Directory of Field Courses and Programs | Next Generation Careers - Innovation in Environmental Biology Education

This is a directory of field courses and programs that submitted information and student nominees for the ESA-USGS Cooperative Summer Internship and have given ESA permission to share this publicly.

Alaska

Round River Conservation Studies – Taku Summer Program

Website: https://www.roundriver.org/student-programs/programs/taku-river-tlingit-territory-british-columbia-canada/

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 6-7 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description:
Round River programs are more than an outdoor classroom. Our students live, work, and study in the field, contributing directly to efforts promoting the conservation of fragile ecosystems. The Taku River watershed, located in the far northwest corner of British Columbia, is a place of great beauty and ecological significance. This landscape and the people of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation have taught us much about how to integrate field research with the needs of first peoples. Since 2003, our students have been a vital part of Round Rivers conservation work in the Taku that has culminated in over 7 million acres of protected land. Students have contributed to research projects with grizzly bear, wolf, woodland caribou, and all five species of Pacific Salmon. Early programs focused on wildlife surveys, documenting Tlingit oral histories and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and habitat studies and mapping. We have continued to evolve over a generation of time spent on the land, and today students explore the immense wilderness surrounding Atlin, B.C., trekking into remote alpine and subalpine areas to monitor critical habitat, wildlife populations, and vegetation in the face of climate change. A highlight of the summer is a 9-day backpacking trip into the Taku Watershed along a traditional Tlingit trail used for fishing and trade. Together we study and celebrate the natural history of an intact northern wilderness.

Arizona

Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at Northern Arizona University, including ENV 299 and ENV 485

Website: https://www2.nau.edu/ddcsp-nau/wordpress/

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: GIS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience, JEDI; conflict resolution, growth mindset, self-advocacy, leadership development,

Description:
The 2-year Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at NAU is a justice-centered interdisciplinary conservation and immersion learning experience. The students engaged in 3 weeks of scientific research as part of the 8-week ENV 299 in Summer 2018. All three nominees worked on plant-pollinator interactions on the Kaibab Plateau. All students presented a scientific poster on their research. They then completed an 8-week research internship through ENV 485 in Summer 2019. Each student worked with mentors to develop an individual research project and their capstone was either a poster presentation or scientific paper.

Brush management and ecosystem services: a quantification of trade-offs on Western Rangelands

Website: https://cals.arizona.edu/research/archer/bmes

Hours Needed for Completion: 60-79 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Data interpretation

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Presentation to technical audience

Descritption:
This USDA NIFA-funded project investigates the watershed-scale impacts of brush management (BM) on ecosystem services (ES) (herbaceous diversity, forage production, carbon exchange, erosion, arthropods, small mammals) on southeastern Arizona rangeland encroached by velvet mesquite. We collected ES data using field-based measurements and drone-based imagery in each of four watersheds for one year prior to applying an herbicide to mesquite in two watersheds and retaining the other two as controls. We have continued to intensively monitor ES responses since application and are integrating data into simulation models to predict long-term ecosystem responses. To date, I have employed and mentored 41 students as part of this research program.

School of Natural Resources and the Environment – Ecology, Management, and Restoration of Rangelands

Website: https://snre.arizona.edu/research-topics/ecology-management-and-restoration-of-rangelands

Hours needed for completion: 60-79 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): 6-7 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture, etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description:
The goal of the program is to prepare students for applied field jobs in government, non-profit, and industry organizations. The program includes class and field components that bring together theory and application of grassland systems, with a focus on working landscapes. Students learn plant identification, ecosystem service assessment, and management, commonly used field techniques, how to work with stakeholders, common government permitting systems, traditional and novel approaches to weed management, GIS and its application to grassland systems, aridland hydrology, soil ecology, and plant-soil interactions.

Northern Arizona University: ENV 485 Field Work Experience – capstone research program in the BS in Environmental Sciences or Environmental and Sustainability Studies

Website: https://nau.edu/ses/undergraduate-research-and-internship/

Hours needed for completion: 60-79 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
NAU students have done research projects all over the world. They have worked for cities, tribes, states, NGOs, and federal agencies, studying everything from pronghorn antelope to hazardous waste management. Students work on an independent research project relevant to their interests, in collaboration with graduate students and mentored by faculty. Then ENV 485 research experience is designed to introduce students to the planning, implementation, and interpretation of original research in their chosen field, and help students refine their focus on a study area and prepare for research in the context of agency careers or graduate school.

TRAIN and STEM-CURE programs

Website: https://www.phoenixcollege.edu/programs/biosciences/s-stem-train-program%20and%20https://sites.google.com/phoenixcollege.edu/mcccdstemcure/home

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): More than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc)

Use of Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc., Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc.

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description: These college programs make research experiences accessible to community college students. They are either offered in class (STEM-CURE program) or as paid internships (TRAIN program) to offset the barriers to research experienced by students of color. Students in the TRAIN program conduct independent research and are mentored by faculty and staff at the college and partner research institutions and hospitals. Students in the STEM CURE program mentor first year and non-majors students as they conduct in class research projects, which usually have both lab and field components as well as data analysis and presentation.

California

Biology 301: Problems in Environmental Biology (part of the Southern California Ecosystems Research Program)

Website: http://biology.fullerton.edu/scerp/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 4-6 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Seaweeds

Use of Instrumentation: Data Loggers, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Public Presentations (talks and posters)

Description: CSU Fullerton’s summer BIOL301 course is designed to increase participation of minority and urban-raised students in ecology research. The course consists of three field modules (one week each in Mojave Desert, Coastal Sage Scrub, and Marine Intertidal Ecosystems) followed by two weeks of writing. In each module the six undergraduate scholars work together to design, implement, analyze, and present an original research project, assisted by two faculty members and two peer mentors (course alumni). Participants receive specialized training in skills and equipment relevant to their specific questions of interest. Students enroll in a professional development seminar in the following academic year and present a poster on each module at the SACNAS National Conference in the fall.

California Ecology & Conservation

Website: https://ucnrs.org/teaching/cec/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 6-7 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc)

Use of Instrumentation: GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description: California Ecology and Conservation brings together 27 students from across the UC system for seven weeks of intensive learning at NRS reserves. Guided by experienced field instructors, undergraduates transform into scientists by conducting independent research studies. Students learn to notice natural patterns, frame questions into feasible research projects, and practice standard techniques such as surveys of animal and plant populations. At the conclusion of each project, students analyze their data and present their findings to the class in oral presentations, posters, and reports. Students hone their research, public speaking, and scientific writing skills with constant practice and feedback. All the while, students gain a working familiarity with California’s diverse ecosystems while immersed in the NRS classrooms without walls.

