The worst part is that many of these organizations promise research
engagement. Any use of the terms "internship" or "research" promises an
intellectually stimulating experience that goes beyond just raw data
collection. The problem is that many of these organizations (including
several in Central America) are nothing more than tourist companies
trying to make money off of students who are passionate about
conservation issues. These organizations are nothing short of predators
that take advantage of college students to make money. They are not
interested in research and they do not typically have scientists on
their staff. Students are lured in by promises of "contributing to
conservation of...." but they end up doing nothing more than data
collection for no particular purpose.
In my opinion these predatory organizations should be banned from
posting on EcoLog and Evoldir. I also run an email list service for
undergraduates - Biology Opportunities at Portland State University (a
Google Group with 500+ followers) - that focuses on all sorts of
volunteer and paid positions (plus field stations), with a focus on
positions in OR and the PNW. I try to filter out the ones that charge
for participation, but it is not always easy to tell without some
digging. I encourage anyone advising undergraduates looking for research
experiences to caution them to avoid these predatory organizations.
Mitch Cruzan
On 3/23/2017 6:55 PM, Zeenal wrote:
Hi Emily,
I do understand of the need for the project and the funding for its
execution. But I have volunteered before and volunteering itself means
unpaid. But it does not mean pay and volunteer, that's just asking for
funds indirectly. I joined this list to understand and work with
researchers of the world so that it could help me help the wildlife
and the environment. Joining such lists should be a booster for
students and exciting as well. Learning and helping is what
researchers and organisation should seek. I am from India and that
much amount is a lot. I mean in that much amount, I could possibly do
a short term course than volunteer. Stipend or no stipend,
accommodation and food is/has been done by the organisation or the
researchers seeking interns. And I don't think even the hosting
country students would be able to afford it. We already pay a hefty
amount for the education and then even pay for volunteering? That's a
big disappointment for students who are so capable and talented but
cannot afford. I liked that program as I wanted to experience marine
life so that I can understand it more. In my country, interns are paid
by managing the food and accommodation and after completion,
reimbursement of the travel but the students get a good experience.
That's how it should work. Those who can afford, well, they earn too
to spend on such volunteering.
Zeenal.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Emily Moran <mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: 24-03-2017 00:12
To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] HUMPBACK WHALE RESEARCH ON THE GREAT BARRIER
REEF,AUSTRALIA (JULY-SEPT 2017) ? RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPPORTUNITIES
I have been collecting paid research/work experience postings from
this list to forward to my undergraduate students (so that they can at
least get an idea of the opportunities that are out there if they are
interested), and fortunately there are a lot of them. It seems like
most people doing research in the USA are offering $10-15/hour for
assistant/technician positions. There are also a fair number of
postings for REU positions that don’t necessarily pay a lot but
usually at least cover living expenses (with maybe some stipend left
over depending on local cost of living).
It is unclear what the situation is for projects in other countries -
perhaps Zeenal and others on this list from outside of the US could
speak to that. The internships or training programs I have noticed on
this listserve that are unpaid and/or actually require the student to
pay seem to be mostly in more “exotic” locations (eg. mostly
rainforest and marine). In some cases the rationale may be that
running these programs (including transporting people and supplies to
the field site) is so expensive that contributions from participants
are needed for it to happen at all. I’m not sure if this is the case
for the posting that sparked this debate, as in this case the
organizing institution seems to be fairly close to the field site.
If it starts to seem impossible to get experience in a particular
field unless you have the funds to support yourself during an
internship and/or pay a hefty fee, that is a very bad thing for
students and for the field in general. While that doesn’t seem to be
the case for, say, temperate-zone pollinator ecology or forestry, it
could very well be a problem for tropical ecology and/or “charismatic
megafauna” studies where the high cost of studies and the availability
of people willing to pay to experience those environments could be
tempting more and more study organizers to go this route. And that
can lead to exploitation of students who can’t really afford these
fees but really want to go into that area of research.
Having some pay-to-learn or unpaid internships available is not
necessarily a bad thing - “Voluntourism” seems to be growing in demand
as people seek out more meaningful things to do on their vacations,
and that can help an underfunded project get enough workers to carry
on. But I definitely agree that unpaid or pay-to-learn internships
should be clearly labeled as such.
Moreover, we should as a research community have more discussions
about how to keep our projects running without exploiting student
labor. It can be difficult in a funding environment where a 20%
success rate is terrific, and where grant sizes seem to increase
slower than the amount of things you are expected to do with that
money - but it is important. Perhaps we need to make stronger
arguments to our elected leaders about the immediate economic benefits
of research funding. That is, besides leading to new knowledge that
could be important down the road, and training the next generation of
scientists, a huge chunk of many grants goes toward employing people
right now. Students are not only learning skills that will make them
more successful in the future, they are getting cash they can spend in
their local communities. I don’t know how much impact that argument
would have, but I haven’t seen it made much, and it would be
interesting to try.
