2014–15 Academic Catalog

2014-15 Undergraduate Index A-Z

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Natural History [clear]

Title		Offering	Standing	Credits	Credits	When	F	W	S	Su	Description	Preparatory	Faculty	Days	Multiple Standings	Start Quarters	Open Quarters
Advanced Field and Laboratory Biology in Southwestern Ecosystems Dylan Fischer and Clarissa Dirks biology botany ecology field studies natural history outdoor leadership and education zoology		Program	JR–SRJunior–Senior	16	16	Day	F 14 Fall	W 15Winter			The southwestern U.S. is unique in the diversity of habitats that can occur along with dramatic temperature and moisture gradients. Major advances in ecology have been made in these extreme environments, and important work in global change biology is currently being conducted in these ecosystems. This program will use field sites in the desert Southwest as living laboratories for investigating patterns in ecology, biology, microbiology and evolution. Students will learn about arid environments, plant ecology, field biology and molecular genetics. They will also conduct student-originated research projects in both laboratory and remote environments.We will use detailed studies of southwestern cottonwood trees, lichens, mosses, tardigrades (water-bears) and micromolluscs as examples that will let us dive deeply into laboratory and field experiments. We will pair those investigations with broader exploration of southwestern environments to learn about ecosystems and how climate change impacts organisms within them. Students will learn to conduct DNA analyses on plants and skills in microbiology and molecular biology so that they can apply these methods in new investigations. We will then travel to remote field sites in the Southwest to apply these techniques to questions about organisms in southwestern ecosystems. All students will participate in a mandatory two-week field ecology module each quarter where they will engage in major research projects examining the effects of desert-tree genetic diversity on ecosystems and the biodiversity of cryptic organisms. During the trips, students will learn to identify plant species of the Southwest and conduct field science experiments in these harsh habitats. We will also visit environmentally significant sites in the Southwest, including cactus forests, canyons, mountain peaks and water diversion projects. Students will use research conducted on these trips as the foundation for research papers they will write throughout both quarters. Students will receive specialized training in scientific writing, presentation, statistical analysis of data and techniques in laboratory and field biology.This program is designed for students who have a strong background in biology or ecology and are ready for advanced work. There will be an emphasis on student- and faculty-derived research projects, requiring students to do large amounts of lab and/or field work, reading of the literature, writing a research proposal and presenting their work at the end of the program. Students should be prepared for extensive time living and working in the field and should be committed to working through conflicts in group dynamics.If you are a student with a disability and would like to request accommodations, please contact the faculty or the office of Access Services (Library Bldg., Rm. 2153, PH: 360-867-6348; TTY 360-867-6834) prior to the start of the quarter. If you require accessible transportation for field trips, please contact the faculty well in advance of the field trip dates to allow time to arrange this.		Dylan Fischer Clarissa Dirks		Junior JR Senior SR	Fall	Fall Winter
Avian Monitoring and Research Methods Alison Styring biology ecology environmental studies field studies natural history zoology		Program	SO–SRSophomore–Senior	16	16	Day		W 15Winter			Birds are important indicators of habitat quality and are often the focus of conservation-oriented research, restoration, and monitoring. We will cover a variety of field and analytical methods commonly used in bird monitoring and avian research. Students will link theory to practice in the field and lab where they will develop skills in fieldwork, data management, and statistical analysis. Students will demonstrate their learning through active participation in all class activities; a detailed field journal; in-class, take-home, and field assignments; and a final project.An understanding of avian natural history is important to any successful project, and students without a working knowledge of the common birds in the South Puget Sound region are expected to improve their identification skills to a level that will allow them to effectively contribute to class efforts both in the field and in class.		Alison Styring		Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Winter	Winter
