Want to learn more about ants? Have some time and money you can spend this summer? Then think about taking Ant Course 2015!
The Ant Course is going to be held August 6-16, 2015 at the Southwestern Research Station in Portal, Arizona.
In case you were wondering, Portal is in southeastern Arizona on the east side of the gorgeous Chiricahua Mountains. Although it may seem like a hot, barren desert, Arizona is actually a fantastic place to study ants, with some 350+ species found here. We have honeypots, harvesters, leafcutters, and army ants, as well as bigheaded ants. etc.
Sponsored by California Academy of Sciences and Museum of Comparative Zoology (with funding from National Science Foundation), the Ant Course is intended to help individuals learn about ant field collection techniques and identification (they promise to genus).
To get you in the mood, here’s what happened when the course was offered in Arizona in 2011:
(Scary, isn’t it?)
Although the course is open to everyone, enrollment is limited to 30 people and priority will be given to students doing research. Check the Ant Course website for details and costs, as well as links to the application.
Deadline for applications: April 1, 2015
This just might be my year to give it a try. What about you?