doing their internship at SANparks, in the Kruger National Park, South
Africa. After some intense months of preparation guided by their EORC
supervisor Dr. Mirjana Bevanda and supported by the PhD student Antonio
Castaneda-Gomez, they were well prepared for their Earth Observation
studies in the african savannah. The next months they will spend their
internship assisting the resident ecologists Corli Coetzee and Ben
Wigley with their earth observation expertise. Already, they collected
countless hours in the field sampling trees and fighting through thorny
presumably snake-invested savanna shrubs, while enjoying the view of
elephants, giraffes, and a seemingly infinite number of antelopes. The
data they collect will serve as important ground truth data for their
ongoing research, where they will use UAS imagery to investigate the
effects of droughts on different savanna tree and shrub species.
But an internship is not just experiencing Earth Observation research.
Marlene and Anna are always eager to enjoy the incredible landscape and
spot the unfamiliar wildlife. On a recent bird-watching walk, they
learned a lot about trees since they could not spot any of the birds.
Having made many vet friends they also had the opportunity to take part
in a lion necropsy, that caused them fear of revenge when multiple caged
lions managed to break out right next door to them. Our students are
very thankful for the opportunity and eager to explore the fascinating
ecosystem around them.