Field Ecology

Website: http://oxy.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2018-2019/Catalog/Programs-of-Instruction/Biology/Environmental-Science-Concentration

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): More than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc)

Use of Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc, camera traps

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description: Full summer research projects; international training; writing-intensive; honors research; student-faculty collaboration

Field Methods in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology

Website: http://wfcb.ucdavis.edu/students/courses

Hours Needed for Completion: 20-39 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Vertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Sampling, Data collection

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork

Description: This is a lecture/lab/field trip course that covers different topics each week. Lectures cover the topic, and in the labs we do “hands-on” demonstrations, with some activities outside. There are two field trips in the course, one of them overnight, to demonstrate techniques on vertebrates in the wild (mammals, birds, fish).

School of Life Sciences Undergraduate Research (SOLUR) Program

Website: https://sols.asu.edu/research/school-life-sciences-undergraduate-research-solur-program

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): More than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc)

Use of Instrumentation: Data Loggers, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Physiological measurement devices

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Tolerance for extreme working conditions (8-12 hour days in open Sonoran desert environment with midday/afternoon temperatures above 110Â°C)

Description: Sabrina participated in a summer-long research apprenticeship at the Desert Botanical Garden with efforts led by ASU postdoc Dr. Luiza Aparecido. The summer program allowed her to contribute to a large project on desert plant responses to thermal stress, while also making her own independent measurements for a smaller research project. The experience included (# of weeks) a training week (1), all gas exchange field measurements (4), leaf water potentials (3 â€“ July and August), and wet lab activities and data processing (leaf area images) (~3). Sabrina has continued with data analysis and processing through the current semester, and also attends weekly lab meetings / skill share sessions at ASU’s Macrosystems Ecology Lab.

Colorado

Full Time Independent Research

Website: https://www.rmbl.org/students/undergraduates-beyond/summer-education-programreu/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Invertebrates

Field Skills: Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels

Use of Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Experimental treatment/control design, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Presentation to technical audience

Description: Full-time Independent Research (with Senior Thesis Option) 10 credits. This program targets students who wish to conduct a full-time independent research project in field biology. Applicants may be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program, graduates of an undergraduate program, or may be early in their graduate career. Students conduct independent research under the supervision of RMBL scientists. During the 10 week summer program, students will work with their mentors to develop a testable hypothesis, gather data, analyze the data, and produce a written and oral report by the end of the program. They will work approximately 40 hours a week on their projects, in addition to attending biweekly discussions or workshops and a weekly seminar series.

Connecticut

Trinity College Summer Research Program plus additional research experience during the academic year

Website: https://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/StudentResearch/SRP/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc, Water quality meters

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
The Trinity College Summer Research Program (https://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/StudentResearch/SRP/) is an intensive 10-week program in which students work full-time with a faculty member to implement research. Students who work in my conservation ecology lab (https://commons.trincoll.edu/apitt/) conduct research focused on elucidating patterns and causes of species decline in order to create innovative strategies for biodiversity conservation. Research projects are focused on urban pond ecology and ecotoxicology, hellbender salamander and freshwater turtle ecology and conservation, and ephemeral and isolated wetland ecology.

Florida

Directed Independent Study

Website: https://www.bio.fsu.edu/undergrad/research.php

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): Less than 2 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Assessment involving two or more trophic levels

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Presentation to technical audience

Description: Zulay did an independent project in my lab since the spring on green lynx spiders, which necessarily included some limitations due to covid. The first project involved processing and analyzing images of spiders from different plant background that vary in color to show that spiders on different colored plants are themselves different colors. The second project was a reciprocal transplant of spiders from different backgrounds to a variety of backgrounds. She used this to show that the spiders change color over a 2-4 week period, especially in the green intensity.

University of Florida: EVR 3323 Introduction to Ecosystem Restoration

Hours Needed for Completion: 20-39 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Sampling, Data collection

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description:
This course is an overview of habitat restoration with a focus on Florida and the Southeastern coastal plain. Students will 1) describe and apply restoration ecology theory to planning, disturbed land reclamation, wetland and river restoration, invasive species control, community involvement in the restoration process, and related topics, and 2) analyze peer-reviewed literature on native plant selection, establishment, and maintenance for restoration purposes. Course components include active learning in the classroom, field surveys, and collaborative problem solving in the field.

BIO3301 Field Ecology

Website: https://www.flsouthern.edu/undergraduate/programs-list/programs/environmental-studies.aspx

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): More than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description: In BIO 3301 Field Ecology, students learn the methods used to collect, analyze and interpret ecological and environmental data in the field. By the end of the course students should be able to: (1) Identify and apply the basic principles of ecology, especially related to central Florida ecosystems, (2) Demonstrate knowledge of techniques used to collect data on living organisms in the field, (3) Evaluate methods for collecting data on nutrients, temperature, light, and other abiotic factors of the environment, (4) Practice laboratory techniques for analysis of environmental samples, (5) Recognize the value and uses of geographic information systems (GIS), (6) Use the scientific method to design and implement an extended experiment, write up the results of the experiment in the form of a scientific manuscript, and orally present and defend their project.

Georgia

Sewanee’s Island Ecology Program

Website: http://biology.sewanee.edu/resources/summer-and-international-programs/island-ecology-program/name-15145-en.php

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 4-6 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Island geomorphology

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description:
The Sewanee Island Ecology Program immerses students in the study of an isolated barrier island (St. Catherines Island) for 5 weeks. While faculty have expertise in hydrology, geology, and soil, plant, wildlife, invertebrate, and marine ecology, students also interact with island researchers to develop a broad foundation in approaches to the study of islands. Students use hands-on activities, observations, and research projects to explore the island from multiple disciplinary lenses to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of how islands function. The program relies on independent student inquiry and provides extensive practice with the design, implementation, and presentation of research.

Hawaii

Field Methods in Earth and Environmental Sciences (ENV 226S/EOS 226S), DukeEngage, Independent Research Study (ENV 393)

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture, etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow, etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc, Photogrammetry

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Sampling, Data collection, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking

Description:
Field course introduces basic field methods through the design of a field investigation, usage of various field equipment to collect data, interpret and report the results. The course is divided into four modules covering topics surface water movements, topographic mapping, weathering, and ecology.

