Course Program

This course is equivalent to 3 Academic Credits (135 Hours)

Note: The schedule below is tentative and subject to change based on field conditions, instructor availability, and logistical considerations.

Course Orientation (Online) | 1 July 2026

The orientation will explain the pre-course assignments and reading materials, how to access learning platforms, using GitHub and GitHub Codespaces for computer assignments, schedules, and communication tools.

Pre-Course assignments

Prior to the start of the course, participants are assigned several tasks:

  • Reading materials and basic coding skill preparation
  • 1-2 minutes introduction video about you and why you are interested to join this course
  • An essay on the current challenges faced by Tropical Biodiversity and opportunities in the age of data and AI

Pre-Course (Online) | 6 - 9 July 2026

Day Date Session Topic Activities
Day 1 Mon, 6/7/26 Online Tropical Biodiversity in the Data Age Lectures on biodiversity challenges, data types, and course overview
Day 2 Tue, 7/7/26 Online Study Design, Sampling, & Metadata Sampling design, metadata standards, ethics and mini exercise
Day 3 Wed, 8/7/26 Online Genomics for Biodiversity Assesment Bioinformatics practicals on metabarcoding, metagenomics, and biodiversity analysis
Day 4 Thu, 9/7/26 Online From Data to Impact Bioprospecting, GIS data analysis, policy case studies

Onsite Course | 13 - 19 July 2026

Day Date Session Topic Activities
Optional Event Sun, 12/7/26 Welcoming Dinner Greetings and getting to know each other
Day 5 Mon, 13/7/26 Lab Welcoming Ceremony & Field Sampling Preparation Opening session, course briefing, introduction to field and safety protocols
Day 6 Tue, 14/7/26 Field Field Sampling Day 1 (Terrestrial Ecosystems) Terrestrial sampling (soil, plants, insects), environmental measurements, GIS data acquisition using drones
Day 7 Wed, 15/7/26 Field Field Sampling Day 2 (Coastal/Intertidal) Intertidal sampling, water sampling, ecological observations, metadata recording
Day 8 Thu, 16/7/26 Lab From Sample to DNA DNA extraction, quality control (QC), Library Preparation for Next-Generation Sequencing
Day 9 Fri, 17/7/26 Computer From Genomes to Landscapes Sequence data processing, integrating biodiversity data with GIS and spatial mapping
Day 10 Sat, 18/7/26 Biodiversity Summit From Data to Decisions Group presentations, translating results into policy recommendations, discussion & closing

Post Course assignments

Participant will be assigned to create a project report or analysis portofolio on what they learn during the course using GitHub pages.