I just remembere that this week the Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation is hosting this immersion week in geospatial sciences and marine biology in San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico. The workshop includes 2 days of instructor led training covering an "Introduction to ArcGIS 9", using ESRI training materials and taught by an ESRI authorized instructor. The course also includes data collection in the lagoon and the opportunity to learn how to use some of the tools used by marine mammal scientists. More opportunities like this are available later this year.

Indeed I'm a bit envious of those who took advantage of this opportunity... imagine learning ArcGIS while accompanied by field biologists who are collecting data about whales in Baja ... cool! CERF hosts a variety of courses at its field stations. Courses are offered at all levels, from senior high-school to post-graduate.

Don't worry, there's more training opportunities in the near future including:

A weekend introduction to grey whale research methods and analysis techniques.

A two week course designed for high-school students which covers the basic theory and techniques of marine mammal and coastal ecology research. (July 2006) in partnership with EarthWatch

For photos and details on the San Ignacio Lagoon Grey Whale Migration trip See HERE

About CERF

The Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation is a non-profit organisation which conducts ecological research along the Pacific coast of North America. Its activities are currently centered around the grey and humpback whales of British Columbia and Baja California

Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation (CERF) http://cerf.bc.ca/