Zoology-2018. Results of the Field Training Practice
The latest field training practice for 1st and 2nd year students at the biological station in Haidary has concluded. Below are its brief results.
The field training practice for 1st and 2nd year students of 2018 has concluded. It went reasonably well; among other things, without any emergency incidents.
Development of the biological station continues. Second-year students could observe several improvements in the station's operation and in the organisation of the practice compared to the previous year. These include:
— the teaching laboratory in the lower yard was rebuilt from scratch and is now significantly better;
— mycology and soil science were added to the first-year programme;
— convenient desks replaced the old tables in many laboratories;
— a new water supply system was installed; the tap water at the biological station is now safe to drink;
— students received new, comfortable mattresses and pillows in place of the old ones;
— medical services were provided by a "photo-paramedic" who not only administered first aid but also served as a photographer and chronicler;
— the permanent toilet facility (built the previous year) was connected to the central sewage system, eliminating unpleasant odours;
— the security service (established after the previous year's practice) ensured the absence of unwanted night visitors at the biological station;
— transportation of students to and from the biological station was provided free of charge on a comfortable university bus;
— most students received their per diem allowances directly to their bank cards during the practice (those who lacked scholarship cards or failed to submit their travel assignment paperwork on time did not receive them);
— the canteen (in my assessment) provided not only sufficient but also tasty meals.
Some problems were related to suboptimal organisation of the hot shower facility. Water heated by sunlight was insufficient, and chopping firewood to heat the boiler was laborious and inconvenient. However, these difficulties were endured; we will work to improve the situation next year. It is hoped that improvements to the practice organisation will continue in the coming year.
Now for the results of the 2nd year students. The grade for the practice is a single, combined mark covering both higher plant botany and vertebrate zoology. These grades are presented in the table below. I will explain the zoology grade in more detail.
The test scores for ichthyology-herpetology and ornithology-theriology exceeded the maximum for several students. This is due to the fact that the results of the "second wave" students (those who began with botany and finished with zoology) were somewhat better than those of the "first wave" (zoology followed by botany). The conversion coefficients from the number of correct answers to points were calculated for the first wave and were not adjusted for the second.
The primary component of the grade is the students' research work. Grades for the individual projects are presented in the table. The instructors' assessment of each student's relative contribution to the overall result is reflected in the project grade. The "baseline" project grade is 12 points. We reduced this grade for students who could have performed better, and raised it for those who carried the bulk of the shared work. In addition, a number of students had their project grades raised to bring their total zoology score to a round figure (e.g., from 89 to 90 points). This may have been unnecessary, as it did not account for averaging with the botany grade.
|
Overall |
By year |
Ichthyology-Herpetology |
Ornithology-Theriology |
Work |
SRSW Topic (provisional) |
|
|
Anikeieva |
90 |
Bot: 90 pts. |
52% |
20/20 |
SRSW: 30 pts. |
Birds of the biological station |
|
Antonenko |
82 |
Bot: 90 pts. |
35% |
8/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
FA of crucian carp |
|
Bielievtsova |
96 |
Bot: 100 pts. |
63% |
13/20 |
SRSW: 35 pts. |
Ploidy of crucian carp from Koryakov ravine |
|
Biliaiev |
98 |
Bot: 100 pts. |
69% |
9/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
HPCS of green frogs at Iskov pond |
