The Young Biologist

Field Notebook

2011-12-17T03:59:00.000-08:00

The field note book is something that every field biologist must carry when he/she is going to the field. It's where you record all your observations and data during the field work for further clarifications and analyzing. Field note books comes in many variations but there are some basic things that should satisfy to be a good and user friendly field note book.
It must not be too large or too small. Otherwise it'll be difficult to carry or easily lost. Personally I prefer A5 size (210 x 148 mm) books. It can be easily carried in your pocket. The number of pages can vary according to your preferences and needs. But its good if it's not too large or bulky. So choose a book with pages between 160-320. It's better to have a book with a hard cover and good quality papers. It'll make sure that it won't be torn or worn out easily and won't get soaked quickly. Personally I prefer books with ruled pages as its easy to make clear and well arranged field notes.
In the inner front cover of the book you can write your name and other contact details including the details of any research institute, university or any other professional institute you are working with. So if you lost your field note book and it was found by some 1 else that person will know where to find you to return the book. (providing those information will increase the chance of having your data back)
Leave the first few pages of the field note book for an index. Number all the remaining pages for indexing to be effective.
Then starting from the page number 1 you can write field notes.

Qualities of a good field biologist.

2011-11-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

This post is to discuss some of the qualities a person must have to become a proper field biologist. I'm writing this according to my own understanding of the field and what I have come across when doing field work. Though I'm still an amateur field biologist, personal experiences has proved to me that these are some of the essentials to be a better field biologist.

First of all lets see who a field biologist is.

A field biologist is a biologists who use nature as a laboratory and combine the principles of biology with other sciences to study the diversity and interactions of plants, animals and microorganisms in their natural environments. Thus field biologists include zoologists, botanists, microbiologists, ecologists, ethologists, marine biologists, paleontologists, conservation biologists etc.

A field biologist works in the natural environment most of the time. Therefore the following qualities will help him/her to work with both nature and people.

Physical fitness : Field work often includes working for long hours, trekking in wilderness

and sometimes even mountain climbing. Therefore enough physical fitness to carry your own weight, back packs, instruments etc for hours or even for days in any terrain is a must for a field biologist.

Ability to work in unfavorable conditions : Depending on the purpose of your study field works has to be carried out in various ecosystems ranging from deserts to misty mountains. And if the study is done throughout the year it will include working under various conditions in both wet and dry seasons. Thus working in extremely dry, warm, cold, rainy and misty conditions can be involved in your work. Therefore the ability to withstand any of this conditions up to a certain extent is important for a field biologist.

Basic survival skills : Field studies always involves

outdoor life. Thus some basic skills on camping, hiking, first

aid, dealing with wild animals and extreme weather etc. is clearly an advantage for a field biologist.

Been systematic : What we primarily do in the field as field biologists is collecting and recording data we need for the particular study. The data collection and recording has to be done in a systematic way to minimize errors and unnecessary confusions. Therefore been systematic will always help for a field biologist to do there field work properly.

Critical thinking : Nature is not a controlled environment like a laboratory. The conditions we face there may alter from moment to moment. Also the dangers you can face there are numerous. Storms, snake bites, animal attacks are just a few examples. If some one is good in critical thinking he/she can handle any of these situation with minimum risk of been harmed. Thus its a good quality a field biologist should have.

Team spirit : Almost all the time field works are carried out as a team. Every member of the field team has a certain role to play for the common goal. So a field biologist must always fulfill his/her duty to the team and care for all the members. Personal needs should not come in front of the needs of whole team.

Patience : Field work often requires long hours of working. If you are observing the behaviors of a particular animal or a population for a certain time period the ability to be patient for the whole duration of working hours is really helpful to obtain the data required for the study properly. Sometimes you won't come across the subject of interest so easily. especially if your working regarding a rare species. We have to be patient in such situation and continue the work until we complete the necessary field work and gather enough data.

Punctuality : Any research has a certain methodology designed to get the optimum result from it. These methodologies usually define the limits and boundaries of the research and provide a set of instructions that must be followed precisely in order to obtain the necessary data for the analysis. Time period that data collecting is carried out has a significant important to the analysis and the final result you obtain. Therefore a good field biologist must be able to be punctual and carry out the data collecting process only within the determined time duration. Not a second less, not a second more.

Simple life style : If you wanna have meals from KFC, McDonald's or Pizza hut every day then the field of field biology isn't the suitable one for you. A field biologists must always be satisfied with the available resources because resources are limited in the field. Specially if your spending a long time continuously in the field. So one must have the ability to adapt to a simple lifestyle when working in the field as a field biologist.

