Directory of Field Courses and Programs – The Ecological Society of America

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.

Jiangsu, China

Ecology 208, Capstone 495

Field training course: https://ugstudies.dukekunshan.edu.cn/majors/environmental-science-with-tracks-in-biogeochemistry-biology-chemistry-and-public-policy/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: 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)

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

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 paper 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

Description:
My student focused program is focused on developing field courses and more advanced scholar development through individual Signature Work (thesis) Research. This includes the Food Web Ecology Course with 8 hour field trip and mentoring students in the Summer Research Scholar Program Summer (SRS). This SRS included 40 hours of training at the Chongming Island field research station to learn the methods for tidal wetland macrobenthic invertebrate sampling and identification and 200 hours of collection and identification. I also host transect surveys on campus to develop bird mortality identification skills and species identification techniques through calls, plumage and beak shape.

California

California Ecology and Conservation

Field training course: https://ucnrs.org/teaching/cec/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many 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)

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

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

Other components: Living in field stations with limited amenities for the entire 50-day program.

Description:
California Ecology and Conservation is an undergraduate field program that brings together students from across the UC system for seven weeks of intensive scientific training at NRS reserves. Guided by experienced field instructors, students complete a series of increasingly independent research studies while learning to detect natural patterns, frame questions into feasible research projects, and apply field techniques. At the conclusion of each project, students analyze their data and present their findings in oral presentations, posters, and written reports. Students hone their research, public speaking, and scientific writing skills with constant practice and feedback while gaining a working familiarity with Californias diverse ecosystems.

California Ecology and Conservation (CEC)

Field training course: https://ucnrs.org/teaching/cec/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

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

Use of field instrumentation: Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Description:
California Ecology and Conservation (CEC) is an undergraduate field program during which students complete a series of increasingly independent research studies while learning to detect natural patterns, frame questions into feasible research projects, and apply field techniques. Not only do students learn how to analyze their data and present their findings in oral presentations, posters, and written reports, they also hone their research, public speaking, and scientific writing skills with constant practice and feedback while gaining a working familiarity with Californias diverse ecosystems. CEC is an intense field course during which students and instructors spend 50 consecutive days in the field.

Conservation Science Bird Banding Internship at the Palomarin Field Station

Field training course: https://www.pointblue.org/internships/conservation-science-internships-at-the-palomarin-field-station/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates

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

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

Use of field instrumentation: Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Data collection, Data management

Other components: Identification of regional bird species by sight and sound; bird banding; mist netting; bird handling

Description:
Overview: Hosted internships at Palomarin are intended to give Doris Duke scholars exposure to landbird monitoring methods at the Palomarin Field Station, with fieldwork and data management training provided by a combination of supervisory staff and current apprentices. Interns will also be paired with a mentor during their time at Point Blue who will provide additional guidance. While the majority of the field work will be focused on mist netting and bird banding, interns will also gain hands-on experience in other field methods commonly used in conservation. Two Doris Duke scholars will intern from ~June 19 to August 11, 2023, and will work, learn, and reside at the Palomarin Field Station; field work will also take place at Palomarin off-site long-term study locations, and interns will visit other nearby Point Blue projects.

Learning Outcomes:
Apply avian field research methods to investigate conservation priorities. Interns are exposed to and learn many of the skills needed to study songbird populations through mist-netting and banding. Primary skills include safe handling of songbirds, and identifying relevant demographic information such as age and sex. Interns will learn what it takes to operate a mist-netting station, articulate the research applications of banding, and identify at least 25 common bird species by sight and 10 by sound. Interns will also be exposed to several other landbird monitoring methods (e.g., Spotted Owl surveys, point counts, nest searching) and other Point Blue projects. Finally, as part of our avian studies at Palomarin, interns will participate in local vegetation monitoring related to plant phenology and likely surveys to characterize vegetation around mist nets and throughout the study site prior to a long-term fuels-treatment / prescribed burning effort expected to occur in 2023-24.

Integrate knowledge of natural history into the design and assessment of conservation research. The foundation of our work and our teaching is a strong emphasis on the importance of natural history the fundamental biology and behavior of organisms and interactions with their environment as well as the role of observation in the scientific method. Interns spend much of their time intensively observing and measuring interactions of birds with their ecosystems. Our curriculum is rooted in our extensive experience that effective conservation and management â€“ as well as new discoveries â€ are based on careful observation of the natural world. Interns will demonstrate their knowledge of natural history and their observation skills by keeping a group journal with the Palomarin apprentices that reflects their field observations, and by discussing natural history observations during weekly meetings.

Articulate the value of conservation science to the public and students. The Palomarin Field Station is open to the public (in a modified way during the pandemic+W50), and interns will likely interact with dozens of visitors and students during their internship across multiple outreach events. Interns receive training and guidance from staff on best practices in science and nature interpretation, handling public interactions, and leading public outreach demonstrations. Interns will participate in outreach events as the opportunities arise.
Implement data management best practices using both recently developed and widely used software tools. Much of ecological research today requires evaluating enormous amounts of data, and thus working with large datasets is a valuable tool for many conservation practitioners. At Palomarin, data collected by apprentices and interns contribute to the long-term Palomarin datasets, and many of these datasets are integrated into global databases, such as the National Phenology Network and eBird. Interns will learn the fundamentals of working with large datasets through data management and data integrity best practices, and learn how such data can be applied to natural resource management through decision support systems.W71

Klamath Basin Field Course

Field training course: https://extended.humboldt.edu/extended-education/course/klamath-basin-field-course

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 2-3 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Geology, soils

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, Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc), Sampling fish for population estimates and disease, monitoring restoration projects

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

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

Research paper design and data skills: Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data interpretation, Data management, Collecting monitoring data

Other components: Touring and working on restoration sites, hiking to Trinity Alps to survey amphibians, monitoring of Northern Spotted Owl. Each student had to become ‘expert’ on specific plants and animals during course. Nightly student-led discussions of scientific articles. Learning from Indigenous Tribes about TEK and environmental management.

Description:
During this action-packed 14-day field course, students will learn about the natural history of the Klamath Basin while studying its socio-ecological systems and working on restoration projects in the Basin. Hike to high alpine lakes, raft the mid-Klamath River, snorkel in Klamath tributaries, visit Klamath River dams, and camp throughout the Basin.

This course is an interdisciplinary synthesis of topics concerning restoration, ecology and natural history within the Klamath River Basin. Students that successfully complete this course will receive 3 units of ESM 469 from Cal Poly Humboldt. This course is open to students from any University. This course can serve as a substitution for several courses at Humboldt including, but not limited to, ESM 355 (Principles of Ecological Restoration), BIOL 306 (California Natural History), or an upper division elective requirement.

The Klamath River flows 253 miles from Southern Oregon to the California coast, draining a basin of more than 15,000 square miles. The Klamath River was once the third most productive salmon and steelhead river in the West, surpassed only by the Columbia and the Sacramento Rivers. With a long history of impact and over-allocated resources, the Klamath Basin faces numerous water quality and quantity challenges.

The Klamath River Basin is an ideal location to study restoration, ecology, and natural history because of the expansive diversity in habitat types, hydrology, geology, ecology, vegetative communities, land ownership, and land use. Numerous restoration projects within the Klamath Basin incorporate all of these themes in one way or another. One restoration project of particular focus in this course will be the upcoming removal of four large dams on the mainstem Klamath River, which will be the largest dam removal project in history.

