ATTO 2026 Course for Field Assistants

Paulo Boca Class

Introduction

The course was developed within the SpectraPop Project, with the aim of training field assistants to work in scientific research in the Amazon, with a focus on safe practices, data organization and botanical collecting. Held at the ATTO (Amazon Tall Tower Observatory) site, the course combined theory and practice in a real forest environment, giving participants an immersive experience of field routines.

Promotional flyer for the training course for Field Assistants of the SpectraPop Project.

Course details

Where: ATTO Site – Amazon Tall Tower Observatory, Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve, São Sebastião do Uatumã, Amazonas, Brazil.

Date: March 23–30, 2026.

Target audience: Field assistants already working in the area and technicians interested in working as field assistants in scientific research in the Amazon, especially in botany, ecology and environmental data collection.

Number of places offered: 20 places.

Course load: 66 h (a certificate of participation will be issued).

Format: In person, with theoretical and practical activities carried out in a forest environment. The course was structured as an intensive program, with daily field routines, supervised practical activities and lectures in the evening.

Material: Field equipment, materials for botanical collecting, climbing gear, soil sampling instruments and supplies for sample preservation were used. Instructions were given directly during the practical activities.

Schedule

Overview

Participants received guidance on field safety, including moving along trails, use of equipment and conduct in a forest environment.
Principles of ethics in the collection of biological material were covered, respecting scientific and environmental regulations.
The activities involved an intense field routine, requiring physical fitness and adaptation to Amazonian conditions.

Timeline

See the full program (PDF, in Portuguese):

Team

Organizing committee

Dr. Flávia Machado Durgante (MAUA/ATTO/INPA)

Dr. Samyra Ramos Chaves (MAUA/INPA)

Dr. Caroline da Cruz Vasconcelos (MAUA/INPA)

MSc Kaio Cesar Marinho da Cunha (MAUA/INPA)

Roberta Pereira de Souza (ATTO)

Science communicators

Dr. Aline Radaelli Basso (ATTO)

Luciano Lima Francisco (MAUA/INPA)

Lecturers

Dr. Caroline da Cruz Vasconcelos (MAUA/INPA)

Dr. Dirce Leimi Komura (INPA)

Dr. Flávia Machado Durgante (MAUA/ATTO/INPA)

MSc Francisco Alcinei Gomes da Silva (ATTO)

MSc Francisco Javier Farroñay Pacaya (PDBFF/INPA)

Dr. Layon Oreste Demarchi (MAUA/INPA)

Dr. Michael John Gilbert Hopkins (INPA)

Sipko Marten Bulthuis (ATTO)

Dr. Vania Nobuko Yoshikawa (INPA)

MSc Yago Rodrigues Santos (ATTO)

Assistant lecturers

Alice Silva de Lima (INPA)

MSc Kaio Cesar Marinho da Cunha (MAUA/INPA)

Dr. Samyra Ramos Chaves (MAUA/INPA)

MSc Rafaela Araujo Ferreira Gurgel (MAUA/INPA)

Trainers

Francisco Marques Bezerra (Field assistant)

Jose Francisco Tenacol Andes Jr. (Field assistant)

Jose Raimundo Ferreira Nunes (Field assistant/Climber)

Ocirio de Souza Pereira (Field assistant)

Technical support

André Luiz Matos (Head cook, ATTO)

Antonio Huxley Melo do Nascimento (Logistics support, ATTO)

Adi Vasconcelos Brandão (Kitchen assistant, ATTO)

Valmir Ferreira Lima (Logistics support, ATTO)

Keven Muniz de Lima (Logistics support, ATTO)

Funding

This course is part of the Project “Popularization of the use of the Species Spectral Signature in the identification of trees in Sustainable Forest Management in the Amazon - SPECTRA POP”, funded by the Amazonas State Research Support Foundation (FAPEAM), Call No. 006/2024 - Mulher Faz Ciência (Process No. 01.02.016301.04984/2024-17).

The course also had the institutional support of INPA and its related initiatives and structures, including the ATTO Project, ATTO School, the MAUA Group and Editora INPA. This institutional integration strengthened the quality of the course, ensuring training aligned with excellent scientific research and with the real demands of fieldwork in the Amazon.