Photo Credit: NPS/Diane Renkin
Microbiome Pop-Up Labs (BIOL 4947/8)
fall & spring semesters (1-credit)
In this course, we follow the whole arc of scientific inquiry and engagement – from project design and sample collection through data generation, analysis, and interpretation. Each year, we partner with university, governmental, and non-profit partners to tackle real-world research questions where answers lie in the microorganisms comprising host-associated and environmental microbiomes. Whether samples derive from salt marsh grasses, soils from Georgetown's own organic garden, or swabs collected from island foxes, we enter the world of microbial ecology and discover something new. In the fall semester, we design our project in collaboration with this year’s partners, collect and inventory samples, extract DNA, and generate 16S rRNA (for bacteria) and ITS2 (for fungi) amplicon sequencing data to address our questions of interest. The semester culminates in a project proposal and presentation that motivates our research within the broader scientific literature and clearly explains our research questions and approach. In the spring semester, we take a deep-dive into computational analysis to explore alpha and beta diversity, taxonomic composition, and differential abundance, while also creating publication-quality figures. The semester culminates in a final report and presentation that contextualizes results in the scientific literature and clearly communicates findings to our collaborating partners.
Photo Credit: NPS/Jacob W. Frank
Evolution of Mammalian Diversity (BIOL 4500)
fall semester (3-credit)
In this course, we pursue scientific inquiry and communication about mammals, our closest living relatives. We uncover their evolutionary history and survey the extraordinary diversity of the 6,600+ recognized species of mammals. Throughout the semester, we traverse the fields of natural history, ecology, evolutionary biology, systematics, behavior, and conservation, and become a community of experts that specialize on the biology of mammalian lineages. Each student becomes an ambassador for a different lineage – tasked with inspiring others to care about the study and conservation of mammals worldwide. Mammals play critical roles in functioning ecosystems (e.g., keystone species), economic systems (e.g., agriculture), and human households (e.g., pets); and also contribute to public health risks (e.g., reservoirs of zoonoses) and solutions (e.g., medical research). Yet roughly a quarter of known mammal species are threatened with extinction, with another 15% considered data deficient (Schipper et al. 2008). Understanding their diversity is an important step towards ensuring their protection. Further, as our textbook so eloquently states, “mammalogy places our species – the greatest but sloppiest ecosystem engineer of all time – into an evolutionary-ecological context that helps us understand the transformative events taking place in the world around us.”
Photo Credit: Glenn Jensen
Ecology of U.S. National Parks (BIOL 3505)
fall semester (3-credit)
In this course, we explore principles of geology, ecology, wildlife conservation, ecosystem restoration, and climate adaptation through the lens of U.S. National Parks. After introducing the history and management of “America’s best idea”, we spend the semester engaging with the primary scientific literature to gain a deeper understanding of the geological and ecological processes that shape our nation’s landscapes and wildlife. Through detailed exploration of eight focal parks, we traverse some of America’s most iconic terrestrial biomes and aquatic environments to gain a comprehensive view of their formation, ecosystem dynamics, and future resilience. Geologically, we consider the mechanisms that created these landscapes, including plate tectonics, hydrothermal systems, volcanic hotspots, and high-order rivers capable of carving immense canyons. We additionally traverse ecological scales from populations through communities, ecosystems, and landscapes, and explore the roles of disturbance, disease, competition, trophic interactions, and changing climatic conditions in shaping terrestrial, aquatic, and marine life. We explore a myriad of habitats within our eight focal parks (ranging from deserts to rainforests to alpine tundra on land, and from riparian ecosystems to coastal wetlands and coral reefs under water), and additionally survey lesser-known parks through our “Ultimate Park Competition”. As we pursue these goals throughout the semester, we continually grapple with the difficulties inherent in the dual-vision of U.S. National Parks as protected areas for conservation and popular areas for recreation. While our focus is on the science underlying the geology, ecology, and management of these wild spaces, I encourage students to consider the value of U.S. National Parks as our shared heritage. As eloquently stated by Mollie Beattie, the first female director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: “What a country chooses to save is what a country chooses to say about itself.” In this course, we see what our protected areas say about the United States, while discovering the geological forces and ecological principles that have shaped our nation’s landscapes for millennia.
Photo Credit: NPS/Neal Herbert
Ecology (BIOL 1800)
fall semester (4-credit)
In this course, we study the interactions between organisms and their environment across multiple ecological scales, including populations, communities, and ecosystems. During lecture, we survey the earth’s terrestrial and aquatic biomes and the physical forces that shape them; the evolutionary ecology of organisms and their diverse life history strategies; the behavioral ecology of predators and prey, parasites and hosts, and mutually beneficial partners; and the ways in which humans alter the earth’s climate and life systems. During weekly laboratory sessions, we adopt a hands-on approach centered around four central themes. We (1) engage with the natural world by spending time in local forests and nature-themed institutions; (2) collect ecological data using multiple field-based approaches; (3) analyze ecological data with statistical tests implemented through the R programming language; and (4) communicate ecological findings to scientific and non-scientific audiences. Each of these themes is critical to inquiry and discovery in the ecological sciences, and will provide practical tools for students to observe, understand, and ultimately protect the natural world and its marvelously diverse array of habitats and species.
Photo Credit: Princeton University/Peter Grant
Foundations in Biology II (BIOL 1204/14)
spring semester (5-credit; co-taught with colleagues)
In this course, we build a foundation for understanding the diversity of life on this planet. We meet core concepts from evolution, biodiversity, and ecology, and we hone our skills of quantitative reasoning and communication. Once you’ve put these concepts and skills together you’ll be the kind of scientist who can ask and answer questions about the diversity of life on Earth and the kind of citizen who can grapple intelligently with the many current problems facing the living world. In this course we value engagement, curiosity, and—perhaps this one will come as a surprise--joy. This material is intrinsically fun, even when and especially when it makes you work. We want you to know that we do not see ourselves as gatekeepers. We see ourselves more as stewards, tasked with ensuring that you understand, appreciate, and enjoy the natural world.