Climate scientists aim to understand the earth 's climate system. Macquarie University's flexible approach to study allows units in this field to be combined in several ways with studies in Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and other fields of science depending on individual interests . Opportunities for development of research and practical skills are emphasised throughout the program and students are valued as individuals with a thoughtful and practical contribution to society. ENVS304 is aimed at students with a demonstrated special interest and advanced skills in Climate Science. They must have completed ENVS112, ENVS117, ENVS2l4, and ENVS216 before this particular unit. As well they are required to take ENVS301, ENVS302 , and, ENVS362, in order to complete study within the discipline. It is therefore designed for students to apply the discipline-specific skills and theory to the workplace but also have the initiative and self-motivation to learn beyond their discipline as a means of enhancement.

ENVS304 is the capstone unit of the climate science major. It is also a PACE unit. PACE stands for Professional and Community Engagement. By connecting students with partner organisations, PACE gives Macquarie students the chance to contribute their academic learning, enthusiasm and fresh perspective to the professional workplace.

The intent of this unit is to ensure that climate science students experience an appropriate transition to the next stage of their careers, and are equipped, as far as possible, for success in the next stage, whether this is to the next level of study or into the work force. In partial fulfilment of this mission, students undertake a participation activity which involves engaging with a community-based partner organisation.

The internships typically will involve students working on existing projects or undertaking new projects that are in alignment with the goals of the host institution as agreed upon by both partners. In this manner, projects are agreed upon not only for the way in which they will advantage student learning, but also support the community partners in realising their institutional goals. This mutual benefit is further facilitated by the exchange and sharing of knowledge between students and community partners, particularly as information relevant to global environmental issues such as climate change, air pollution, agricultural pollution, and atmospheric science in general. Cultivating the connection between knowledge generation and practice will provide those involved with the tools necessary to approach problem solving whether it be in the workplace or higher degree research.

Examples of government partners are the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), CSIRO, and the NSW Government's Environment, Energy and Science (EES) Group (and the Energy, Climate Change and Sustainability Division within). Private sector participants including the Weather Zone, and Environmental Consultancies. Although the focus to date has been to engage students with local and regional partners, through PACE, opportunities with overseas partners will also be developed. Internships made possible through existing partnerships have been highly effective vehicles for meeting the course's learning objectives and have often lead to the opening up of employment opportunities for the student, as well as pathways for continuous learning.

Historically, partnerships have been identified by the unit convenor and from 2013, this will be further supported through the efforts of the Faculty of Science PACE staff. The goal for partner selection is to match student scientific expertise and interests with a host partner organisation ensuring that all partners correspond with Macquarie University's ethics standards, particularly as it relates to their promotion and contributions to the well-being of people and the planet, and the integrity with which they operate for the benefit of society. Climate Science is itself, concerned with the well-being of people and the planet and ethical reasoning, therefore our partners must reflect similar intentions and values. The PACE staff will also facilitate student initiated placements.

Participation Unit Details

• PACE is a key component of the University's strategic direction, emphasising the University's commitment to excellence in research, learning and teaching and community engagement.
• UNIT304 has been accredited as a PACE unit from 2013 and will be running according to the PACE criteria and with support from the PACE team in Science from 2013.
• PACE units provide an academic framework through which students can engage with the community, learn through professional activities, develop their capabilities and build on the skills that employers value. By completing a PACE unit, students develop all these skills and capabilities, and also gain academic credit towards their degree.
• As a PACE unit, UNIT304 will be flagged on student transcripts with the symbol ‘π’ after the unit code and before the unit title. Students can highlight this designation to future employers and academic institutions as the following definition, which details the value of such units, will also be included after the list of units and before Special Achievements, Recognition and Prizes (if included) or the Key to Grading

π: Units marked with a π are designated participation units. These units provide students with an opportunity to learn through practical experience and make a valuable contribution to the community by applying knowledge and skills acquired at the University

PACE units in Science and Engineering, their Unit Convenors, and their students, are supported by a PACE Team within the Faculty. Throughout the unit offering, members of the Team may be in contact with students to provide or collect information. If you have any questions about PACE in Science and Engineering, please email: pace.science@mq.edu.au or visit the following webpages: https://students.mq.edu.au/experience/practical-experience/pace-experience/how-do-i-start/pace-in-the-faculty-of-science-and-engineering

