The teaching staff consists of professionals who, besides teaching, dedicated most of their time to their areas of interest within the field of Biology. They also participate in relevant research projects (...)

Ana Sousa - Undergraduate degree in Biology in 2015 - 2016

1. What has been your career path after completing the course?

After I completed my undergraduate degree in Biology, I worked as a volunteer at the phytoplankton laboratory based at the Marine Biology Station in Funchal. My duties included marine microalgae tagging via optical microscopy of samples collected during an oceanographic campaign carried out off the coast of the Island of Madeira. Following this I completed a professional internship, via the Employment Institute in Madeira, at a local entity where several projects were carried out in partnership with the University of Madeira. My duties during the internship were essentially related to observation, tagging, measuring, isolation and cultivation of phytoplankton, analysis of nutrients in the sea water, sampling by using plankton and zooplankton nets and subsequent analysis.

2. Which aspects of your academic training were relevant to your profession?

It is without a doubt that most of the time and credits applied to the practical component of each subject were essential for carrying out my current job. Though it may seem fairly little when compared to the work carried out in the working context, the foundations acquired during fieldwork, laboratory practices and report work were essential for a smoother transition into the world of work.

3. Who would you recommend your course to?

I would recommend it to students interested in obtaining a qualification in the area of biology and life sciences. It is a wide ranging course which covers knowledge in several distinct subject areas. In my point of view this will ease the future process of having to choose an area for masters and/or doctorate. Seeing that I completed my undergraduate degree under the former study plan I was aware of a few flaws which were identified and corrected in light of the new plan.

4. Why the University of Madeira?

Regarding the Biology course I recommend the University of Madeira for several reasons. The teaching staff consists of professionals who, besides teaching, dedicated most of their time to their areas of interest within the field of Biology. They also participate in relevant research projects which are of great scientific interest. This being said, I believe their subject knowledge and experience, which is to be conveyed to students, is far greater. I also consider that the universiy is well prepared in terms of facilities and equipment used for practical and laboratory lessons. Besides this, the university is located on an island which is rich in biological aspects and protected habitats which are ideal for fieldwork. Another positive aspect is the fact that the university is a small place and allows for interaction between students from different courses. I consider this to be advantageous as one can extend knowledge to other fields of study and enhance interesting partnerships in research projects.

Ana Sousa - Undergraduate Degree in Biology

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