Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research and Australian National Herbarium Botanical Research, Conservation, Management and Use of the Australian Flora

MEDIA RELEASE

28 February 2002

UNIQUE BOTANICAL PROGRAM ATTRACTS TOP AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS AND INTERNATIONAL INTEREST

Seventeen botany and plant ecology students will today graduate from one of Australia’s top botanical research programs, based in Canberra.

Now in its tenth year, the 2002 Student Botanical Internship Program gives students significant scientific work experience at the Australian National Herbarium (ANH) part of the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research (CPBR), one of Australia’s most important environmental research facilities.

The two-month program mixes theory with practice. Students learn practical techniques in botany and conservation management and also receive lectures and seminars from leading research scientists and conservation managers.

Today’s graduates assisted with the Australian Virtual Herbarium Project, a joint partnership between the CPBR and the seven Australian State herbaria which aims to have all six million Australasian herbarium specimens in an Internet database by 2006.

The Student Botanical Internship Program is a full-time, volunteer program. Since its 1993 start up of eight students, 156 interns have passed through the program, representing 29 tertiary institutions and four botanical institutions.

Interest is not limited to Australian students – this year, for the third year in a row, a student from the United States has joined the program.

Erin Kimball, from Boston University, says the Program has been challenging, yet essential for her to be better prepared for working in science.

Erin says while most of the Interns’ work concentrated on the curation of the Australian National Herbarium’s collections, there was also the opportunity to assist researchers, and branch into scientific communication roles.

For further information: