Develop your technical and practical skills in the field.
Field units and intensives are an excellent way for you to develop your technical, practical and professional skills such as teamwork and cross-cultural communication.
Students enrolled in science courses at other Australian Universities can enrol to undertake any of these units.
What's on offer?
These units are an opportunity to improve your professional profile with prospective employers as well as identifying any gaps in your education.
Field-based units are available in the Northern Territory, Indonesia, Timor and Brazil.
International intensives
Galapagos Islands Field Intensive (GIFI): evolution, conservation and management.
A unique hands-on experience learning about evolution, island biogeography, biodiversity and endemicity. Learn about the main threats to islands and what is being done for their conservation and management.
In partnership with the Charles Darwin Foundation on the Galapagos Islands.
This intensive can be taken under SID305 and SID505.
Contact: CEITE-admin-ops-services@cdu.edu.au Date: This intensive is offered annually in Semester 3 Numbers: 14 places available Duration: 2 weeks plus online study before and after intensive Application date: To be advised
Brazilian Amazon Field Intensive (BAFI): Wildlife research, management and conservation.
Work on wildlife research, harvest, management and protection with a focus on freshwater turtles during this two-week field studies placement in Manaus and the Rio Trombetas Biological Reserve, Amazonas, Brazil.
Learn about the issues faced by the over-harvesting of species in the Amazon, and immerse yourself in the research behind more than 30 years of turtle management and protection. You will be able to apply this knowledge to other regions around the globe where wildlife is used and managed by traditional communities.
Initial lectures and tutorials will be based at the National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA – Manaus). Lecture themes range from general (Amazon ecosystem, limnology, hydrology, wildlife threats) to specific (Amazon vertebrate fauna, turtle biology and conservation).
The practical component of the course will take place at the Biological Reserve of the Trombetas River (REBIO Trombetas).
Also, there will be compulsory pre-and post-trip activities undertaken online.
Students with interest in Portuguese will have the opportunity to improve their language skills, both written and oral. Please mote that bilingual skills are not a prerequisite for enrolment.
This opportunity is offered in partnership with the National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA) and the Rio Trombetas Biological Reserve.
This intensive can be taken under SID305 and SID505.
Contact: carla.eisemberg@cdu.edu.au Date: Offered annually in Summer Semester Numbers: 16 places available Duration: Two weeks plus online study before and after intensive More Information:
Eastern Indonesian Field Intensive (EIFI): Rural agricultural livelihoods
If your interest lies in natural resource management, livelihoods and rural development issues and practice the Eastern Indonesian Field Intensive (EIFI) is an excellent opportunity for you.
You'll work on real issues in rural communities in eastern Indonesia during this two-week field studies placement in West Timor, Indonesia.
Nusa Cendana University, Kupang, West Timor, Indonesia.
Contact: penny.wurm@cdu.edu.au or 08 8946 6355 Date: TBA Numbers: 7 places available Duration: 15 days plus online study Application date: TBA Funding: To be confirmed
Java Field Intensive (JFI): Tropical biodiversity and sustainability
This two-week field intensive focuses on topical biodiversity and sustainability issues one of the worlds biodiversity hotspots. Java is one of the world’s most densely populated places on earth. The Java Field Intensive (JFI) presents a cross-cultural international learning experience for students interested in these issues, via experience in Indonesia. The Faculty of Biology, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta, Java, is our host partner for this unique field intensive. UGM is one of Indonesia’s most respected and highly ranked universities.
CDU students will join students from Indonesian and other South-East Asian universities for a summer school at UGM. This conference-style summer school includes seminars, workshops and field tours. UGM also offers an optional one-week language and culture course before the start of the intensive, offered on campus at the UGM Language and Culture Centre https://inculs.fib.ugm.ac.id/.
The Java Field Intensive is available to both undergraduate and master students. Students enrol in ENV305/ENV505 Environmental Intensives at CDU. Assessments will be marked by CDU staff, to create pathway for unit credit towards your program of study. UGM staff will teach and mentor students throughout the intensive and provide feedback and guidance on assessment items.
Students from universities other than CDU can attend through cross-institutional enrolment into these units.