We will explore the California portion of this Klamath Basin through hiking, rafting, snorkeling and driving. We will visit Iron Gate Dam and reservoir, high alpine lakes, deep clear pools of the Salmon River via snorkel and mask, and experience the Klamath River first-hand as we raft down the mid-Klamath region. Throughout our exploration of the Basin, we will learn about principles of restoration, ecology, and natural history as we meet with representatives from local nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and Native tribes.

Following this program, students should have a working knowledge of and experience in:

The variety of restoration projects in the Klamath Basin and how and why they are implemented.
The components of the rich and diverse ecosystems that comprise the Klamath River Basin, both terrestrial and aquatic.
Field observation skills, including methods for documenting and sharing findings, primarily focused on restoration monitoring and natural history observations.
Critical reading, discussion, and evaluation of primary literature in ecology and restoration.
Exploration of the unique natural history and geology of the Klamath Basin.
The significance and history of Native tribes in Klamath related to the dams and other impacts.
The array of employment opportunities related to watershed restoration and natural resource science through our meetings with different entities.
Basic ecological, management and conservation concepts as related to the Klamath River Basin.

Large Marine Vertebrate Field Course

Field training course: https://beltranlab.ucsc.edu/research/elephant-seals-2/

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates

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

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

Use of field instrumentation:

Research paper design and data skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Description:
The large marine vertebrate field course combines lectures and in-person fieldwork with northern elephant seals at Nuevo Reserve. Lectures familiarize students with research methods, study design, and statistical approaches for research on large marine vertebrates. Research topics include animal tracking, physiology, behavior, foraging ecology, and energetics. The fieldwork component of the course consists of weekly field shifts, ~ 5 hours a week, resighting flipper-tagged seals or assisting with anesthesia procedures.

NSF REU: Ecological and Evolutionary Responses to Rapid Environmental Change

Field training course: https://eerrec.ucdavis.edu/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 6-7 weeks

Identification skills: Invertebrates

Field skills: Field Safety

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

Use of field instrumentation:

Research paper design and data skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Experimental treatment/control design, Data collection, Statistical analysis, Data management

Other components: workshop on an introduction to R scripting, 90 minutes x 5 sessions, + practical sessions for plotting individual data

Description:
Ecosystem stewardship depends on understanding the ecological and evolutionary impacts of rapid environmental change on individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. The next generation of environmental scientists must be equipped to study these phenomena, understand their effects on society, and communicate their findings to the public, resource managers, and policymakers. The EERREC REU provides students with immersion into research and professional development in preparation for a career in ecology and evolutionary biology. Students conduct individual mentored research, go on field trips to natural and managed systems, and take weekly professional development workshops that include a journal club, instruction in responsible conduct of research, scientific communication, and the scripting language R.

Nuevo Elephant Seal Research Program

Field training course: https://beltranlab.ucsc.edu/research/elephant-seals-2/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 2-3 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates

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

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

Use of field instrumentation:

Description:
The goal of the elephant seal research program is to maintain a population of uniquely tagged seals for demographic, behavioral and physiological research. Research is conducted on the northern elephant seal colony located at the Nuevo Preserve. Undergraduate students participate in weekly fieldwork, for ~5 hours a week, and help support the long-term mark-recapture program throughout the entire academic year. Depending on the day, fieldwork consists of searching for flipper-tagged seals with binoculars, marking seals with hair dye, participating in anesthesia procedures, and weighing young-of-the-year seals. Additional tasks include data entry, sample processing, and gear cleaning.

UCB Forestry Camp + my research lab

Field training course: https://forestrycamp.berkeley.edu/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants

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

Use of field instrumentation: Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation, Data management

Description:
Forestry Field Camp at the University of California, Berkeley is an eight-week intensive program that provides an introduction to the scientific and professional dimensions of forest and wildland resource management.

Colorado

BS Ecosystem Science and Stewardship

Field training course: https://coloradomtn.edu/programs/ess/ecosystem-science-stewardship-bachelor/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc

Other components: Collaboration with regional land managers, capstone research project

Description:
The Bachelor of Science in Ecosystem Science & Stewardship provides students with hands-on experience deep in the heart of the Rocky Mountains as they train in the science and practice of mountain ecosystem stewardship. This degree prepares students for in-demand careers such as ecologists, foresters, hydrologists, wildlife biologists, and much more. This program will require students to integrate multiple scales of scientific inquiry, identify and engage diverse stakeholders, and translate scientific knowledge to action. Students will experience firsthand the trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and human well-being in one of the Rocky Mountains+W50 most ecologically important and fastest growing wildland-urban interfaces.

Full Time Independent Research

Field training course: https://www.rmbl.org/students/undergraduates-beyond/summer-education-programreu/

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, bacterial and fungal growth in wet lab and subsequent in situ manipulation of nectar in flowers; pollinator behavior observations

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc

Description:
The program is a 10 week independent research program at the Rocky Mountains Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado. A world leading institution focusing on mountain ecosystems and promoting individual research projects. The field station is in a remote location within the Rocky Mountains allowing students to immerse themselves within a community of research scientists at different career stages. Students are expected to participate in the 10 week education program where alongside individual mentors they develop an independent research project where they must collect and analyze data and discuss their findings in a broader context. Results are presented to peers, staff and researchers in a conference style setting and present a final report on their project.

Research Experience for Community College Students

Field training course: https://cires.colorado.edu/outreach/reccs

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many 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), 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)

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

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

Other components: career prep

Description:
The Research Experience for Community College Students (RECCS) is a paid summer research experience program open to all Colorado community college students. RECCS provides an authentic research experience at CU Boulder, allowing them to explore environmental or Earth science and gain the confidence to transition to a four-year program in the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) disciplines. The training that students receive and skills they develop are largely dependent on the type of research they do, as students are paired with scientists across the Earth and environmental science disciplines. Students may for example look for trends in ocean satellite data, study localized air pollution, or collect samples to better understand community ecology at the Long Term Ecological Research Station.

Connecticut

Marine Ecology

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 20-39 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices

Research paper 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

Description:
This course is an upper level elective where students learn about the processes that mediate the interactions between organisms and their environment (both biotic and abiotic). The class explores the ecology and biota of local marine environments through field work and individual research projects. The course focuses on biological responses to environmental challenges, and will explore the roles of diversity, trophic structure, and productivity in marine systems. A major portion of the course is learning how to experimentally and scientifically study marine ecology. This means a significant amount of time spent in the field and lab learning and applying field methods.

Introduction to Geospatial and Environmental Analysis

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 20-39 hours

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Microorganisms

Field skills: Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

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 paper design and data skills: Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Data interpretation, Data management

Description:
This field course emphasizes the importance of sustainability and conservation, encouraging students to appreciate the natural world while equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to address environmental challenges. It combines classroom instruction with field-based learning, allowing students to connect theory with real-world application. Overall, the program fosters a deeper understanding of our environment and prepares students for careers in environmental science and related fields.

Summer internship

Field training course: https://ncbs.ifas.ufl.edu/internship-program/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field skills: Field Safety, Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices

Research paper design and data skills: Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Data interpretation

Other components: both field sampling of fish and lab work on processing invertebrate samples, as well as some writing as part of a literature review.

Description:
Our summer internship program seeks to pair undergraduate students with practicing researchers and agency partners, to obtain real-world experience.