Botany: Plants and People Frederica Bowcutt and Lalita Calabria botany cultural studies environmental studies field studies history natural history writing Signature Required: Winter		Program	SO–SRSophomore–Senior	8, 16	08 16	Day	F 14 Fall	W 15Winter			The fall portion of this program serves both full-time and half-time students who are looking for an opportunity to expand their understanding of plants and challenge themselves. Students will learn about plant anatomy, morphology and systematics. Lectures based on textbook readings supplement the laboratory work. The learning community will explore how present form and function informs us about the evolution of major groups of plants such as mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants. Students will get hands-on experience studying plants under microscopes and in the field. Students will also learn how to maintain a detailed and illustrated nature journal to develop basic identification skills of common species of plants. Field observational data sharing will occur through online citizen science venues. Quizzes, exams, and weekly assignments will help students and faculty assess learning. In fall there is no upper-division science credit. The part-time option only exists in fall.FULL-TIME ONLY: For students enrolled full-time in the program, this is a two-quarter program, which allows students to learn introductory and advanced botanical material in an interdisciplinary format. In winter, full-time students will study algae, seaweed herbarium specimen preparation, twig identification, and help build a database of phenological information on a variety of local natural events including bud burst. During both fall and winter, they will also focus on people's relationships with plants for food, fiber, medicine and aesthetics. Students will study economic botany through seminar texts, films and lectures that examine agriculture, basketmaking, forestry, herbology and horticulture. They will examine political economic factors that shape our relations with plants. Through economic and historical lenses, the learning community will inquire about why people have favored some plants and not others or radically changed their preferences, such as considering a former cash crop to be a weed. In our readings, we will examine the significant roles botany has played in colonialism, imperialism and globalization. Students will also investigate the gender politics of botany. For example, botany was used to inculcate "appropriate" middle- and upper-class values among American and European women in the 18th and 19th century. Initiatives to foster more socially just and environmentally sustainable relations with plants will be investigated. In fall, weekly workshops will help the full-time students improve their ability to write thesis-driven essays defended with evidence from the assigned texts in cultural studies. In winter, full-time students will write a major research paper on a plant of their choosing applying what they've learned about plant biology and economic botany to their own case study. Through a series of workshops, they will learn to search the scientific literature, manage bibliographic data and interpret and synthesize information, including primary sources. Through their research paper, students will synthesize scientific and cultural information about their plant. : The part-time option is fall only. Students electing to register for this option are encouraged to also register for Field Mycology (8-cr), also fall only.		Frederica Bowcutt Lalita Calabria	Mon Tue Wed Fri	Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Fall	Fall Winter
Branching Out: An Ethnobotanical Garden in Community Marja Eloheimo Native American studies botany community studies consciousness studies environmental studies health natural history sustainability studies writing		Program	FR–SRFreshmen–Senior	12	12	Weekend	F 14 Fall	W 15Winter	S 15Spring		Working as a project team, this program has a mission. Students will continue to tend and refine habitat and theme areas in the Longhouse Ethnobotanical Garden, including the Sister Garden (patterned after a medicinal garden we created on the Skokomish Indian Reservation) as well as create valuable educational resources that contribute to the Evergreen community, local K-12 schools, local First Nations, and a growing global collective of ethnobotanical gardens that promote environmental and cultural diversity and sustainability. During , we will become acquainted with the garden and its plants, habitats, history, and existing educational materials. We will begin to engage in seasonal garden care and development, learning concepts and skills related to botany, ecology, Indigenous studies, and sustainable medicine. We will also establish goals related to further developing educational materials and activities, including a Web presence. Students will have the opportunity to select and begin specific independent and group projects that include learning knowledge and skills pertinent to their completion. During , we will focus on the garden's "story" through continued project work at a more independent level. Students will work intensively on skill development, research, and project planning and implementation. We will also be active during the winter transplant season and will prepare procurement and planting plans for the spring season. During , we will add plants to and care for the garden, wrapping up all of the work we have begun. We will establish opportunities to share the garden and our newly created educational materials, effectively enabling the garden to "branch out." This program requires commitment to a meaningful real-world project and strongly encourages yearlong participation. It also cultivates community within the program by nurturing each member's contributions and growth, and acknowledges the broader contexts of sustainability and global transformation.		Marja Eloheimo	Sat Sun	Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Fall	Fall Winter Spring
