We strive to educate and train the next generation of aquatic scientists, connecting decision-makers with timely science, and inspire communities to understand and protect the ecosystems that we all depend on. GREAT Institute has provided FREE high-quality learning that meets the needs of students, educators, and early career professionals through various courses.  

 

Field study courses

 
 
 
 

This course provides standards-driven student learning within the context of life-relevant, real-world problems, or phenomena. Participants are actively engaged in building knowledge and meaning through hands-on investigation of local environmental issues. This field study course is available for undergraduate science students.

Open Enrollment: January 2025

Courses

Climate Change Biology

Lecturer: Professor Kam W Tang, University of Swansea

Co-Lecturer: Maiyai Taal Hocheimy, GREAT Institute

This 3-Day course looks at global-scale climate phenomena and processes with emphasizes on the connections across disciplines, from physics to chemistry, geology, and biology, and how they interact with climate.

Having completed this course, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how to:

  • Outline the processes that determine past and present climates, and are relevant to future climate change.

  • Apply specialised oceanographic knowledge to the interpretation of observed fluctuations in climate.

  • Identify mechanisms that stabilise or destabilise the climate system, both from empirical results and from inspection of equations.

  • Choose climate models, at a level of complexity appropriate for the problem, and use them to address a range of scientific questions.

  • Critically analyse the recent literature on a range of topical issues in climate science.

Open Enrollment: December 2024

Key Skills & Literature Review

Lecturer: Maiyai Taal Hocheimy, GREAT Institute

This course ensures a basic level of writing skills required to function as a professional researcher by providing experience with up-to-date methods in marine and coastal science research.

Having completed this course you will be able to:

  • Perform critical evaluation

  • Communicate with non-specialist audiences

  • Development of testable hypotheses

  • Research literature

  • Critically research, evaluate, and synthesise the findings of peer-reviewed publications

  • Development of suitable scientific methods

  • Structure an academic literature review

  • Formulate research project objectives in the context of existing work

  • Better management of research projects using time management and interpersonal techniques

  • Plan and execute marine & coastal fieldwork

  • Write a well-structured scientific report

  • Write a justified research proposal

  • Write articles that communicate research effectively to non-specialist audiences

  • Deliver a research seminar suitable for a scientific audience

  • Design poster presentations suitable for a scientific audience

  • Prepare for a job or MSc/MRes applications

    Open Enrollment: November 2024