Field Course in Terrestrial or Marine Biology

Course introduction

The participants plan, carry out, and analyze the results of a biological field project. The process includes the search for relevant scientific literature, testable hypotheses should be established and the evaluation of results obtained in relation to the existing knowledge in the field. Specific research topics are chosen among pertinent biological issues in the natural environments that surround the field stations of the Institute of Biology, where the practical part of the course takes place.

The participants will gain insights to the different stages of the research process in general, and to principle of and methods in biological fieldwork in particular.

In relation to the competence profile of the degree it is the explicit focus of the course to:

• Give the competence to implement new biological solutions and independently  develop and realise an experimental research project
• Give skills relevant for experimental field investigations
• Give knowledge and understanding of experimental investigations

Content

The following main topics are contained in the course:

• Theory and planning: A research topic is selected and working hypotheses and a detailed research plan are elaborated based on a screening of relevant literature and discussions of the theory behind the topic.
• Field course: The practical part is carried out as a combination of field laboratory work studies at either the Biological Institute’s field station Svanninge Bjerge or the Research Center for Marine Biology in Kerteminde. Accommodation at the field stations is mandatory. The results are analyzed and summarized in a report written in the style of a scientific paper.