Field Mycology: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest Noelle Machnicki botany environmental studies field studies natural history		Program	SO–SRSophomore–Senior	8	08	Day	F 14 Fall				This 8-credit, fall quarter program is intended for both beginning and advanced students who are interested in exploring biology, basic ecology, and natural history though the lens of fungi.Students will participate in active lectures and discussions of reading material to learn about the fundamentals of fungal biology, ecology, and explore connections between fungi, humans, and the environment. Weekly labs and field work will provide students with hands-on workshops on the morphology, identification, and systematics of mushroom-forming fungi in the Pacific Northwest. Students will learn to formally describe and identify fungi using morphological and microscopic techniques and learn to use a variety of taxonomic resources, including keys and computer programs. At the end of the quarter, students will be able to identify many local mushrooms on sight, including edible, medicinal, and poisonous species. Several day trips will provide students with an opportunity for collecting specimens in varied habitats and to learn about the natural history of western Washington.		Noelle Machnicki	Wed Wed Thu Thu	Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Fall	Fall
Ornithology Alison Styring biology ecology environmental studies field studies natural history zoology		Program	SO–SRSophomore–Senior	16	16	Day	F 14 Fall				Birds are among the most diverse vertebrates found on the earth. We will explore the causes of this incredible diversity through a well-rounded investigation of general bird biology, the evolution of flight (and its implications) and the complex ecological interactions of birds with their environments. This program has considerable field and lab components and students will be expected to develop strong bird identification skills, including Latin names, and extensive knowledge of avian anatomy and physiology. We will learn a variety of field and analytical techniques currently used in bird monitoring and research. We will take several day trips to field sites in the Puget Sound region throughout the quarter to hone our bird-watching skills and practice field-monitoring techniques. Students will keep field journals documenting their skill development in species identification and proficiency in a variety of field methodologies. Learning will also be assessed through exams, quizzes, field assignments, group work and participation.		Alison Styring		Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Fall	Fall
Trees Dylan Fischer biology botany environmental studies field studies natural history writing		Program	FR ONLYFreshmen Only	16	16	Day			S 15Spring		How do trees, and forest communities, function? What makes them tick? What determines the tallest trees in the world? What makes trees some of the oldest organisms on earth? These and many other questions about trees have captivated humans since the dawn of time. In this program we will closely examine trees in their variety of form and function. We will use our studies to learn how understanding of tree form and function integrates study of botany, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geography and ecology.Our studies will be divided between those that focus on individual trees, forests and whole forests. We will also read classic and recent texts about human interactions with trees and how our relationships to trees still help shape our collective identities and cultures. Students will learn how to read and interpret recent scientific studies from peer-reviewed journals and be challenged to reconcile popular belief about the roles of trees with scientific observations. Day trips, workshops, labs and a multiple-day field trip will allow us to observe some of the largest trees on the West Coast and observe and measure trees in extreme environments. Communication skills will be emphasized, particularly reading scientific articles and writing for scientific audiences. We will also practice skills for communicating to a broader public using nonfiction and technical writing.		Dylan Fischer		Freshmen FR	Spring	Spring
