The international Master's degree programme in "Environmental Bioengineering" at the University of Mining and Geology "St. Ivan Rilski" provides a multidisciplinary graduate education in applied biosciences, emerging high technologies and system engineering approach to address and management environmental problems (e.g. modelling the transport and bioaccumulation of pollutants, analysis and assessment of the impacts of contaminants and industrial processes, water quality control, renewable energy, monitoring of urban ecology, etc.). The trainees graduate students are endeavor to elaborate innovative and sustainable solutions through contemporary consistent and rational bioengineering approaches to resolve complex issues related to numerous aspects of environmental conservation and preservation. The study plans and lectures are developed by an international team of famous and authoritative scientists and invited representatives of leading companies or business society. The curriculum includes mandatory, elective courses and internship with practical laboratory exercises supported with research collaborations. All this enables of advanced training to students and rapid use of modern high-tech, which is a promising start in their early professional experience and future career. On successful completion of the master programme, each graduate can design and implement his/her own professional project based on the achieved analytical, scientific, technical and systematic engineering knowledge, as well as to propone a comprehensive critical report concerning problem characterization and the overall strategy for its solution. They will be awarded with an academic degree “Master in Environmental Bioengineering”, which is applicable in broad range professions in industry, national/international administration, non-governmental organizations, teaching and research institutions.

CONTENTS

1. Overview

1.1. Educational Aims

1.2. Knowledge

1.3. Professional Competencies

1.4. Realization on the Labour Market

2. Department and Professor

2.1. Department Description

2.2. Lecturers

3. Disciplines and credits

I. PROTEIN ENGINEERING

The course, entitled "Protein Engineering" aims to introduce the graduate students into the general strategies for design and creating of artificial proteins with altered or novel biological properties and functions. These engineered macromolecules can serve as novel molecular tools for biotechnological applications and thus addressing numerous needs related to environmental conservation.

II. MOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY

III. BIOTRANSFORMATION OF XENOBIOTICS

The course of "Biotransformation of Xenobiotics" studies the metabolic transformations of endogenous and xenobiotic compounds in both the organisms and the nature to more water-soluble compounds. The enzymatically catalyzed oxidation, reduction and hydrolysis reactions (i.e. phase I reactions) as well as condensation reactions to form conjugated compounds (characteristic of phase II) are systematically presented. Chemical modification of the organic toxicants by biotransformation always alter their biological effects. The processes are accomplished by a limited number of enzymes with broad substrate specificities. Particular emphasize is paid to the biotransformations of common toxicants (with carcinogenic, teratogenic effect, etc.) with a view to the biochemical mechanisms for their disposal and subsequent mineralization. The soil microorganism populations play a key role in this regard as a main factor in self-purification and environmental restoration. The acquired knowledge is important for the implementation of biotechnological and bioengineering approaches in solving the problems of the environmental remediation.

IV. BIOSENSORS AND BIOINDICATORS

In the “Biosensors and Bioindicators” course the general principles of operation and usage of various types of biosensors technologies as well as the application of specific bioindicator organisms for ecological monitoring are examined. The use of these two complementary to each other techniques enables the collection of statistical data and valuable information in order to accomplish full analysis of the healthy state of the environment. The biosensors provide highly accurate information about the chemical structure, concentration and quantitative distribution of the pollutants in nature, whereas the bioindicators may determine the pollution duration, its environmental accumulation and to predict the future effects on the ecosystem. Such a modern analytical approach is of particular importance for the experts in the field of environmental impact assessment and monitoring of xenobiotics. The benefits of advanced biosensor technologies over the classical instrumental chemical analysis are their extremely high specificity and sensitivity to low concentration of the analyte (including pathogenic microorganisms), rapid and continuous measurement, easy and simple implementation. The bioindicator organisms are usually counted and/or morphologically characterized in the investigated habitat. Their analysis and manipulation in laboratory are carried out according to established and standardized protocols. The level of the course of study corresponds to the highly-specialized Master’s programme for Environmental Bioengineering.

V. ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

The course in Environmental Chemistry aims to introduce the students to the fundamental chemical and biological processes of natural and anthropogenic compounds in the environment. The subject of study covers the sources, reactions, transport, effects and fate of the chemicals in the atmosphere, soil and aquatic environment and the impact of the human activity on them. The students are going to understand how the molecular interactions and the macroscopic transport phenomena determine the distribution in time and space of the xenobiotics released into the natural and engineered environment. Environmentally related problems with pollutants generated by the chemical, mining, energy and other industries are often characterized by integrated complexity including the diverse relationship between the structure of a given chemical and its physical and chemical properties, intrinsic reactivity, phase transfer, transformation as well as the transport processes at each level. The Environmental Chemistry is an interdisciplinary discipline, which is in-between the edges of the atmospheric, water, soil chemistry and biochemistry, and strongly relies on the advanced analytical chemistry and ecotoxicological assessment techniques. Such knowledge is particularly necessary for designing innovative Environmental Bioengineering.

The course is divided into three parts. In the first part the Master’s degree students learn the general principles of the chemical and biochemical processes in unpolluted environment. The relation between the concentration scopes of the most common natural organic and inorganic compounds and the effects on the organisms is also studied. In the second part the anthropogenic contaminants and the various ways in which such chemicals may be released in the environment. It is necessary to understand the factors that govern the input, distribution, and fate of the manmade chemicals in nature, their toxicological information and potential impact on individual organisms and the whole ecosystem. The third part examines the specific analytical techniques for characterization of samples taken from the polluted nature. The global natural problems faced by society and the contemporary views on their solution are also studied.

The course in Environmental Chemistry is important for everybody who deals with anthropogenic chemicals in the environment, governmental regulations, environmental consultations, etc.

VI. GEOINFORMATION SYSTEMS

The discipline aims to introduce the students in the applications and possibilities of the Geoinformation Systems in the ecological and geological practice. In the recent years, the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has become a standard activity and a necessary requirement when working with spatial information and mapping. The topics are focused on the capabilities of modern GIS for the needs of data input, organizing, analyzing and storing environmental information. The separate chapters cover the basic concepts and elements of GIS, the structures and methods of organizing the different types of vector and raster ecological and geological information and documentation, the methods for data input and archiving, the transformation and use of selected map projections, the methods for compiling and visualizing maps, database management and referencing of external information, methods for attribute and spatial analysis of environmental information.

VII. ANALYTICAL ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

VIII. MODELING OF BIOENGINEERING SYSTEMS

IX. RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY RESOURCES

X. SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY

The main aim of the discipline is to study the foundational technologies and knowledge that make the engineering of biology safer, more reliable, and more predictable. The key engineering design principles that synthetic biotechnologists attempts to incorporate into their experiments are modularization and standardization of biological parts, which is analogous to modularization and standardization of electronic parts such as inverters, switches, counters, and amplifiers. By doing so, the biological parts may become reusable, and can be readily assembled to build large and complex biological systems.

XI. BIOPROCESS AND METABOLIC ENGINEERING

XII. SYSTEMS BIOLOGY