Environmental Scientists and Specialists

Key Responsibilities

• Develop programs designed to obtain the most productive, non-damaging use of land.
• Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management.
• Investigate and report on accidents affecting the environment.
• Prepare charts or graphs from data samples, providing summary information on the environmental relevance of the data.
• Evaluate violations or problems discovered during inspections to determine appropriate regulatory actions or to provide advice on the development and prosecution of regulatory cases.
• Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.
• Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public.
• Research sources of pollution to determine their effects on the environment and to develop theories or methods of pollution abatement or control.
• Process and review environmental permits, licenses, or related materials.
• Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
• Analyze data to determine validity, quality, and scientific significance and to interpret correlations between human activities and environmental effects.
• Plan or develop research models, using knowledge of mathematical and statistical concepts.
• Determine data collection methods to be employed in research projects or surveys.
• Conduct applied research on environmental topics, such as waste control or treatment or pollution abatement methods.
• Develop the technical portions of legal documents, administrative orders, or consent decrees.
• Monitor environmental impacts of development activities.
• Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.
• Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.
• Develop methods to minimize the impact of production processes on the environment, based on the study and assessment of industrial production, environmental legislation, and physical, biological, and social environments.
• Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.
• Design or direct studies to obtain technical environmental information about planned projects.
• Supervise or train students, environmental technologists, technicians, or other related staff.