2013–14 Academic Catalog

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Marine Science [clear]

Title		Offering	Standing	Credits	Credits	When	F	W	S	Su	Description	Preparatory	Faculty	Days	Multiple Standings	Start Quarters	Open Quarters
Advanced Research in Environmental Studies Dylan Fischer, Abir Biswas, Lin Nelson, Erik Thuesen, Alison Styring and Gerardo Chin-Leo agriculture botany community studies ecology environmental studies geography geology health hydrology law and government policy marine science zoology Signature Required: Fall Winter Spring		Program	JR–SRJunior–Senior	V	V	Day	F 13 Fall	W 14Winter	S 14Spring		Rigorous quantitative and qualitative research is an important component of academic learning in Environmental Studies. This independent learning opportunity is designed to allow advanced students to delve into real-world research with faculty who are currently engaged in specific projects. The program will help students develop vital skills in research design, data acquisition and interpretation, written and oral communication, collaboration and critical thinking skills—all of which are of particular value for students who are pursuing a graduate degree, as well as for graduates who are already in the job market. studies in nutrient and toxic trace metal cycles in terrestrial and coastal ecosystems. Potential projects could include studies of mineral weathering, wildfires and mercury cycling in ecosystems. Students could pursue these interests at the laboratory-scale or through field-scale biogeochemistry studies taking advantage of the Evergreen Ecological Observation Network (EEON), a long-term ecological study area. Students with backgrounds in a combination of geology, biology or chemistry could gain skills in soil, vegetation and water collection and learn methods of sample preparation and analysis for major and trace elements. studies marine phytoplankton and bacteria. His research interests include understanding the factors that control seasonal changes in the biomass and species composition of Puget Sound phytoplankton. In addition, he is investigating the role of marine bacteria in the geochemistry of estuaries and hypoxic fjords. studies plant ecology and physiology in the Intermountain West and southwest Washington. This work includes image analysis of tree roots, genes to ecosystems approaches, plant physiology, carbon balance, species interactions, community analysis and restoration ecology. He also manages the EEON project (academic.evergreen.edu/projects/EEON). See more about his lab's work at: academic.evergreen.edu/f/fischerd/E3.htm. studies and is involved with advocacy efforts on the linkages between environment, health, community and social justice. Students can become involved in researching environmental health in Northwest communities and Washington policy on phasing out persistent, bio-accumulative toxins. One major project students can work on is the impact of the Asarco smelter in Tacoma, examining public policy and regional health. studies birds. Current activity in her lab includes avian bioacoustics, natural history collections and bird research in the EEON. Bioacoustic research includes editing and identifying avian songs and calls from an extensive collection of sounds from Bornean rainforests. Work with the natural history collections includes bird specimen preparation and specimen-based research, including specimens from Evergreen's Natural History Collections and other collections in the region. Work with EEON includes observational and acoustic surveys of permanent ecological monitoring plots in The Evergreen State College campus forest. conducts research on the ecological physiology of marine animals. He and his students are currently investigating the physiological, behavioral and biochemical adaptations of gelatinous zooplankton to environmental stress and climate change. Other research is focused on the biodiversity of marine zooplankton. Students working in his lab typically have backgrounds in different aspects of marine science, ecology, physiology and biochemistry. Please go to the catalog view for specific information about each option.	botany, ecology, education, entomology, environmental studies, environmental health, geology, land use planning, marine science, urban agriculture, taxonomy and zoology.	Dylan Fischer Abir Biswas Lin Nelson Erik Thuesen Alison Styring Gerardo Chin-Leo		Junior JR Senior SR	Fall	Fall Winter Spring
Advanced Research in Environmental Studies with E. Thuesen Erik Thuesen marine science zoology Signature Required: Fall Winter Spring		Research	JR–SRJunior–Senior	V	V	Day	F 13 Fall	W 14Winter	S 14Spring				Erik Thuesen		Junior JR Senior SR	Fall	Fall Winter Spring
Advanced Research in Environmental Studies with G. Chin-Leo Gerardo Chin-Leo environmental studies marine science Signature Required: Fall Winter Spring		Research	JR–SRJunior–Senior	V	V	Day	F 13 Fall	W 14Winter	S 14Spring				Gerardo Chin-Leo		Junior JR Senior SR	Fall	Fall Winter Spring
Fire and Water: The Sun, Oceans and Atmosphere in Climate Change Gerardo Chin-Leo and EJ Zita astronomy biology ecology environmental studies marine science physics		Program	SO–SRSophomore–Senior	16	16	Day	F 13 Fall				The Earth’s atmosphere and oceans are affected by human activities, by the Sun and by geologic activity. Over many millions of years, the Earth has experienced wide fluctuations in climate, from ice ages to very warm periods. Earth is currently experiencing an unusually rapid warming trend, due to anthropogenic (human-caused) changes in atmospheric composition. Historically, a major factor determining global climate has been the intensity of the Sun's energy reaching the Earth. However, climate changes cannot be explained by variations in solar radiation alone. This program will examine some of the major interactions between the Earth and Sun, atmosphere and oceans.Interactions between oceans and atmosphere affect the composition of both, and oceans impact global climate by redistributing the Sun's energy. Changes in ocean circulation help explain climatic changes over geologic time, and marine microorganisms play a major role in the cycling of gases that affect climate (e.g., CO2 and dimethylsulfide). What is the evidence for causes of contemporary global warming? What are expected consequences? What can be done? What about proposed schemes to engineer solutions to global warming, such as the sequestration of anthropogenic carbon into the deep sea? We will study diverse and interconnected physical, chemical, geological and biological processes. This requires a basic understanding of biology and chemistry as well as facility with algebra and ability to learn precalculus.Students will learn through lectures, workshops, laboratories and seminars, often using primary scientific literature. Students will do significant teamwork and may research questions that they are particularly interested in. We will have weekly online assignments, so students should be comfortable using computers and the Internet.		Gerardo Chin-Leo EJ Zita		Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Fall	Fall
