COURSE REVIEW BY  Jonathan Stephens :

Through the six weeks of the course I learnt a lot about the lives of ants, their roles in the 
ecosystem, their behaviour and a new topic for me, forming an entomological collection of ants.
As an Ant keeping hobbyist I thought I new quite a bit, but the course showed me how little I 
know. The professor of the course, Dr Bert Candusio, was a more engaging teacher than any of my 
school teachers through his knowledgeable, passionate and clear speaking, his use of ‘olden day’
university projectors and information filled resources made the course a very fun, exciting and
unique experience. From this course I have started the basics of owning and building up an ant 
specimen collection and I have a greater appreciation of ants and their role within the ecosystem.
I will definitely be going back and attend more courses! :)

COURSE REVIEW BY  Kylie McGenniskin:

Professor Candusio is an EXCELLENT speaker and engaging teacher. I have a fair bit of experience
working with insect collections, and I still learnt new things about even that topic that will 
make prepping and maintaining my own collections that much more efficient. This course was worth
every cent and I only wished it was longer. The venue was also excellent, disability friendly 
with bathroom and kitchen facilities. The handouts and resources given will continue to be useful
to me for years to come. I signed up for this course with a little trepidation; as I was not overly
fond of ants. At the same time, I felt as if I should learn something about them because I knew 
so very little. I left with newfound knowledge and respect for this incredible group of insects.
I was fascinated by the beauty of these tiny creatures, most of which is difficult to see with
the naked eye. I was astounded by the diversity of species and complexity of their behaviour. 
Many thanks to everyone who made this course possible, I look forward to seeing C.V.R.I.C. 
cover more insect groups in the future.

COURSE REVIEW BY Clair McCarthy:

I was a little hesitant at first - I chose the online version since I could not make it to the 
in-person course – but there was no reason for concern as both the content and teacher were 
incredibly engaging. So many topics about ants were covered, from their ecological roles and
specimen preservation to capture and even caring for ants! Bert spoke with such passion; you 
couldn’t help but get drawn into the world of ants. The guest speaker who taught us about ant
captive care was also remarkable. It was an amazing start to a new passion, and I am looking 
forward to trying out the different capture techniques and even mounting specimens. Thank you 
so much Bert for offering this – it was perfect.