Environmental Technology Co-op Diploma
Program OverviewAdmission Requirements Tuition and FeesProgram Structure Potential Pathways Faculty and Staff Future Career Options Alumni Testimonial
Program Overview
Start your new career in the exciting and rewarding field of Environmental Technology. Students are educated to national standards in environmental areas related to the natural resource sector, focusing on the oil sands and related Alberta industries. Areas of study include biology, chemistry, ecology, soil science, environmental law, geotechnical procedures, Geographic Information Systems, water quality, wildlife management, and land reclamation within forestry, mining, and oil sands operations.
The program also features a summer work term to provide students with valuable work experience in the region. Graduates of this program are qualified to enter the workforce directly or continue their studies to transfer into year 3 of a degree in Environmental Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. The Environmental Technology program begins a new intake every September and January.
Part-time students are also welcome.
Admission requirements
| Applicants must possess an Alberta High School Diploma or equivalent with: |
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| Mature students (Have been out of school for at least three consecutive years, or are at least 21 years of age by the first day of class) |
Please speak to an academic advisor for more information. |
| English Language Proficiency |
| You must have:
See our Credit Calendar for other ways that you can meet the English Language Proficiency requirements. |
Tuition and fees
| Tuition & fees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Please note, these estimates are based on 100% enrollment for all semesters and do not include mandatory laboratory fees. Laboratory fees can range from $33- $129 for 2023-2024 and $34-$132 for 2024-2025. * Students will be charged a medical/dental benefit fee unless they opt out by demonstrating alternative coverage - deadlines can be found at StudentCare website. For more information view the Keyano College Credit Calendar. |
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Program structure
Current students, please use your Program Registration Guide when registering for courses.
| Program Structure - Fall Intake | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Program Structure - Winter Intake | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Field Trips/Outdoor Laboratories | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Environmental Technology courses involve local field trips and outdoor laboratory classes within the Fort McMurray area during class hours. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Potential Pathways
Graduates of this program are eligible to;
- Enter the workforce directly or
- Continue their studies to transfer to year 3 of the Environmental Science degree program at the University of Lethbridge, or
- Graduates may also transition into the Environmental Science Micro-Credentials Program.
Meet the Faculty and Staff
| Dr. Marie-France Jones - Chair & Instructor, University Studies & ENVT |
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Dr. Jones's research interests include soil formation and classification, soil water interactions, effects of heavy operations on soil quality and productivity, soils and hydrology mapping.
Contact Information: +1-780-791-8957 |
| Dr. Reza Ashouri-Talooki - University Studies Instructor |
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Dr. Reza Ashouri Talooki joined Keyano College in September 2022. His areas of interest are Literature, Poetry, Education, Politics, Media Studies, and critical discourse analysis. Reza wrote his doctoral dissertation on political humour and its manifestations in various genres - written, filmic, and performative productions- following the September 9/11 tragic events in America. Dr. Talooki completed B.A and M.A degrees in English, a PhD degree in Comparative Literature, with an emphasis on Diaspora Studies and Postcolonial Literature, and a second M.A degree in Public Policy and Administration, with a focus on sustainability and community development. Besides his academic career, Reza also worked for the federal government of Canada and some not-for-profit and private sector organizations in the past, which helped him deepen his understanding and hone his skills in various areas, including policy analysis, public administration, management and leadership, and community development. His research interests include post-colonial literature, migration literature, media studies, and politics/policy analysis.
Contact Information: reza.ashouri-talooki@keyano.ca +1-780-791-4836 |
| Emily Bobbett - Laboratory Aide |
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Emily holds a BSc.H.
Contact information: +1-780-791-4986 |
| Dr. Robert Changirwa - University Studies Instructor |
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Prior to teaching, Robert worked at Syncrude Research Centre (Edmonton) and recently at Shell Albians Sands (Fort McMurray), holding progressively more challenging positions from Plant Engineer to Project Team Lead. He is equipped with 30 years of diverse experience, including 15 years of post-secondary teaching and 15 years in the oil sands industry. His research interests include engineering design, hydrocyclone hydrodynamics, and slurry pipelines.
