Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main day-to-day responsibilities of the project?
The main focus of the program is to carry out a collaborative research project from start to finish. This will include working with other students and scientists to design research methods, carry out field work to collected the necessary data, and analyze and interpret the data.
What would a normal day look like?
Most days in Namibia will be spent conducting field research. For example, a typical day might look something like:
6 am Get up, eat breakfast, pack field lunch, and prepare for fieldwork
6:30 - 7 am Travel with your group members to a nearby study site
7 am – 2 pm Collect field data
2 – 2:30 pm Return to research station
2:30 – 3:30 Organize field notes and data
3:30 – 5:30 Talk a walk with friends to sand dunes and watch the sunset
6 – 7:30 pm Enjoy dinner at the field station
7:30 – 9:00 pm Attend presentation and informal discussion with a visiting scientist
What type of field research will be conducted in Namibia?
Research will focus on ecosystem responses to rainfall along a hyper-arid to arid rainfall gradient. The exact details of the research projects that we will carry out will be determined based on the interests of students and scientists involved in the program each year. You can find an example of a project that we conducted in a similar research program here.
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Will I be able to take online courses while participating in this research program?
No, this will not work for several reasons. This is an immersive experience, and participants will get the most out of it by concentrating on the research and related activities at the field station. In addition, internet at the remote site is not high enough bandwidth and sufficiently reliable to ensure successful participation in online courses.