Tall Timbers Research Station Fire Ecology Summer Internship

Field training course: https://talltimbers.org/fire-ecology-program/fire-ecology-program-education-outreach/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many 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), 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)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Statistical analysis, Data management

Other components: Prescribed burning, plant wiki website editing, herbarium curation

Description:
The mission of the Fire Ecology Program at Tall Timbers is to produce science-based knowledge regarding the ecology and conservation of fire-dependent ecosystems with an emphasis on the southeastern US Coastal Plain. Summer and Fall internships are designed to expose students to the widest possible experiences in research, conservation, and education, including experiences with other programs at Tall Timbers, especially the Stoddard Bird Lab and Game Bird programs. Research experiences include measuring plants and soil as part of various long-term experiments, conducting prescribed burns as experimental treatments, data processing, editing our wiki plant life history website to provide a resource to scientists and the public, and participation in various training events at Tall Timbers, including Prescribed Fire Training Center field tours, visiting university field tours, ATV training and other safety courses, and workshops held at Tall Timbers.

UF/IFAS Undergraduate Research Internship Program

Field training course: https://research.ifas.ufl.edu/for-students/internships/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates

Field skills: Field Safety, 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)

Other skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Creativity and imagination

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation

Description:
This internship program is a cooperative effort between the College of Agricultural Sciences (CALS) and the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. Interns are supervised by a IFAS faculty member and are paid $560 per week ($14 per hour) for six weeks full time, or the hours can be spread out over the entire fiscal year. The Experiment Station has over 500 active research Projects located on the Gainesville campus and at Research and Education Centers throughout Florida. Each project has specific goals and objectives that the intern will have the opportunity to help achieve. The intent of this program is to diversify the STEM workforce by introducing undergraduates to research and future careers in science, with a priority for students who have yet to participate in a paid research experience.

University Scholars Program

Field training course: https://cur.aa.ufl.edu/university-scholars-program/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates

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

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other components: Development of an independent research project

Description:
The University Scholars Program introduces undergraduate students at the University of Florida to the exciting world of academic research. In the program, students work one-on-one with UF faculty on selected research projects. Through this initiative, students will take away an understanding of and appreciation for the scholarly method.

A competition is held each spring within participating colleges for the University Scholars awards that includes a $1750 stipend. The program will consist of undertaking a full research project, under the guidance of a faculty member. The University Scholars Program serves as an exceptional capstone to the academic careers of UF students. Only 200 students from all disciplines are selected through a competitive process to participate in this program.

Georgia

Biology of Invasive Species

Field training course: http://envs.emory.edu

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS

Description:
The Department of Environmental Sciences offers multiple semester-long courses with weekly lab and field components that build student skillsets in ecological techniques, remote sensing, species identification, and study design. The Biology of Invasive Species course takes students through terrestrial and freshwater sampling techniques during the first half of the semester. In the second half of the semester, student teams design and implement field data collection projects or experiments on the topic of their choosing.

Go Green Tigers

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 60-79 hours

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Invertebrates, debris

Field skills: Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc

Other components: customization

Description:
The Go Green Tigers: Grow Green Tigers was an initiative that is growing into a program. The focus is to offer students exposure into environmentally sustainable opportunities that are rooted in green economies. The first round of students learned about issues in urban food deserts and how to address them using techniques learned with regional farmers and others who are knowledgeable in urban growing. Students were offered to work in the Outdoor Learning Lab to apply what they learned and to scaffold other greening opportunities onto their experience. These options included opportunities with our external partners.

Plant Bio Lab (current), Env Sci Research (current), Water Quality/Sustainability (Costa Rica), Biology Research

Field training course: https://www.clayton.edu/international-programs/study-abroad/costa-rica

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

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

Other components: laboratory work for plant lab and research projects (growth chamber, PAR meters, microscopes, etc.)

Description:
These courses were not part of a program, but were taken in succession. In both research courses, Devon collected soils in the field, manipulated them, and analyzed them in the lab. She also grew plants in the soils and collected data on plant growth and reproduction. In plant bio lab, she is leading a team for a half-semester independent research on wetland and forest plant communities. In Costa Rica, she completed rainforest field work and analyzed water samples and identified aquatic invertebrates. In a former research project she completed plant surveys and identified plants in the lab. All projects had a significant lab component. She presented her research at university conferences.

Iowa

Iowa Geological Survey Summer Intern Program

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 4-6 weeks

Identification skills: Geologic samples, both rock and unconsolidated sediments

Field skills: Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Passive seismic data collection

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

Use of field instrumentation: GPS, Passive seismic (Tromino) data collection, GPS navigation

Research paper design and data skills: Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Data interpretation, Data management, Established sampling protocol

Other components:

Description:
The Iowa Geological Survey (IGS) is part of an National Science Foundation grant (Iowa Environmental Internship Pathways Program, Improving Undergraduate STEM Education, Award #2119888) received by the University of Iowa Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (PIs B. Cramer, K. Tierney, J. Meyer, B. Swanson, and S. Tassier-Surine). Under this program, the IGS hires students that are given direct experience with IGS projects and contracts. Students are trained and supervised as needed by IGS staff to collect data that is integral to IGS programs. They are encouraged to take ownership of the data and may present research at local and regional meetings. Hallie was hired to work on tasks related to United States Geological Survey (USGS) contracts, specifically a geologic mapping contract (STATEMAP, Award #G23AC00407) and another related to the USGS Critical Minerals EarthMRI program.

Indiana

Independent research in the Searle lab at Purdue Unviersity

Field training course: https://www.bio.purdue.edu/lab/searle/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 2-3 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates, Invertebrates

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other components: Organizing field crews (e.g., scheduling, delegating tasks)

Description:
Emileo has been a member of my research laboratory for 1.5 years, which included half-time work for two summers (12 weeks each) and part-time work during the school year (approximately 5 hours per week). Our work involves sampling amphibian communities in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA to estimate population abundance/density and community richness/diversity. We also record information on individual body metrics (e.g., mass, length) and swab the animals to detect a fungal pathogen. Emileo is highly skilled in all these techniques and is knowledgeable beyond the basic skills (e.g., he knows the reasoning behind the steps in each method).

Kentucky

ENV 492, Research in Environmental Science

Field training course: http://onlinecatalog.nku.edu/search_advanced.php?cur_cat_oid=25&search_database=Search&search_db=Search&cpage=1&ecpage=1&ppage=1&spage=1&tpage=1&location=3&filter%5Bkeyword%5D=env+492&filter%5Bexact_match%5D=1

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Physiological measurement devices

Research paper design and data skills: Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Data interpretation, Data management

Other components: lab analyses to accompany samples collected in the field (specifically soil analyses)

Description:
Research credit can be earned at the 400-level in our Biology Program by students working in-depth on research projects and taking on leadership roles. Students can take research credit more than one time to work on the same project or multiple projects.

Louisiana

General Ecology

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many 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

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

Use of field instrumentation: Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Description:
General Ecology lab is a 4-hour per week, 16 week course, which is paired with a General Ecology lecture course. In lab, students do three research projects where they generate hypotheses, take data, analyze data in R, and write a mini-manuscript. The first project tests whether spiders exhibit niche partitioning in a bottomland hardwood forest. The second tests plant species diversity in pine savannahs. The third is a group project where students come up with their own research idea, which has ranged from testing soil bacterial diversity, testing water quality in canals, and measuring herbivory on native vs invasive plants.

LUMCON Research Experience for Undergraduates Program

Field training course: https://lumcon.edu/reu/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Invertebrates

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

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

Other components: Lab analysis of heavy metal concentrations.

