Full Myco Course (online - start any time)

This online course will cover the fundamentals of mycology, identifying and cultivating fungi, human uses for fungi and land management with fungi. Lessons will be pre-recorded and learners will have a weekly opportunity for live Q and A on Thursday evenings from 6:00pm. There will also be an online forum where people can ask questions or discuss topics. The course goes for 12 weeks and people can start any time.

SCHOLARSHIPS: We accept payment plans and can provide further discounts for people who can't afford a ticket. Please contact us for further information.

Units covered in this course:

Mycology 101

This module covers the fundamental aspects of mycology 

• Fundamentals of biology including cell structure and introduction to genetics and evolution
• Fungal diversity and different types of fungi
• How to identify fungi
• How fungi interact with other organisms and roles of fungi in the ecosystem
• Biosecurity including field hygiene and managing invasive species 

Human uses for fungi and growing fungi

This module will cover human uses for fungi including

• Mushroom cultivation 
• Growing mushrooms at home and setting up your own lab
• Safe and ethical foraging
• Fungi in brewing
• Fungi in culture and history
• Emerging industries such as myco-materials
• Guest speaker Natasha Nichols (Margaret’s Mushrooms) on medicinal fungi

Fungal conservation, land-management and citizen science

This module is focussing on fungi in the environment and how you can contribute as a citizen scientist

• Endangered fungi and fungal conservation
• How citizen scientists can contribute to fungal conservation
• How to survey fungi for scientific purposes
• Re-introducing fungi to the environment
• Biosecurity and invasive species management
• Using DNA technology
• DIY science and setting up your own lab
• Guest speaker Sapphire Mc Mullan-Fisher on fungi in land management

Wrap up session

• Further education pathways
• Getting jobs in land management and agriculture
• Starting your own business
• Getting involved in voluntary groups

If you are interested in just doing part of the course please contact mycommunity@myco.org.au

Your teachers:

Caine Barlow is a Mycologist and Fungi Educator. He gives regular talks on mycology, fungi conservation, and teaches gourmet mushroom cultivation. Caine started foraging for mushrooms in the early 1990's, and started cultivating gournet fungi in the mid 2000's. He did his Bachelor of Science at the University of Tasmania, and a Master of Science at the University of Melbourne where his research project was based around Conservation Mycology.

Ema Corro has a Bachelor of Applied Science from RMIT and has researched mycomaterials in her honours project. She has been growing and foraging for mushrooms for 7 years. She is coordinator of MYCOmmunity Applied Mycology as well as the Wild Fungi DNA project which is developing environmental DNA techniques that citizen scientists can use to search for rare and endangered fungi.

We also have guest lectures by experts in fungi in land management, medicine and mycomaterials.