If you require more information about PACE in general or access to forms such as those for the PACE Travel Grants, please log into the PACE student wiki:

https://students.mq.edu.au/experience/practical-experience/pace-experience/how-do-i-start

A PACE activity is an experiential activity allocated to, and undertaken by, a student within a participation unit which may take place in premises other than the University (usually the Partner organisation’s premises). When working or studying in non-University premises, the primary responsibility for the health and safety of our students becomes that of the Partner organisation hosting the student. However, as a student, you also have a legal responsibility under the Workplace Health & Safety Act 2011 and the Macquarie University Health & Safety Policy to ensure the health and safety of yourself and of others in the workplace. Each student has a moral and legal responsibility for ensuring that his or her work environment is conducive to good health and safety, by:

• Ensuring that their work and work area is without risk to the health and safety of themselves and others
• Complying with the University’s and Partner Organisation’s Work Health & Safety Policy and Procedures
• Reporting hazards and incidents as they occur in accordance with University policy
• Actively participating in all health and safety activities and briefing sessions (e.g., emergency evacuation procedures, site inspections etc)

Each student is also required to advise their Unit convenor or Faculty Participation Manager as soon as possible in case:

• he/she feels unsafe at any stage during the participation activity
• he/she did not receive a safety induction prior to the commencement of the activity covering: First aid, Fire and emergency evacuation; and Injury/incident reporting
• he/she did not receive any specialised instructions/training necessary to carry out the role
• an incident/accident happens (even when reported to the Partner organisation/ supervisor and managed by them)

Non-compliance with the above may result in withdrawal of the student from the participation activity. Students should familiarise themselves with the University’s WHS website, relevant information made available through the Faculty of Science website, and that which is provided by their participation activity supervisor and/or Unit Convenor.

http://staff.mq.edu.au/human_resources/health_and_safety/health_safety_information_for_stude nts/ http://web.science.mq.edu.au/intranet/ohs/

In addition, those students undertaking a PACE International activity should be aware of the following Risk Management procedures: http://staff.mq.edu.au/teaching/participation_and_community_engagement/student_management/risk_management/

Students should note the information below in case they find themselves in any emergency situations.

1. Remove yourself from any danger.
2. Call 000, if necessary.
3. Speak to your partner-based supervisor, if possible. The Organisation may have emergency procedures to follow.
4. THEN - if the emergency occurs in office hours (i.e. Monday - Friday 9am-5pm), contact your Unit Convenor by phone/email as soon as you can.
5. If you cannot reach your Unit Convenor, contact your Faculty Participation Manager by phone/email.
6. OR - if the emergency occurs outside of office hours (i.e. outside of Monday - Friday 9am-5pm). Phone Campus Security Office on (02) 9850-9999 as soon as you can. This is a 24 hour, 7 days a week service and it does not matter where in Australia you are when you call. Please identify yourself as a PACE student when you call.

N.B. For any minor issues with your participation activity, please speak to your partner-based Supervisor. If the problem is more serious, please contact your Unit Convenor or your Faculty Participation Manager.

If you are experiencing difficulties and need to speak to a counsellor:

Contact the MQ Counselling Service at Campus Wellbing on 9850-7497 (Monday - Friday, 8am-6pm)

1800 MQ CARELINE (1800-227-367) - information and referral service (24 hours, 7 days a week)

If you would like to speak to a counsellor outside of office hours, you can also contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hours, 7 days a week).

Work, Health and Safety (WHS)

A PACE Activity is a practical experience allocated to, and undertaken by, a student within a PACE unit which may take place in premises other than the University (usually the Partner Organisation’s premises). When working or studying in non-University premises, the primary responsibility for the health and safety of our students becomes that of the Partner Organisation hosting the student. All host organisations must comply with the NSW Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act 2011.

During your PACE activity your host supervisor should:

• make your responsibilities clear
• provide any necessary training
• inform you about professional codes of conduct
• supervise and provide feedback

During your PACE activity you must have:

• a safe work environment
• a WHS safety orientation
• safe work systems
• protection from bullying and harassment

You must also:

• take reasonable care of yourself
• ensure your actions don’t affect the safety of others
• follow the safety procedures of the host organisation

WHS and risk for fieldwork-based PACE activities

Certain PACE activities are fieldwork-based. Fieldwork includes professional experience whereby the fieldwork i) forms the majority of the activity; ii) is essential to partner benefit; and iii) requires the application of discipline specific knowledge and skills. Fieldwork-based activities are undertaken in collaboration with a partner and are conducted on a site in the natural and/or built environment in order to collect data (e.g. soil samples, asking questions of humans, documenting information about animals, etc.) for the purposes of informing a study about that environment or site. Fieldwork may be led by students as the discipline experts; however, it requires supervision by an appropriately qualified Macquarie University staff or external partner. Students who will undertake fieldwork-based PACE activities must consult with their unit convenor regarding additional WHS and risk procedures that might be necessary. All fieldwork must be officially approved by relevant staff before it commences.