Contact: penny.wurm@cdu.edu.au or 08 8946 6355 Date: TBA Numbers: Maximum of 15 places available Duration: 14 days (optional additional week for language training is available ) Applications due date: TBA Funding: OS-HELP loans for domestic Australian students More information: Visit the UGM Summer School website at https://iscbiotrop.biologi.ugm.ac.id/
ACICIS: Agriculture Professional Practicum
2020 Programs
Unit code
Country
Available places
Duration
Funding
Application due date
Contact
ACICIS Agriculture Professional Practicum (APP)
SID305 or SID505
Indonesia
5
6 weeks
OS-HELP
and NCP Scholarships for those who qualify
The ACICIS Agriculture Professional Practicum (APP)is a six-week study program, undertaken in Indonesia prior to the commencement of the Australian academic calendar year (January to February). The program, hosted by Bogor Agricultural University (IBP) in Bogor, consists of two weeks intensive Indonesian language instruction and English language lectures in agriculture, food science, environment and resource management, followed by four weeks supervised practicum placement with a local or international agricultural, agribusiness, or resource management organisation.
ACICIS is a consortium of leading Australian universities in the field of Indonesian studies. CDU is a member university, which means our students have access to ACICIS programs. Students from universities other than CDU can also attend through cross-institutional enrolment at CDU.
Contact: penny.wurm@cdu.edu.au or 08 8946 6355 Date: TBA Numbers: 5 places available Duration: 6 weeks Applications due date: TBA Funding: OS-HELP and NCP Scholarships for eligible domestic students More information: ACICIS Agriculture Professional Practicum website
Australian intensives
This unit provides practical experience in a range of flora and fauna survey techniques including:
Elliot
pitfall and camera trapping
visual survey
animal handling
documenting vegetation
plant identification techniques.
You'll attend a five-day field intensive, with preparatory online activities and assignments before and after the trip.
Learning activities and assignments focus on sampling design, survey and monitoring in the field, and compilation and analyse of data.
The unit provides a basis for further study and professional practice in areas of environmental management and develops skills commonly used for environmental assessment.
Contact: CEITE-admin-ops-services@cdu.edu.au Date: Semester 2, mid-semester break Numbers: unlimited Duration: Five days plus online study Enrolment: Standard enrolment procedures
More information: ENV209 Unit Catalogue
This unit explores the synergies between natural resource-based enterprise development and local and Indigenous livelihoods.
The course is run in Darwin at CDU Casuarina campus with either two half to full-day field trips to rural Darwin or a community or an overnight field trip to Kakadu National Park.
Contact: natasha.stacey@cdu.edu.au Date: Semester 2, 13-17 September 2021 Numbers: 20 places available Duration: 5 days with 2 full-day or overnight field trips Applications: Email Natasha for a registration form. For CDU students normal enrolment processes apply. More information:
This advanced ecology unit focuses on the unique characteristics and challenges of studying ecology and managing environments in the Australian arid zone.
Starting the unit at CDU's Alice Springs campus, you will take part in a seven-day field intensive during which you will be active participants in field-based research that contributes to ecological understanding of desert environments.
This unit introduces the tropical savanna biome and landscapes of northern Australia.
You will develop a range of skills in field survey and data collection, management and analysis.
Central to the unit is a ten-day field program, during which students will investigate environmental gradients and ecosystem function by assessing landforms, soil and vegetation. The field intensive starts at CDU's Casuarina campus.
Contact: linsday.hutley@cdu.edu.au or 08 8946 7103 Semester: Study period 2 Numbers: 20 places available Duration: 10 days plus online study More information:
This unit provides foundational knowledge for students wishing to move into aquatic resource management, research and consultancy fields. It provides practical experience in techniques such as:
Water and sediment sampling
Sample processing and storage
Water and sediment analysis in the laboratory
Surveying aquatic ecosystems
You'll attend a five-day field intensive, with preparatory weekly on-campus or online activities and assignments before and after the trip.
Learning activities and assignments focus on sampling design, survey and monitoring in the field, and compilation and analyse of data.
The unit provides a basis for further study and professional practice in areas of environmental monitoring and develops skills commonly used for water analysis.