The Duke Engage Kauai Restoring and sustaining ecological diversity collaborates with community-based organizations to restore ecological and cultural diversity on the North Shore of Kauai. Students gain an understanding of basic ecological principles, sustainable agricultural techniques, and conservation strategies for both terrestrial and marine ecosystems while developing an appreciation for the Hawaiian ecological knowledge and cultural traditions.

Illinois

NSF-REU Biological Discovery in Woods Hole, at the Marine Biological Lab

Website: http://www.mbl.edu/education/other-educational/reu/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): Less than 2 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations, etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies, etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow, etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Physiological measurement devices

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) invites undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing careers in the life sciences to apply to the NSF-REU Biological Discovery in Woods Hole program. Faculty with expertise in ecology, molecular and cell biology, neurobiology & behavior, physiology, and evolutionary biology will guide ten highly motivated undergraduate students in this National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF REU) program. Each undergraduate student will be placed in the laboratory of an MBL research scientist and fully participate in all laboratory exercises and activities for 10 weeks.

Iowa

Summer Undergraduate Research Program to survey Conservation Research Program in NE Iowa

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 2-3 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants

Use of Field Instrumentation: GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Critical thinking

Description:
Students spent the spring semester meeting with faculty members to read and discuss literatures, and developed a few potential research questions. The faculty and staff then spent the last two weeks of May to train students to ID plants and butterflies, run transects and count vegetation diversity and density in quadrats. From June to mid-July, students (5 undergraduate and 2 master students) went to 18 restored prairie sites in NE Iowa to collect vegetation and butterfly data, and collect wild bees. They then analyzed data and prepared a poster to present at the end of July.

Kansas

BS Biology – Ecology track

Website: https://www.bakeru.edu/biology/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
The Ecology Track of the Biology Major at Baker University is designed to provide undergraduate students with an education that prepares them for success in graduate programs and future employment in the private and public sector. Our students acquire a strong background in all areas of biology with an emphasis on coursework in the ecological sciences. Students conduct independent hypothesis-driven research and get hands-on experiences in the lab and in the field. Courses in this program focus on field techniques in the areas of prairie, forest, wetland, and aquatic ecology with field experiences in each of these major systems.

Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University: General Ecology Lecture & Laboratory

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description:
The lecture provides the theoretical and applied content of the many facets of ecology, while the lab component allows student teams to design their own research questions, testable hypotheses, and methods to study ecological concepts in the field. This course is a 300-level, semester long course.

Plant Ecology Research

Hours needed for completion: 20-39 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): More than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Use of Instrumentation: GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Presentation to technical audience

Description: Students conduct independent research in plant community ecology in a variety of systems, including grasslands and forests. Up to 6 credit hours of independent research are possible, and count towards a major in Biology.

Maine

College of the Atlantic Alice Eno Field Station Summer program

Website: https://www.coa.edu/islands/great-duck-island/

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description:
The Great Duck program offers students the opportunity to participate in on-going research on colonial nesting seabirds as well as to develop their own research program over the course of the summer. Students live at and assist in the operation of the station from June until mid-August. They are expected to participate in surveys of the island’s seabird population, development of GIS layers revealing habitat classification, nesting density, vegetation structure, etc. as well as engaging in both observational work from the lighthouse tower and hands-on banding and morphometric studies of gulls and other seabirds. In addition each student is required to develop their own research question, which they follow through from initial idea and research design through data collection, analysis, and eventual presentation at regional or national conferences.

Summer Field Internship in Acadia

Website: http://www.acadiabugproject.com

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
My field program was a real field project in Acadia National Park. Students working with me learned everything needed to complete the project – including sampling techniques and identification of invertebrates and birds. A huge component of the work was organizing citizen scientists to come help us collect invertebrates – which took a large degree of communication skills and enthusiasm. Most importantly, they became the field technicians for the study – needing to work as a group and make decisions on their own.

Maryland

Ecology and Capstone Field Research Experiences

Hours needed for completion: 40-59 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc)

Use of Instrumentation: GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description: In Ecology, students first learn the basics of ecological field research, including following protocols, collecting and analyzing data, and scientific communication. This year, we focused on basic forestry methods, assessing lichen coverage on trees, vegetation assessment, and the use of remote data for land use characterization. Students then develop independent projects, often incorporating these field skills, in order to pursue their own interests in field ecology. Many students complement these skills in the pursuit of independent research for their senior thesis (Capstone) projects, further developing field, analytical, and scientific communication skills.

Massachusetts

General ecology, conservation biology, winter ecology, restoration ecology, baseline amphibian and reptile surveys

Hours Needed for Completion: 40-59 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Vertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description:
The field-based training in my program has two pathways: Regular courses and intensive research For regular courses, students will be field trained for 3 hrs per week for a 15 week period on different data collection and survey procedures. The research will include conducting biweekly fieldwork for a min of 6-10 hours a week for 15 week period. During summer, the field component goes for 4 days a week, 6 hrs per day.

Occidental College: Field Ecology

Website: http://oxy.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2018-2019/Catalog/Programs-of-Instruction/Biology/Environmental-Science-Concentration

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc, camera traps

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
Both nominees are about to finish this course: This course addresses contemporary approaches to ecology and conservation, with emphasis on ecological fieldwork in diverse locations. The course will have a regional focus, with emphasis on Southern California ecosystems. Students will conduct field research, including the design, implementation, data analysis, and presentation of research projects. Emphasis will be placed on the impacts of anthropogenic change on native ecosystems. The course will include field trips, including several extended trips on weekends and outside of class hours.

Michigan

Microbes in the Wild: Environmental Microbiology Lab

Website: https://lsa.umich.edu/umbs/students/courses/microbiology—eeb-401.html

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 2-3 weeks

Identification Skills: Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Field Safety, Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc), sampling water and sediment microbes for DNA/sequencing, flow cytometry, microscopy, culturing

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, CTD, sampling via ponar, niskin, Eckmann, Van Dorn, gravity corer

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description:
This project-based course emulates how scientists study environmental microbes in the context of real-world sustainability issues in Northern Michigan while making novel scientific contributions. You will gain exposure to water microbe-relevant sustainability issues in Northern Michigan. We will work with local partners to answer: What are the real world issues. Simultaneously, you will master microbiological concepts and skills needed for field sample collection and analysis, answering: How could we rigorously address those issues. We are in the field every day. Three days are spent on Lake Michigan in a tall-masted schooner to learn how to work on a research vessel, sampling equipment and collection, navigation, and the science of regional ecosystem monitoring programs. You will master: hypothesis generation and study design, field sampling techniques for the collection of microbes and viruses in the water column and sediment, fluorescent microscopy, enrichment cultures targeting specific microbial metabolisms, isolation of environmental microbes, nucleic acids extractions, and concepts of microbial ecology.

