Fundamentals of Ecological Research is a hands-on course designed to teach students the basic concepts and methodologies used in the field of ecology. The significance of ecological research to current environmental issues, both local and global, will be stressed throughout the course.

Fundamentals of Ecological Research is a hands-on course designed to teach students the basic concepts and methodologies used in the field of ecology. The significance of ecological research to current environmental issues, both local and global, will be stressed throughout the course.

In this class you will learn basic concepts and tools used in ecological research through hands-on activities, complementing and expanding materials from ENV 1003. Field trips to local ecosystems and educational sites are required.

Conservation biology is an interdisciplinary topic that explores how we can protect and maintain natural areas. Due to the resources we take and impacts we have on natural environments, this field is directly related to restoration ecology (restoring natural areas) and sustainable development/natural resource management. We will explore the basis for these related fields from an ecological, social, legal, and cultural perspective, as all conservation and management projects take place in the larger human landscape. We will consider how we measure biodiversity, why it matters, why is it is threatened, and how we can manage (protect, restore, maintain, use) it in a sustainable manner (and what that means).

This interactive site allows participants to learn about skeletal anatomy by viewing the bones of a human, chimpanzee, and baboon. The Comparative Anatomy section enables users to make direct comparisons of bones. The material is appropriate for science teacher education as it illustrates how careful observation leads one to wonder about the dizzying beauty of a planet that works by bringing us one different creature after another.

iBioSeminars (http://www.ibioseminars.org) is a collection of over 80 biology seminars given by the world’s leading researchers. The seminars range in topics from chemical and molecular biology to ecology and evolution. The lectures are typically 90 minutes and are divided into several, stand-alone parts. The first part of the talk is an extended introduction to the field and is suitable for students and non-experts, while the other parts are more detailed research lectures. Currently the speaker list includes 6 Nobel Laureates and 47 National Academy of Sciences members.