Description:
LUMCON has run our Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program on Interdisciplinary Research Experiences in Louisianas Changing Coastal Environments since 2011. A cohort of REU participants will spend ten weeks conducting independent research projects with guidance from scientific mentors/mentor teams while interacting with peers participating in other aspects of LUMCONs summer programs. Each student is paired with (a) scientific mentor(s) based on mutual research interests. The REU program is designed to give students a meaningful, hands-on research experience that takes advantage of state-of-the-art methods and technologies available at LUMCON.

NSF IRES SITES Aquatic Biodiversity Research in Western Kenya

Field training course: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1854127&HistoricalAwards=false

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 4-6 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field skills: Field Safety, 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)

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

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

Research paper design and data skills: Sampling, Data collection, Data interpretation, Data management

Other components: Cultural and Social experiences in Western Kenya

Description:
This IRES project will provide scientific and cultural research opportunities for 18 undergraduate students, including those from traditionally underrepresented groups, from several US institutions. These students will collaborate with Kenyan researchers and undergraduate students to investigate the freshwater ecosystems of western Kenya. Prior to the research trip students will receive training in biodiversity research methods and the language and culture of Kenya to prepare them for the experience abroad. In Kenya, participants will collect fishes, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and conduct water quality analyses; to better understand the dynamics that shape these biological communities and how contemporary changes to the environment are affecting critical freshwater aquatic habitats. Additionally, using cutting-edge molecular techniques, students will have the opportunity to participate in the discovery and formal description of a vast array of unknown species in the area. Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world and the skills and experiences students will gain during this project will prepare them to contribute to freshwater ecosystem conservation efforts globally. Upon returning from Kenya, students will engage in individual projects and disseminate their results via social media, conferences, and peer-reviewed publications. By providing these students this unique international research experience, this project will train and prepare the next generation of U.S. scientists to engage with and lead the global scientific community in addressing the ongoing biodiversity crisis.

Massachusetts

ENVSCI 120-Introduction to Environmental Sciences Laboratory

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 20-39 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Invertebrates, Microorganisms

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), 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)

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other components:

Description:
Laboratory required for majors and minors. Research cruise in Boston Harbor. Sample sediments, plankton, water and analyze by sieving, microscopes, Chlorohyll, and R statistics.

Research Methods

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 20-39 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Water quality, qualitative studies

Field skills: Field Safety, Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc), Ecosystem process field assessment (carbon or nutrient flux, whole system metabolism, watershed studies etc), Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays

Research paper design and data skills: Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection, Statistical analysis

Description:
This is a research methods course with a variety of field techniques. There is coverage of quantitative analyses on a research vessel, GIS, statistics, and qualitative studies like ethnography and case studies. Students earn practice in writing project ideas for research and presentation skills.

Wetland Ecology

Field training course: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQXlleMTgKUadfY1Bs3-Yj1p5q5cAkOLdze4XEvIRsJ_WYMdtLcLi3lBHsy_Wlgh_n5keIJM1Y5vvYW/pubhtml?gid=1823123064&single=true

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates

Field skills: Field Safety, 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Sampling, Data collection, Data interpretation

Other components:

Description:
Wetland Ecology is a field-based course that explores multiple aspects of wetland systems and their surrounding watershed. The course tackles multiple aspects of wetland ecology, including analysis of wetland hydrology, hydric soils identification, typing, and ID, hydrophytic plant identification and community analysis, including rare plants and community types. We also tackle wetland restoration techniques and implementation in both freshwater systems and coasted wetlands. We delve into utilizing wetland ecosystem services in both natural and human-dominated setting. Finally, we evaluate wetland regulation using field indicators and explore policy implications for topics mentioned above. Above all, we mess around in wetlands, get dirty, and have a lot of fun.

Michigan

Earth 450 – Ecosystem Science in the Rocky Mountains

Field training course: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/camp-davis/courses/earth-450/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 4-6 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Microorganisms

Field skills: Field Safety, 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Statistical analysis, Data interpretation

Description:
EARTH 450, cross listed as ENVIRON 450, explores the principles of ecosystem science using field projects in the Rocky Mountains. The unique and diverse geological history and climate of this region controls the occurrence of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the plants and animals of which they are composed. We will develop and use an understanding of geological and metrological processes to understand the distribution and function of grasslands, forests, and alpine ecosystems in the Rocky Mountains. The course is designed for majors in geological sciences, natural resources and environmental science to gain field-based knowledge and experience of Rocky Mountain geology and ecology. It is also designed for students majoring in other areas who have a general interest in this subject matter. This course will be team taught by professors from several different disciplines.

Eco-Evo-Devo: How Genome and Environment Affect Organismal Development (EEB 405) and Forest Ecosystems (EEB 348)

Field training course: https://lsa.umich.edu/umbs

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 4-6 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS

Description:
The University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) has been home to scientific discovery since its founding in 1909. Our core mission is to advance environmental field research, engage students in scientific discovery, and provide information needed to understand and sustain ecosystems from local to global scales. In this cross-disciplinary, interactive community, students, faculty, and researchers from around the globe come together to learn about the natural world and seek solutions to the critical environmental challenges of our time.

Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Major

Field training course: https://www.cmich.edu/program/biology-ecology-evolution-conservation

How many hours: 20-39 hours

How many 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, Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

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

Description:
The Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Concentration at Central Michigan University is designed to prepare students for a variety of careers in disciplines such as plant and animal biology, fisheries, wildlife biology, animal behavior, limnology, Great Lakes biology, systematics, and climate change biology. Coursework in this major allows students to learn practical skills in field sampling techniques, GIS analysis, wildlife management, advanced statistical analysis, specimen curation, and taxonomy.

EEB 373 Ecology Lab

Field training course: https://lsa.umich.edu/umbs/students/courses/general-ecology-lab—eeb-373.html

How many hours: 60-79 hours

How many weeks: 4-6 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

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

Description:
This course provides an immersive field, hand-on, and project-based learning experience in Ecology. You will get trained in various field techniques to do ecological research while exploring concepts of population, community, and ecosystem ecology. Emphasis will be placed on asking good questions (or identifying suitable problems), designing studies to address them, collecting and analyzing data, and communicating scientific findings. This course is conducted largely outdoors and will utilize the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) as an observational and experimental laboratory to gain a working knowledge of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

ENV421Restoration Ecology Theory and Practice

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, 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, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Comparative study data collection plans, Experimental treatment/control design, Sampling, Data collection

Other components: restoration tools and methods as prescribed fire, removal of invasive species, seed collection, propagation, traditional knowledge

Description:
The course offers an introduction to the natural science, engineering, policy, law, and the humanities around ecological restoration. Restoration ecology is a relatively new field that relies on fundamentals of ecology and draws from other disciplines including engineering, landscape architecture, social sciences, economics, environmental education and the arts to assist the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Ecological restoration is a fundamental element of ecosystem management. It is an intentional activity that initiates or accelerates an ecological pathway or trajectory through time towards a reference or desired state. In this capstone course, you will draw on your foundation studies in the natural sciences, social sciences, and culture to help you assess real-world problems in local ecosystems.

Environmental Science and Biogeography

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 20-39 hours

How many weeks: Less than 2 weeks

Identification skills: Plants

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)

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Data interpretation

Other components:

Description:
I teach an introductory course in Biogeography. Lecture-based material focuses on basic principles of historical and ecological biogeography, while field-based labs focus on ecological communities and community change, with particular focus on vegetation. While one of my nominees has not taken Biogeography, her field-based experience while studying abroad in Greece is equitable in terms of experience and rigor.

Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program

Field training course: http://greatlakeswetlands.org

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 2-3 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc), Operating and trailering boats

Other skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Science communication (to public)

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

Research paper design and data skills: Sampling, Data collection

Description:
The purpose of our program is to look at Great Lakes coastal wetland status and trends over time. Our program is funded by the US EPA GLNPO and just finished its 13th field season. We work with many other universities and agencies to collect anuran, bird, invertebrate, fish, vegetation and water quality data. Water quality data and land use/land cover data are used to create a gradient from pristine (least anthropogenically disturbed) to extremely degraded (most anthropogenically disturbed). Taxa data are used to create indices of ecological condition for all coastal wetlands where those taxa data are collected.

Minnesota

Itasca Biological Station – field biology course (2022) and station intern (2023)

Field training course: https://cbs.umn.edu/itasca

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field skills: Field Safety, Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

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

Research paper design and data skills: Sampling, Data collection, Data management

Description:
We offer 3- and 5- week field-based courses every summer as part of our Field Biology program. In this living-learning environment students are immersed in course content alongside their professors. Our station is embedded within Itasca State Park, offering students opportunities to practice science communication with the public. In addition to their coursework, students attend and participate in weekly research seminars and conduct independent research projects.

TRIO/McNair Research Scholars Program

Field training course: https://wp.stolaf.edu/mcnair/

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants

Field skills: Field Safety, Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: GPS, Physiological measurement devices

Description:
The TRIO/McNair program provides a paid, 40-hour/week summer internship for St. Olaf students. Students conduct research with a faculty member in STEM and take a 4 hr/week research writing class.

Missouri

Advanced Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 2-3 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Other skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), reflection and interpretation

Use of field instrumentation: Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc, basic insect collection

Research paper design and data skills: Sampling, Data collection, Data interpretation, Data management

Other components: indigenous and traditional knowledge, environmental conservation, cultural immersion

Description:
Our field course takes students from cloud forests to high paramo grasslands to the Amazon River basin to experience an immersive biodiversity and environmental conservation curriculum. In it, they learn about sustainability, ecotourism, biodiversity conservation, human nature coupled systems, indigenous knowledge systems, natural resources management, resource extraction, human wildlife conflict, and other environmental themes. We engage students in authentic research at an Amazonian field station where they collect leaf litter community ecology data and interpret their work through rapid biodiversity assessment.

North Carolina

Field research in Venus flytrap demography

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates

Field skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers

Research paper 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 components: Students are encouraged to develop their own independent studies or honors theses.

Description:
Our lab studies the impact of environmental changes on populations of animals and plants. For example, we study the impacts of climate change on both local demography and geographical range shifts in tundra plants. We also study how climate change and alteration of fire frequency jointly influence the population persistence of an at-risk plant, Venus flytraps. Student research assistants in these projects gain experience in measuring plants in the field, environmental monitoring, data management and analysis, and writing.

New Hampshire

Shoals Undergraduate Research Group

Field training course: https://www.shoalsmarinelaboratory.org/research/undergraduate-research-opportunities

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates, Invertebrates, seaweeds

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

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

Other components: Oceanographic sampling (temperature, salinity, oxygen, fluorescence, PAR), plankton sampling (neuston, pelagic), fish and shellfish sampling (beach seine, traps, underwater cameras), guillemot blood and fecal samples and camera traps

Description:
Shoals Marine Laboratory’s SURG Program is specifically designed for undergraduate college students over the summer break. Undergraduate researchers work directly with faculty mentors and SML scientists to conduct research experiments and projects, combining new areas of discovery with ongoing, long-term monitoring. SURG provides invaluable experience and helps students develop skills that will increase their marketability when it’s time to apply to graduate school or pursue your career aspirations.

New Jersey

Rutgers Gardens Internship: Public Gardens Management track

Field training course: https://rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu/education/internships/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Plant stress and disease sign/symptom recognition

Field skills: Field Safety, Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), Equipment use and safety; plant propagation; woodland trail restoration; invasive species removal

Other skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Retail plant sales

Use of field instrumentation: Mower, tractor, weed whacker, soil knife, pruners, eye lens, spraying equipment (fertilizer, deer repellant, etc.)

Research paper design and data skills: Invasive species management

Other components: Plant propagation, planting, and care (watering, weeding, fertilizing, mulching); invasive species removal; greenhouse operations

Description:
Rutgers Gardens, the botanic garden or Rutgers, the State University of NJ, includes public display gardens, natural areas, and farms. The Public Garden Management internship teaches students proper horticultural techniques including plant propagation and care, public engagement, and invasive species removal. Students learn equipment safety and complete extensive hands-on, field-based tasks in all weather conditions. Rutgers Gardens staff provide on-site training and faculty provide guest lectures on technical content including plant disease, entomology, soil ecology, and plant identification. The competitive, paid internship is open to Rutgers students; accepted applicants work 40 hours/week in the 15-week summer program.

New York

Biology 302 General Ecology Laboratory

Field training course: https://my.daemen.edu/database/course_catalog_maintenance/department_courses.php?department_id=19&level=UG

How many hours: 20-39 hours

How many weeks: 6-7 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)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Description:
The field component that I taught paralleled a lecture course and introduced students to techniques in habitats in Western New York. Students completed mark/recapture on invertebrates, tree transects and community analyses, pollinator behavior observations, freshwater invertebrate sampling and water quality assessment, and tree canopy GPS survey and database creation.

Field Ecology

Field training course: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/RxD04ZCKyoFm6

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

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

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

Description:
A field experience course. Through hands-on science, we study the interactions between humans and ecology and gain an appreciation of ecology in unique settings. Semester long course with extended field trip(s). E.g. Everglades, FL and Great Lakes Shipboard Science.

Summer Scholars research program

Field training course: https://www.siena.edu/centers-institutes/curca/research-at-siena/summer-scholars-program-details-and-eligibility/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 6-7 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, variety of other taxa – various taxonomic groups

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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

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

Research paper design and data skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Data interpretation

Other components: Other field courses cover additional sampling techniques – Environmental Field Techniques

Description:
The Siena Summer Scholars Program promotes inquiry and creativity by supporting scholarly activity in which faculty members and students collaborate during the summer. Students participation in scholarly activities fosters exploration and discovery by providing opportunities to design and carry out original research including evaluation, analysis, synthesis of information or participation in a creative activity.

As part of the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences program, students have additional field based courses, such as Environmental Field Techniques. That course is focused solely on environmental field sampling techniques – introduction, implementation, and analysis and interpretation. Students have additional field based labs as part of other coursework, such as Environmental Science and Ecosystem Ecology.

Ohio

Introduction to Environmental Science-Lab (ENVSC 121)

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: 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)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices

Other components:

Description:
This course offers a hands-on, experiential overview of physical, chemical, biological, geological laboratory and field skills needed for the environmental sciences, and serves as a core required course for Environmental Science majors. Students will be introduced to field techniques, internet research, laboratory skills and data analyses. Experiences may include a Boston Harbor cruise, delineation of a local watershed, assessing air and water quality, running computer simulation models, and using GPS/GIS to locate and map spots on the UMass Boston campus.

Miami University NSF REU Program

Field training course: https://sites.google.com/a/miamioh.edu/ecoreu/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates, Microorganisms

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

Use of field instrumentation: Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc, Experimental Research in Mesocosms

Description:
he Miami University REU program in Ecology and Environment is a summer research program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Our program is an exciting opportunity for 9-12 undergraduate students to actively engage in a 10 week collaborative research project.