Geologi of Michigan at University of Michigan Biological Station

Website: https://lsa.umich.edu/umbs/

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Rocks, fossils, and sediments

Field Skills: Field Safety, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Presentation to technical audience

Description:
Geology of Michigan is an introductory earth science course. Students learn about rocks, minerals, sediments, and fossils, both in the classroom and in a variety of natural settings around the Biostation, the Lower Peninsula, and in the Upper Peninsula. The class will directly touch on a variety of topics such as tectonic processes, glacial processes, paleoceanography, limnology, climate change, and geo-environmental problems while investigating the long and complex geological history of Michigan. The class involves a research project and a class project that students will work on throughout the semester.

Environmental Research Grant

Website: https://cedarcreekinstitute.org/research.html

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Dependent on the project that students are involved in.

Field Skills: Field Safety, Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc), Dependent on the project that students are involved in.

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc, Dependent on the project that students are involved in.

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Descritption:
The Institute offers several opportunities to students during the summer (about 10-12 weeks). Our primary program is a field research program. This experience is driven by particular research questions and projects. Student researchers work with a faculty mentor to develop the project, collect data in the field, analyze the data, and share the results. The Institute also offers a summer internship program where students are involved with management of natural areas. Interns complete a variety of management tasks, as well as collecting data on vegetation, water quality, and wildlife at the Institute.

Undergraduate Research Apprentice (URA) Program

Website: http://www.kbs.msu.edu/education/undergraduate-program/undergraduate-research-apprenticeships-ura/

Hours needed for completion: 60-79 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations, etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture, etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions, etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
Undergraduate students have the opportunity to live and work at KBS and gain a wide variety of field and lab research experiences, new friendships, and professional references at a world-renowned biological station on Gull Lake. Students take summer classes in ecology and evolution and professional development seminars while working with a mentor on a hands-on research project. They gain authentic field or lab experience and explore the entire process of research from designing an independent study, collecting and analyzing their data, and presenting their work to the public.

REU Site: Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region

Website: https://lsa.umich.edu/umbs/students/research-opportunities/reu-program.html

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates

Use of Field Instrumentation: GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management, Oral presentation final manuscript

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
Our REU program occurs at the University of Michigan Biological Station in northern Michigan and runs from mid-June to mid-August. Our program theme is Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region, and all student projects must address some aspect of climate change. Students are paired with mentors in March and spend the next two months brainstorming research questions and experimental designs. Students play an active role in these intellectually challenging and exciting early steps in the research project, and consequently, feel a high level of ownership of their research. Approximately 70% of the student’s time is dedicated to the research projects, and the remainder is dedicated to a variety of perspective-broadening activities, including the workshops mentioned above.

NSF-REU Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region at the University of Michigan Biological Station, June-August, 2018

Website: https://lsa.umich.edu/umbs/students/research-opportunities/reu-program.html

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Physiological measurement devices

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description:
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program at UMBS (NSF #1659338) offers undergraduate students the opportunity to design, conduct, analyze, and present their own mentored research addressing some aspect of the program theme, Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region. Students are involved with all phases of their research project, from hypothesis formulation and experimental design to data gathering, analysis, and interpretation, concluding with both written and oral communication of their scientific findings. Students also benefit from additional ‘Perspective Broadening Activities’, including skill-building workshops, research seminars, and weekly discussion groups. Our students feel like researchers rather than research assistants.

Minnesota

Aquatic Ecology at the Wilderness Field Station

Website: http://www.coe.edu/fieldstatoin

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 4-6 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description:
Established in 1961, the Coe College Wilderness Field Station is located on remote Low Lake, in the Superior National Forest in Minnesota, a short paddle from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Our courses expose students to both the idea and reality of wilderness, and allow them to study natural processes in areas that are evolving with very little direct human influence. Our Aquatic Ecology course takes advantage of our unique location to teach students about the ecology of aquatic systems. They examine ecological processes on Low, measuring a range of variables, and then travel into the Boundary Waters, sampling over 40 lakes on their trips.

Saint Olaf College: Field Ecology, Biology 371

Website: http://catalog.stolaf.edu/academic-programs/biology/#coursestext

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
The objectives are to 1)obtain “hands-on” experience using standard quantitative methods in ecology appropriate for studying mobile and nonmobile organisms, 2) to learn to identify some groups of organisms in the field, 3) to develop and carry out a research project, 4) to collect data, analyze data using appropriate statistics, and write a paper using scientific paper format, 5) to read and discuss primary literature papers in ecology, 6) to give oral presentations on results of research projects (both class projects and individual projects), and 7) to understand the importance of ecology in solving environmental problems.

FW 3106 Vegetation sampling and FW3108 Fld Mthd Rsrch/Cons Vert Pops

Website: https://fwcb.cfans.umn.edu/students/undergrads/cloquet-odd

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 2-3 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture, etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses, etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON, etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow, etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
These 3 week courses cover terrestrial and aquatic vegetation ID and community assessment in managed (Cloquet) and unmanaged (Itasca) systems, wildlife identification and sampling (birds, small and large mammals, some herps and fish), home range, habitat use, population estimation (Mark-recapture electrofishing), water quality and stream habitat assessment. They learn planning and implementation of research and management projects, collecting and analyzing data in groups, group and individual oral and written reports; each student keeps a field journal. Students develop team projects around collected data and give lightning talks on their results.

Montana

Summer session at Flathead Lake Biological Station (Field Ecology; Lake Ecology; Stream Ecology courses; total 10 credits)

Website: https://flbs.umt.edu/apps/education/ss_courses.aspx

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
Our summer session is research-oriented and field-intensive. In our 4-week Field Ecology class students engage in a genuine research project under mentoring by the instructor.

National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Fire Ecology Lab

Website: http://www.cfc.umt.edu/research/paleoecologylab/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates

Use of Field Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
Allison has worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the PaleoEcology and Fire Ecology Lab, and through an NSF-funded REU over the summer. As an undergraduate research assistant, Allison has learned and undertaken field and lab work associated with paleoecology, plant ecology, and fire ecology. Over the summer, she participated in 2.5 months of field work related to two different projects in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho and Montana, involving travel through remote and rugged terrain, car camping, vegetation, and soil sampling, and collecting lake-sediment records. For her REU, Allison developed a study to look at bird populations in recently-burned habitats, combining methods of vegetation sampling, fire ecology, and ornithology.

