Field Education and Excursions
Since its inauguration in 2019, the ALPSTREAM Center has hosted numerous field-based educational activities organized by the University of Turin and the University of the Eastern Piedmont.
In this context, since 2020, ALPSTREAM is the base for the Summer School in Biomonitoring and Biodiversity Conservation organized by the University of Turin. During the Summer School, the PhD students from UNITO have the opportunity to participate in a two-days of field and laboratory activities at the ALPSTREAM Center, engaging in disciplines related to their doctoral programs, such as the conservation of alpine fauna (both invertebrates and vertebrates), plant ecology, hydrobiology, and the biotechnological applications of microorganisms. Faculty members from the School of Natural Sciences’ doctoral programs give to the Summer School a distinctly interdisciplinary character.
The second edition of the PhD Summer School took place on June 27–28, 2022, at the ALPSTREAM Center in Ostana, Monviso Park. This year, the Summer School focused on Biomonitoring and Biodiversity Conservation and was coordinated by Professor Francesca Bona. Participating faculty included Sandro Bertolino, Simona Bonelli, and Dan Chamberlain. Fourteen PhD students from the SBBA program explored principles and techniques for studying animal populations (mammals, lepidopterans, and birds) in alpine environments.
Specialized and advanced training courses for technicians and experts in various fields of river ecology are also organized. ALPSTREAM enabled multi-level education as well as accessible scientific communication that can be applied across diverse domains. Understanding rivers is crucial for managing natural areas and implementing various types of interventions. At ALPSTREAM, we believe in the importance of educating as many people as possible, starting with the youngest.
In 2021, the Center served as the main venue for the first edition of the UNITA's Rural Mobility program (Universitas Montium), a consortium of universities from different European countries characterized by mountainous areas. In this context, students from France, Romania, Spain, Italy, and Portugal were hosted for three weeks in the Monviso area as part of a mobility program designed for university students interested in the topics of mountains and rural areas. During these three weeks, participants explored various aspects of the complex and ancient relationship between humans and the Alps, from natural, cultural, and socio-economic perspectives.
Key success of the project was the involvement of local stakeholders, including the Municipality of Ostana, the VisoaViso cooperative, Monviso Park, CACN1, ATAAI, the Vesulus Association, the Monviso Institute, and various mountain professionals. Ostana and ALPSTREAM are committed to hosting this important initiative in future editions. Moreover, this program highlights the significant potential of our Center in contributing to the internationalization of research and university-level education.
In 2022, the Alpstream group won the first edition of the EUROPEAN IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP PHOTO & VIDEO CONTEST in the VIDEO category, organized by UNITA.
"This video is the result of a collaboration among DBIOS students (both international and Italian). We wanted to share our vision of European identity by representing a strong bond between us (symbolized in the video by the blue woolen thread). We believe that the presence of international students at the university represents a united and welcoming Europe, where everyone can meet, learn, create projects, and form strong connections. European identity knows no geographical or cultural boundaries and is continually enriched by all these exchanges, which are essential for young people," explains Anna Marino, director and creator of the video titled "unit-eu."
The video, almost entirely shot at the DBIOS (Via Accademia Albertina), features Anna Marino (an SBBA PhD student), Zoé Schuster (an Erasmus traineeship student), Marta Zoppi (a research fellow), and several master and PhD students from the Alpstream Laboratory (Isabella Conrado, Marta Sacco, Laura Caria, Filippo Ferrati, Federico Mina, Silvia Bertolotti, Maria Cristina Candelero, and Laura Gruppuso).
For several years, university professors from the ALPSTREAM group have combined traditional classroom teaching with experiential field-based education.
During field excursions, students have the opportunity to directly observe the main activities performed by a river ecologist during monitoring. They can use specialized field equipment and learn how it operates. Students themselves collect biological samples of macroinvertebrates, observe the specimens directly on-site, sample phytobenthos communities, and have the chance to witness fish sampling through electrofishing. The collected samples are later analyzed in laboratory sessions integrated into the courses following the excursions.
