2014-15 Undergraduate Index A-Z
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Agriculture [clear]
Title | Offering | Standing | Credits | Credits | When | F | W | S | Su | Description | Preparatory | Faculty | Days | Multiple Standings | Start Quarters | Open Quarters |
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Dylan Fischer, Carri LeRoy, Abir Biswas, Erik Thuesen and Alison Styring
Signature Required:
Fall Winter Spring
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Program | JR–SRJunior–Senior | V | V | Day | F 14 Fall | W 15Winter | S 15Spring | 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 plant ecosystem ecology, carbon dynamics and nutrient cycling in forests of the Southwest and western Washington. This work includes image analysis of tree roots, molecular genetics, plant physiology, carbon balance, nitrogen cycling, species interactions, community analysis and restoration ecology. He also manages the EEON project (blogs.evergreen.edu/eeon/). See more about his lab's work at: blogs.evergreen.edu/ecology. Students participating in this program work closely with ongoing research in the lab, participate in weekly lab meetings and develop their own research projects. conducts research on linkages between terrestrial and aquatic environments. She is trained as a freshwater ecologist and primarily studies in-stream ecosystem processes and aquatic communities. She and her students study leaf litter decomposition in streams as a major input of organic material to aquatic systems. In addition, she conducts research on aquatic macroinvertebrate community structure, aquatic fungal biomass and standard water quality and hydrology measurements in stream and river environments. studies birds. Current activity in her lab includes avian bioacoustics and avian monitoring and research in Evergreen’s campus forest and other nearby locations. Bioacoustic research includes field monitoring of local birds using bioacoustics methods and editing and identifying avian songs and calls from an extensive collection of sounds from the campus forest as well as tropical forest sites in Borneo. Local research projects in the campus forest and nearby locations include mapping and monitoring snags (standing dead trees) for wildlife use and monitoring bird populations and communities using a variety of standard approaches. 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. | Dylan Fischer Carri LeRoy Abir Biswas Erik Thuesen Alison Styring | Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter Spring | |||
Steven Scheuerell and Michael Paros
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen–Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 14 Fall | W 15Winter | A basic understanding of agriculture, with its central role in civilization, is a critical part of a liberal arts education. The United Nations recently announced that agricultural production should increase 70% by the year 2050 to meet development and consumption projections; do you understand the demand this will place on natural resources and the role of agricultural sciences in responding to this challenge? Can you explain the biology, chemistry, and technology that underlie agricultural production systems? Whatever your philosophical and political perspectives may be on food and agriculture, it is essential to have a fundamental understanding of agricultural sciences and technology to foster informed debate about one of the most critical and pressing planetary issues - agriculture.Focusing on key Northwest crop and livestock species such as orchard fruit, wheat, potatoes, cattle, and poultry, this program will teach the fundamentals of agricultural science. During fall quarter, day and overnight field trips will take students to a variety of agriculture operations and processing/storage facilities in the Pacific Northwest to learn about key species and to familiarize ourselves with intensification technologies commonly utilized by organic and conventional farms, such as mechanization, irrigation, herbicides, pesticides, and biotechnology. Students will study the anatomy and physiology of animals and plants in order to learn how things grow and function in response to nutrients and other environmental variables that are managed in farming systems. The basic chemistry required to understand plant and animal nutrition, nutrient cycling and fertilizers will be taught. Applied and environmental microbiology will be taught to learn about the role of microbes in nutrient cycling, and to show examples of how plant-microbe and animal-microbe interactions are managed to optimize the nutrition and health of crops and livestock.In winter quarter we will continue our disciplinary studies and integrate an understanding of plants, animals, microbes, and chemistry to learn the science of soil conservation. This will focus on organic matter management via the utilization of animal manure, compost, crop residues, cover crops, and conservation tillage. Taking a systems approach to combine learning in biology, chemistry, technology, and farm management, we will address on-farm energy flow and nutrient cycling to understand how farms may increase production while minimizing fossil fuel use, pollution, and soil loss. Program format will consist of lectures, readings, and labs that relate to what students see firsthand on fieldtrips. In Winter quarter, a week-long field trip to California’s vast agricultural production areas and the World Ag Expo will serve to integrate program themes. Students unable to participate in the California field trip will complete a case study project to remain eligible to earn full credit. | Steven Scheuerell Michael Paros | Tue Thu Fri | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter | |||
EJ Zita, Bret Weinstein and Nancy Koppelman
Signature Required:
Winter
|