Contact Information: +1-780-791-4940 |
| Kory Cheshire, MA - University Studies Instructor |
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During that time, she also graduated with a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, with her disciplines being Sociology, Education and Adult & Higher Education. While at Oregon State University, Kory was a member of the Women’s Volleyball program, she went on to play professionally in Switzerland and now continues to help coach the Keyano’s Women’s Volleyball team. Kory's areas of discipline are sociology and interdisciplinary studies. Her research interests include inequality and social problems, and criminal justice.
Contact Information: +1-780-792-4813
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| Dr. Ryan J. Cox - University Studies Instructor |
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His areas of discipline are English Literature, Creative Writing, Film, Television, and Screen Media, Canadian Literature and Culture, Indigenous Literatures of Turtle Island, Popular Culture and Cultural Studies, as well as Poetry and Poetics. Research interests include Nation and national identity, professional wrestling, experimental poetics and the Canadian Avant Garde, and identity and its construction.
Contact Information: +1-780-791-4837
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| Dr. Jean-Pierre De Villiers - University Studies Instructor |
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His research interests include numerical relativity, black hole accretion, and machine learning.
Contact Information: jeanpierre.devillier@keyano.ca +1-780-791-4832
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| Dr. Blaine Legaree - University Studies Instructor |
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Prior to his time at Keyano College, Dr. Legaree was a Laboratory Technician at Western University, a Teaching Assistant at the University of Guelph, and completed Postdoctoral research at the University of Guelph. His research interests include infectious diseases, biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall, history of science, social media and higher education.
Contact Information: +1-780-792-5616
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| Dr. Matthew Morin - University Studies Instructor |
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Dr. Matthew Morin has been part of Keyano’s instructional staff since Fall 2012, teaching mathematic courses for students in the Engineering transfer program, Bachelor of Education program, Environmental Technology diploma, and Bachelor of Environmental Science program. His area of discipline is mathematics. Believing that mathematics is a vital tool everyone needs, Dr. Morin brings recreational math activities to the Fort McMurray community through public lectures, an annual Math Fair, and acting as the local coordinator for the Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest. His research interests include math education, and combinatorics.
Contact Information: +1-780-791-4831 |
| Dr. Sorin Nita - University Studies Instructor |
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Prior to coming to Fort McMurray, Dr. Nita completed his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Chemistry at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. When he is not teaching, Dr. Nita is a dedicated supporter of the local visual and performing arts community. His research interests include atomic force microscopy, organic spectroscopy, computational chemistry, and chemical education.
Contact information: +1-780-715-3924 |
| Dr. Tamar Richards-Thomas - University Studies Instructor |
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Dr. Richards-Thomas's areas of discipline are computing, climate change, earth and atmospheric science, and physics. Her research interests include air quality and pollution, hydrometeorology, climatology, and fluid dynamics.
Contact Information: tamar.richardsthomas@keyano.ca +1-780-791-4822 |
| Chrissi Sheppard - Laboratory Technician |
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Chrissi Sheppard holds a Bachelor of Science, and her area of discipline is Biological Schiences.
Contact Information: +1-780-791-4986 |
| Dr. David Smith - Environmental Studies Instructor |
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Prior to his time at Keyano, he worked as a wildlife biologist at the University of Maine, a Botanist at Brandon University, Grassland Ecology at University of Nebraska, and in the Reindeer Herding Faculty at the University of Alaska. Dr. Smith's areas of discipline are ecology, wildlife management, botany, biology, and forestry. His research interests include plant/animal interactions, anthropogenic change in ecosystems, boreal, arctic and grassland ecology.
Contact Information: +1-780-791-4997 |
| Jamie Wiseman - Laboratory Aide |
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Jamie holds a B.Env.Sc. and has experience working in Environmental, Geotechnical, Biology and Chemistry laboratories. Jamie also assisted in field research examining the environmental impacts of the Athabasca Oil Sands under the Oil Sand Monitoring Program, including the effects of environmental contaminants on amphibians, has experience writing wetland field protocols including proper sampling techniques for contaminants testing for Environment and Climate Change.
Contact Information: +1-780-791-4986 |
| Dr. Mark Young - Philosophy and Political Science Instructor |
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His research interests include political theory, and epistemic agency.