Marine Biology of the Pacific Northwest Gerardo Chin-Leo biology marine science		Program	FR–SRFreshmen–Senior	8	08	Day				Su 14 Session I Summer	This program introduces principles of marine biology focusing on the marine life and marine habitats of the Pacific Northwest coast. We will study the environment, taxonomy, adaptations, and ecology of marine organisms as well as the major oceanographic features of the northwest coast. There will be various field trips including a camping trip to the Olympic Peninsula and possibly a sailboat trip.		Gerardo Chin-Leo	Tue Wed Thu	Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Summer	Summer
Marine Life: Marine Organisms and Their Environments Gerardo Chin-Leo and Erik Thuesen environmental studies field studies marine science		Program	JR–SRJunior–Senior	16	16	Day		W 14Winter	S 14Spring		This program focuses on marine life, the sea as a habitat, relationships between the organisms and the physical/chemical properties of their environments, and their adaptations to those environments. Students will study marine organisms, elements of biological, chemical and physical oceanography, field sampling methods with associated statistics and laboratory techniques. Throughout the program, students will focus on the identification of marine organisms and aspects of the ecology of selected species. Physiological adaptations to diverse marine environments will be also be emphasized. We will study physical features of marine waters, nutrients, biological productivity and regional topics in marine science. Concepts will be applied via faculty-designed labs/fieldwork and student-designed research projects. Data analysis will be facilitated through the use of Excel spreadsheets and elementary statistics. Seminars will analyze appropriate primary literature on topics from lectures and research projects.The faculty will facilitate identification of student research projects, which may range from studies of trace metals in local organisms and sediments to ecological investigations of local estuarine animals. Students will design their research projects during winter quarter and write a research proposal that will undergo class-wide peer review. The research projects will then be carried out during spring quarter. The culmination of this research will take the form of written papers and oral presentations of the studen't work during the last week of spring quarter.	marine science, environmental science and other life sciences.	Gerardo Chin-Leo Erik Thuesen		Junior JR Senior SR	Winter	Winter
Ocean Life and Environmental Policy Erik Thuesen biology environmental studies law and government policy law and public policy marine science political science		Program	FR ONLYFreshmen Only	16	16	Day	F 13 Fall				Water is essential to life, and the environmental policies related to marine and aquatic ecosystems will provide many of the subjects for our study in this full-year program. When combined with introductory policy components starting with the Pacific Northwest and looking globally, our studies of the biological, physical and chemical characteristics of oceans will provide the valuable knowledge necessary to make instrumental decisions about marine resources and habitats. It is essential to understand the interconnections between biology and ecology in order to make informed decisions about how environmental policy should proceed. This core program is designed to provide scientific skills and policy knowledge necessary to understand problems facing Earth’s ecosystems. Learning will take place through lectures, seminars, a workshop series and biology laboratory exercises. Work in the field and multi-day field trips in fall and winter are also planned to gain first-hand exposure to various marine environments.In the fall, we will cover standard topics of first year college biology, using marine organisms as our foci. The overall objective of this component is to gain basic familiarity with the biology and ecology of ocean life. We will examine the use and abuse of decision-making authority in order to assess how science and culture interact to safeguard endangered biota. Specific topics will include policies surrounding marine mammals, anadromous fish, ocean acidification, etc. Fall quarter topics will be mostly gathered from local and regional issues.		Erik Thuesen		Freshmen FR	Fall	Fall
Our Changing Oceans: Bringing Together Science and Policy Rika Anderson biology environmental studies law and government policy law and public policy marine science political science		Program	FR ONLYFreshmen Only	16	16	Day		W 14Winter			Water is essential to life, and the environmental policies related to marine and aquatic ecosystems will provide many of the subjects for our study in this program. When combined with introductory policy components starting with the Pacific Northwest and looking globally, our studies of the biological, physical and chemical characteristics of oceans will provide the valuable knowledge necessary to make instrumental decisions about marine resources and habitats. It is essential to understand the interconnections between biology and ecology in order to make informed decisions about how environmental policy should proceed. This core program is designed to provide scientific skills and policy knowledge necessary to understand problems facing Earth’s ecosystems. Learning will take place through lectures, seminars, a workshop series and laboratory exercises.We will approach these issues from the perspective of the whole ocean ecosystem: how do currents, seasons, nutrient cycles, and other physical and chemical properties affect life in our oceans? What part does each type of organism play within the ecosystem? How can changes in one component of the ecosystem have ripple effects on the rest? We will apply this scientific knowledge to critically assess important marine environmental issues, focusing on ocean acidification, climate change, fisheries policy, and deep-sea mining. A week-long field trip to Friday Harbor will provide hands-on oceanographic experience, and a trip to the Capitol will allow us to witness legislation of important marine issues in action.		Rika Anderson		Freshmen FR	Winter	Winter