On a pair of sunny mornings, students congregate in a clump of woodland. They’re armed with measuring tape, long pieces of bamboo, and various other doodads of scientific origin, here to put theory into practice. Practicals might seem rote, but they’re an important aspect of education, where students gain an understanding of real-world conditions and develop their skills in an exposed but supervised setting. They learn by doing, which for some is additionally more useful than simply reading or observing.
In this particular practical, the students of the Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation study the structure and composition of vegetation: how to collect data, to monitor the woodland, and eventually how to determine changes in its composition, which can be an indicator of climate change, among other influences. They use several sampling methods to achieve this, and each one has its own conceptual underpinnings and usefulness. The idea is not just to learn each method but executing them out with the consistency and precision that enables replication. As noted by our narrator, Fina, this can be surprisingly difficult to do, but it’s ever so satisfying when the students finally figure it out.
Credits
Featuring the voice of
Syarafina Azzahra
Shot and edited by
Joaquim Baeta
Produced by
Siti Nurleily Marliana
Lab assistants
Afif Jundy Maulana
Ahmed Mortezza
Fathma ‘Ainusshifa’
Hira Nitya Subekti
Ikhlasul Amal
K.H. Mahadhevy Ryrathna Vidhantyka
Rofina Rima Permatasari
Shela Nur Alifah
Syarafina Azzahra
Zafiero Hasby Dzikri
Zenith Caitra A
Participating students
Adzroo Zhafarina Setyo Budi
Amarthya Aulia Vadela
Annisa Azka Nadine Wiseman
Ashma' Nabila Rayyan
Dzaky Naufal Nugraha
Esti Aulia Rahma
Felicia Nagata Christina
Gita Marsiijiutri
Gita Novi Fitriani
Gurita Destri Alvionita
Hafiz Aulia Putra
Kaka Pria Ananta
Lutfina Nuri Fahmida
Mahsa Sotya Ariantika
Jevan Nathaniel Malau
Juana Magdalena Siwu
Nabila Qatrunnada
Naura Fenadine
Muhammad Rafi Al Farid
Muhammad Rizky Azhari
Randjani Azra Erwina
Rinduana Satiti Putri Basuki
Safira Zahra Raihanika
Sagita Syahra Nur Rolis
Satria Muqid Nurhidayat
Siti Lis Rofiqoh
Widyadhari Tara Jagaddhita
Supervising lecturer
Siti Nurleily Marliana
Music
'rosy' by Moki McFly, from the album Addition Hills via blocSonic, https://blocsonic.com/releases/moki-mcfly/addition-hills/, CC BY-NC-SA
Made with the kind support of
ghostwheel
