MSc programme Forest and Nature Conservation MFN

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MSc programme Forest and Nature
Conservation(MFN)
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Introduction

• Who are we?
• Programme director Gerrit Epema
• Study adviser Wim Braakhekke
• Secretary Brigitte van Beek

• Who are you?
• Students 51 new 9 BBN
• 52 female
• 22 from foreign countries
• 14 nationalities

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Roll call

• Foreign

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Roll call

• Dutch non-BBN

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Roll call

• Dutch BBN

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Purpose of this meeting getting started

• General information on the MSc programme
• Information sources (with web links)
• Scheduling academic calendar agenda - time
  tables
• Courses in the 1st period
• Registration for courses
• Finding course information (study handbook,
  planning booklet, EDUweb)
• Wageningen type of education
• The MFN-programme specialisations, theses,
  planning
• Download this presentation from the MFN-portal
  https//portal.wur.nl/C8/MFN/

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Forest, Nature, Man

• Ecology and conservation of (semi-) natural
  ecosystems (incl. forests)

• Ecology and conservation of (semi-) natural
  ecosystems (incl. forests)

• individual, ecosystem, landscape level
• plants, animals

• individual, ecosystem, landscape level
• plants, animals

• Forestry as economic activity
• Social and legislative aspects

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General information

• International character (students from WU,
  university BSc, professional MSc NL and abroad)
• MSc programmes at WU are thesis oriented and
  individual
• MFN has 3 specialisations (majors) (A. Policy, B.
  Management, C. Ecology)
• The program has a common part and a
  specialisation part
• Compulsory (CS), restricted optional (RO), and
  free choice (FC) courses
• Individual courses MSc thesis, internship
• Professional training courses
• Academic Consultancy Training (ACT)
  http//www.act.wur.nl/
• Modular Skills Training (MOS) https//portal.wur.n
  l/courses/MOS/default.aspx
• Personal study contract with study adviser
  (tentative ? final)

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Sources of information www.wur.nl/UK/education/

• Your Guide to Wageningen, Part 3 (2009 - 2011)
• http//www.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/370C0FD9-41FB-40E
  C-9445-324E2C486470/43792/YourguidetowageningenIII
  20092010.pdf
• Study Handbook (on line) http//csa.wur.nl/wpage8/
  xpage.aspx?xmlgids_xml.iread?Gidsjaar2009xsl/b
  ois/xsl/gids.xslcssgids.csslangusaappbois
• Scheduling website (on line) http//www.wageningen
  universiteit.nl/UK/education/studentinformation/St
  udyhandbookschedulingregister/Scheduling/
• Planning Booklet (on line) http//csa.wur.nl/meded
  elingen/rooster/nl/planningsboekjeonline20092010.x
  ls
• MFN website http//www.mfn.wur.nl/UK/
• MFN portal http//www.mfn.wur.nl/UK/Presentstuden
  ts/ (activate alert function)
• Student Charter rules, regulations, rights,
  duties http//www.wageningenuniversiteit.nl/UK/edu
  cation/studentinformation/Regulationsandstudent
  co-management
• Fellow students mentor, http//www.wsbv-sylvatica
  .nl/Joomla/
• Questions wim.braakhekke_at_wur.nl phone
  0317-482608 Lumen room 1.311

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Scheduling (1) www.schedule.wu.nl

• 5 periods per year 2 courses per period
• Period 1 to 4 1 morning and 1 afternoon course
• 6 weeks lectures/practical, 1 week self study, 1
  week exams
• (exams grades are between 1-10, above 5.5 is a
  pass.)
• Period 5 2 full time courses of 4 weeks each (1
  week for holidays)

• For important dates see Agenda
  http//www.wageningenuniversiteit.nl/UK/education/
  studentinformation/Studyhandbookschedulingregis
  ter/Agenda/default.htm20092010

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Scheduling (2)

• Lecture times (see course schedules)

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Courses in Period 1 (1)

• Period 1 afternoons (for all MFN students)
• REG-31306 Trends in FNC
• Monday Sept. 7 1330 hr Forum, room C213
• Literature Course outline and reader are
  provided online.

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Courses in Period 1 (2)

• Period 1 mornings (for most MFN students)
• YRM-20306 Research Methods in Environmental
  Sciences
• Monday Sept. 7 830 hr Forum, room C417
  group 1
• 1030 hr Forum, room C106 group 2
• Literature Kumar, R (2005) Research
  Methodology, A step-by-step guide for beginners.
  Sage 2nd edition (WUR-shop)
• Additional literature to be announced.

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Courses in Period 1 (3)

• For some Dutch professional MSc students (HBO)
• Mathematics Refreshment Course (HAVO ? VWO in
  Dutch)
• (study handbook ZRC-00800, no credits)
• Start Thursday Sept. 10 1715 1815 hr
  Forum, room C222
• Week 2 to 6 Monday Thursday 1715 1815 hr
  Forum, room C222
• MAT-14303 Basic Statistics
• Tuesday Sept. 8 830 hr Forum, room C92
• Literature - R.Lyman Ott and Michael Longnecker
  Statistical Methods and
• Data analysis (ISBN 0495109142, 6th
  edition)
• - Lecture Notes Basic Statistics (WUR Shop).

