BIOL 260 Ecology (2 credits)
An examination of how to study the relations between organisms and their environment, learn how scientists do ecology and understand major research questions in populations, communities, and ecosystem ecology, biogeography and global change ecology.
FWF 422R/522 Rare Species Biology, Conservation and Management
The course will provide an introduction to relevant aspects of rare species biology (concept of rarity; the development and use of rarity indices; issues of detection; in situ and ex situ methods and assisted migration), and how that information is used for conservation, management and recovery purposes. Students will apply knowledge learned in a project addressing a conservation or management priority with data provided by government agencies (e.g. USFWS).
EEB 423 – Conservation Decision Making
This online course teaches the structured decision making process. Learn to enable people representing diverse interests to come together to form a common understanding and to create scientifically rigorous, inclusive, defensible, and transparent conservation and natural resource management plans. This course requires regular interaction with classmates in weekly online discussions, as part of a mock conservation planning project, and as small groups that will interview a conservation planner.
EEB 425 – Communicating the Science of Climate Change Biology
This online course examines effective ways to communicate biology-based solutions for climate change to multiple audiences. Important communication skills are developed including the abilities to 1) anticipate common cognitive biases, 2) read and understand scientific papers, 3) conduct independent research, 4) prepare effective data visualizations, and 5) write clearly for different audiences including scientists, policymakers, and the general public.
EEB 469 or GEOL 490 Conservation Management
Students will consider risks and benefits of reintroducing a critically endangered species, the Guam kingfisher, with its notorious invasive predator, the brown tree snake, on the Pacific island of Guam. We will review worldwide reintroduction successes and failures, natural history, predator/prey interactions, and conservation philosophy to frame discussion and debate.
EEB 484 Conservation Biology
A cross-cutting look at what biodiversity is, what’s happening to it, why that’s happening, why society should care about biodiversity loss and what we can do about it.
EEB 485 Ethnobiology (3 credits).
A combination of instructor/peer-led discussion and student presentations to understand why and how indigenous people select their medicinal plants and other uses of their environment.
EEB 550 Ecological Niche Models
A review of GIS tools necessary to study species geographic ranges and generate ecological niche models to estimate species distributions.
EEB 580 Population Modeling (3 credits)
An introduction to basic and advanced techniques for structured population modeling and its applications in ecology, forestry and conservation biology using R.
Cacao Field Course in Belize
The course will emphasize cacao-based agroforestry and multi-species interactions in the Neotropics, and will provide very unique, hands-on, international, and potentially transformative learning experiences for students. The course offers students a global citizenship opportunity to be more aware of contemporary challenges in global agriculture and to impact in a meaningful way the lives of farmers in underdeveloped countries.
AGNR 491 – International Experience in Agriculture and Natural Resources (3 credits)
EPP 493 – Independent Study in Entomology or Plant Pathology (3 credits)
EPP 531 – Special Problems in Entomology, Nematology and Plant Pathology “Sustainability, species interactions, and cacao-based agroforestry in the Neotropics” (3 credits)