Environmental and Marine Science

An introductory course that examines fundamental principles related to the evolution of life on earth and the ecological relationships between living things and their environment. The course integrates ecological and evolutionary principles within field investigations that teach skills in research...

An introductory course that explores the cell as a complex and dynamic system shaped by its environment and genetic legacy. Gene regulation and expression, cell signaling, and cell division will be discussed, as well as the ethics of manipulating the...

An introductory course that integrates study of plant and animal forms to provide a broader understanding of the unity and diversity of life on earth. Students will gain insight into the basic principles of structure and function evident in complex...

A survey of representative animal groups from Protozoa through the Chordata. Includes anatomy, morphology, systematics, life histories and ecology. Three lectures, one three-hour lab. Prerequisite: Biol 130 or permission of instructor. Offered spring of even years.

An introduction to the fundamental principles of plant biology, including structure, function, systematics, reproduction, and diversity. The equivalent of three lecture hours and one lab per day during the short timeline of May Term. Prerequisite: Biol 130 or permission of...

What are the roots of the current climate crisis? Can religious, economic, cultural, political, and/or biological worldviews help us understand the challenges? The course will introduce concepts in systems thinking, which emphasize an interdisciplinary approach to addressing climate change. The...

An earth science introductory course that examines the earth’s geological processes (earth’s interior, tectonic activity, and surface geology including soil formation and erosion processes), meteorological patterns (atmospheric formation, weather dynamics, and seasons), and climate dynamics (paleoclimate, anthropogenic influences, and future...

An introduction to the importance of soils in agricultural, ecological, and social systems. Topics include soil formation; physical, chemical, and biological properties; soil classification and mapping; soil productivity; and relationship between soil health and climate. Weekly labs will emphasize practical...

An introduction to the physical, chemical, biological, and geological processes that structure ocean systems. Topics include biogeochemical cycling, ocean currents, global tectonics, waves, tides, coastal processes, primary productivity, and climate-ocean feedback systems. Attention will be given to understanding how human...

An applied introduction to the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, which allows analysis of complex data in spatial formats. During weekly labs, the course will emphasize hands-on projects that combine map-making with data analysis, to address questions in...

An intensive field-based class that explores the marine ecology of the Florida Keys. Includes a comprehensive collaborative field research project. An off-campus course taught at the J. N. Roth Marine Biology station in Florida every May term. Prerequisites: Biol 115,...

A general study of insect structure, development, classification, and behavior. Laboratory sessions particularly directed at how to catch, identify, and care for insects. Creation of a personal insect collection and insect farming included. Lectures and labs at Merry Lea Environmental...

This course applies ecological paradigms toward restoration of degraded and damaged systems. Field components at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center will allow students to gain experience in a variety of restoration techniques relevant to prairie, wetland, and forest habitats. Taught...

A weekly seminar focusing on scientific inquiry skills such as reviewing the literature, forming research questions, designing experiments, analyzing data, and writing scientific papers. Students will gain approval for a research project to be completed by the end of the...

A field course taught as part of the Marine Biology Semester designed to introduce students to important ecological processes operating in coastal marine environments. The course covers synthetic topics as well as the ecology of specific marine habitats. The laboratory...

A broad survey course that investigates policies regulating natural resources. The class covers the rationale, content, process and origins of contemporary state, tribal, federal and international resource policies. Offered spring of odd years.

This course explores the physiological adaptations of aquatic organisms to their environments, including freshwater, marine, and extreme habitats. Topics include osmoregulation, thermoregulation, gas exchange, locomotion, and sensory systems. Students will examine how these adaptations enable survival and ecological success in...

A field course taught as part of the Marine Biology Semester designed to explore the applied science behind maintaining marine biodiversity and the management of marine resources. The course introduces students to the interdisciplinary science of conservation, a mission-driven field...

Study of the function, value and use of forest resources, including management of forests for harvest, water quality, biodiversity, aesthetics and recreation. Significant time spent in the field at forestland sites. Prerequisite: Biol 115. Offered fall of even years.

Natural history, taxonomy, and conservation of birds. Includes much work on visual and aural identification of birds in the field. Taught during the fall semester with labs at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center and elsewhere. Prerequisite: Biol 115. Offered fall...

On-campus participation in a research project. Prerequisite: consent of faculty supervisor. Offered every semester.

Practical experience in biology including professional levels of responsibility. Activities may be similar to those described for Biol 209, but with a higher degree of independent responsibility in the experience, as would be appropriate for a traditional apprenticeship. Students are...

A weekly seminar focused on completing the capstone senior research project. Topics will include data analysis, research writing, communicating project results to the wider community, and the interdisciplinary nature of biological science. Led by all department faculty members. Prerequisite: Biol...

An introduction to the basic particles of matter, the modern concept of the atom, chemical bonding and the structure of chemical compounds. The physical and chemical properties of some elements and compounds are examined. Reaction equilibrium and kinetics, acid-base theory,...

An introduction to the basic particles of matter, the modern concept of the atom, chemical bonding and the structure of chemical compounds. The physical and chemical properties of some elements and compounds are examined. Reaction equilibrium and kinetics, acid-base theory,...

Covering structure, nomenclature, stereochemistry, and principal reactions for the major functional groups of organic chemistry, this is a one-semester survey course that gives an overview of the field. Laboratory exercises introduce basic purification techniques. This can be a stand-alone course...

In this course we consider how economic activity affects the environment and how environmental destruction can, in turn, harm the economy. We apply the concepts of externalities, public goods and open-access resources to topics such as air pollution, climate change...

An introduction to the practice and theory of multivariate statistical modeling. Topics include descriptive statistics, experiment and study design, probability, hypothesis testing, multivariate regression, single and multi-way analysis of variance, logistic regression, and data mining. The R statistical software environment...

How can and should humans relate to nature? This question raises vigorous, passionate, and political discussion. Using an interdisciplinary approach, students explore (a) how information is generated, refined, and debated in scientific disciplines, (b) how science, archaeology and other disciplines...

A study of data analysis and its relationship to research methods in a variety of settings. Collection, presentation and analysis of numerical data, including descriptive, parametric, and nonparametric statistics. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the Quantitative Literacy requirement in...

A survey of environmental sociology including theories of human-environment interaction, a history of various environmental movements and other developments with significant ecological implications, cross cultural comparisons of human-environment relations, and questions of justice with relation to who decides about resource...

This course will introduce students to the ways in which human design decisions – of landscapes, cities, and buildings – can promote a wide variety of sustainability goals. Through explorations of landscape architecture, urban design, and building certification standards, among...