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Registration (1)

• University registration (each year)
  http//www.wageningenuniversiteit.nl/UK/education/
  studentinformation/formscsa/
• Required for WUR-net account e-mail, SSC online
  EDUweb, internet, library
• WUR-card for facilities like library, entrance,
  sport centre
• Course registration https//csa.wur.nl/air210/stu
  dent/
• required for cursory subjects, re-exams,
  graduation (not for theses and internships)

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Registration (2) Courses
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Registration (3)

• Registration deadlines 2 weeks in advance (see
  planning booklet)
• for period 1 (exception!) September 21 - exams
  October 9
• for period 2 courses October 16 exams
  December 4
• etc.
• Registration ACT 6 weeks in advance on ACT site
  http//www.act.wur.nl/
• Last minute information on EDUweb site of
  courses edu.web.wur.nl

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EDU-web personalized education portal

• EDUweb manual http//csa.wur.nl/mededelingen/ai
  r/nl/flyer-nl.pdf

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Wageningen type of teaching

• Work form varies lectures, tutorials, practical,
  excursions,
• attendance is compulsory, except for lectures
• Relation teacher-student informal
• Interactive, critical students are considered
  positive
• Not just reproducing knowledge
• Course evaluations

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Plagiarism

• It is plagiarism when you
• Buy or use a term paper written by someone else.
• Copy passages from the Web, a book, or an article
  and insert them into your paper without citing.
• Use terms or ideas of other persons without
  citing.
• Paraphrase a person's words without citing.
• Warning! Teachers use plagiarism detecting
  software to find passages copied from internet.
• Read the rules on plagiarism https//csa.wur.nl/m
  ededelingen/air/Fraud_and_plagiarism.htm
• https//csa.wur.nl/mededelingen/air/fraudandplagi
  arism.doc

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Miscellaneous

• Buy a computer or use one in the Forum building
• Cheap laptops on SURFSPOT www.surfspot.nl
• Most buildings have a wireless network
  http//wireless.wur.nl
• Use your WUR-mail address (not hotmail)
  https//webmail.wur.nl
• Activate the Alert function on the MFN-portal
  https//portal.wur.nl/C8/MFN/
• Take the Oxford Quick Placement Test at Language
  Services and follow the advise (register at the
  Info-point, Forum building, ground floor)
  http//www.languageservices.wur.nl/UK/

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Proficiency in English

• Letter from Language Services
• Oxford Quick Placement Test (30 min)
• Please respond to the invitation and take the
  test if you are not a native speaker
• Foreign students will be invited for August 31,
  September 1 or 2 from 930 till 1600 hr
• Dutch students will be invited for September 7, 8
  or 9 from 1730 till 1900 hr

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Important information more links

• Study handbook, schedules, student charter,
  registration forms http//www.wageningenuniversit
  eit.nl/UK/education/studentinformation
• Detailed time schedules of course only in the
  online study handbook
• EDUweb https//edu.web.wur.nl
• Student Service Desk Forum ground floor. Mo-Thu
  09001400 hr, Fri 0900-1230 hr Phone
  0317-482017 / 482680 https//csa.wur.nl/UK
• Webmail, Telework, etc. www.wur.nl/UK/ LOGIN
• MFN web page www.mfn.wur.nl/UK/
• MFN intranet portal https//portal.wur.nl/C8/MFN/
  (login with student student)
• Language Services www.languageservices.wur.nl/UK/
  
• Counseling and health service SSC desk, phone
  0317-483618

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MFN program 3 specializations, 4 theses

• A. Policy
• Forest and Nature Conservation Policy (FNP)
• B. Management
• Forest and Nature Conservation Policy (FNP)
• Forest Ecology and Forest Management (FEM)
• Nature Conservation and Plant Ecology (NCP)
• Resource Ecology (REG)
• C. Ecology
• Forest Ecology and Forest Management (FEM)
• Nature Conservation and Plant Ecology (NCP)
• Resource Ecology (REG)

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General programme

• Selection rules choose between or from
  different course clusters

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Specializations A. Policy
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Specializations B. Management
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Specializations C. Ecology
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Plan your own program

• Download the Study contract MFN 2009 Excel file
  from the MFN portal
• https//portal.wur.nl/C8/MFN/default.aspx
• Design your programme and planning (at least for
  the next period)
• Send it to the study advisor and make an
  appointment as soon as possible
• Choose an MSc thesis and a thesis project
• Thesis and Internship Project database
  http//tip.wur.nl/index.php
• Websites of the chair groups www.fnp.wur.nl ,
  www.fem.wur.nl , www.ncp.wur.nl , www.reg.wur.nl
  .

(Generation 2009)
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MSc thesis projects some examples

• Social safety in forests and nature areas
• Accessibility, recreation and forest in an
  increasingly urbanized Europe
• Farmer perceptions of environmental degradation
  in the Sierra de Manantlán biosphere reserve
  (western Mexico)
• Gap dynamics in forest reserves
• Effects of timing of fire and grazing on bush
  encroachment
• Elephant diet choice in Mopane woodlands
• Nutrient balance and species richness in
  grasslands
• How did plant diversity change at the Veluwe in
  the 20th century?
• OWN IDEAS? consult lecturers or thesis contact
  persons of the chair groups (see MFN portal
  https//portal.wur.nl/C11/Contact20overview/defau
  lt.aspx)

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• QUESTIONS ??