University of Richmond and Willamette students started Semester One with a trip on the Taieri Gorge train journey.
New teaching pilot programmes are being trialled by two United States-based visiting academics in the Department of Zoology for Semester One.
Accompanying students studying at Otago from their home university, Professor Joe Bowersox (Willamette University, Oregon) and Associate Professor Kristine Grayson (University of Richmond) are leading teaching programmes to build connections and pathways with Otago.
Joe, who is Dempsey Chair in Environmental Science, arrived in Dunedin with 19 Study Abroad students from Willamette, for a teaching programme focused on the ecological and social aspects of climate change and climate resilience.
While here, his students, the majority in their third year of undergraduate study, are enrolled in Otago-led papers and can also take Joe’s own Willamette paper on sustainable resources management.
Joe says the students have had a great experience, and taking a range of papers across zoology, ecology, wildlife management and geology programmes has created many opportunities to get out in the field.
“The students have also embraced the culturally vibrant city and made lots of new connections and friendships,” Joe says. “It’s going to be difficult to get many of them back home.”
Field ecologist Kristine Grayson is the first academic from the University of Richmond to be sent to teach abroad with a semester program.
During Semester One, she’s taught a small cohort of Richmond Study Abroad students in a paper on biodiversity and environmental health, in addition to their Otago-led papers.
Kristine says it’s great to be back in New Zealand for the first time since completing her postdoctorate at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington in 2011. It was while studying tuatara during that time that she met conservation biologist Dr Jo Monks, now based in the Department of Zoology.
“It’s been excellent to collaborate with Jo to learn more about wildlife management, ecological techniques, and provide the students with valuable hands-on field experience,” Kristine says.
“I love introducing our students to the endemic flora and fauna in Aotearoa and learning how communities here are tackling the vast range of environmental and conservation challenges.”
Associate Professor Kristine Grayson (third from left) with fellow University of Richmond students who joined a wildlife management fieldtrip to the Mackenzie Basin learning about the management and ecosystems of braided rivers.
Bringing them together
Sharing an office in the Department of Zoology, Kristine and Joe say the close connection has helped with collaborating and sharing ideas and resources.
Head of the hosting Department of Zoology, Professor Mark Lokman says it’s been fantastic hosting Kristine and Joe in Zoology for the semester.
“They’ve shared their research with us in seminars and have brought and supervised students from their home institution to give them opportunities to learn about Otago’s offerings, whether in class or beyond,” Mark says.
“Importantly, we’ve enjoyed getting to know them as wonderful colleagues – their visit has helped open doors for further collaborations and, hopefully, future mobility of staff and students. It’s been great.”
Kristine and Joe both agree that working with the supportive International Office and the Department of Zoology has made the semester go very smoothly, and the staff and students have been very welcoming.
Kristine has also organised additional lectures for the wider cohort of Study Abroad students visiting Otago, which included a presentation from Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori Distinguished Professor Jacinta Ruru (Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui).
“Hearing Professor Ruru’s experiences and advocacy for Indigenous land governance painted a much fuller and complex picture about national parks and land stewardship in Aotearoa for our students,” Kristine says.
Kristine adds that in addition to the variety of these types of academic experiences, Dunedin’s lifestyle and access to the outdoors for both study and play has been fantastic for them all.
“The opportunity to live in a city with such great access to stunning places has been a real gamechanger for our students.”
Kōrero by Guy Frederick (Sciences Communications Adviser)
Zoology - the study of animals
Zoologists study how animals evolved, their behaviour, physiology and ecological interactions, and how to conserve populations in the face of global change. Our courses emphasise the uniqueness of New Zealand's animals and the challenges involved in conserving them.
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