Program | FR–SOFreshmen–Sophomore | 16 | 16 | Day | F 14 Fall | W 15Winter | Earth’s environment has been shaped by human activity for hundreds of thousands of years, since early humans discovered fire. More recently, since Earth warmed out of the last ice age, humans developed agriculture and stable societies enabled the rapid development and self-transformation of cultures. Agricultural activities began to emit greenhouse gases and to change Earth’s air, water and land. People changed as well and began to document their activities, ideas and reflections. Millennia later, modern human societies use fossil fuels and modify landscapes with such intensity that Earth is unlikely to experience another ice age. Both contemporary industrial and ancient subsistence practices are part of the same long story of how human beings have used and shaped the environment and, through it, ourselves.This program will examine how changes in the Earth system facilitated or necessitated human adaptations or evolutions. To Western eyes, until perhaps 150 years ago, the Earth’s resources seemed virtually inexhaustible. Organized human thought and activity unleashed unprecedented powers which reshaped the Earth. Life expectancy increased; arts flourished. The ideas of Enlightenment thinkers and the energies they harnessed seemed to promise unlimited progress. Yet some wondered if progress might have a dark side. They developed critiques of the practices changing how people produced food and materials, traveled and warmed their homes. What can we learn from their voices in the historical record, given what we now know about global warming and other anthropogenic impacts on Earth systems?We’ll ask how human practices changed not only local environments but large-scale global processes. We’ll note patterns of interaction between people and Earth over time. We'll study natural as well as human drivers of climate change, including Sun-Earth interactions, volcanoes and greenhouse gases. We’ll consider the changing role of science in providing the understanding required for people and planet to thrive together. We’ll examine whether/how modern consumer societies are uniquely positioned to hasten and/or slow the dangerous direction in which modern resource use is driving our planet’s ecosystem. Is global warming a disaster, an opportunity or both? How do we adapt now, in the face of the most dramatic change to the Earth system in human history?Our work will include lectures, discussions, workshops, labs, quantitative homework, expository essays, responses to peers’ essays, teamwork and field trips. | EJ Zita Bret Weinstein Nancy Koppelman | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO | Fall | Fall Winter | ||||
Michael Paros
Signature Required:
Spring
|
Program | FR–SRFreshmen–Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | S 15Spring | This academically rigorous field-based program will provide students with the fundamental tools to manage livestock and grasslands by exploring the ecological relationships between ruminants and the land. We will begin the quarter learning about the physiology of grasses and their response to grazing and fire. Practical forage identification, morphology and production will be taught. Ruminant nutrition, foraging behavior, and digestive physiology will be covered as a precursor to learning about the practical aspects of establishing, assessing and managing livestock rotational grazing operations. Ecological assessments of energy flow and nutrient cycling in grassland systems will be emphasized. We will divide our time equally between intensive grazing west of the Cascades and extensive rangeland systems in the east. Classroom lectures, workshops and guest speakers will be paired with weekly field trips to dairy, beef, sheep and goat grazing farms. There will be overnight trips to Willamette Valley where we will study managed intensive grazing dairy operations and forage production, and Eastern Washington/Oregon where students can practice their skills in rangeland monitoring and grazing plan development. Other special topics that will be covered in the program include: co-evolutionary relationships between ruminants and grasses, targeted and multi-species grazing, prairie ecology and restoration, riparian ecosystems, controversies in public land grazing, interactions between wildlife and domestic ruminants, and analysis of large scale livestock production systems. | Michael Paros | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Spring | Spring | |||||
Martha Rosemeyer, Lori Blewett, Thomas Johnson and Karen Hogan
Signature Required:
Winter Spring
|
Program | FR–SRFreshmen–Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 14 Fall | W 15Winter | S 15Spring | What should we eat? How do we define "organic" and "local" food? Are current food system practices sustainable? What does food sovereignty mean? Why are approximately 1 billion of the world’s population starving and another 1 billion “stuffed” or overstuffed? Is change possible and where does one begin?Throughout history, food and cooking have not only been essential for human sustenance, but have played a central role in the economic and cultural life of civilizations. This interdisciplinary exploration of food will take a systems approach as it examines the biology and ecology of food, while also incorporating political, economic, historical and anthropological perspectives around the issue of food security and sovereignty.More specifically, our interaction with nature through the food system will be viewed through the lens of both science and policy. We will take a biological and ecological approach to the production of plants and animals for food, as well as examine the transformation of the “raw stuff of nature” through the processes of cooking, baking and fermentation. Topics span a range of scales from basic chemistry to agriculture, as we explore the coevolution of humans and their foodstuffs. A study of policy will examine origins of the current global food system and the challenges and opportunities of creating a more equitable food system at the local, national and global scale.In fall quarter, we will introduce the concept of food systems and analyze conventional and alternative agricultural practices. We will examine the botany of vegetables, fruits, seed grains and legumes that constitute most of the global food supply and their selection through evolution and domestication. Our policy focus will include a study of food system planning at the local level, the role of economics and national policies, the challenges posed by climate change and the role of various food movements.In winter quarter, we shift our attention to cooking and basic aspects of nutrition. We will examine animal products, as well as the chemistry of cooking, baking and food preservation. Additionally, the structure of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, as well as antioxidants, minerals and vitamins will be discussed. Seminar will focus on issues of global hunger, obesity, food sovereignty, farm-worker justice, and international food movements. Finally, we will study the basic physiology of taste and smell, critical for the preparation of food.In spring quarter, we will examine will examine the relationship between food and microbes from several different perspectives. Specifically we will examine fermentation, produce specific fermented foods, while studying the underlying microbial ecology. We will also consider topics in microbiology, as they relate to both food safety and food preservation, and the microbiome of the gut. Seminar will focus on cultural aspects of food.Students will directly apply scientific concepts learned in lectures to experiments in the laboratory and kitchen. Field trips will provide opportunities for observing food production, processing and citizen participation in the making of local food policy. Program themes will be reinforced in workshops and seminar discussions focused on topics addressed by such authors as Pollan, Patel and Mintz. | Martha Rosemeyer Lori Blewett Thomas Johnson Karen Hogan | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter Spring | |||