Each student focuses on an independent research project.
Research opportunities are available in the lab or field (aquatic or terrestrial environments).
Small groups of students and mentors form clusters that meet regularly to discuss current literature related to their projects.
The summer includes field trips, short courses on ethics and professions in ecology and environmental science, and seminars by guest speakers.

Restoration Ecology

Field training course: https://www.uakron.edu/biology/

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Habitats and communities

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

Use of field instrumentation: GPS

Research paper design and data skills: Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection

Other components: Evaluating and designing restoration plans and situations

Description:
in 2023 the course focused on evaluating restoration activities (dam removals) on the Cuyahoga river (the river whose burning in the 1960s prompted the establishment of the EPA).

Course Learning objectives. Students will be able to:

Explain the ways that various ecological and human drivers affect ecosystems and their recovery.
Explain common approaches for restoration ecology
Evaluate and develop well founded plans for restoration
Identify and articulate connections between restorations and human affairs
Effectively communicate biological problems and solutions to both the scientific community and the public at large in writing, in discussion, and in presentations

Independent Study — Field Research in Population Biology of Small Mammals

Field training course:

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: Less than 2 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)

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

Use of field instrumentation: GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices

Description:
This is not a defined course. I take undergraduate students to the field every summer to trap small mammals. We collect data on mammal populations and bring tissue samples back to the lab for genetic analysis. Students can compare their data to previous data from the same field sites in northern Michigan (21 years of data).

Oregon

Ecological Field Research

Field training course:

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 2-3 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), Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, practical skills for working and camping in unimproved field sites (no bathroom, running water, etc) and skills for sampling the upper canopy in tall forests and remote areas.

Other skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Field research notes, data and notes archiving, and principles aligned with maintaining long-term ecological records.

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

Research paper design and data skills: Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Data interpretation, Data management

Description:
Hands-on course to build skills in communication, teamwork, field logistics/safety, GPS navigation, research best-practices, survey techniques, and use of common field instrumentation. Participants contribute to an ongoing long-term research and monitoring project. Students will conduct ecological surveys using multiple strategies to assess tree stress physiology, and vegetation, invertebrate, herpetofauna and avian biodiversity. Includes up to five miles of hiking per day, a three night camping trip in an unimproved forest area, three nighttime experiences collecting nocturnal biological data (late night and predawn), and dawn point-count surveys. Requires hiking off trail and on uneven terrain. No prior outdoor/camping experience required. All outdoor and field skills will be taught. Camping gear will be provided for those who need it. Primarily taught at the field location with some meetings at the Western Oregon University, Monmouth campus. Every student in this course is a critical team member. You will be treated as a research collaborator in-training, with the responsibilities that this comes with. Each student brings individual talents, important ideas, and essential intellectual contributions to the research process.

Vanguarding an Inclusive Ecological Workforce

Field training course: https://fwcs.oregonstate.edu/view

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc), environmental DNA sample collection

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

Use of field instrumentation: GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc, environmental DNA sample collection and field processing (filtration, etc.)

Other components: Each field experience is different based on the mentor assigned to the student (10 projects per year)

Description:
The goal of the VIEW Fellowship is to increase participants access to graduate school by helping them attain technical skills and develop a network of professionals who can serve as mentors and references as they move into their careers. Fellows gain marketable experience in ecological research, build relationships with their cohort, grow their professional network, and learn more about our fields of fisheries, wildlife, and conservation.

Undergraduate VIEW Fellows engage in 10-weeks of paid, mentored research experience with a FWCS faculty member or senior researcher, and participate in a suite of professional development activities with their cohort throughout the summer including resume and graduate school workshops, field days, and conferences. FWCS provides housing for the Fellows at the Corvallis campus or at Hatfield Marine Science Center, and FWCS shares the salary costs with the faculty mentor.

VIEW fellowship

Field training course: https://fwcs.oregonstate.edu/view

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: Less than 2 weeks

Identification skills:

Field skills: Laboratory work in wildlife genetics

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

Use of field instrumentation: PCR machines, pipets, gel electrophoresis

Research paper design and data skills: Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Data interpretation, Data management

Other components: A conference where fellows present their work

Description:
The goal of the VIEW Fellowship is to increase participants+W54 access to graduate school by helping them attain technical skills and develop a network of professionals who can serve as mentors and references as they move into their careers. Fellows gain marketable experience in ecological research, build relationships with their cohort, grow their professional network, and learn more about our fields of fisheries, wildlife, and conservation. Undergraduate VIEW Fellows engage in 10-weeks of paid, mentored research experience with a FWCS faculty member or senior researcher, and participate in a suite of professional development activities with their cohort throughout the summer including resume and graduate school workshops, field days, and conferences. FWCS provides housing for the Fellows at the Corvallis campus or at Hatfield Marine Science Center, and FWCS shares the salary costs with the faculty mentor.

VIEW Fellowship internship

Field training course: https://fwcs.oregonstate.edu/view

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates

Field skills: Field Safety

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

Use of field instrumentation: necropsy instruments

Research paper design and data skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Sampling, Data collection, Data management

Description:
The Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network (OMMSN) is a collaborative, largely volunteer organization comprised of partners from Oregon universities, state and federal agencies, and the general public, and is coordinated by Jim Rice who works with the Marine Mammal Institute of Oregon State University. The objectives of the OMMSN are: to document and investigate all Oregon marine mammal stranding events and to report data to the NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program+W55s National Stranding Database; to provide continuous surveillance for emerging, infectious, and zoonotic diseases; to document human interaction takes; to promote the welfare of live stranded animals (mitigating harassment, disentangling marine mammals from debris and fishery gear; provide euthanasia to severely moribund animals); to advance public outreach and education about marine mammal strandings (answer more than 1,000 stranding-related calls annually); and to provide information about strandings to mass media outlets.

Pennsylvania

☆ BIOL 496

Field training course:

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many 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), 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Remote sensors, Telemetry arrays, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other components:

Description:
Creative projects, including research and design, are supervised individually and fall outside the scope of formal courses. Depending on the research project, various fieldwork and laboratory procedures are taught to individual students.

☆ BIOL463

Field training course:

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

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

Other components:

Description:
A method based ecology course with emphasis on invertebrate diversity and scientific communication.

Rhode Island

Leadership in Global Crisis

Field training course:

How many hours: 20-39 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates, leadership in Global Environmental and Health Crisis

Field skills: Physiological field measurements (in situ photosynthesis, respiration, water relations etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation:

Research paper design and data skills:

Other components:

Description:
This is an undergraduate course to explore and develop leadership, self-authorship and civic professional skills to effectively respond to various global crises impacting the world. and

NRS 492 is a special project course involving the Science and Math Investigative Learning Experience (SMILE) program designed to integrate the undergraduate academic curriculum with supervised hands-on experiential learning opportunity. In this course, undergraduate students create an ecology day lesson plan for elementary and middle school-aged youth. Through direct observation, reflection, and evaluation, students learn to practice various skills in leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, environmental literacy, ecology, and relationship building in an organization or community setting. Additionally, students will gain understanding of the SMILE program+W56s mission, work and audience, and reflect on how these experiences relate to their academic study.

Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Field training course: https://web.uri.edu/nrs/academics/wildlife-and-conservation-biology/curriculum/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates

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

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

Other components: Required concentration courses (23-25 credits) include principles of wildlife ecology and management (3 credits); wildlife field techniques (3 credits); field botany and taxonomy (4 credits); wetland wildlife or non-game and endangered species management (4 credits); and 9-11 additional credits from an approved list of concentration courses that may include either field ornithology, mammalogy, vertebrate biology, herpetology, animal behavior or wildlife biometrics.

