Science, Technology and Engineering

Environmental Geoscience

Graduates

Carina Polimeni

Environmental Scientist, ENSR Australia

I commenced a double degree in Environmental Science and Biological Science at La Trobe in 2003. During my time at La Trobe I particularly enjoyed studying botany, soil science and chemistry. At the end of my fourth year I undertook a summer cadetship with the EPA predominantly working on their Beach Report program. This involved travelling to Melbourne beaches and collecting water samples for laboratory analysis. Results were then used to generate forecasts for E Coli levels, which can be found daily in the Herald Sun during summer.

During my final year I was tossing up whether to complete an honours project or try jump straight into the workforce. In November 2007 I started with HLA-ENSR (now ENSR AECOM) as a casual. Within a week I was offered a full time position which I accepted.

I am an Environmental Scientist, part of the Remediation Consulting and Engineering team. We predominantly work in the contaminated land area. At this stage of my career I am doing many types of fieldwork including groundwater sampling and monitoring well installation which has enabled me to see lots of Victoria- especially industrial facilities. I have worked at oil refineries, defence bases, manufacturing plants, council depots, gasworks and residential areas to name a few. Office wise, I write reports (generally for jobs that I have worked on) and do basic project management. Doing a double degree really helped out with my organisational skills as you are always working on several projects at once- all of which have deadlines! I regularly use skills I learnt at uni, but there are so many things that you learn on the job. Working in the consulting industry is very dynamic and interesting and so far I have really enjoyed my time.