Student’s Volunteer Botanical Internship Program 2011
Participants and Institutions
2011 represented the nineteenth year that the Student’s Volunteer Botanical Intern Program (SVBIP) has been run. Eleven applicants from seven institutions successfully completed the Program in 2011, making a total since the program’s inception (1992) of 268 students. Students were working towards or had completed degrees in botany, environmental science and horticulture. In addition, two indigenous rangers from western Arnhem Land joined the interns for the first two weeks of the Program to develop their skills in field techniques, plant identification and herbarium management.
Work Output
Output achieved by interns during 2011 was roughly equal to three quarters of a one person-year of technical labour.
Curatorial work included mounting and incorporation of vascular and non-vascular specimens, identification of specimens, allocation of labels to specimens ready for mounting, and general herbarium tasks. Significant assistance was again provided to Loans with over 4569 specimens processed as part of both loans and exchange.
Along with curation work, interns provided research assistance to CPBR research scientists. A ssistance was again provided to the Acacia project research groups and to cryptogams with a number of tasks completed. Assistance was also provided to CSIRO researchers working on the noxious weed wild radish Raphanus raphanistrum.
Fieldwork in 2011 followed the well-established format of previous years. The first trip was a one-day drive through sites around Queanbeyan, Captains Flat, Tallaganda State Forest, introducing them to many local species. The number of stops was reduced from last year to reduce the chances of a late return as occurred in 2010. The weather in Canberra at the beginning of the day was wet but improved outside the ACT and the interns reported finding the day interesting and worthwhile.
The four-day residential field trip was held again at Jervis Bay. Interns surveyed a number of woodland and heath communities in Booderee National Park to practice their collecting techniques and acquire material to identify. A “Treasure Hunt” style mapping exercise was also conducted and was both enjoyable and enlightening. At Booderee Botanic Gardens Stig Pedersen discussed the history and significance of Booderee Botanic Gardens with a particular focus on the joint management aspects of the Gardens and surrounding National Park while Daniel Brown led a Koori bush food and medicine tour around the Gardens. Booderee National Park staff conducted a tour of Bitou Bush control sites and discussed park and reserve management issues with the interns. In addition, interns visited the Mangrove Boardwalk at Huskisson.
Concerns and Issues
The perennial problem of accommodation for interstate participants remains a major issue. All students avoided the high priced ANU colleges again this year, finding short-term share accommodation off campus. ANBG and CSIRO staff provided some accommodation. The remaining interns were Canberra residents or were lucky enough to have friends or family in the area to stay with. Accommodation costs are the single biggest issue mentioned by students undertaking the Program and assistance with finding short term accommodation is greatly appreciated.
Acknowledgements
The success of the 2011 Program is in no small part due to the considerable efforts of a number of Centre staff, outside academics and others who freely gave their time to present lectures and training sessions, as well as providing supervision for intern work teams. Thanks are also due to all CPBR and ANBG staff, especially those at the Herbarium, for their tolerance and enthusiasm during the course of the Program. I would particularly like to thank all those who once again provided invaluable support to the Internship Coordinator.
Bronwyn Collins
SVBIP Coordinator
May 2011
Student’s Volunteer Botanical Internship Program Participants 1993 – 2011
State |
Institution |
Numbers |
ACT |
Australian National University, Canberra |
59 |
|
University of Canberra |
19 |
|
Canberra Institute of Technology |
14 |
|
Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra |
6 |
|
Department of the Environment and Heritage |
1 |
|
Booderee Botanic Gardens, Jervis Bay |
1 |
NSW |
Macquarie University, Sydney |
11 |
|
University of New England, Armidale |
13 |
|
University of Technology, Sydney |
10 |
|
Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga & Albury |
10 |
|
University of Sydney |
8 |
|
University of New South Wales, Sydney |
6 |
|
University of Newcastle |
6 |
|
University of Wollongong |
5 |
|
Southern Cross University |
3 |
|
Janet Cosh Herbarium (UW) |
1 |
|
University of Western Sydney |
1 |
|
TAFE NSW National Environment Centre Thurgoona |
1 |
VIC |
University of Melbourne |
18 |
|
Monash University |
9 |
|
Latrobe University, Melbourne |
4 |
|
Deakin University |
3 |
|
University of Ballarat |
1 |
|
Forestech, East Gippsland TAFE |
1 |
QLD |
James Cook University |
13 |
|
University of Queensland, Brisbane |
11 |
|
Griffith University |
2 |
|
University of the Sunshine Coast |
2 |
|
Queensland University of Technology |
1 |
|
University of Southern Queensland |
1 |
|
Metropolitan Institute of TAFE |
1 |
|
Central Queensland University |
1 |
NT |
Charles Darwin University |
2 |
SA |
Adelaide University |
3 |
|
Flinders University |
1 |
|
University of South Australia |
1 |
TAS |
University of Tasmania |
4 |
WA |
Curtin University |
1 |
|
Murdoch University, Perth |
1 |
|
West Coast TAFE |
1 |
International |
North America |
5 |
|
Europe |
3 |
|
Asia |
3 |
Total |
50 |
268 |