Emily Moran
UC Merced
On Mar 23, 2017, at 10:01 AM, Annette Narzynski
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
I am happy to see this being discussed. A similar discussion has
recently started in Coral List. Steven Carrion has made an
interesting point about the role that the listserv itself plays on
these kind of posts. I think it would also be valuable to discuss
what aspiring scientists, professors, researchers, and those
involved in hiring can do regarding the issues associated with
positions like these.
On Thu, Mar 23, 2017 at 9:08 AM, John Anderson <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Very much agree with Steve's post here. Given the already high
cost of university, this seems sheer exploitation. Is also a
really interesting demonstration of the "charismatic megafauna "
issue in conservation...
On Thu, Mar 23, 2017 at 6:54 AM CARRION Steven
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
The whole "unpaid" vs "paid" vs "exploitative" internships
discussion has been discussed in ECOLOG before but I had to
bring it up again after seeing this post.
A "research assistant" position wherein students have to pay
a almost 3 grand to participate in an activity less than a
week? And this covers accommodation and food? This amount of
money is what people pay to go on luxury cruises. This seems
like it's a way to fund the organization's research costs
while being provided with freely given labor. Exploitative is
the nicest way I can put that.
I don't think these types of posts should have a place on
academic list serv. or if they are included they should more
accurately be called for-profit/paid volunteering.
Best Regards,
Steven Carrion
University of Edinburgh
> On Mar 23, 2017, at 1:16 AM, Lesley Douglas
<[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>
> The Great Barrier Reef Whale and Dolphin Research Programme
is led by
> Blue Planet Marine and operated in collaboration with the
Cetacean
> Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory at The University of
Queensland,
> Australia. http://gbr.blueplanetmarine.com
<http://gbr.blueplanetmarine.com/>.
>
> Running from July to September 2017, there are
opportunities for
> Research Assistants (RAs) to join the Programme. As a RA,
you will work
> in an exceptional location with world leading scientists.
You?ll be
> exposed to a variety of research techniques, including: the
latest in
> genetic sampling; acoustic recording of social sounds and
whale song;
> behavioural observations; video recordings; and
photo-identification.
> You?ll be involved in data management, and in the
day-to-day activities
> of the research vessels.
>
> The Programme is based on a live-aboard research vessel in
and around
> the world-famous Whitsunday Islands. The aim of the
Programme is to
> collect data on the breeding sub-stocks of south west
Pacific humpback
> whales. These data are important because organisations such
as the
> Scientific Committee of the International Whaling
Commission don?t have
> enough information to make decisions on whether these
breeding sub-
> stocks should be managed together or as separate
populations. The IWC
> Scientific Committee has even identified the collection of
these data as
> highest priority research for these populations of whales.
The Programme
> is targeted, it?s scientifically robust, it?s relevant and
> it?s exciting.
>
> The Programme will:
> * Identify areas of the Great Barrier Reef that are most
important
> for humpback whale breeding activities;
> * Gather information regarding the structure of the east
> Australian humpback whale sub-stock; and
> * Gain a better understanding of whale acoustic
communication and
> the potential for anthropogenic impacts within the breeding
grounds of
> the Great Barrier Reef.
>
> This is a great opportunity to: gain valuable experience
and skills to
> further your career with marine mammals; make valuable
connections with
> some of the world?s most respected humpback whale
researchers; work on a
> meaningful research programme; and experience one of the
seven wonders
> of the natural world.
>
> * The participation fee for a six-day research trip is $2,995
> Australian dollars, including tax.
> * The participation fee for a twelve-day research trip is
$5,690
> Australian dollars, including tax.
>
> If you pay on or before 14 April 2017, you?ll receive an
early-bird
> discount of $300 Australian dollars off the Programme fee
for each trip
> booked.
>
> The Programme fee covers accommodation and food aboard the
research
> vessel. RAs are responsible for all costs associated with
travel to and
> from the Programme.
>
> No prior experience is necessary and training will be provided.
> Preference will be given, however, to individuals involved
in marine
> mammal science courses or related institutions and/or with
prior
> volunteer marine mammal field experience. Places are
limited to ten RAs
> on each research trip.
>
> To find out more about The Great Barrier Reef Whale and
Dolphin Research
> Project (including the dates of research trips) visit:
> http://gbr.blueplanetmarine.com
<http://gbr.blueplanetmarine.com/> or read the attached
brochure. You can
> secure your place today by paying online.
>
> Best regards,
> Lesley
>
> Lesley Douglas, MSC.
> Marine Scientist | Nelson Office| Ph: +64 (0)27 631-9000
<tel:+64%2027%20631%209000> |
> Email: [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> |
www.blueplanetmarine.com <http://www.blueplanetmarine.com/>
> PO Box 3639, Richmond, Nelson, New Zealand
--
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in
Scotland, with registration number SC005336.
--
John Anderson
W.H. Drury Professor of Ecology/Natural History
College of the Atlantic
105 Eden St
Bar Harbor
ME 04609
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mitch Cruzan
Professor of Biology
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207 USA
Web: http://web.pdx.edu/~cruzan/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
