Termly Newsletter 2023-24

Date: February 2024

Epiphany Term issue of our Thanks to You newsletter celebrates some of the inspiring stories from our students who have been directly impacted by the generosity of our alumni community.

Francis Mcadie, Expedition Bursary 2023

"It was a priceless experience; that enabled the team and I to break down cultural and historical barriers, working together to improve the planet's biodiversity."

The objective of our expedition to Kenya this past summer was to initiate the groundwork for a comprehensive biodiversity surveying project scheduled for 2024 within the Maasai-managed Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy. Our overarching goal is to systematically catalogue the region's biodiversity, discerning variations among core conservation zones, grazing areas, and settlements. This endeavour will furnish valuable insights for crafting effective land management strategies, aligning with the conservancy's overarching mission of nurturing biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and the preservation of Maasai cultural heritage in tandem.

Without the financial support of this bursary, Francis would not have been able to conduct this vital research in Kenya and lay the foundations for future expeditions.

Hannah Cowling, Expedition Bursary 2023

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I developed many experimental techniques and transferable skills that will be useful for my career development. Thank you so much for this opportunity.” 

I travelled to Costa Rica to conduct behavioural experiments on the smoky rubyspot Damselfly (Hetaerina titia). Due to its complex mating and territorial behaviours, the Hetaerina genus is a great model for behavioural and evolutionary studies. To achieve this, we captured, photographed, marked and released over 600 individuals along a stretch of river in Golfito.

The data Hannah collected in the Costa Rican jungle is part of a larger body of work which aims to elucidate how variable visual signals impact behaviour among members of the same and other closely related species. All of this has been made possible by our generous group of alumni, supporting our student opportunities fund at Durham.

Esme Padgett, Expedition Bursary 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I was lucky enough because of this bursary to travel to New Zealand and be involved in the field sampling and laboratory analysis of soil, from the Māori land, Pourewa Creek Recreation Reserve, just outside of Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland). We were invited to take samples under a larger project, the Living Laboratories Project."

This collaboration is the result of a relationship between the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the Māori group associated with Pourewa, and the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), to determine the optimal methods of restoring native-species and old-growth forests. The further understanding of how soil features reflect local biodiversity will allow better monitoring of microhabitat health and resilience to ecological ecosystem function. The efficacy of native nursery treatments is under investigation to determine how to make replanting native forests more efficacious and economical. 

“The whole experience of flying literally around the world, heading an expedition, and being greeted with such open hearts and chances for learning, has been such a privilege, and will no doubt open many beautiful doors for all of us in the future.” 

Find out more

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