|
Bondarenko |
100 |
Bot: 100 pts. |
70% |
16/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
HPCS of green frogs at Iskov pond |
|
Bratchenko |
86 |
Bot: 90 pts. |
48% |
13/20 |
SRSW: 35 pts. |
Hedgehogs of the biological station |
|
Budytska |
89 |
Bot: 93 pts. |
55% |
16/20 |
SRSW: 25 pts. |
FA of roach and rudd |
|
Budko |
69 |
Bot: 85 pts. |
48% |
4/20 |
SRSW: 30 pts. |
Analysis of wood warbler songs |
|
Buriakivska |
85 |
Bot: 80 pts. |
48% |
18/20 |
SRSW: 35 pts. |
Hedgehogs of the biological station |
|
Vysokosova |
95 |
Bot: 100 pts. |
43% |
14/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
Vocalisation of Tawny Owl nestlings |
|
Volkovska |
87 |
Bot: 95 pts. |
47% |
14/20 |
SRSW: 30 pts. |
Marmot colonies |
|
Harbuz |
99 |
Bot: 100 pts. |
59% |
15/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
HPCS of green frogs from Koryakov ravine |
|
Horodnycheva |
84 |
Bot: 93 pts. |
39% |
18/20 |
SRSW: 25 pts. |
FA of roach and rudd |
|
Denysenko |
87 |
Bot: 100 pts. |
35% |
12/20 |
SRSW: 35 pts. |
Ploidy of crucian carp from Koryakov ravine |
|
Zinchuk |
85 |
Bot: 80 pts. |
46% |
19/20 |
SRSW: 35 pts. |
Hedgehogs of the biological station |
|
Kovalchuk |
87 |
Bot: 90 pts. |
46% |
15/20 |
SRSW: 35 pts. |
Ploidy of green frog tadpoles |
|
Kovalchuk |
91 |
Bot: 90 pts. |
56% |
17/20 |
SRSW: 35 pts. |
Ploidy of green frog tadpoles |
|
Koptevtsova |
63 |
Bot: 93 pts. |
50% |
10/20 |
SRSW: 0 pts. |
not completed |
|
Kostina |
82 |
Bot: 75 pts. |
48% |
17/20 |
SRSW: 35 pts. |
Analysis of frog mating calls |
|
Pasiakova |
78 |
Bot: 90 pts. |
46% |
6/20 |
SRSW: 30 pts. |
Analysis of wood warbler songs |
|
Romenska |
88 |
Bot: 85 pts. |
46% |
19/20 |
SRSW: 35 pts. |
Small mammals |
|
Rybalka |
91 |
Bot: 95 pts. |
42% |
13/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
FA of crucian carp |
|
Rykova |
95 |
Bot: 100 pts. |
50% |
14/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
Behaviour of white wagtail |
|
Siervatovska |
88 |
Bot: 85 pts. |
48% |
12/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
HPCS of frogs at Dobrytskyi pond |
|
Skliar |
40 |
Bot: 8 pts. |
46% |
11/20 |
SRSW: 30 pts. |
Underwater video recording of fish |
|
Sudarenko |
95 |
Bot: 95 pts. |
54% |
15/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
HPCS of frogs at Koryakov ravine |
|
Suchkova |
82 |
Bot: 90 pts. |
46% |
12/20 |
SRSW: 30 pts. |
Birds of the biological station |
|
Teplenko |
97 |
Bot: 100 pts. |
45% |
19/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
HPCS of frogs at Dobrytskyi pond |
|
Tetianina |
88 |
Bot: 85 pts. |
52% |
16/20 |
SRSW: 35 pts. |
Small mammals |
|
Cherkasova |
80 |
Bot: 90 pts. |
46% |
8/20 |
SRSW: 30 pts. |
Marmot colonies |
|
Chuprakova |
86 |
Bot: 82 pts. |
44% |
17/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
Vocalisation of Tawny Owl nestlings |
|
Shapovalova |
95 |
Bot: 100 pts. |
57% |
15/20 |
SRSW: 30 pts. |
Analysis of wood warbler songs |
|
Shuba |
96 |
Bot: 100 pts. |
50% |
15/20 |
SRSW: 40 pts. |
Behaviour of white wagtail |
|
Shulandt |
70 |
Bot: 75 pts. |
29% |
10/20 |
SRSW: 30 pts. |
Underwater video recording of fish |
|
Yatsun |
81 |
Bot: 90 pts. |
35% |
14/20 |
SRSW: 30 pts. |
Marmot colonies |
An important outcome of the practice is the student research and scientific work (SRSW), which yielded new results. I will not comment on the SRSW projects from disciplines other than batrachology, but for the batrachology-related projects I will list those whose results are unequivocally ready for publication. These are:
— the hybrid population complex (HPCS) composition of green frogs in the Lower Dobrytskyi pond (Liza Siervatovska and Yulia Teplenko);
— the HPCS composition of green frogs in Iskov pond (Yulia Sudarenko and Dmytro Harbuz);
— the HPCS composition of green frogs in Koryakov ravine (Ivan Biliaiev and Heorhii Bondarenko);
— the ploidy of green frog tadpoles from the Lower Dobrytskyi pond (Nastia Kovalchuk and Natasha Kovalchuk).
The bioacoustics study conducted by Ivanna Kostina would benefit greatly from supplementary data — and its results should, of course, be published.
The main conclusion is straightforward: one must keep working!