Description:
The major in wildlife and conservation biology, offered through the Department of Natural Resources Science (NRS), prepares students for professional careers in the public and private sectors of wildlife biology. In addition, the major provides a solid background for graduate study. Wildlife biologists are professionals concerned with the scientific management of the earth+W71s wildlife species and their habitats. They work in the areas of preservation, conservation, and management of wildlife species. Wildlife majors meet the educational requirements for state and federal employment in the wildlife profession, and can apply to become Certified Wildlife Biologists (CWBs) who are recognized by The Wildlife Society.

Wildlife and Conservation Biology B.S. degree program

Field training course: https://web.uri.edu/nrs/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Other skills: Problem solving, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience

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

Description:
Students enrolled in the Wildlife and Conservation Biology major study a combination of the natural sciences and principles of managing wildlife populations and their habitats. This major is one of very few in the United States that fulfills the educational requirements for certification as an Associate Wildlife Biologist by The Wildlife Society, the international organization for professionals in the wildlife field. It also provides an excellent foundation for graduate school. Professional courses (19 credits) including natural resource conservation, a seminar in natural resources, introductory ecology, resource economics, introductory soil science, and conservation biology.

Basic science requirements (23 credits) include introductory biological sciences (8 credits); introductory and organic chemistry (8 credits); introductory calculus (3 credits); and introductory statistics (4 credits).

Required concentration courses (23-25 credits) include principles of wildlife ecology and management (3 credits); wildlife field techniques (3 credits); field botany and taxonomy (4 credits); wetland wildlife or non-game and endangered species management (4 credits); and 9-11 additional credits from an approved list of concentration courses that may include either field ornithology, mammalogy, vertebrate biology, herpetology, animal behavior or wildlife biometrics.

Wildlife Field Techniques

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates

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)

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

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

Other components: A semester long field course that teaches students about experimental design, survey and census techniques, trapping and mark/recapture techniques, radiotelemetry and GPS methods, as well as statistical analysis of their data. There is a semester-long field experiment that the students design and carry out, and then analyze their data and write it up in Journal of Wildlife Management format.

Description:
The curriculum is a problem-solving, active-learning approach emphasizing the breadth of techniques available to answer common problems/questions in wildlife management and the tradeoffs associated with using each technique. There are two major out-of-class assignments: (1) a 15 hr internship with a wildlife biologist, environmental scientist, educator, or manager, and (2) a semester-long research project that requires students to design and conduct a field experiment, analyze the data, write a final report in journal format, and give a presentation on their work.

South Carolina

Creative Inquiry #26–Insects of the Clemson Experimental Forest: Insect Fauna of the Piedmont Hyporheic Zones

Field training course: https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/watt/creative-inquiry/about/current_projects.html

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: Less than 2 weeks

Field skills: Field Safety, Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Invertebrate faunistic study of a very poorly explored ecosystem: The hyporheic.

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

Use of field instrumentation: Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc

Research paper design and data skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data management

Other components: Methods for sampling the hyporheic fauna are poorly known. Students created and tested several types of equipment and protocols for their use before finding a system that works.

Description:
Insects of the Clemson Experimental Forest

Because of their amazing diversity, there are multiple ways to study the fauna of insects and their relatives. Students will investigate insects and other arthropods in the Clemson University Experimental Forest. Explorations for particular groups may be according to their taxonomic relationships (e.g., ants, spiders, flies, etc.), habitats (e.g., soil, foliage, water, etc.), behavior (e.g., nocturnal or diurnal activity, attraction to different baits, phototropism, etc.), or other characteristics. Students in this Creative Inquiry will ask one or more questions about some aspect of the fauna of insects and their relatives, provide testable hypotheses to answer that/those question(s), and design one or more field and laboratory experiments to test the hypotheses. Students may explore their questions independently or in teams over one to four semesters for 1 to 3 credits each semester. Results and conclusions about them will be reported by the students in on-campus and professional venues.

Field Methods in Marine Science

Field training course: https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/baruch_institute/research_education/ms_460/index.php

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: 2-3 weeks

Identification skills: Invertebrates, fish

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, Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

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

Description:
The overall goal of this course is to provide students with hands-on technical and field training necessary to conduct and critically evaluate marine science research. The course is conducted in residence at the Belle W. Baruch Marine Field Lab in Georgetown, SC during Fall, Spring and Summer semesters.

Texas

Environmental Science

Field training course: http://catalog.tamut.edu/arts-sciences-education/biology/

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms, Environmental science

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)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other components: SRBA for Dr. Crane

Description:

Working for a water treatment intern program at Texarkana College for Dr. Crane.
Use of hydrolab ms5 to measure LDO, conductivity, pH, depth, temperature, and ppt to capture data with Algiz computer controller. Flowmate flowmeter for water depth and flow of steam.
Taking water sample from the city of Texarkana and surrounding areas+W60

Field Ecology (Bio 373L) – fall 2023

Field training course: http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio373l/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many 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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

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

Other components: Biology of Birds (Bio 340L; has field component; spring 2023); Field Herpetology (Bio 369F; spring 2022)

Description:
Maia is an Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) Bachelor of Science major. Maia has taken or is taking three 3-credit hour field courses: Field Ecology (Bio 373L – fall 2023); Biology of Birds (Bio 340L – spring 2023); Field Herpetology (Bio 369F – spring 2022). The degree requires one taxon-based course, but Maia has taken three: Herpetology, Field Herpetology, and Biology of Birds. She has also taken the required courses in Ecology (Bio 373 – a 3hr lecture course), Evolution (Bio 370 – 3 hr lecture course, and Statistics, plus the usual freshman biology, genetics, chemistry, physics, calculus, etc. In Field Ecology (Bio 373L – taught in the field) the students each take one section of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory site and do a complete ‘work-up’ of it: plants, insects, herps, etc. plus vegetation history, soil, etc.

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

Field training course: https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/we-mean-green-fund/projects/pollinative-prairie

How many hours: 20-39 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Microorganisms, Birds

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), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc), tree measurement, point-quarter surveys, report writing, presentation, group work, and Good Laboratory Practices

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Traps e.g. camera traps, gillnets etc, Physiological measurement devices, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc, Christmas bird counts; DBH for trees

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.

Virginia

Smithsonian Mason School of Conservation

Field training course: https://smconservation.gmu.edu/programs/undergraduate-residential-semester-away-programs-2/wildlife-ecology-and-conservation/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Vertebrates

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)

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

Use of field 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

Description:
The Wildlife Ecology and Conservation semester of course at SMSC Applies cutting-edge field techniques to survey species in the wild and investigate ecological patterns and processes from local to global scales. Students develop field skills in surveying plants, insects, birds, fish, herpetofauna, and mammals; Examine ecological processes and species distributions; Analyze patterns of global environmental change; Synthesize theoretical concepts and current issues in conservation; Evaluate animal movement and presence using radio-telemetry, acoustic monitoring, and camera traps; Assess disease presence through non-invasive genetic techniques; and Quantify landscape patterns related to fragmentation and loss, and the impacts of land use.

Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many 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), 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)

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

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

Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Field training course: https://smconservation.gmu.edu/programs/undergraduate-residential-semester-away-programs-2/wildlife-ecology-and-conservation/

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many 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, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc), Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

Other skills: Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Critical thinking, Creativity and imagination, Science communication (to public), Presentation to technical audience, Professional skills (e.g. networking, resume building, 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 components: Development of a monitoring plan project for a species of conservation concern. Critical review and discussion of current conservation literature. Development of an independent, scholarly research project under the guidance of a conservation practitioner.

