Columbia University hosted their annual Tropical Biology field course at Mpala Research Centre in January 2026. The 15-day immersion in field biology brought together a dozen or so undergraduate students. Led by Professor Dustin Rubenstein, this course introduced students to tropical biology, savanna ecology, animal behavior, and conservation biology through intensive field research training.
After being introduced to Mpala’s ecosystems and learning how to identify its mammals, birds, and trees, students designed and conducted four small research projects over the two week period.
The primary goal of this course is for the students to learn to implement the scientific method. They developed questions based on field observations, proposed hypotheses, designed experiments, collected data, analyzed the data with statistics, and wrote multiple drafts of small group research papers.
In addition, students read and presented a series of research papers covering key topics in ecology, behavior, and conservation, most of which have been conducted at Mpala or elsewhere in East Africa. By the end of their two weeks at Mpala, students gain an understanding of the savanna ecosystem and they learn how to do real scientific research.
“Students from Columbia University participating in the Tropical Ecology course have the opportunity to learn from research papers based on studies historically conducted at Mpala Research Centre, but also broader savannah ecosystem. Alongside this, they have the chance to visit field sites of specific research projects, make field observations, develop projects, collect data, analyze it, and write reports. This course therefore provides both theoretical and practical knowledge in designing research experiments. In this photo, students are visiting a boma and learning about the boma formation process.”
Dr. Frane Babarović, Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow, Ghent University and Columbia University
Authors:
Agata Rigo Saitta, Princeton in Africa Fellow
Dr. Dustin Rubenstein, Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology at Columbia University