Cheri Lucas-Jennings
Signature Required:
Fall
|
Contract | SO–SRSophomore–Senior | 16 | 16 | Day and Evening | F 14 Fall | Individual studies offers important opportunities for advanced students to create their own course of study and research. Prior to the beginning of the quarter, interested individuals or small groups of students must consult with the faculty sponsor to develop an outline of proposed projects to be described in an Individual Learning Contract. If students wish to gain internship experience they must secure the agreement and signature of a field supervisor prior to the initiation of the internship contract.This faculty welcomes internships and contracts in the areas of the arts (including acrylic and oil painting, sculpture, or textiles); water policy and hydrolic systems; environmental health; health policy; public law; cultural studies; ethnic studies; permaculture, economics of agriculture; toxins and brownfields; community planning, intranational relations.This opportunity is open to those who wish to continue with applied projects that seek to create social change in our community; artists engaged in creative projects and those beginning internship work at the State capitol who seek to expand their experience to public agencies and non-profit institutions; and to those interested in the study of low income populations and legal aid. | Cheri Lucas-Jennings | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall | |||||
David Muehleisen and Paul Przybylowicz
Signature Required:
Spring
|
Program | FR–SRFreshmen–Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | S 15Spring | This three-quarter program (spring, summer and fall quarters) will explore the details of organic farming and food production systems using the underlying sciences as a framework. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of agriculture, the various topical threads (botany, soils, horticulture, business etc.) will be presented throughout all three quarters, and while our primary focus will be on small-scale organic production, we will examine a variety of production systems. Our emphasis will be on the scientific underpinning and practical applications critical for growing food using ecologically informed methods, along with the management and business skills appropriate for small-scale production.We will be studying and working on the Evergreen Organic Farm through an entire growing season, from starting seed to the sale of farm products. The farm includes an on-campus market stand and CSA as well as a variety of other demonstration areas. All students will work on the farm every week to gain practical experiential learning. This program is rigorous both physically and academically and requires a willingness to work outside in adverse weather on a schedule determined by the needs of crops and animals raised on the farm.During spring quarter, we will focus on soil science, nutrient management, and crop botany. Additional topics may include introduction to animal husbandry, annual and perennial plant propagation, season extension, and the principles and practice of composting. In summer, the main topics will be disease and pest management, which include entomology, plant pathology and weed biology. Water management, irrigation system design, maximizing market and value-added opportunities and regulatory issues will also be covered. Fall quarter's focus will be on farm and business planning, crop physiology, storage techniques and cover crops.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.Students planning to take this program who are receiving financial aid should contact financial aid early in fall quarter 2014 to develop a financial aid plan that includes summer quarter 2015. | David Muehleisen Paul Przybylowicz | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Spring | Spring | |||||
David Muehleisen and Paul Przybylowicz
Signature Required:
Fall
|
Program | FR–SRFreshmen–Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 14 Fall | This is the third quarter of a spring-summer-fall program.This three-quarter program (spring, summer and fall quarters) will explore the details of sustainable food production systems using the underlying sciences as a framework. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of agriculture, the various topical threads (botany, soils, horticulture, business etc.) will be presented throughout all three quarters, and while our primary focus will be on small-scale organic production, we will examine a variety of production systems. Our focus will be on the scientific underpinning and practical applications critical for growing food using ecologically informed methods, along with the management and business skills appropriate for small-scale production.We will be studying and working on the Evergreen Organic Farm through an entire growing season, from starting seed to the sale of farm products. The farm includes an on-campus market stand and CSA as well as a variety of other demonstration areas. All students will work on the farm every week to gain practical experiential learning. This program is rigorous both physically and academically and requires a willingness to work outside in adverse weather on a schedule determined by the needs of crops and animals raised on the farm.During spring quarter, we will focus on soil science, nutrient management, and crop botany. Additional topics may include introduction to animal husbandry, annual and perennial plant propagation, season extension, and the principles and practice of composting. In summer, the main topics will be disease and pest management, which include entomology, plant pathology and weed biology. Water management, irrigation system design, maximizing market and value-added opportunities and regulatory issues will also be covered. Fall quarter's focus will be on farm and business planning, crop physiology, storage techniques and cover crops.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. | David Muehleisen Paul Przybylowicz | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall | |||||
Lucia Harrison and Steven Scheuerell
|
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 |