North Carolina

Morehead City Field Site

Website: https://ie.unc.edu/education/field-sites/mcfs/

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Water quality sensors (Sondes), GPS drifters

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description:
The Morehead City Field Site is a 16-credit hour semester of marine sciences classes, field work, independent research and team work that takes place each fall at UNC Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences, on the coast in Morehead City. Students take classes in Coastal and Estuarine Ecology and Human Impacts on Estuarine Processes, which include weekly field trips. Independent research projects with a faculty mentor enable them to learn field and analytical skills in a specialized marine science discipline of their choosing. The students also conduct a field-based team Capstone project on an important local marine environmental issue.

Lenoir-Rhyne University: Bio 260, Natural History and Field Biology of the Vertebrates and ENV 471, and currently in Bio 310 Ecology

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Use of Field Instrumentation: Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Science communication (to public)

Description:
Bio 260 This course will investigate selected groups of organisms, especially the vertebrates of North Carolina, as found in their natural habitats. We will look at life cycles, adaptations, interactions with other organisms and their evolutionary relationships. Field techniques will be emphasized throughout the course. Bio 310 is a course designed to acquaint you with the general principles of Ecology, relating to the dynamics of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Special emphasis will be given to energy flow, mineral cycling, trophic organization, population dynamics and community development.

University of North Carolina Wilmington: Wildlife Field Methods – Mammals

Hours needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Vertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking

Description:
A hands-on course in the tools and techniques of wildlife field methods. Focusing on predominantly on mammals, students learn basic applied wildlife methods employed by conservation and management agencies. Objectives: (1) To familiarize students with current wildlife investigational techniques including data collection, analysis, and report writing; (2) To provide hands-on experience with techniques and tools used by professional wildlife biologists; (3) To encourage studentsâ€™ ability to apply research results toward improving wildlife management actions; and (4) To improve written skills of students.

UNCA, One University Heights: ENVR 290 Regional Field Geology

Hours Needed for Completion: 60-79 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): 2-3 weeks

Field Skills: Field Safety, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Data collection, Data interpretation

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description:
The Earth Science program at UNCA includes several field courses including Structure and Field Geology (my course). Regional Field Geology is an elective course. Students leave with a basic understanding of geologic field methodology. In additions, students take Hydrology, Ecology, and Field Biology. They leave with an understanding of plant and animal identification, sampling methods, water sampling, well installation, etc.

Ohio

University of Akron: Field Ecology

Website: https://blogs.uakron.edu/mitchell/teaching/field-ecology-3100418-undergraduate/field-ecology-course-syllabus/

Hours Needed for Completion: 60-79 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Presentation to technical audience

Description:
Course Description: Introduction to the methodology of modern ecology, and to the natural history of Ohio’s ecological communities. In this course students will learn to identify many common Ohio plants and animals, learn about their ecological roles and requirements, and will design and conduct experiments and observations to better understand their ecology. This course emphasizes fieldwork and hands-on experience. Students also learn to read (and write) scientific papers concerning field biology, and use basic statistical analysis to evaluate research results.

Advanced Ecology and Biological Research in the BS Environmental Science program

Website: https://www.cedarville.edu/Academic-Programs/Environmental-Science.aspx

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Use of Field Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
Our program seeks to develop our students in the foundational aspects of ecology and environmental science by emphasizing the biological and physical sciences. We also seek to prepare them with special core training in Advanced Ecology, GIS, Environmental Ethics, Biostatistics, and Public Policy. Using this foundation and core each student is able to select from a wide variety of upper division electives that are organized in concentrations of professional interest. Each science course has a lab/field/immersive component included.

Oregon

Field Botany + Ecological Monitoring

Website: https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/a/5158/files/2019/07/bi448sum19.pdf;%20https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/a/5158/files/2020/04/bi442s20.pdf;%20https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/a/5158/files/2020/07/Bi-448_548-U2020.pdf

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): More than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc)

Use of Instrumentation: GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description: While not a program per se, Emily has taken several field-based courses with me at the University of Oregon. I first met her in my BI 448 Field Botany course (4 week summer course ~20hrs/wk field/lab; 2019), she also took ENVS 427: Environmental and Ecological Monitoring with me (10 week course with weekly field trips; 2020), BI 442 Systematic botany (10 week course with 6hrs/wk of labs; 2020 remote), and BI 370 Ecology (10 week course with 3hrs/wk of labs + 1 in-person field trip; 2020 remote). Emily also TA’ed for my remote version of BI 448 Field Botany during the summer of 2020. This suite of courses focuses on plant identification, specimen collection, specimen management, field navigation (including map & compass), data collection, data analysis, research writing, and developing research proposals.

FW 418/518 Urban Ecology

Website: https://catalog.oregonstate.edu/courses/fw/

Hours needed for completion: 40-59 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Visual observations typically using point counts

Use of Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc, Various nets

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Presentation to class

Description: The human population has more than doubled over the last 50 years to now more than 7.6 billion and the majority of people live in towns and cities. Within and around these urban areas there is an increasing pressure on wildlife communities, ecosystems and the resources they provide to both wildlife and humans. Consequently, there is an increasing need to understand the interactions between humans, wildlife and fish. The effects of urbanization on individual species, communities, and ecosystems will be examined as well as invasive species, conserving biodiversity, human health and well-being, and urban planning. Each student will be required to conduct an independent field research project that addresses some component discussed in the course.

Portland State University: Urban ecology methods

Website: https://www.pdx.edu/honors/hon-203-urban-ecology

Hours needed for completion: 20-39 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Invertebrates, it changes with the season…

Field Skills: Community-level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses, etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies, etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow, etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: GIS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management, presentation

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description:
The main goals of this course are to 1) explore methodologies used in the natural sciences, 2) review the field of urban ecology and its application in urban Portland, and 3) further sharpen critical thinking and writing skills developed in the honors 100 level courses. In order to address these goals, we will also carry out both observational and experimental research projects both as a class and as independent groups. To further assist us in these endeavors, we will read articles about experimental design and practice reading journal articles related to urban ecology and Portland.