PACE-related policies, procedures, and other important information

Student Undertaking Form

Before a student begins their activity they will be required to complete the Student Undertaking Form. This form asks students for their contact details, emergency contact information and their agreement to abide by the Roles and Responsibilities as set out in the Governance and Guidelines document. The Student Undertaking form is provided electronically through iParticipate and the Faculty PACE team will alert you when it is available for completion and instructions on how to complete it.

https://www.mq.edu.au/connect/partnerships/why-connect-with-macquarie/partner-with-pace/a-safe-and-fair-environment/Governance-and-Guidelines-PACE-2017-web.pdf

PACE Activity – Early Commencement Procedure: to outline the conditions under which the unit convenor of a PACE unit will consider a request from a student to commence or complete a PACE activity prior to the official start date of the associated PACE unit.

https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/participation_activity

PACE - Managing Other Commitments Procedure: to outline the University’s approach to an absence or other form of disruption during the session due to a student undertaking a PACE activity.

https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/pace-managing-other-commitments

PACE - Reasonable Adjustments, Guideline and Procedure: Macquarie University will endeavour to match students with an appropriate host and feasible PACE activity to maximise student success. These documents provide good practice information for students and staff to encourage early disclosure of circumstances (e.g. disability, medical condition, flexible time arrangements, or leave days for official observances, etc.), which may impact on a student’s PACE activity, and the subsequent arrangement of reasonable adjustments when enrolling or participating in a PACE Unit (Guideline).

https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/pace-reasonable-adjustments

PACE activities requiring background checks: Some partner organisations may require students to complete certain background checks and/or clearances in cases where they will be working with children, young people, people with disabilities, the frail-aged, at-risk clients, and government/statutory agencies. It’s very important that students complete the required background clearances before beginning the PACE activity. Any necessary information on background checks will be communicated directly to students by the Unit Convenor or the Faculty PACE team. Please note there is an extra verification step required for students who need to to complete a Working with Children Check. Students will be required to provide their WWCC number to the Faculty PACE Team electronically and the result of their check will need to be verified by MQ WWCC Administrator (Governance Services) before they start their activity.

PACE and Ethical Practice: Ethical considerations feature heavily in the PACE Initiative. Asambassadors of the University, students are expected to engage with the wider community in a responsible and ethically informed manner that respects the rights of individuals, communities and the environment. This expectation applies to all PACE activities regardless of their nature. Ethical practice involves negotiating the ethical complexities of the context with which you are working. This involves critically thinking about issues of power, hierarchy, culture and position, and about the potential risks of your work and interactions with others, immediate and over time. It is important to ensure that risks are mitigated and experiences are enriching and worthwhile for all those involved.

In addition to the role of students as ambassadors, partners must conform to the University’s ethical standards; PACE activities must be aligned with the wellbeing of people and planet; there are research-based PACE activities as well as collaborative research with partners; and, the way in which everybody’s PACE experiences are captured and shared must be ethical. If a student ever feels that unethical behaviour has occurred during a PACE activity, they should consult with their Unit Convenors and/or the Faculty PACE staff immediately. Further, any students whose PACE activity will involve research that is led by a Macquarie staff member must consult with their convenor prior to commencement to confirm whether or not research ethics permission is required.

PACE and IP: Students enrolled in PACE units may be working with external industry partners. Although it is uncommon, during some activities Intellectual Property may be created and there may be some instances when the partner requires the assignment of IP. Students are encouraged to seek legal advice prior to entering into any such agreement. Students uncertain of their rights relating to IP ownership can seek advice from the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). This should be done by contacting the relevant Faculty PACE Manager.

PACE Grants and Prizes: There are several ways in which PACE might support students financially to undertake PACE activities. PACE students are also eligible to apply for the prestigious Prof. Judyth Sachs PACE Prizes.