#danaugirang

The three teams followed a totally bespoke program; two running back to back in October 2014, and the final group in this trilogy on Chinese New Year 2015. The bespoke program is delivered and facilitated in complete collaboration with Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC). This unique program is a privilege to run and cascade to the lucky individuals who are selected to attend. I can speak with confidence when I say I know all the teachers who were selected to chaperone had nothing but incredibly high praise for the content and experience given to the Year 9 students.

The expedition is a residential program, facilitated predominantly at the DGFC research centre in the heart of the Kinabatangan. Students work alongside residential PhD and undergraduate students, who are conducting projects that are current and critically important to the wildlife conservation and environmental research projects both in this unique and incredibly rich and diverse but seriously threatened region, and globally. The research being conducted at the centre is also part of a much larger global effort to understand and act before certain bio regions are lost, thus wiping out the environment for countless endemic species of flora and fauna here in Sabah. The teams also conducted river pollution surveys and clearing up sessions, secondary forest regeneration projects, take part in laboratory science work, conduct dawn and dusk primate surveys from the river to name but a few.

The end of this program found our team of potential future field scientists staying at a local kampong (village), in a very well organised homestay project. Live, eat and sleep with local families learning and teaching in a wonderful cultural exchange, a fitting end to a simply incredible expedition!

UWCSEA is already lining up its October shortlist, so the only thing remaining is to make sure I get to lead it again!