Contact Information: +1-780-791-4825 |
| Staff and Additional Faculty - University Studies |
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Karli Matthews - Laboratory Aide |
Dr. Marie-France Jones joined the Keyano College faculty in 2019 and is an instructor in the Environmental Science programs (Environmental Technology and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science). She has a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and Environmental Management and a Masters of Science in Forestry from the University of New Brunswick. She has also received her Doctorate of Philosophy in Forestry, focusing on temporally mapping the effects of heavy machinery on soil quality. Prior to teaching at Keyano, Marie-France had over ten years of research in soil hydrology and geospatial and statistical analysis. Her areas of discipline are soil science, land reclamation, and GIS.
Dr. Robert Changirwa joined the Keyano College faculty in 2018 and is an Engineering Instructor in the School of University Studies. He is a Professional Engineer (PEng) and a Project Management Professional (APMP). His academic background includes a BSc in Mechanical Engineering (University of Nairobi), a MASc in Engineering (Dalhousie University) and a Ph.D. in Engineering (Dalhousie University). His areas of discipline are mechanical engineering, mining engineering, and statistics.
Kory began teaching at Keyano in September 2020 and her areas of discipline are sociology and interdisciplinary studies. Kory attended Oregon State University for six years, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology.
Dr. Ryan Cox joined the Keyano College Faculty in 2012. He holds a BA(Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing (Windsor), an MA in English: Creative Writing (Windsor), and a Ph.D. in English (Minnesota). His doctoral dissertation, “Premonition of a Future Line We Will Be Writing: Politics, Language and Identity in English Canadian Experimental Poetry,” focused on the role Avant Garde poetics played in the formation of a Canadian national identity.
Dr. Jean-Pierre De Villiers is an instructor in the University Studies department at Keyano College. He holds a PhD in P. Eng., and his areas of discipline are physics, computing and engineering mechanics. Prior to joining the faculty of Keyano College, Dr. De Villiers worked at Saint Mary's University, University of Virginia, and the University of Calgary completing postdoctoral research.
Dr. Blaine Legaree is a biology instructor at Keyano College, and his passion includes all things about microbes and molecules. His area of discipline include microbiology, biochemistry, cellular biology, and nutrition. During his Ph.D., he investigated the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall and the site of action of the antibiotic penicillin. Blaine’s other interests include the biology of infectious organisms, biochemistry, biotechnology, environmental health, and the history of science.
Dr. Sorin Nita joined the Keyano College faculty in 2008 and is an instructor in the University Studies department. He is very passionate about teaching Introductory University Chemistry and Organic Chemistry to our students, with his area of discipline being chemistry. 
Dr. Tamar Richards-Thomas joined the Keyano College faculty in 2020 and is an instructor in the Environmental Science and University Studies programs. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics (honours) from the University of the West Indies, a Master of Science in Earth and Atmospheric Science from the University of Alberta, and completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental and Life Sciences at Trent University. She is also a certified teacher, specializing in Senior Mathematics, Physics, and Environmental Science.
Dr. David Smith joined the department in 2008 and is an instructor in both University Studies and Environmental Sciences. He teaches a wide variety of courses in natural and applied sciences in addition to mentoring student research and performing community service. David has a B.Sc in Wildlife Management (Maine), M.Sc in Botany (Alberta), and Ph.D. in Plant Ecology (Saskatchewan). 
Dr. Mark Young joined the Keyano College faculty in 2014 and is an instructor in the University Studies department. Dr. Young has a Bachelor of Arts, Specialist in Philosophy, from Brandon University, a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Regina, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Ottawa. Before coming to Keyano College, Dr. Young taught at the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, Red Deer College, and Lakehead University. His areas of discipline are philosophy and political science. Future Career Options
Graduates may pursue job opportunities in:
- Environmental protection
- Conservation and preservation of natural resources
- Environmental education
- Communication and research
Potential employers include:
- Utility and mining companies
- Chemical manufacturers
- Transportation
- Government
- Education
- Wastewater management/water treatment
- Research and healthcare centres
- Environmental interest groups
Alumni Testimonial
Learn about Aaron's experience in the Environmental Technology Co-op Diploma program.
For Further Information please contact the Chair of University Studies and Environmental Technology by email or phone 780-791-8957.