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, and learn how to characterize landscape patterns and processes across spatial and temporal scales. Working in groups, students develop a comprehensive monitoring plan for a species of conservation concern. Students pursue an independent research project under the guidance of a conservation mentor and produce a 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.

Vermont

NS381A Forest Ecology & Management (4 credits)

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Comparative study data collection plans, Sampling, Data collection, Data manipulation, analysis, graphing etc, Data interpretation, Data management

Other components:

Description:
This course immerses students in the science and practice of forest ecology and management, and explores the human dimensions of forest management, and the interplay between ecology and management in local forests. Students first gain a detailed understanding of Sterling Colleges forested land and its current management plan, as well as current issues in the forest that are impacting good forest management, chiefly the prevalence of invasive understorey shrubs and vines. Students will learn a variety of ecological and forestry-based techniques for forest assessment and measurement, as well as developing skills in invasive plant species identification and removal techniques. Practical work embedded in this endeavor will include trail work at Sterlings Bear Swamp site, and the removal of invasives from key areas of the forest to allow the forest management plan to be followed, and the remeasurement and analysis of forest plots using two approaches: one standard in forestry, and one standard in ecology.

Washington

BIOL 2600: Ecology

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 20-39 hours

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates

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

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

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

Description:
This is the lab portion of an Ecology course. The first 4-hour labs introduce students to four different ecosystems / techniques: plant diversity in an old-growth forest, water quality and benthic diversity in an urban stream, bird point counts, soil macroinvertebrate surveys, and camera trapping in urban parks, and applications of these methods in urban neighborhoods. After learning these methods, students design and conduct an independent research project over the next five weeks then present their results in a poster session. Some students work with community organizations, so they also share their results with them.

Directed Research and Senior Thesis Research

Field training course: https://www.pugetsound.edu/biology-current-students/research/student-research-programs

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, 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, Presentation to technical audience

Use of field instrumentation: Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Description:
Ellie conducted two summers of intensive research as part of the university’s summer research program, which givens ~$4000 for 10-weeks of intensive research. Entry into the program requires the development of a research proposal, and the program culminates with a campus-wide research symposium. During the academic year between these two summer experiences, Ellie additionally conducted “Directed Research” with her mentor, developing and piloting new methods to prepare for the second summer.

Ecology

Field training course: https://www.seattleu.edu/scieng/biology/

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: 8-10 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), 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)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Other components: Contributions to long-term datasets (15+ years) at regularly visited sites around Seattle

Description:
In Ecology, we work to understand fascinating patterns and processes in local, regional, and global ecosystems. We study the abundance, growth, and distribution of organisms; interactions among organisms in communities; and the flow of energy and cycling of nutrients through these communities. We explore interactions among plants, animals, and microbes, and between those populations and the physical and chemical environment. We combine classes featuring examples of these concepts with field labs where we investigate local sites for team research that will develop into projects. Students will become familiar with elements of research, from generating hypotheses to proposing and carrying out research to analyzing and writing up your results.

Introduction to Marine and Coastal Science Research

Field training course: https://marine.wwu.edu/

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GPS

Other components: Students learn how to use a CTD, plankton nets, and other water sampling equipment.

Description:
MACS 210 – Introduction to Marine and Coastal Science Research

This course will be an exploration of the biological and physical properties of the Salish Sea. We will explore coastal estuaries, seagrass beds, soft-sediment benthic habitats, and the pelagic system. We will focus on the physical processes that structure and characterize these habitats, learn the typical biota and evolutionary adaptations, and explore the interaction between the physical processes and the biological processes. Instruction will include lectures, field trips, laboratory exercises, and group projects intended to develop your research and communication skills related to marine science. We will begin with an intensive 1-week course at Shannon Point Marine Center during spring break, and will continue during Spring quarter with regular meetings on main campus in Bellingham and additional field trips.

Wildlife Managment & Wildlife Managment Lab

Field training course: https://www.gonzaga.edu/college-of-arts-sciences/departments/biology

How many hours: 40-59 hours

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Vertebrates, Invertebrates

Field skills: Population assessment (quadrats, transects, mark-recapture etc), Assessment involving two or more trophic levels, Use of and/or ground truth remotely sensed images (e.g. GoogleEarth, NEON etc)

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

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

Description:
Wildlife Management BIOL 384 is a 4 credit (3 credit lecture, 1 credit lab) introduction to ecology as applied to wildlife management with a heavily field-work centered lab. The lab course is centered on field-based methods for wildlife management. This includes cooperation with local tribal fisheries agencies to conduct e-fishing, a community engaged research project documenting and mapping small and large mammal diversity at a local land conservation property, and engagement with local stream restoration non-profits including beaver dam analog methods.

Wisconsin

Independent Study/Student Worker at Prairie Springs Environmental Education Center

Field training course: https://www.carrollu.edu/prairie-springs

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 8-10 weeks

Identification skills: Plants, Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field skills: Field Safety, Community level assessment (measuring density and diversity, benthic analyses etc), Soil analysis (e.g.moisture, organic matter content, texture, functions etc), chainsaw safety and felling, fire suppression, sample management, DNA extraction, R statistical analysis

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, GPS, collection and preservation of soil samples for DNA and physical/chemical analysis

Description:
The student worker program invites students to join the field station crew to do ecological restoration activities, trail maintenance, do ecological baseline sampling, invasive species management and removal, and more. Students may optionally develop independent studies with faculty at the field station that have widely varied and individualized goals. These opportunities are collaborative and often develop organically from the regular maintenance work that is done for both scientific and site management.

LAKES REU

Field training course: https://www.uwstout.edu/outreach-engagement/research/nsf-reu-site-lakes-undergraduate-research-experience

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: more than 10 weeks

Identification skills: Invertebrates, Microorganisms

Field skills: Field Safety, Water analysis (physical and biological measurements, flow etc)

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

Use of field instrumentation: Data Loggers, GIS, GPS

Description:
The LAKES Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) aims to better understand the root causes of phosphorus pollution and solutions while offering undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in cutting edge research.

Phosphorus is a pernicious and costly environmental pollutant. In areas of intensive agriculture, lakes are toxic at certain times of the year with blue-green algae bloom because of phosphorus pollution.

Solving the phosphorus pollution problem is not simple. A complex mix of social, economic, and environmental factors influences phosphorus use and misuse.

Students who participate in LAKES will spend two months in beautiful Menomonie, Wisconsin, training under research mentors in biology, economics, anthropology, engineering, psychology, and political science.

West Virginia

Forest Resources Management Field Practice

Field training course: N/A

How many hours: 80 hours and above

How many weeks: 4-6 weeks

Identification skills: Plants

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

Use of field instrumentation: GIS, Surveying for transect, plot delineation etc

Research paper design and data skills: Develop testable research questions and hypotheses, Experimental treatment/control design, Data collection, Data interpretation

Description:
During the field course, as part of the Forest Resources Management curriculum, students engage with 1) the impact of land use on the hydrologic cycle, 2) utility (powerline) vegetation management, 3) practice orienteering and GPS, 4) tree grading, log scaling, milling, and lumber grading, 5) experience and discuss forest management techniques in different forest types, 6) complete training for firefighter position, 7) chainsaw operation and 8) obtain certification in CPR/First Aid.

During Forest Ecology lab (3 hrs/week) students conduct a semester long experiment on poplar growth under different abiotic and biotic conditions, including data collection, calculations, statistics, report writing and oral presenting.