The distance course in Ambient Air Quality Management gave Eleonora an international perspective

- Thanks to me having completed this particular course I have now been given a chance to take part in a project to build up an air emission database for Västmanland County Air Quality Association, says Eleonora Bru. She has taken the distance course Ambient Air Quality Management at MDH.

Eleonora is working as a Project Manager for a transnational EU environment innovation project and will soon receive her Master’s degree in Ecotechnology and Sustainable Development. She recently studied a distance course in Ambient Air Quality Management at MDH, as an elective course within her Master’s programme. The course is given within the framework of the FutureE project, a project that develops web-based courses on Master’s level in two of MDH’s most influential research environments – Embedded Systems and Future Energy. All courses in the FutureE project are developed and given in close cooperation with national and international companies.

The fact that Eleonora chose this particular course was because she is very interested in air emission issues and therefore wanted to learn more about it. At the same time, she was about to begin her Master’s thesis of which one of the main parts was about air emissions, so the contents of the course gave an essential preparation for the work ahead.

- The course was excellent from a knowledge point of view and therefore, very rewarding. It was broad in the sense that it primarily gives an understanding of the contemporary history, but also a historical flashback, regarding different air emissions, both in a global and a national perspective. At the same time it goes deep into the subject and gives an in-depth understanding of climate and environmental consequences, says Eleonora Bru.

The course was conducted entirely by distance, which worked perfectly for Eleonora since she was travelling a lot at the time.

- An advantageous effect of the course was that I could get an international perspective on air quality work through the experience and knowledge from other participating students from different countries. It was very inspiring and gave ideas concerning, for example, European challenges in the work of reducing ambient air pollution, says Eleonora Bru.

Eleonora thinks that the course had a clear communicative structure that worked excellently for studies by distance. By minimising the administrative information, the time could, therefore, be spent on her studies.

Who do you think should take the course - any particular professional group? 
- Everybody who is working directly or indirectly with ambient air quality work, for example at the municipal and regional level, would have great benefit from this course. At the same time, students who are studying Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Ecotechnology, Environmental Technology, or any other education where air pollution is a factor, can gain a lot from this course. I think that anyone at all who is interested in air pollutants, their effects and above all how their adverse health-, environmental and climate effects can be reduced, would gain a broad and deep understanding within these areas through this course, says Eleonora Bru.