Field examination at Nam Nao National Park, Petchabun province, northern Thailand. On February 8, 2014, a group of first year students in Ecology Laboratory course took their first field exam at the Park, Thailand's second national park established in 1972. The Park covers areas of about 1,000 square kilometres (390 sq mi). It is home to more than 100 species of birds and various vegetation from grassland, dry Dipterocarp, mixed deciduous, and pine forests to montane evergreen.
After a semester long of learning in the lab, basically taking places on KKU campus, about basic ecology study e.g., sampling techniques, vegetation analysis, growth and limiting factors, succession, etc., students designed their own plan for an ecological study in real setting environments. Students work in group in different assigned ecosystems, including montane evergreen forest, dry Dipterocarp forest, mixed vegetative community of Pine, Oak and Dipterocarp species, Pine forest and aquatic ecosystem. After the field exam, they will present their study findings to a group's advisor together with report submission in a following week.
Some students expressed "I was so nervous about the exam". Some said "I couldn't sleep well the night before the exam because I worried that I wouldn't wake up on time for the trip". And for many students, this was their first time visiting the Park or even traveling outside their hometown region. But above all everyone worked with their group members--sharing ideas, arguing, screaming, sweating, and having a good time with friends and the nature. That is the real hand-on experience, isn't it?
This trip and field examination wouldn't be possible without helps from KKU's vehicle unit, Nam Nao National Park, Dept. of Environmental Science faculty and staff members, and all students from Dept. Of Biology, Microbiology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science KKU.