REED College: Bio 303 Leaves to Landscapes

Website: https://www.reed.edu/biology/courses/

Hours needed for completion: 60-79 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants

Field Skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations, etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture, etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON, etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
This course examines how the underlying structure, function, diversity, and ecology of woody plants shape the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. Lecture topics to be covered include plant water and carbon relations, plant life-history and resource-use strategies, the resilience of plants and ecosystems to disturbance, and plant responses to global change. Lab exercises focus on building skills for measuring and modeling these patterns and processes at multiple spatial and temporal scales. In addition, this course explores how these patterns and processes operate in complex socio-ecological systems: specifically, how research in this area can be used to inform environmental decision making by natural resource managers and policymakers. These topics will be taught through a variety of activities in lecture, lab, and field settings and through active participation in all aspects of the scientific process.

Puerto Rico

Wildlife Management program of the UPR-Humacao

Website: https://www.upr.edu/humacao/depto-biol/programas-academicos/#1474390840037-d45a876e-546e

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), animal behavior

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Description:
The Wildlife Management program provides specialized training in the management and conservation of natural terrestrial systems, with emphasis on the flora and fauna of Puerto Rico, with a multidisciplinary and holistic academic program for the preparation of scientists with broad theoretical and practical mastery in the field of wildlife management and ecology, so that the graduates acquire the knowledge towards the development of management and bioconservation plans.

Pennslyvania

Independent Research

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc)

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description: Samantha (Sam) Nye conducted independent research with my colleague, Dr. Doug Becker. She started working with Doug fall 2018, and continues to do so. Over the summer, Sam also participated in an 8-week summer research program with Doug. Sam has been working on a project investigating how white-tail deer and invasive plants influences eastern deciduous forests. She collected data on tree and shrub populations, followed the germination of planted acorns, and conducted a lot of invasive plant management. She also worked on a separate project looking at how insect species are being influenced by the invasive spotted lanternfly. This has included trapping insects in the field, and IDing them in the lab. In addition to her independent research, Sam took wildlife ecology and management last spring and is taking forest ecology and management this fall. Both courses have a weekly 4-hour lab period where she has learned tree ID, wildlife ID, using and analyzing camera traps, deer browse, estimating population size, small mammal trapping, vegetation sampling. She is also registered to take Introduction to GIS and a Research Methods and Statistics course next semester.

Juniata College: General Ecology Laboratory course

Website: https://more.juniata.edu/academics-classes/ecology/index.php

Hours needed for completion: 40-59 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture, etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses, etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
This course involves students in group field projects where they engage in all aspects of the research process including hypothesis formulation, data collection and analysis, and presentation of results in scientific reports printed in our in-house “Journal of Ecological Research”.

South Carolina

Fernow Undergraduate Summer Internship Program

Website: http://www.as.wvu.edu/fernow/people.html

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): Less than 2 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc, laser range finder, dendrometer bands, infrared gas analyzer for soil respiration

Research Design and Data Skills: Sampling, Data collection, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description:
The Fernow Undergraduate Summer Internship Program supports 2-3 undergraduate students each year. Summer interns assist with research projects related to the interests of their graduate student mentors. Through this program, students learn a variety of field and lab skills that are absent from traditional college courses, including the use of map and compass, GPS proficiency, plant identification, and measurements of plant and soil nutrient cycling. Students are also given readings from the scientific literature to provide context for the scientific questions being explored. To date, the Fernow Fellowship & Internship Programs have supported the training of 5 graduate students and 42 undergraduate students.

Texas

Austin College Biology & Environmental Studies field research experiences

Website: https://www.austincollege.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/biology/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): More than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc)

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description: Taught by specialists in mammalogy, plant/insect interactions, prairie restoration, freshwater ecology, soil ecology, ornithology, and herpetology, the field courses and research experiences at Austin College provide a broad basis of organism identification and data collection and analysis skills. Relevant courses taught in the Biology & Environmental Studies programs include Mammalogy, Vertebrate Biology, Plant/Insect Interactions, Entomology, Ornithology, Physiological Ecology, Conservation & Restoration Ecology, Environmental Science, and Ecosystem Ecology. Each of these courses has a field lab component, and most include some aspect of novel research experience. In addition, many students participate in the Sciences Summer Research Program, an intensive 8-week research experience where students are trained in experimental design, data collection & analysis, and presentation of results to general and technical audiences.

University of North Texas sophomore-level Ecology Laboratory (BIOL2141) field techniques course and student chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration

Website: https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/we-mean-green-fund/projects/pollinative-prairie

Hours needed for completion: 20-39 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): More than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms, Birds, reptiles, amphibians, fungi

Field Skills: Field Safety, Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc), tree measurement, point quarter surveys, report writing, presentation, group work, and Good Laboratory Practices

Use of Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc, Diameter Breast Height measurements for trees, modified Christmas bird counts

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description: The University of North Texas (UNT) Ecology majors enter the Ecology Laboratory their sophomore year. Most students join the UNT student chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) at that time. After completing their sophomore-level classes, students take both required and alternate upper-level ecological courses that range from Conservation Biology, GIS, Evolution, Community Ecology, as well as a host of other applied field courses such as Ornithology, Stream Ecology, Aquatic Toxicology, Entomology, Mammalogy, Fish Ecology, and Environmental Risk Assessment. Our Ecology program strives to provide real-world field technique instruction, and student mentorship by both faculty and senior-level peers. Many of our SER students volunteer at least once per month conducting conservation work and research at locations around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, serving the entire North Central Texas region. UNT SER maintains the UNT Pollinative Prairie, a four-acre native Texas prairie reconstruction effort, located on the UNT campus.

Saint Edward’s University: BIOL 4142, Population Biology and Ecology lab

Website: https://www.stedwards.edu/natural-sciences/biological-sciences

Hours needed for completion: 40-59 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Microorganisms

Use of Field Instrumentation: GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description:
In my Population Biology and Ecology lab course students perform field and lab methods, data analysis and interpretation, experimental design, and oral and written scientific communication. During the first 6 weeks of the semester, students learn multiple field sampling methods, as well as performing field assignments on plant identification & diversity, plant ecosystem services, leaf litter decomposition, physical and chemical soil properties, and soil microbial function. Then, students spend the remaining 9 weeks of the semester designing a research project in which they employ the field and lab approaches they learned previously. All students perform statistical analyses, present their results, and write a final scientific manuscript based on their research findings.

