Field Assistants: A great Experience for Students!

Reports from former field assistants

Detailed information for field assistants is available here

Costs
Students have to arrange their transport to the field site themselves. Per month, an amount of Rand 1000 - 1250 (around 70 Euro) must be paid for accommodation at the research station. Students must buy their own food etc in Springbok (costs of about R 2000 or 200 Euro/month). Including extras, you should expect to pay about 300-400 Euros per month.

Work of field assistants

• Trapping and marking of small mammals (mice and rats).
• Radio-tracking: Mice will be equipped with radio tags and tracked in the field to determine home ranges and nest sites.
• Direct observations: The open habitat in the Succulent Karoo enables direct behavioral observations in the field. Social interactions, home range use and feeding habits will be recorded.
• Follows: By combining radio-tracking and direct observations, activity patterns of individuals can be recorded for 3 hours in a row.
• Experiments and observations with captive specimen under natural weather conditions.
• Maintenance and cleaning of the research station.

What kind of people are needed as field assistants
Biology/zoology/veterinary students with a BSC are preferred as candidates. Applicants must have an interest to working in the field and with animals. Whereas the research is mainly non-invasive, this is no job for extreme animal right persons. We take tissue samples (tail tip), sometimes blood samples, and mice from the captive colony often have to be euthanized for colony management reasons. If you cannot accept this for ethical reasons, you should not apply. Applicants must be able to manage extreme temperatures (below zero at night, sometimes over 40 degrees Celsius during days). Hard working conditions will await applicants, as the study species get up with sunrise (between 5 and 6 o` clock), and stop their activity with dawn. Work during nights might also be necessary. Work in the field will be done for 5-6 days a week. Applicants must both be prepared to live for long periods in the loneliness of the field and to be part of a small group.
Applicants are expected to read through the relevant literature regarding the study species/ study area before they start to volunteer. Experience in animal behavioral is of advantage. A crash course in behavioral biology and methods can be done at the field site, if necessary.

How to become a field assistant
People interested in working as a field assistant for 2-3 months write an email to carsten.schradin@ieu.uzh.ch. Please write a short motivation, state for which period you would be available and attach a CV.

Detailed information for field assistants is available here

Literature for field assistants

• Schradin, C. , Scantlebury, M., Pillay, N. & König, B. (2009). Testosterone levels in dominant sociable males are lower than in solitary roamers: physiological differences between three male reproductive tactics in a sociably flexible mammal. American Naturalist 173: 376-388.
• Schradin C, 2006. When to live alone and when to live in groups: ecological determinants of sociality in the African striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio, Sparrman, 1784). Belgian Journal of Zoology.
• Schradin C, 2006. Whole day follows of the striped mouse. J Ethol 24:37-43.

• Schradin C, Pillay N, 2005. Intraspecific variation in the spatial and social organization of the African striped mouse. Journal of Mammalogy 86: 99-107.

• Schradin C, Pillay N, 2004b. The striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) from the succulent karoo of South Africa: A territorial group living solitary forager with communal breeding and helpers at the nest. Journal of Comparative Psychology 118:37-47.

Further papers are available here.

List of the 49 previous field assistants

Samuel Lewis

September 2009 to June 2010. Biology student of the University of Manchester, U.K.

Rachel Hughes

September 2009 to June 2010. Biology student of the University of Manchester, U.K.

Erwan Cherel

June to December 2009. Biology student from France.

Claudia Menzel

October to Deczember 2009. Biology student of the University of Halle, Germany.

Stribling Stuber

September to December 2009. Biology student from the USA.

Nino Maag

September to November 2009. Biology student from the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Moritz Rövekamp

July to August 2009. Biology student from the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Stephanie Nakada

April to August 2009. Biology sudent from Canada.

William Brown

January to March 2009. Biology student from the U.K.

Ian Paynter

January to June 2009. Biology student from the U.K.

Lauriane Giroudot

January to March 2009. Biology student from France.

Laureen Keller

January to March 2009. Biology student from France.

Eve Davidian

December 2008 to February 2009. Biology student from France.

Viviana Reijak

August - September 2008. Biology student from the University of Munster, Germany.

Alessandra Schnider

July - August 2008. Biology student from the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Romy Höppli

July - August 2008. Biology student from the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Keenan Morisson

June - October 2008. Biology student from the University of Washington, USA.

Elena Zwirner

January - May 2008. Biology student from the University of Triest, Italy.

Claudia Sobe

January - March 2008. Biology student from the University of Berlin, Germany.

Edward Yuen

September 2006 - Juned 2007 and October 2007 - March 2008. Biology graduate from Manchester, U.K.

Dana Weldon

August - December 2007. Studied biology in Glasgow, U.K.

Missanga van de Sand

October - December 2007. Studied biology in Konstanz, Germany.

David Lehmann

August - September 2007. Studied biology in Trieste, France.

Jane Remfert

February - May 2007. Studied biology in Wisconsin, Madison, USA.

Maia Olsen

February - May 2007. Studied biology in Kopenhagen, Denmark.

Mirjam Baruetto

November 2006 - January 2007. Studied biology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Ramona Pötzinger

November 2006 - January 2007. Germany.

Tobias Feldt

August - Octoberl 2006. Studied landscape ecology at the University of Oldenburg, Germany.

Eva Jirka

March - April 2006. Studied biology at the University of Munster, Germany.

Stella Treffler

September 2005 to March 2006. Studied biology at the University of Cologne, Germany.

Julian Brenner

September 2005 to March 2006. Studied biology at the University of Cologne, Germany.

Berrit Kostka

January - March 2005. Studied biology at the University of Munster, Germany.

Lars Müller
December 2004 – January 2005. Studied conservation of the countryside at the advanced technical college of Dresden, Germany.

Daniel Weidner
December 2004 – January 2005. Studied conservation of the countryside at the advanced technical college of Dresden, Germany.

Brigitte Britz
January 2003, September 2003, May-December 2004.

Annette Wiedon
October – December 2004. Studied biology at the University of Münster, Germany.

Eva Krause
October – December 2004. Studied biology at the University of Nürnberg/Erlangen, Germany.

Madeleine Scriba
August – October 2004. Studied biology at the University of Münster, Germany.

Philipp Widmann
Juni – September 2004. Studied biology at the University of Münster, Germany.

Tanja Mahnkopf
August 2003 – January 2004. Studied biology at the University of Bremen, Germany.

Daniela Fischer
August – October 2003. Studied biology at the University of Münster, Germany.

Carola Schneider
October – December 2003. Studied biology at the University of Münster, Germany. She returned to Goegap in 2004 as a diploma student.

Doris Matthes
August – October 2003. Studied biology at the University of Freiburg, Germany

Christina Keller
August – October 2003. Studied biology at the University of Münster, Germany. She returned to Goegap in 2004 as a diploma student.

Michaele Fürst
July– September 2003. Studied biology at the University of Konstanz, Germany.

Melanie Schubert
September 2002 – January 2003. Studied biology at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. She returned to Goegap in 2004 as a diploma student.

Ruben Gutzat
December 2001 – January 2002. Studied biology at the University of Konstanz, Germany.

Johan Mathee
2001. Studied nature conservation in George, South Africa and spent 2001 a practical year in Goegap.

Michael Burmeister
2001. Studied nature conservation in George, South Africa and spent 2001 a practical year in Goegap.