Primate Conservation Field School in Madagascar and US

The Tropical Conservation Institute (TCI) at Florida International University is seeking 2 outstanding undergraduate students and 1 master’s students to participate in TCI’s IRES Program, a training program in lemur research and conservation in Madagascar.

Students will participate in the following activities:
– Pre-field course; Spring 2019: 16hrs of course-work at FIU (online for non-FIU students) on research and conservation field methods, preparing for research in Madagascar (culture, socio-economic background and logistics), and proposal preparation.
– Paid internship in Madagascar; Summer 2019: Seven weeks of data collection on lemur, sea turtle or marine mammal conservation in Nosy Be Island, NW Madagascar. All field expenses (travel, equipment, lodge, food, health insurance) will be covered.
– Post-field course; Fall 2019: 16hrs of course-work at FIU (online for non-FIU students) on data analyses and interpretation, publication write-up, and presentations.

Participants are required to take part in all three phases of the program. Activities include attending pre- and post-field courses, going to the field and collecting data, co-authoring publications, giving professional presentations, and preparing video products about the program. Participating will develop and undertake their own research project. Field-work will take place in Nosy Be, an island to the northwest of Madagascar. Primate research will focus on three endangered species of lemurs inhabiting the Lokobe Reserve.

Salary/funding:
All field expenses (travel, equipment, room, food, travel insurance) will be covered, participants will only be responsible for any personal expenses. In addition, students will receive a $500/week fellowship during the 7-week internship in Madagascar.

Qualifications/Experience:
Undergraduate and graduate students have to be enrolled in a US or Malagasy university for the entire program (Spring to Fall 2019). Students should have a strong interest in animal conservation, have basic knowledge of ecological research principles and procedures, and be comfortable with spending 7 weeks in Madagascar collecting data and working in forest or marine environments. Students must be self-motivated and willing to assist in research and work-related duties. Previous experience doing field-work is a plus.

For more information and to apply visit go.fiu.edu/ires