The E3B W2010 Tropical Biology (Kenya Field Course) is a special opportunity to immerse yourself in the wonders and challenges of tropical field biology. The course is based at the Mpala Research Centre, a 50,000 acre field station that is renowned for hosting many important studies of African ecology and conservation biology, as well as for its leadership in seeking ways for humans and wildlife to coexist successfully and sustainability.

One of the primary attractions of joining our field course at Mpala is experiencing the region’s exuberant abundance of spectacular wildlife, from lions and elephants to bush-babies and secretary birds.

The Mpala Research Centre is safe and secure. It is jointly operated by Princeton University, the Smithsonian Institution, the Kenya Wildlife Service, and the National Museums of Kenya. The Centre’s primary mission is scientific research.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

This course is designed to give participants a broad understanding of tropical ecology, behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology, and conservation biology. Some of the learning goals are to:

(1) integrate important concepts in ecology, evolution, and behavioral ecology;
(2) gain experience with experimental design, data collection, and statistical analysis;
(3) learn to interpret and evaluate papers from the primary scientific literature;
(4) and last but not least, have fun while encountering an amazing diversity of wildlife.

INSTRUCTOR:

Dustin Rubenstein is an Assistant Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology at Columbia University. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University. Dustin has spent time in Kenya since childhood and has worked intensively at the Mpala Research Centre since 2001. His research centers on the behavioral, physiological, evolutionary, and landscape ecology of animals with complex social systems. He has been teaching this course since 2005 and taken over 125 students to Kenya.

LIVING

ACADEMICS

SCHEDULE

WILDLIFE LISTS

The vast Mpala field station supports a great diversity of large mammals, birds, and other charismatic species.

HEALTH & SAFETY

TRAVEL

WHAT TO BRING

IMPORTANT LINKS

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

IF YOU GET DELAYED