ABSTRACT
The paper looks at the origins of the environmental management master's programme in Kazakhstan course and its development over the 7 years for which it has operated. It considers the difficulties of teaching, in particular issues covering the diverse range of topics covered, the need for staff training and development and how this has been approached, and the need to gain financial aid to support the students. Details are given of how students are selected, the range of backgrounds and geographical regions from which they come, and the types of employment they take on graduation. In total 110 students have benefited from the course which has proved an attractive alternative to overseas study.
Subject(s)
Curriculum , Ecology/education , Engineering/education , Education, Graduate , Educational Measurement , Employment , Engineering/economics , Fellowships and Scholarships , Geography , Humans , Kazakhstan , Program Development , Statistics as Topic , Students , Training Support/economicsABSTRACT
The paper briefly considers changes in the higher education system in Kazahkstan since the break-up of the former Soviet Union. At that time master's programmes did not exist and there was no unified system for their introduction. The one-year environmental management course described was the first of its type and was set up with special permission from the Ministry of Education and Science, Republic of Kazakhstan to run on an experimental basis. The course differs significantly from other programmes and, under regulations introduced by the ministry in 2001, it is difficult to see how a broad-based programme aimed at introducing graduates from a variety of backgrounds to environmental issues could be achieved within a one-year period. The permission to run the course is periodically reviewed, however, and has been extended due to the excellent results. The course structure and the philosophy behind it are presented along with some of its history. The aim is not to produce specialists in any one area of environmental management, technology or engineering, but individuals with a broad foundation to build on as their professional careers progress.
Subject(s)
Curriculum , Ecology/education , Engineering/education , Education, Graduate , Educational Measurement , Employment , Engineering/economics , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , Kazakhstan , Professional Practice , Program Development , StudentsABSTRACT
To assess levels of chlorinated contaminants in breast milk, we measured organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in breast milk samples collected in 1994 according to the World Health Organization protocol from 92 donors that were representative of regional populations in southern Kazakstan. High levels (10-120 pg/g fat) of 2,3,7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), the most toxic of the PCDD/PCDF congeners, were found in breast milk samples from an agricultural region. TCDD was the major contributor (75%) to the international toxicity equivalents of these samples. The same distinctive PCDD/PCDF congener pattern was found in 15 breast milk samples and 4 serum samples collected in 1996 in a follow-up study, and has now been confirmed by three analytical laboratories.