Utah

Weber State University: Disturbance Ecology

Website: https://www.weber.edu/botany

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants

Use of Field Instrumentation: GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data interpretation

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, communication among peers

Description:
Our program focuses on field botany, offering several courses that combine to introduce students to the field and give them experience with a variety of methods and developing their own projects. Some courses are offered during the school year and others as summer field courses.

Wildland Resources Techniques (WILD 2400)

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing, etc, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
This course introduces students to the essential field and laboratory techniques related to the research and management of wildlife, range, and forest resources. Students will develop practical skills for answering fundamental questions about wild plants and animals relevant to conservation and management. Students will gain a working knowledge of the techniques commonly used by natural resource professionals to acquire, process, and interpret measurements of wildlife, range, and forest resources. Students will learn how and why to apply these techniques through a combination of lectures, labs, and field trips.

Virginia

NSF-REU: Ecology and Evolution at University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/blandyreu/

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Description:
Our primary goals are to make students choose to pursue a career in science, and to improve their career success by providing them with the skills they will need. Students carry out research in ecology or evolutionary biology, with many projects focusing on the impacts of human activities. The study organisms for most projects are plants and/or insects. Students carry out research in the field, lab, or greenhouse, analyze their data, and present their results through a scientific poster, a final written report, and an oral presentation. Students also attend workshops on topics such as gaining admission to graduate school and research ethics.

George Mason University: Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Website: https://smconservation.gmu.edu/programs/undergraduate-residential-semester-away-programs/wildlife-ecology-and-conservation/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc, Acoustic monitoring devices

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Professional skills development (networking, etc)

Description:
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation is a semester-long program offered by the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. During this residential semester at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, students learn skills and techniques for the assessment, monitoring, and conservation of species and habitats. Students use a variety of tools for sampling, including quadrat and transect sampling, camera trapping, acoustic monitoring, radio-telemetry, and molecular sampling, as well as GIS and remote sensing techniques. Students gain experience with data analysis, including ecological statistics, to evaluate community composition and habitat suitability. Students also learn how to characterize landscape patterns and processes across spatial and temporal scales. Students pursue an independent research project under the guidance of a conservation mentor and produce scholarly work to share with the community. The coursework also includes a seminar where students discuss current conservation literature and develop professional and personal skills, such as critical thinking, networking, communication, and stakeholder engagement.

Ferrum College and Smith Mountain Lake Water Quality Program (FCSMLAWQ)

Website: http://www.ferrum.edu/naturalsciencesandmath/projects/smith-mountain-lake-water-quality-program/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Community-level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses, etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies, etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow, etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, Water Parameerprobes

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Volunteer training and outreach

Description:
The program started (1987) with collaboration between Ferrum College scientists and the Lake Association in order to preserve good water quality in the lake. The program is based on the work, and support of citizen scientists and Ferrum College students. Each summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the citizen scientists take water samples and measure water turbidity. The Water Quality Program hires 3-4 students each summer who are doing their internships. These students pick up the volunteer monitors samples every other week at the lake residences. The students collect tributary samples for chemical and biological analyses and analyze samples weekly.

Undergraduate Research Assistant in a Structural Geology Lab in Environmental Science Department at UVA.

Website: N/A

Hours needed for completion: 60-79 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, geology, and soils

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture, etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses, etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow, etc), Demographic analysis and growth measures of plants

Use of Field Instrumentation: Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description:
Ms. Robbins has had a number of different experiences, all of which has involved long-term research projects in the Biology Department, Environmental Sciences, and at UVA’s Archeological Field School. All of these are described above.

Washington

Ecology at Seattle University; Marine Ecology, Aquatic Ecology, Wildlife Ecology, Forest Ecology, Conservation Biology at Blakely Island Field Station

Website: https://www.seattleu.edu/scieng/biology/%20and%20https://spu.edu/depts/biology/blakely/

Hours Needed for Completion: 40-59 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Field Safety, Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Physiological measurement devices

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description:
Ecology at SU is a 10-week academic course, with weekly field labs where ecological research is conducted in multiple habitats to learn relevant field techniques and collect analyzable data to test hypotheses. All courses at the Blakely Island Field Station (Marine Ecology, Aquatic Ecology, Forest Ecology, Wildlife Ecology, Conservation Biology) are highly intensive all day every day 2-week field courses where students conduct daily research projects at multiple field sites, collect data, analyze data and present results, culminating in independent projects across the island.

Washington D.C.

The George Washington University: Field Biology BISC 3459

Website: http://bulletin.gwu.edu/courses/bisc/

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Presentation to technical audience

Description:
The course provides an overview of the approaches and techniques used by contemporary field biologists for cataloging, quantifying, and comparing patterns of biodiversity across plants, animals, and fungi at multiple spatial and temporal scales. We go to field sites around the DC area with different local experts to study local biodiversity.

Wisconsin

Field Observation of Common Loons on Small Lakes in Northern Wisconsin

Website: http://loonproject.org

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 2-3 weeks

Identification Skills: Vertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), ID’ing of mark animals; finding of nests and young

Use of Instrumentation: GPS, laser rangefinders

Research Design and Data Skills: Sampling, Data collection, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving

Description: We have marked common loon adults and chicks since 1993 and study them on 108 lakes in northern Wisconsin. This requires locating the birds on the lake, IDing them from their leg bands (though submerged at most time), and tracking their breeding behavior and social interactions with any territorial intruders that visit.

Wyoming

Student Field Technician support with the Greater Yellowstone Network, National Park Service

Website: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/gryn/

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Community structure and habitats.

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc), Navigation to remote off trail field sites, Working in grizzly bear country, Operational Leadership – safety, Driving safety, Climate Relationships with field studies

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc, Sondes, Survey123 on tablets/phones

Research Design and Data Skills: Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Data interpretation, Data management, Data entry, Data Quality assurance and control

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience, Integrating science into management decision-making

Description:
Through this collaborative program, students work with natural resource professionals from the National Park Serviceâ€™s Greater Yellowstone Network (GRYN), one of 32 networks nationwide. GRYN monitors vital signs (natural resource indicators) to characterize water quality and quantity of springs, streams, and rivers, wetlands, and amphibian breeding, high elevation whitebark pine trees, and native and non-native plant cover in upland vegetation habitats. Results from this long-term monitoring program inform managers of the status and trends for these vital signs. Further, this program examines how climate, fire, invasive species, and other factors may play a role in observed changes.

