Providing a global context for training the biologists of tomorrow
We believe that running a field course based in the tropics is by far the best way of instilling in our final-year students a proper understanding of and enthusiasm for the biodiversity and conservation of the planet.
We have now run four tropical field courses, in Panama (2018, 2022) and in Borneo (2019, 2023): all were enormously successful, providing inspirational and life-changing training for final-year zoologists and plant scientists, and students from the respective regions.
The courses, which last 15 days, are run by members of the Department with extensive, first-hand research experience in the local ecosystems and include inputs from local researchers and institutions. The students carry out their own week-long independent research projects, giving them the chance to appreciate and study some of the extraordinary biodiversity and associated conservation issues of tropical ecosystems at first hand.
Find out more about the course
This was fantastic!! Thank you so so much. Everything from the canopy crane to Barro Colorado, Agua Salud and Pipeline was brilliant. Opportunities for really interesting projects that would not even be slightly possible anywhere else. Also brilliant for trying out tropical research and learning about PhDs in terms of thinking about the future... (Student feedback from the course)
Running this vital course is only possible because of the generous financial support of our alumni and friends.
Your support enables students to attend the course, regardless of their financial circumstances. We have secured support for one more year, but to ensure the long-term future of this excellent course beyond 2024, we need to build up substantial resources now.
£2,000 provides full support for one Part II student to attend the course.
To support our undergraduate students, make a donation online now. Alternatively, please contact Dr William Foster.