Each student’s research related somehow to the theme of the course, “Indonesia’s experiences with hazards, disasters or disaster risk reduction”. Research topics varied from the connection between Indonesia’ extractive mining industry and hazards, to the role of women in improving health outcomes from Indonesia’s disasters. Primary research was carried out by each student while in Indonesia, and involved discussions with key informants, and direct experiences and observation of a variety of disaster sites.
The conference experience benefitted students in multiple ways: each student now has either an oral presentations or poster to add to their CV, and all students were invited by symposium organizers to publish a summary of their results in CRHnet's online journal "HazNet". As well, all of the graduate students applied for and won a CRHnet travel bursary which both added to their list of accomplishments and helped keep costs to a minimum. Only one of the undergraduates and two of the three grads had ever presented at an academic conference, so the conference experience will certainly add to student competitiveness for future grad school or scholarship applications. As an added bonus, while in Montreal several students took in a Montreal Canadiens game against the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Canadiens won!
You can see additional photos from the Montreal trip via the fieldcourse open facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Geography-430c692-Field-Course-Hazards-and-Disasters-in-Indonesia-1012414935478594/