Fieldwork excursions

If you ask School of the Environment graduates about their favourite UTS experiences invariably they mention the fieldwork component of their courses.

Here’s a taste of what you can expect:

Lowland and Alpine Ecology (91163)
Known as “The Great Southern” this subject is an 11-day field trip from the southeast coastal to alpine regions of New South Wales.

Forest and Mountain Ecology (91371)
Comprises a 12-day field trip (the 'Great Northern') to the northern New South Wales forests and north western woodlands following a chain of hotspot volcanoes along the Great Dividing Range.

Semi-Arid Ecology (91370)
The “Great Western” is a 10-14 day field excursion to far western NSW.

Marine Primary Producers (91156)
Much of this subject is taught in block mode at Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef.

Coral Reef Ecosystems (91126)
Includes a nine-day field trip to One Tree Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef.

Aquatic Ecology (91221)
Field trips to Manly Dam and Sydney Institute of Marine Science at Chowder Bay means students gain the practical skills required to assess freshwater and marine ecosystems

Marine Communities (91157)
Features a 7 day excursion to Pearl Beach and surrounds

Ecology (91154)
Involves fieldwork to a range of different locations including the woodland vegetation of the Kurin-gai National Park and rocky shore habitats like that at Bear Island.

Fisheries Resources (91118)
Includes an overnight stay at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), Chowder Bay. Extensively upgraded in 2011 the SIMS facilities gives students and researchers access to laboratories, lecture spaces and expert networks amidst a stunning coastal environment.

Stroud Research Station:
UTS has a field station at Stroud, north of Newcastle, about two hours from Sydney. It is surrounded by a stand of forest with a creek flowing along one of its boundaries. The station provides access to the forests and rivers around the area for teaching and research purposes. It is used for undergraduate field teaching in subjects such as Wildlife Ecology (91116) and Stream and Lake Assessment (91155). The station also has a 12 artificial stream system used for stream ecology and ecotoxicology research.

CSIRO Lucas Heights and Lidcombe Centre for Ecotoxicology Labs
As part of the Environmental Forensic course students visit two eminent research ecotoxicology labs in Sydney – CSIRO Land and Water, and the NSW Centre for Ecotoxicology laboratories to see first- hand how ecotoxicological research is conducted and view their facilities.