FEFU students present environmental trail projects for Primorsky Aquarium
The 4th year students of the ecology and nature management program, Institute of the World Ocean, Far Eastern Federal University (IWO, FEFU), worked on the projects of environmental trails (i.e. specially developed educational hiking trails) for the Primorsky Aquarium grounds over the course of their internship. On October 19th, they presented their projects to Aquarium staff.
The young ecologists demonstrated a variety of ideas on how to develop the walking area of the facility, which they divided into several zones: the hiking trails, the children’s playground, the historical military buildings on the Zhitkov Peninsula, the viewpoints and the seaside. The students created information signs, audio guide scripts, the layout and design of decorative arches, benches, litter bins and pavilions, - the things that are meant to provide better conditions for outdoor recreation of Vladivostok residents and guests.
“Doing projects like these give university students an excellent opportunity, on the one hand, to get familiar with the territory of the Zhitkov Peninsula, its unique ecosystem, a geological monument and cultural heritage objects located there, and on the other hand, to exchange fresh and practicable ideas,” said Vadim Pokrovsky, Head of the Education Department at the Primorsky Aquarium. “The teamwork between the Primorsky Aquarium and the FEFU Institute of the World Ocean is a fine example of productive cooperation between two institutions.”
“Our chair collaborates with the Primorsky Aquarium year-round – educators give lectures in the exhibit area, students perform their internship [here], and some of them select their thesis advisor from among staff at the Aquarium,” said Yulia Galysheva, Head of the UNESCO Chair in Marine Ecology at FEFU. “During such an internship, a student can not only choose a thesis topic but also find an employer. Many students, while still at university, start their working career in the partner organizations where they have done their on-the-job training. We hope that the projects made by our students will be used when building environmental trails and serve as a visual treat for visitors to the Primorsky Aquarium for a long time”.