Experiencing the practical dimension of Forest Ecology and Management*
* !Please note: This element is part of the former FEM OSA and no longer available for selection by students beginning their studies.
Every FEM student had to do an internship or practical training in an institution outside the University. The internship was mandatory. It had a minimum duration of 7 weeks.
Most students chose NGOs, universities and other research institutions to do their internship. In several cases, FEM interns were even offered regular positions within the respective organization. Besides their career-planning, many FEM students used the internship as a chance to get to know yet another place of the world and yet another culture.
Students had to find the internship by themselves which was sometimes a hassle and often meant writing dozens of emails or applications without ever getting replies. However, the Faculty has good connections to various institutions, every FEM student found an internship matching his interests and ambitions so far.
Most FEM students considered the internship to be an excellent opportunity to experience the practical dimension of Forest Ecology and Management. Thus, the internship was usually regarded as a very valuable experience. Two FEM students will give you a short report about their internships at the University of Montreal in Canada and the UNCCD in Bangkok, Thailand.
Kenneth from Ghana
found his internship after many applications to different places. He was always interested in dendrochronology and was excited to be offered an internship at the University of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. His internship was composed of two parts. The first looked at boreal forest tree species regeneration and the second one was focused on dendrochronology with respect to climate reconstruction of the past. Kenneth thoroughly enjoyed the wilderness of remote Northern Quebec when he went there for field work. He was also impressed by the cultural diversity of the Canadian cities.
Wei from China
worked for the Asian unit of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Bangkok, Thailand. She worked on a background paper and assisted a UN officer with research related to drought and desertification for the Asian-Pacific region. She also helped with preparation work for an international conference on desertification. In a brief trip to Vietnam, she worked on ecosystem services that was sponsored by the UN division of Environment and Development. Wei was very pleased with her internship and believes she gained important career and personal experiences especially within the diverse and bustling city of Bangkok.
We have interviewed two FEM students about their internships. How did they find it? Where did they go? Who did they work for? What was their task? Which experiences and anecdotes do they remember? They illustrated their reports with various private pictures and even videos from their internships.