Directed Research Projects facilitated by EcoQuest are comprehensive field-based studies that equip students with the knowledge and skills required to become effective, modern researchers. Our projects provide students with an opportunity to take charge of research that is relevant, topical and in many cases seminal, in understanding the unique biotic and abiotic processes that shape our environment and all life in New Zealand. From beginning to end, these projects provide a thorough academic experience for students. Transferable skills taught include effective analysis and synthesis of published literature, development and application of research questions, implementing research strategies in the field, as well as analysing and interpreting results and communicating them to an audience in an academic setting.
Although highly significant in their own right, Directed Research Projects carried out by students frequently serve as catalysts for an array of research avenues focussed around conservation, ecology, sustainability, society and policy on both a local and national level. To date, projects carried out by students at EcoQuest have contributed enormously to scientific research in New Zealand, and with each passing semester continually deliver in this regard.
Students and staff work together in small teams (4-6). Each team has an academic supervisor (EcoQuest faculty) and field staff dedicated to the project, ensuring quality work is achieved at every step. Students are involved in every step of the scientific process and are responsible for field work, data collection using standardised techniques, and scientific writing (all students produce an in-depth research report). For many students, this is their first chance to get ongoing feedback on a substantial piece of written work. The end-result is a report prepared to a very high standard, of which both students and faculty can be proud.
Working in small teams enables students to carry out field work that would be impossible to complete individually. The projects generate large datasets, teaching the students complex organization skills. Many of the projects are longitudinal research efforts, providing the students with the opportunity to compare their findings to surveys conducted over many years. Students contribute to long-term datasets, which are rare and highly valued in ecology.
Students engage with projects benefiting the environment, stakeholders, and the local community. They give back something valuable to their host country and local organisations they have worked with: All teams present their findings in a seminar. The audience for these presentations typically include faculty and peers from EcoQuest, stakeholders of the projects, members of the local community and local iwi (tribes), EcoQuest research associates, faculty from local universities, scientists, local authority representatives, land managers and conservation managers (from government departments, regional councils, district councils). The seminar-day can be held at EcoQuest, at Wharekawa Marae, or occasionally further afield when hosted by other institutions or organisations.
We aim to find a best-fit (students and research projects), and to meet the students’ individual preferences. We offer a selection of projects each semester. Some research activities are strictly seasonal, and some long-term projects may at times be a priority.