Harvard Summer Program in Borneo
At a Glance
Dates:
June 1–July 9, 2010
Application deadline:
February 5
Cost:
$6,000
Accommodations:
Hotel, bunkhouses, tent
Physical activity required
Slideshow
Related Link
Contact
- Campbell Webb, e-mail
Harvard College students can attend an information session for this program.
An exploration of tropical biodiversity in the Malay archipelago
Featuring a joint course with the Center for Tropical Forest Science–Arnold Arboretum Asia program
Faculty: Campbell Webb, Stuart Davies, and additional faculty from Harvard
The island of Borneo holds a special place in Western cultural imagination as a wilderness of unexplored jungle and exotic forest peoples. In today’s reality, Borneo is less romantic but far more complex: a vast island (larger than Texas) of outstanding biological, geographical, and cultural diversity, exploited by multinational logging, mining, and oil-palm corporations. In its parks, visitors can still encounter some of the highest local biodiversity on Earth, from orangutans, hornbills, and thousands of tree species to breathtakingly beautiful coral reefs. At the same time, Borneo offers an excellent case study of the challenges facing nature conservation in the tropics. Our 5-week program in Malaysian Borneo (Sarawak and Sabah) immerses the participants in the biology, conservation issues, and culture of this amazing island. A cornerstone philosophy of the program is that only by personally grappling with the morphological and ecological variation among species can one truly understand the meaning of biodiversity.
At the beginning of the program, we assemble in Kota Kinabalu, in the Malaysian state of Sabah, then head straight to Lambir National Park in Sarawak, where students wander in the magnificent lowland forests and start formulating biological questions that they attempt to answer over the coming weeks. Lambir is the site of one of the long-term 50-hectare forest dynamics plots of the joint Center for Tropical Forest Science–Arnold Arboretum program, and students study plant identification and complete an independent project. We also visit the giant Niah cave, an important human prehistoric site dating back 40,000 years.
Back in Kota Kinabalu we spend a week on Gaya Island, comparing and contrasting terrestrial diversity with marine coral and fish diversity, highlighting the similar mechanisms thought to promote each. We then climb through various vegetation zones to the summit of Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain between the Himalayas and the tropical glaciated peaks of New Guinea, and a diversity hotspot even within Borneo. In an applied section, we visit oil-palm and sustainable logging operations and study forest rehabilitation strategies. At the last and most remote site, the Maliau Basin, we start with a 4-day trek. We observe the wide range of vegetation types—from stunted, open woodland (kerangas) to 60-meter lowland dipterocarp forest—and stay along the way in basic bush camps. Back at the research station outside the basin, students do a second independent project that culminates in a formal presentation in Kota Kinabalu on the final day.
Course of study
BIOS S-165 Study Abroad in Borneo, Malaysia: The Biodiversity of Borneo (32406)
Stuart Davies and Campbell Webb.
(8 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
This course focuses on the evolutionary and ecological processes that lead to the amazingly high biodiversity of Borneo as well as the issues that seriously threaten that diversity today. Study involves a demanding mix of lectures, field projects, and personal exploration, with local and international experts as instructors. The course also offers a unique cross-cultural experience, as the 10 Summer School participants join a similar number of students and young scientists from Southeast Asian countries. The team moves among a number of sites, visiting the major forest, mountain, and marine environments in Borneo. At some sites students participate in group data collection, and at others they learn to conduct short independent research projects. A common thread throughout the course is statistical analysis using a software program called R. Students receive instruction in tropical forest ecology, plant systematics and biogeography, entomology, coral reef ecology, cultural anthropology, tropical conservation and management issues, and tropical medical issues and their environmental causes and consequences.
Prerequisites: students get the most from the program if they have taken one of the following Harvard College courses (or equivalents): Foundations of Biological Diversity (OEB 10), Evolutionary Biology (OEB 53), or Ecology (OEB 55). However, there are no official prerequisites, and students are invited to discuss their academic preparation with the program director.
Course credit
See Study Abroad Credit Information.
Faculty
Campbell Webb, Program Director; Senior Research Scientist, Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University. Webb has been studying the evolution and maintenance of plant biodiversity in Borneo and Southeast Asia for 18 years. Besides being an experienced field biologist, he has developed theory and software tools for the integration of phylogenetic information into community ecology.
Stuart Davies, Director of Asian Programs, Harvard University Arnold Arboretum
Additional faculty from Harvard University
Application
Students must be at least 18 years old, have completed at least 1 year of college or be a first-year student, and be in good academic standing to apply.
The application materials, outlined below, are due February 5:
- A completed online application (available in early December) that includes the following:
- A $50 nonrefundable application fee
- A supplementary statement describing interest in the program, relevant coursework, and travel experience (previous travel is not a prerequisite)
- An e-mail sent to Dr. Webb at cwebb@oeb.harvard.edu with the following attachments:
- A list of the courses that appear in the official transcript (as a PDF or plain-text document)
- A digital version of the complete supplementary statement (as a PDF or plain-text document)
- Official transcripts (sent directly to the address below; unofficial transcripts are accepted for Harvard College students only)
Transcripts should be addressed as follows:
Matilda West
Study Abroad Coordinator
Harvard Summer School
51 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Students will be notified of admission decisions by late February or early March.
Cost
The cost of the program is $6,000 and a nonrefundable $50 application fee. This covers the following:
- Tuition
- Room and most meals
- Course-related excursions
In addition to the program fee, students are responsible for:
- A health insurance fee ($175; waived if students have US insurance that provides coverage outside the United States)
- Transportation to and from Kota Kinabalu (suggested routing via Kuala Lumpur on Malaysian Airlines)
- Basic hiking gear (backpack, boots, etc.) and snorkeling gear (mask, fins, and snorkel)
- The cost of passports and visas (if the latter is needed)
- Any immunizations
A list of required equipment will be provided. Program directors will advise students of likely additional expenses. A sample budget for estimating expenses will be available soon.
How to pay and funding options
See How to Pay for payment deadlines, deposit amounts, and more information including funding options for Harvard College students.
Accommodations
In Kota Kinabalu students share rooms in a comfortable, clean hotel. At field sites, accommodations are more basic (e.g., bunkhouses) but, again, clean and safe. We camp in tents for a few days on Gaya Island and Maliau Basin. Students should bring personal mosquito nets.
Physical activity
This program immerses students in tropical biology in the field, thus a reasonable level of fitness is advisable. Several long hikes are planned (Niah, Gunung Kinabalu, and Maliau Basin), but alternative activities can be found if necessary. Prior snorkeling experience is not required.
Additional information
See the Biodiversity of Borneo website or contact Campbell Webb, cwebb@oeb.harvard.edu, phone +62-813-991-77663.
Students with disabilities should contact the disability services coordinator as soon as possible. See Students with Disabilities for more information.