UNISprout

What is UNISprout?

UNISprout is a project based on “bioSPIRE”, a project from bioCEED which is being run at the University of Bergen. UNISprout is run by bioCEED and iEarth and provides an arena for biology students at the University Centre in Svalbard to gain experience in practical work within biology and geology, providing opportunities for hands-on fieldwork, labwork, or other tasks.

The project will act as a bridge between bachelor students and master, PhD students, and staff at the departments of Arctic Biology (AB) and Arctic Geology (AG), UNIS. This project will form networks within the department and between different levels of education, as well as giving students a taste of what awaits them in the future and give an overview of what opportunities there are at UNIS. This may again stimulate students to do masters or PhDs at UNIS.

So how does UNISprout work?

Master students, PhD-students, or staff from the AB and AG departments at UNIS can send in a project to UNISprout. This project can be fieldwork for instance, and may have a long duration (over weeks), or a shorter duration (a week) for up to 40 work hours.

The projects are posted at the UNISprout webpage as soon as they are announced, and the bachelor students can then contact the project leader to show their interest.
The masters or PhD students will be academic mentors for the students, and thus gain valuable experience in mentoring. They will also get a helping hand, and a chance to practice presenting their research.

At the end of the course, a certificate with information about the project as well as learning outcomes will be given to the participating student(s).

What does it demand from you as a bachelor student?

Look at the “involvement” and “starting date/period” to make sure that you have the time to join, and that you’re not super-busy during this period. It is very important to know that this is volunteer work, meant to be done in your own time – so it should under no circumstances be prioritized over your other courses. Other than that, you should be willing to learn new things, and be ready to put in an effort. This is not a project with the sole purpose for you to get a certificate for your CV – you will in fact be participating in real scientific projects, and this will be very rewarding in many ways, but it requires that you do a good job.