecules, of marine or other origin, likely to have a pharmacological activity and thus to find new outlets for certain natural resources;
• Have acquired a method of working in the field and in the laboratory;
• Will be able to communicate the results of their work orally or in writing.

A program aimed at training chemists with solutions for the environment

The bachelor's degree in environmental chemistry and bio-resources makes perfect sense in the global context, which is currently dominated by climate change and the control of the impacts of human activities on the quality of the environment.

This program aims to train chemists with solutions that promote the sustainable management and quality of life of current and future generations.

The environmental component consists of:

• Assess the quality of the environment by analyzing aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric environments;
• Understand the relationships between marine ecosystems and the atmosphere, the role of the ocean in the biosphere, the behavior of gases and their roles in the greenhouse effect, the thinning of the ozone layer, and the formation of the atmosphere. urban smog, etc .;
• Apply and design solutions in order to rehabilitate the state of the environment;
• Understand the major environmental issues, the role and responsibility of a chemist in society.

The valuation component of the bioresources consists of:

• Identify the main sources of residual materials and their recovery potential through recycling or processing;
• Transform natural products for valorization by extraction and purification to increase their use and value;
• Apply current technologies for efficient and cost-effective biomass transformation;
• Learn and approach the tools of transformation of bioresources which respect more the environment by the application of the techniques of the "green chemistry".

A personalized education

The limited class-courses allow for personalized supervision and access for all students to state-of-the-art technological equipment. The availability and the remarkable supervision on the part of the professors favor the success of the studies.

Practice-based training

Students have the opportunity to gain experience with more than 600 laboratory hours and field trips.

Field trips

During these outings, the students:

• Discover the chemical parameters and the sampling and analysis methods used for the chemical characterization of air, soil and water;
• Learn about the sources of pollution, the chemical elements involved and the techniques for analyzing and detecting toxic substances;
• Learn about their environment and apply low impact technologies, chemical reactions and reagents to the environment.

Laboratory work

The laboratories are equipped with the most modern instruments and are used for the analysis of field samples as well as for the realization of experiments and projects related to the environment. The courses given in the laboratory allow:

• To acquire good laboratory practices;
• To acquire the fundamental notions at the base of the experimental methods;
• To acquire the essential knowledge to carry out analyzes;
• To deepen the techniques used in research and development in environment and valorization of bioresources.

Recognized participation in interuniversity competitions

UQAR students participate annually in various events and competitions related to engineering:

• Engineering games;
• Quebec engineering competition;
• FIRST robotics competition;
• Baja International Competition;
• etc.

Many opportunities for stays abroad

UQAR offers many opportunities to stay abroad for students motivated to expand their knowledge while living a rewarding cultural experience. These stays can take the form of an exchange program, a practical internship or a research stay. Several sources of funding are also available.