Online interactive internship

A new program designed to enable learning key wildlife and research skills from afar.
( Key skills include learning otter ecology and behaviour, analysing camera trap data, writing a literature review and science communication. )

Modules


Module 1 (Learning Otter behaviour through data analysis) :

Topic: Behavior analysis of the Smooth-coated otter by looking at camera trapping footage.

Aim: 1) Learn to identify and characterize different behaviors presented
2) Convert qualitative information into quantitative data
3) Create an ethogram based on 1) and 2)
4) Collate the data and present key findings

Eg. Of questions that can be answered include:
·Interactions between pups and family members.
·Disturbances at the site.
·Resting Behaviour
·Behaviour differences during different sets of seasons

Module 2 (Literature review - 2500 words) :

Topic: Biology and Behaviours of the Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)

Aim:
1) To collate all the know information that there is published on the subject.
2) Pinpoint the data gaps and questions that need to be answered in the future
3) See if there are any significant differences reported in the behavior and biology of the species in different parts of its range.

Module 3 (Science communication : Presentations/Debate) :

There will be 3 presentations/debates over the course of the internship, one every week on a Friday (20 mins time limit). This will be on a webinar style. The final presentation will be about the key findings of the literature study and data analysis at the very end. Topics will be given every week for the succeeding presentation, these may range from environment, wildlife, ethics or outside of the immediate scope. The idea is to learn to communicate science effectively to a general or a specialised audience, be able to research on topics outside of the scope of regular work and build opinions based on data.

* Please note some specifics of the modules may change depending upon the interests of the intern and the scope of requirement of Wild Otters.

Guidance


1. The internship will be overseen and guided by Dr Katrina Fernandez, Director at Wild Otters and a member of the IUCN Otter Specialist Group, who will be available for direct interaction with the interns every week.

2. Each intern will be assigned a Research Associate who will oversee their work and clarify doubts on a day to day basis (recommended time is to touch base with RA atleast 3 times a week.)

Training sessions


1. There will be a total of six to nine sessions by the Wild Otters team (on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays) every week. These will cover Otter Ecology, Field Methods, Mangroves, Conflict, Science Communication, Illegal Trade and Professional Development/Jobs.

2. Wild Otters will be making available a repository of not only raw data for analysis but a library of resources including research papers and reports for the purpose of the internship.

Certificate


1. A certificate will be provided to all interns who complete the program successfully.

2. Any future recommendation is solely dependent on the performance of individual interns.

Time Expectations

To get an idea of the time involvement, expect approximately the following :
1. 8 sessions from the Wild Otters Team (about 1.5 hours each) = 12 hours
2. 15 hours of independent work per week = 45 hours
3. Intern presentations / Debates (about 2 hours each week - including attending of others) = 6 hours

So approximately, this should work out to less than 21 hours per week on average, or about 3 hours per day. Please note we'll expect you to attend atleast 70% of the sessions by the Wild Otters team LIVE (there will be recordings made available of any you miss), so you can interact with the teams in a fruitful manner.


Beyond the internship

We encourage interns to continue our collaboration and joint work even after the training ends. This could be by :
1. Joining one of our projects, or us helping you with your own project
2. Joining hands for outreach or awareness efforts
3. Any other means of creating value.

Registration

The program will commence in batches, the next available batches commence from 11 - 31 January, 2021 and from 8-28 February, 2021

The cost of the program is INR 12,500 / USD 187 / GBP 149 / Euro 165 depending on the currency of payment. Payment transfer details are listed here.

For registration or any queries, please write an email to [email protected]