Visualizing Permaculture Lucia Harrison and Steven Scheuerell aesthetics agriculture botany ecology environmental studies natural history sustainability studies visual arts		Program	FR–SRFreshmen–Senior	16	16	Day			S 15Spring		Permaculture is a global movement that works to design sustainable human habitation systems embedded in local cultures and ecosystems. The permaculture design process is highly collaborative and relies on visual communication to share ideas on paper, create maps, and finalize design plans. In studying this design process students will learn observation skills, ecological principles including disturbance, competition, succession , polycultures, and an introduction to soils, plants, microclimates, hydrology, earthworks, ecobuilding, and energy and water storage systems. Students in this program will also study the philosophy of permaculture and visit local places for site evaluation and design inspiration. Students will learn basic drawing techniques to record observations of the physical, biological and social features of a space as well as imagine and communicate alternative visions. They will keep design journals to record ideas and build drawing skills. Students will collaborate in small groups to create and present a design project that encompasses the iterative client-based permaculture design process taught in class.		Lucia Harrison Steven Scheuerell	Tue Wed Thu Fri	Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Spring	Spring
Wildlife Biology: Birds and Fishes Alison Styring and Amy Cook biology ecology environmental studies field studies natural history zoology		Program	JR–SRJunior–Senior	16	16	Day			S 15Spring		One of the key elements in conservation biology is the study of organisms in the wild, often called wildlife biology. Originally a field that focused on the management of game animals, this discipline has developed into something much broader, playing a key role in the conservation of a wide variety of types of animals and habitats. Modern wildlife biology pulls from a variety of fields including genetics, taxonomy, animal behavior and ecology.In this program we will focus on two groups of animals: birds and fishes. We will learn the taxonomy, behavior and ecology of these animals in the context of labs, fieldwork and lecture. Building on this background information, students will look at several key issues in the conservation of birds and fishes. These include conservation efforts around native fishes of the arid West, river restoration and salmonids, and management and conservation of aquatic and terrestrial bird species.What is the experience of the urban salmon or the urban crow? How do people respond as deer, coyotes and bears make greater and greater use of their neighborhoods? Wildlife biology is not just about animals; humans also come into the equation. As urban and suburban areas expand, modern wildlife biology increasingly deals with fragmentation of habitat and the interaction between humans and animals. We will examine these interactions as well as more traditional human-wildlife interactions in the form of hunting and fishing.Program activities will include lectures, labs and workshops focused on the biology of birds and fishes and their conservation and management. Seminar will include papers in the primary literature and books and other readings on select topics in wildlife biology. Students are expected to develop their skills in critical thinking, collaborative work and college writing.		Alison Styring Amy Cook		Junior JR Senior SR	Spring	Spring
Wildlife: Conservation and Writing Peter Impara and Anne de Marcken (Forbes) ecology environmental studies field studies geography natural history writing		Program	JR–SRJunior–Senior	16	16	Day	F 14 Fall				What does it take to prevent the extinction of a species? Scientific skills, ecological knowledge, a thorough understanding of governmental process, you have to make people care. This interdisciplinary program will provide students with the tools to develop recovery and conservation plans for endangered species of the Pacific Northwest, and to use writing to communicate the importance of conservation to both scientific and lay audiences. Students will apply a rigorous approach to collecting and analyzing biological, ecological, and habitat data. Using tools such as GIS to develop habitat suitability and cost surface maps, students will learn the importance of developing spatial analyses that communicate ecological information for decision making and planning. They will integrate information into species recovery plans, learning to effectively communicate goals, objectives, actions and options while following federal guidelines.Students will advance their understanding of writing fundamentals while cultivating the ability to shape compelling narratives that engage the imagination. Students will study a variety of science and nature writing for examples of how form and content work together to tell a story. Writing exercises and assignments will help students develop skill with syntax, basic grammar, clarity and form in order to meaningfully contextualize ecological and scientific information.Students will work in research groups to develop their recovery plans, and will work both collaboratively and independently on writing assignments. Lecture topics will include island biogeography and meta-population theory, landscape-scale conservation and ecosystem management approaches, the history and implications of the endangered species act and legal and political issues surrounding species conservation. Writing workshops and assignments, peer and faculty critique, and seminar will be ongoing throughout the program. A 10-day field trip to Yellowstone National Park will allow students to query wildlife managers and conservationists and to experience firsthand one of the most wildlife-intensive areas of North America.		Peter Impara Anne de Marcken (Forbes)		Junior JR Senior SR	Fall	Fall