Geography and Environmental Management technical facilities

Discover the technical facilities for Geography and Environmental Management students at UWE Bristol.

Our technical spaces will help you develop essential skills for your future career, and to familiarise yourself with industry-leading equipment and tools.

Find all the essential information you need on accessing and booking the technical resources, best practice guides for project work as well as contact details for our technical staff who can offer advice and support.

A wildlife meadow on the Frenchay Campus grounds.

Environmental Change Laboratory

This space is primarily a research laboratory that accommodates up to eight students. Areas covered include:

  • microplastics analysis in soils/sediments and water:
    • SMI extraction units
    • filtration
    • microscopes (stereo, compound, petrological)
  • particle Size analysis:
    • Malvern 2000 Mastersizer
    • sieving
  • microfossil and pollen analysis:
    • microscopes (stereo, compound, petrological)
    • centrifuge
    • hydrofluoric acid compliant fume cupboard
  • water quality analyses:
    • VIS spectroscopy
    • UV spectroscopy
    • palintest
    • paqualab
    • Brann Leubbe Auto-analyser
  • soils/sediments analysis:
    • petrological microscopes
    • calcimeter
    • VIS spectroscopy
    • UV spectroscopy
    • pneumatic corer
    • gouge corer
    • Russian Corer.

Access and booking

Physical Geography Teaching Laboratory

This is a a dual-purpose physical geography practical/teaching laboratory that accommodates up to 25. Areas and equipment covered include:

  • ecology
    • tullgren funnells
    • calcimeter
    • microscopes (stereo, compound, petrological)
  • hydrology
    • guelph permeameters
    • flow meters
  • water quality
    • palintest
    • paqualab
  • meteorology
    • weather station
    • kestrels.

Access and booking

  • Location: 3Q16A, Q Block
  • Booking: Mostly booked through technician Emma Brown but some kit via Connect 2
  • Opening hours: Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00

Related technicians

Soil Mechanics Laboratory

This laboratory is dedicated to soil mechanics and geotechnics. It accommodates between 25 and 30 students. Areas covered include:

  • triaxial tests (UU, CU and CD), constant head permeability, UCS, CBR:
    • 50kN static load frames
    • 3500kPa pressure and volume controllers
  • oedometer testing, swelling tests:      
    • Automatic consolidation system (ACONS)
  • triaxial tests (UU, CU and CD), UCS, CBR:
    • 50kN static load frame
    • Pneumatic pressure control system
  • constant head permeability
  • falling head permeability
  • direct shear and residual shear strength tests, shearbox 
  • oedometer tests and Leaver loading oedometer
  • compacting soil specimens and automatic compactor
  • compaction and CBR tests; CBR and proctor moulds and rammer
  • shear strength determination; laboratory shear vane
  • particle size distribution; sieves, shakers and riffle boxes
  • liquid/plastic limit determination
  • casagrande apparatus
  • cone penetrometer
  • swelling pressure tests and swelling cells
  • particle density, desiccator and vacuum pump
  • shear strength determination, pocket penetrometer.

Access and booking

  • Location: 2Q29, Q Block
  • Equipment and time booking: Contact technician Adrian Rose
  • Opening hours: Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00

Surveying store

This laboratory is dedicated to soil mechanics and geotechnics. It has kit used across a range of disciplines, which include:

  • land and site surveying
  • total stations
  • automatic levels.

Access and booking

Related technicians

Geography and Environmental Management facilities

You may also be interested in