About DEST
Our Mission
The Distributed European School of Taxonomy (DEST) offers education and training opportunities to students and professionals from any nationality studying, working or interested in the field of taxonomy, biodiversity, geodiversity and conservation.
DEST programmes
There are 3 types of training programmes within DEST that each focus on a different aspect of biodiversity research.
Read more about these programmes here.
1. Modern taxonomy programme
The Modern Taxonomy, Biodiversity, Geodiversity and Conservation programme provides theoretical knowledge, sometimes together with lab experience, for students (undergraduate, graduate, MSc & PhD) and professionals involved in the field of taxonomy, biodiversity, geodiversity and conservation.
Training can be on an individual basis or addressed to small groups of 5-20 students. Course duration is lasting from 5-10 working dates at a pre-defined date (in special cases the dates can be defined by mutual agreement between the expert and the trainee).
2. Expert-in-training programme
The main objective of the Expert-in-training programme is to give the opportunity to students (undergraduate, graduate, MSc & PhD) and professionals, involved in the field of taxonomy, biodiversity, geodiversity and conservation, to acquire and strengthen research skills and capacities on the above scientific fields.
The trainee will join a project team for a period between one or more weeks and will be coached by the expert(s) who will instruct him/her on ‘how to do the job’ in the lab and/or in outdoor activities, in the field. The training is sometimes blended supported also by theoretical lectures. Training is provided in small groups of 5-20 students at a pre-defined date.
3. Collection management programme
This training programme provides theoretical knowledge and IT skills and capacities mainly on natural history collections’ management from the data gathering and quality to large scale digitisation and archiving until the long term preservation and data publication.
Training is addressed to students (undergraduate, graduate, MSc & PhD) and professionals involved in the field of taxonomy, biodiversity, geodiversity and conservation and is provided in small groups of 5-20 students at a pre-defined date.
Background
DEST was established within the framework of the EU-funded project “European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT)” (2006-2011). It currently sits under the umbrella of the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF). The DEST consortium is open to new members to share their experience and to devote their expertise to improve the knowledge base and to foster the direct involvement of the CETAF scientific community in providing the highest-level quality of training and to reach out the broadest audience possible.
The current DEST consortium is composed of the following institutions:
