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Engaging undergraduates in environmental research through community-engaged partnerships. Jennifer L. Bowen Biology Department. Course Description. COURSE: Ecosystems Ecology (Biology 336) - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Engaging undergraduates in environmental research through community-engaged partnershipsJennifer L. BowenBiology Department
Course DescriptionCOURSE: Ecosystems Ecology (Biology 336) Description: The human population is
increasing at an unprecedented rate and the end result is increasingly intense pressure on many of the Earth’s systems that are necessary to sustain life. This course introduces students to some of the major agents of change that are acting globally and the impact that these agents are having on biological systems.
Project Team
Jen Bowen (me!): Course instructorRick Kesseli: Biology Department ChairMichael Tlusty: Director of Research, New
England AquariumPatrick Kearns: Graduate student TA for the
course
Project Goals development of a laboratory that focuses on
engaging students with community stakeholders to address research questions that serve the broader society.
This lab would engage the students in a semester-long research study in which they: 1) work with our partners at the New England Aquarium to
derive relevant research questions, 2) frame these research questions into testable hypotheses3) derive and master the methodology necessary to test the hypotheses 4) analyze and interpret the results 5) present those results back to the interested stakeholders.
Possible Learning Outcomes
Generate a comprehensive understanding of the local scale effects of global environmental phenomena
Increase the environmental literacy of our student population
Prepare the next generation of voters to use sound science in future decision making
Inspire students to explore the extensive environmental resources in their local communities
What I want from CESI:
Help establish the infrastructure necessary to facilitate the adaptive nature of the class by creating a set of generalizable instructions for the course
Guidance on being a liaison between students and community groups so that the interaction is beneficial to all parties
Provide resources to cover the first year costs of implementing the lab, as lab fees would not likely apply until the laboratory has been approved through governance
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