About: Matthew Mason

MG Mason has a BA in Archaeology and MA in Landscape Archaeology, both from the University of Exeter. A personal interest in environmental science grew alongside his formal studies and eventually formed part of his post-graduate degree where he studied both natural and human changes to the environment of southwest England; his particular interests are in aerial photography. He has experience in GIS (digital mapping) but currently works as a freelance writer as the economic downturn means he has struggled to get relevant work. He presently lives in southwest England.

Recent Posts by Matthew Mason

Why Environmental Engineering Is Vital for Our Future

Why Environmental Engineering Is Vital for Our Future
Humanity has always engineered the environment around us. From the earliest days of wetland drainage and the need to acquire fresh water, to keep it flowing and keep it clean enough to drink, building cesspits to take away our waste and to stop pollution of vital waterways, we have always strived to maximize our sanitation…
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What Is Sustainability and Why Is It Important?

What Is Sustainability and Why Is It Important?
Sustainability is a broad discipline, giving students and graduates insights into most aspects of the human world from business to technology to environment and the social sciences. Define Sustainability The definition of “sustainability” is the study of how natural systems function, remain diverse and produce everything it needs for the ecology to remain in balance.…
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Introduction to Botany

Introduction to Botany
Whether you call it botany, plant science or plant biology, it is one of the world’s oldest natural sciences. That means that most colleges and universities will have a botany or plant science degree in their Natural Science or Biology department. Many of the top universities have botany degrees, but there has been a decline…
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Phytoliths: What They Are and What They Tell Us

Phytoliths: What They Are and What They Tell Us
Phytolith studies require an understanding of several disciplines at once. Though the method is used primarily as a tool of archaeology and anthropology (the study of humans in the past) it does require a solid background in plant biology. Therefore, people who go on to research and study phytoliths will often have a heavy focus…
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Entomology 101: Study of Insects

Entomology 101: Study of Insects
What is Entomology? Entomology is now a well-established degree and with the scope of the environmental sciences continuing to expand, the evidence that we can acquire from it is expected to continue to have the broadest possible appeal. Though classed as a subsection of zoology, it is a deep enough subject to require specific undergraduate…
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The Concrete Jungle: Study of Urban Landscapes as Environmental Science

The Concrete Jungle: Study of Urban Landscapes as Environmental Science
Many universities in North America and in Europe now offer studies of the urban environment BAs/BScs MAs/MScs in such subjects as Urban Studies and Urban Archaeology. The growing importance of our towns and cities means they are now a subject of major academic study – an area that is only expected to grow as we…
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With Palynology We Can See the Tiniest Details

With Palynology We Can See the Tiniest Details
Palynology – the study of micro organic material such as spores, pollen, dinoflagellates and microfossils (1) - is a method employed by a range of disciplines all concerned with the environment. It is not an undergraduate degree subject due to its limited scope, and though there are some Master’s programmes in most countries, those wishing…
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Cold Hard Facts about Nuclear Power

Cold Hard Facts about Nuclear Power
Most countries in the western world have harnessed the power of nuclear technology for decades. Since the development of the atomic bomb, the human race has found other uses for this technology that still divides people – it provides power for our homes and has medicinal uses. Nuclear physics is a well-established division of the…
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What Environmental Data Can Tell Us about the Greenland Vikings

What Environmental Data Can Tell Us about the Greenland Vikings
The study of the people of the past is called archaeology. The discipline has been around for several hundred years but has undergone vast change in that time. The romantic ideal of the treasure hunter searching for items of national interest is long gone. The modern archaeologist is as much a manual labourer as a…
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Geospatial Technology: An Introduction and Overview

Geospatial Technology: An Introduction and Overview
Geomatics or geospatial technology as it is more commonly known, is such a multidisciplinary tool that there are now advanced degrees in specific subjects such as GIS. Most students will come at it from some of these core disciplines: archaeology (especially those who have taken degrees and projects concerned with landscape studies), geology, geography and…
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