Pollinator Hotshots and The Rocky Mountain Science

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 8-10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture, etc), taxonomy

Use of Field Instrumentation: GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets, etc, taxonomic id

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination

Description:
RMSSN is a short and intensive field academy that focuses on applied ecology in the settings of US National Parks. Students learn taxonomy, basic field collection techniques using transects, camp traps, and other non-invasive approaches.

International Sites:

Botswana

Community-based Wildlife Conservation in Botswana

Website: https: //www.roundriver.org/student-programs/botswana/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): More than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc)

Use of Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description: Round River programs are more than an outdoor classroom. Our students live, work, and study in the field, contributing directly to efforts promoting the conservation of wild species and wild places, in collaboration with our local community partners. In Botswana, students spend 90 days in the Okavango Delta, working with local park rangers to collect collaborative wildlife monitoring data. Students. Working closely with local instructors and guides to accomplish these important wildlife and habitat studies, students also assist with training, capacity building, and community outreach activities. Round River has been working in Botswana since 2012 in a partnership with the Okavango Research InstituteÂ of the University of Botswana. Over the years students have assisted the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), The Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, Bird Life Botswana, and numerous Community Trusts and communal concessions around the Okavango Delta region.

Brazil

Zoology Field Experience in Brazil BI319

Website: http://catalog.fairfield.edu/undergraduate/arts-sciences/biology/#coursestext

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 2-3 weeks

Identification Skills: Vertebrates

Field Skills:

Use of Field Instrumentation: GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking, Creativity, and imagination

Description:
Zoology Field Experiences in Brazil is a research-intensive course designed to give Biology students the opportunity to participate in research projects focused on animal conservation in the Atlantic Rainforest. As a service-learning course, students worked with a PROFAUNA, a Brazilian Wildlife Protection and Environmental Monitoring NGO whose objectives are the conservation of wildlife, education, and prevention of animal trafficking. Students are required to work on a specific field project but assist on other projects as well. During the January intersession, students travel to Brazil, develop and conduct experiments, collect data and upon their return to the US, continue to work on projects through data and statistical analyses. All work is presented at Fairfield University’s Spring semester (Sigma Xi) research symposium.

Central America

Undergraduate Research Fellowship plus supporting coursework and training

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): more than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Trace element analysis (XRF, ICP)

Use of Field Instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer

Research Design and Data Skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Presentation to technical audience

Description:
The Departments of Biology and Sustainability Science at Furman offer a research-rich curriculum culminating in a collaborative student-faculty research experience. Field techniques are taught in both on-campus courses and study-away programs. All biology majors take Research and Analysis, including experimental design, statistical analysis, scientific writing, and research ethics. The Wild Semester field course, taught in New Mexico and South Africa, incorporates classes in Ecology, Conservation Biology, and Field Zoology. Research in my laboratory focuses on ecophysiology of plants that hyperaccumulate heavy metals. Our current focus is on Central America, and recent research has involved fieldwork in southern Mexico and Guatemala.

Chile

Round River Conservation Studies – Patagonia Program

Website: https://www.roundriver.org/student-programs/patagonia-chile/

Hours needed for completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): More than 10 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Use of Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description: Round River programs are more than an outdoor classroom. Our students live, work, and study in the field, contributing directly to efforts promoting the conservation of fragile ecosystems. In partnerships with the CorporaciÃ3n NacionÃ¡l Forestal, ConservaciÃ3n PatagÃ3nica, and local governments, Round River conducts biodiversity research to promote protected area management and wildlife conservation in southern Chilean Patagonia, in the AysÃ©n region. Students assist with multi-species population monitoring throughout public and private lands in the region, including demographic surveys for the endangered huemul deer in its last stronghold of Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, and for the threatened Darwin’s rhea in the Patagonian steppe. Students conduct rapid biodiversity assessments of all taxa – mammals, birds, plants, and fungi – and study ecological restoration of altered landscapes including peatland bogs and ranching steppe. Students collaborate with local partners in all research projects and learn greatly from local culture during week-long homestays. They build skills in cross-cultural collaboration and language, as well as in applied field research and community-based conservation.

Huvsgul, Mongolia

Round River Conservation Studies – Mongolia Summer Program

Website: https://www.roundriver.org/student-programs/programs/mongolia/

Hours Needed for Completion: 80 hours and above

Instruction Time (in weeks): 6-7 weeks

Identification Skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Use of Field Instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

Description:
Round River programs are more than an outdoor classroom. Our students live, work, and study in the field, contributing directly to efforts promoting the conservation of fragile ecosystems. In partnerships with the Ulaan Taiga Protected Areas Administration and the Mongolian Wolverine Project, Round River conducts research in three newly formed protected areas of the taiga of northern Mongolia. Situated in the Huvsgul province, these protected areas comprise 1.5 million hectares of mountains and high-elevation boreal forest, contiguous with the vast Lake Huvsgul National Park to the east. Students assist with multi-species carnivore monitoring in the Darhad Valley, studying fire dynamics, high-elevation wetlands, grazing impacts, permafrost distribution, and river systems. Student field crews conduct research on breeding and migratory birds, steppe and talus-dwelling pikas, large mammals and culturally significant medicinal plants, while exploring ways to incorporate local communities and community needs into park management.

Saint Lucia

Tropical Marine Ecology and Conservation

Website: https://educationabroad.global.usf.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=23734

Hours needed for completion: 40-59 hours

Instruction Time (in weeks): Less than 2 weeks

Identification Skills: Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field Skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture, etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies, etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels

Use of Field Instrumentation: Surveying for transect, plot delineation, etc

Other Skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem-solving, Critical thinking

Description:
This course will use a hands-on approach to give students a better understanding of the marine ecology and conservation in Saint Lucia as well as research & monitoring techniques used by field marine biologists. This course is a field-intensive experience based in Soufriere, Saint Lucia. We will spend a significant amount of time underwater observing and investigating coastal ecosystems. Lectures and traditional assignments will supplement our field work to provide the necessary background for students to understand important ecological principles at play in the ecosystems, and to analyze field data to answer ecological questions about these ecosystems. Before departure, students will complete training to receive scientific diver-in-training status from the American Academy for Underwater Science (AAUS), which is necessary for those wishing to dive in the course. In Saint Lucia, students will have the opportunity to log enough scientific dives to earn full scientific diver credentials through AAUS. Those students who do not dive will be able to carry out field exercises in shallower water using a snorkel.

This course includes an integral Service-Learning component and students will work with various community partners during this course.