Biology 1330 - Environmental Biology
Environmental Biology (Biology 1330) is an introductory level course on the relationships between living organisms - plants and animals (including humans) - and the environment around them. Environmental Biology starts out with an introduction to the science of ecology. Ecology provides the rigorous, scientific framework for examining the interactions between organisms and their environment. The second half of the course looks at how we make decisions about how we interact with our environment. This includes integrating political, economic, and social factors with the science of ecology. The course concludes by looking at important current issues in the environmental science and how decisions are being made to address these issues. Biology 1330 is part of the core curriculum for Environmental Studies majors and is also taken by non-majors interested in the environment.
Biology 4610 - Environmental Field Methods
Environmental Field Methods (Biology 4610) is the capstone course for seniors in Environmental Studies. The course provides an overview of how decisions are made about the environment and introduces tools that Environmental Scientists use to contribute to well-informed decisions about the environment. A major component of the course is an investigation of some of the common tools used to integrate the environmental sciences into decision making. These include tools such as Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements (NEPA) and Ecological Risk Assessment. We also discuss tools such as geographic information systems, modeling, and remote sensing data.
Biology 4980 - 8986 Ornithology
See the Spring 2003 Ornithology web page!
This course is intended to provide an overview of the field of ornithology. At the end of this course you should be able to attend a meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union and understand the research being described and where that research fits in to the body of scientific knowledge we call ornithology. While we will discuss all aspects of avian biology, these discussions will take place in the context of the evolution, ecology and conservation of birds. Some of the primary objectives of the lecture portion of the course are to:
1) Expose you to the broad sweep of biology applied to birds with sufficient depth that you will be able to understand the current scientific literature on birds.
2) Discuss how birds as a group differ from other groups of organisms (e.g. mammals), what makes them unique, and why the have evolved to be the way they are.
3) Develop an understanding of the ecology, evolution, and behavior of birds (and the other aspects of their biology) that will allow you to begin to answer questions of the nature of "Why does that bird do that?"
4) Explore the current status and trends of bird populations and diversity, to understand how birds and humans interact, the nature of the threats facing birds, and how conservation activities may help ensure the continued existence of diverse, abundant communities of birds.
Labs will emphasize the practical skills needed to study birds and will expose you to an overview of the diversity of birds. Some of the primary objectives of the lab part of the course are:
5) Help you learn to identify the common birds of Nebraska and to develop the skills needed to identify birds anywhere in the world.
6) Introduce you to the diversity of birds through an overview of the major groups of birds, with a sufficient level of detail so you will be able to discuss birds with people from anywhere in the world.
7) Increase your familiarity with birds as organisms through study of their anatomy, morphology, and behavior.
8) Provide an introduction to some of the common techniques used to study the ecology, behavior and conservation of birds in the field.
Taken together, the overall objective of this course is to:
9) Increase your awareness of birds, improve your observational skills, and spark your curiosity so that you frequently ask questions of the nature of "Why does that bird do that?"
Meeting these objectives will require that you use the excellent text
book assigned, attend every class on time (including those early morning
labs!), and spend time outside of class observing birds.
Biology 4800 - Internships in Environmental Studies
One graduation requirement for a degree in Environmental Studies Life Sciences is completion of an internship. This is usually done in the Junior or Senior year and can be designed to mesh with a student's specific interests. While intended for Environmental Studies majors, students in other majors interested in exploring careers in environmental science and related fields may enroll in this course to receive credit for internship experience.