Documentation skills and computer literacy : Data collecting in the field always involves writing down necessary data arranged in to a systematic way. To obtain every important information on what you observe, its better to keep everything written in your field note book while observations are made thus data can be retrieved easily when you get back to base camp/home/university etc. Then the data must be managed properly using a digital database or any other suitable option. To do all these, a field biologist must have some documentation skills and basic computer literacy. Advanced knowledge on database management and GIS is an additional help.

Communication skills : A scientist distribute the knowledge they gained by writing research papers, articles, books or presenting them in a research symposium or a conference. Therefore one must have good communication skills to present their findings in any suitable media. Apart from this, good writing and verbal communication skills will help to communicate with co-workers, supervisors, authorities, fellow scientists etc. regarding your study.

Been fully field geared : When a field biologists goes to the field he must always carry all the necessary field gears for the particular study. The things you need depends on the terrain, climate, habitat etc. Though the instruments and some other stuff will be provided to you if the project has a fund for it, the things that is important for your personal needs and safety must be taken with you. It makes sure that you won't get in to unnecessary troubles by been careless. For an example if you are working in an area where poisonous snakes can be found you must wear a pair of protective boots to prevent snake bites. If not, there's a probability of you been bitten by a snake due to your carelessness and that will affect on the schedules and plans of the whole field team.

Enthusiasm for learning : No man stops learning until the final day of his life. But a scientist, including a field biologist is a bit different from this. They don't learn just by chance, they must learn with a proper intention and a never ending enthusiasm. Been updated about latest findings, current status of relevant issues and ongoing research activities will give them the chance to develop their understanding in the relevant disciplines and direct his/her research in the right direction to obtain a significant result.

Obedience to the law : Every field biologist must obey the laws of the country when carrying out their studies. Permission must be obtained before hand a project for necessary requirements like collecting specimens and working in a protected area. Trespassing in to a protected area or a private land without permission, collecting specimens from such areas without obtaining a proper permission or been involved in any sort of illegal action for the sake of his/her research is highly unethical thing for a field biologist.

Passion : None of the above qualities will make you a good field biologist if you don't possess the passion for the field. One must have a passion to learn new things, to study the natural aspects and contribute to the development of science through their studies. The passion cannot be learnt, bought or obtained by any other means..it must come from your own heart.

These are some of the qualities a field biologist must have to develop themselves in to a better one. This list doesn't end from here. There are many other things that can be included in to a list like this. But I hope that this provides a general idea on what you should develop in your self to become a better field biologist.

How to become a Biologist

2011-06-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology, the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms, their relationships with each other and the environment. To be a professional biologist you need to do a lot of studies and work really hard. It's not an easy path to tread on. If you are planning to follow it make sure you start early and with proper guidance.

There are biologists studying various aspects related to biology such as zoology, botany, microbiology, ecology, conservation biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, paleontology, evolutionary biology, physiology and many other. As a beginner you'll need some basic knowledge on all the major fields of biology. This foundation is a must to reach the higher levels. Therefore make sure you're pretty families with them. School, college or university will provide you some basics & you'll have to broaden your knowledge by reading. Using text books, journals, research papers and scientific articles will expand your knowledge on your interests. Try to get updated on current issues and new research findings related to the field.

Explore nature at every possible occasion. Try to observe what's there and the processes happening around them. If you're interested in zoology, botany, ecology, conservation biology or any other similar field, the experiences you gain at the field is invaluable. Note down your observations and refer to books or any other reliable source and learn more about what you observe. Maintaining a proper field note book will help you on this. (next post will explain you about the field note book)

If you're an undergraduate student, try to get opportunities to work voluntarily in the researches conducted by post graduate students or academics. Don't look for payments at the very beginning. Some times you will get paid. Even though you're not, you will get payments when you become more experienced in the field. At the starting point experience is much more worthy than a payment. The contacts you can develop by working as an assistant will be really useful in your future.

A biologist must have good communication skills. Writing books, scientific articles and research papers and conferences are the main methods that scientists use to share their knowledge with the scientific community as well as the general public. Therefore good writing and presentation skills will always help you immensely. Proper knowledge on both your mother tongue and English language is necessary to communicate with the local people and with the international scientific community.

Computer literacy and some knowledge on mathematics and statistics will also help you a lot. Especially to do the data analysis in researches data base maintaining, calculation skills and statistics is a must. Without them you won't be able to do much.

These are some tips only. There can be many other important stuffs that can help you in your path. To reach a good level in professional biology field you'll have to achieve really good results in your studies as there are not much openings to reach a high level through this field. So if you're really looking forward to choose this field, make sure you study well and work hard all the time. Because "Survival of the fittest" will be the rule.