Bournemouth University Research Associate Katie Thompson from the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (SciTech) was delighted to be accepted on to the prestigious European Space Agency Earth observation summer school for two weeks this month. The course took place at ESRIN headquarters in Rome, which is the ESA establishment responsible for managing the operation and exploitation of ESA’s Earth Observation satellites. It was a fantastic opportunity to work together with experts as well as 70 fellow PhD and Postdoctoral students from a broad range of different research institutions. The summer school focused on concepts of remote sensing, Earth system science, modelling and monitoring, and how data can be used to better understand the world we live in. Further research developments will play a essential part of Katie’s research, concerning African savanna elephants (Loxodonta Africana) and their impacts at an ecosystem level that will rely on analysis of remotely sensed imagery to elucidate vegetation dynamics.