Ben Lord BSc Geography with Geology, 2009

Geoscientist (Spectral Imaging), NEOS GeoSolutions, US

Hi, I'm Ben Lord and I studied BSc Geography with Geology within Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Southampton.

My joint honours degree incorporated and allowed me to do 50 per cent of my modules at the National Oceanography Centre, giving me experience in the geological field.

Q: Why did you choose to undertake your studies with the University of Southampton?
I chose to undertake my studies in Southampton as I liked the fact that the course had a wide variety of modules and courses to tailor to a future career, which I had not really decided on at that point.

The fact that my joint honours degree incorporated and allowed me to do 50 per cent of my modules at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) also widened the scope of what I could do, giving me experience in the geological field (oil and gas exploration and mining) as well as organisational skills and geographical skills (GIS and management).

Q: What did you enjoy about studying at Southampton?
In Southampton I enjoyed a range of different things both academic and recreational. Academically, I really enjoyed the practical sessions, especially those in remote sensing and GIS modules in which real data was used to solve real life problems giving us key skills for use in future careers. The management and geographical skills modules also gave me the ability to work efficiently within teams and understand team dynamics, which can be used not only in earth science industries but any industry. The University also gave me the chance to help out in the Student's Union playing for sports teams and becoming part of the committees of various clubs, giving me organisational skills and key team working skills as well as being highly enjoyable and giving me friends that I will always stay in contact with.

Q: What have you been able to achieve as a result of studying at the University of Southampton?
As I am currently working for an oil and gas exploration company doing remote sensing as a signal processing engineer, the University of Southampton allowed me to gain key skills in remote sensing and GIS all of which I use daily in my company. With help from some of the lecturers such as Edward Milton and Jadu Dash, my interests for remote sensing were directed appropriately giving me cause to do my postgraduate degree and then apply for the correct job, which I thoroughly enjoy now. The company I am currently working with liked my experience in the field that I gained from Southampton field courses. The company also highlights the importance of ground based calibration and validation for earth observation data, something which was highlighted in Southampton as well in the advanced remote sensing module in the third year. Overall my University of Southampton experience was highly enjoyable and really allowed me to hone my skills for future use and definitely helped me land my current job in California.