IB Ecology
A highlight of IB Ecology are the field courses, which take
place in the summer preceding the lecture course.
These courses are led by experienced staff from the Plant Sciences, Zoology and Genetics Departments, providing a unique learning environment for students.
Ecology Field Course at Juniper Hall
Monday 24th June – Thursday 4th July 2013
This course introduces students to many key techniques in field ecology, and integrates botanical, genetic and zoological studies. A major objective of the field course will be practical work.
"The field course has made me excited to do ecology next year when before I was unsure of whether to even take it."
"It was great to work with experts from the field and find out in depth about some of the cool organisms out there."
"It was a super two weeks. It helps you to get to grips with concepts from lectures or reading when you see them out in the field!"
Seminars: Students are expected to give brief talks on their project to the rest of the class during the field course
Funding for students who participate is provided by the university, administered through Plant Sciences (not the Colleges). Students have to pay £100 towards the cost of the course. Students have to pay for their own transport to and from Juniper Hall, Surrey. In the past some Colleges have made grants to students to cover part or all of their contribution and transport to and from the course; you should consult your College Director of Studies to find out if you are eligible for such funding.
Further information can be obtained from the field-course organiser, Prof Bill Sutherland (Zoology, e-mail; w.sutherland@zoo.cam.ac.uk).
To book your place, please fill in the application form below and return it to Helen Scott in Plant Sciences (hcs34@cam.ac.uk)
Molecular Ecology and Evolution summer course in Madingley
Saturday 28th September — Tuesday 8th October 2013
The course introduces practical techniques in molecular ecology and evolution, including field work and laboratory and computational analyses in genetics and genomics.
Seminars: Students are expected to give brief talks on their project to the rest of the class during the course.
Costs: Students do not have to pay towards the cost of the course, however they do have to arrange accommodation with their College, and to pay up to £100 of any charges made by the College for accommodation outside the normal period of residence. Excess costs up to a further £120 can be reclaimed. Students also have to arrange their own daily transport to and from Madingley (4.5 miles outside Cambridge).
Further information can be obtained from the course organiser, Dr Aylwyn Scally (Genetics, aylwyn.scally@gen.cam.ac.uk).
To book your place, please fill in the application form below and return it to Helen Scott in Plant Sciences (hcs34@cam.ac.uk)
Frequently asked questions
How long are the field trips?
There are two field trips both of which lasts for 12 days and are divided into a first
introductory part with practical exercises and a second project based
part during which students work on their own projects.
I can't attend for the whole time; can I take Ecology anyway?
If you are only going to miss a few days it may still be possible for you to attend the field course (please contact teaching@zoo.cam.ac.uk). In any case you will be able to take IB Ecology, as you also have the option to do a project during term instead of a project on the field course.
I haven't been on the field trip. Can I still take Ecology in IB?
Yes, alternatively to a project conducted on the field trip students can
do a project during term. So even if the field trip has already been you
can still sign up for IB Ecology.
JUNIPER HALL
I can only attend for 7 days; do I still need to pay £100?
Yes. The field trip is heavily subsidized by the University (true cost
is about £500).
Where is Juniper Hall?
The Juniper Hall Field Studies Centre is in a quiet wooded valley in an unspoilt area of the chalk North Downs, Juniper Hall, leased from the National Trust, is a superb country house dating from the 17th century. It is about 1km from Box Hill and only 40km from central London. The surrounding area provides a variety of exciting habitats ideal
offering a broad range of ecological questions to study.
At what time should we be there on the first day?
Students should arrive between 3 and 4 pm on the first day, but
certainly before 6pm. If you are going to arrive very late (after 7pm)
please let Bill Sutherland know, so that dinner can be saved for you.
What time can we leave on the last day?
All students will give a short presentation about their project on the
morning of the last day. Finishing time is therefore a little difficult
to predict, as it depends on the number of projects, but should not be
later than 3pm.
What do we need to bring along?
You will get more detailed information about the field trip nearer the
time. However, the most important things to bring are: sun hat, good
shoes, raingear, sandwich box and drinks bottle. It can be beneficial to
bring your own laptop (at your own risk) or at least a USB stick.
How does the field trip work?
The field trip is divided into two parts: during the first introductory
part you will be introduced to the subject of Ecology and how to do
ecological research by doing exercises and data collection in the field.
During the second part you can develop your own ecological question and
perform the necessary scientific data collection to answer it. This
second part will finish with short presentations about each project.
The daily routine will start with preparing your lunch before breakfast.
After breakfast we will either work all together or everyone on their
individual or group project. You will have your prepared lunch at a time
suitable to your schedule. After dinner there will initially be lectures
and later possibly talks.
MADINGLEY
Where is the course located?
The course is based at the field station in Madingley, which houses the Zoology
Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour
At what time should we be there on the first day?
Students should arrive at 11am on the first day.
What time can we leave on the last day?
All students will give a short presentation about their project on the
last day. The day will finish by 5pm.
What do we need to bring along?
Things to bring are: lab coat; laptop if you have one (we can supply laptops to
those who do not); suitable shoes and coats in case it is wet (some projects
may involve collecting animals in the field). There will be more detailed information nearer the time.
How does the course work?
The first two days will comprise an introduction to methods in molecular
ecology and evolution, including field, laboratory, computational and
statistical methods. Students will then select and plan their projects, and
will present and discuss these plans in a short talk. The rest of the course
will be devoted to working on the projects, and the composition of field, lab and
computational work will likely vary between projects. The final day is devoted to
presenting results and analysis. In addition, on some evenings there will be
guest talks on topics of interest.