Field Skills for the Environmental Sciences

3 credits · Graduate

The course will provide you with the knowledge and practical skills that you need to design and implement field sampling procedures used widely in the environmental sciences by researchers, consultants, and technicians. These assessments of terrestrial and freshwater biotic and abiotic environmental conditions include organism sampling and identification, ecosystem classification and quantification, statistics, and considerations for field safety and ethics. Students will be expected to complete an asynchronous self-paced component which provides foundational information prior to the beginning of the 8-day intensive field trip to the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is one of the most ecologically diverse provinces in Canada, and daytrips from our base camp location will provide students the opportunity to experience different ecological communities. Students will be assessed on materials including pre-field safety and protocol quizzes, Lab Reports based on field exercises, and field notebooks. CALENDAR NOTES: Student accommodation at the Harrison Lewis Coastal Discovery Centre (HLC), transport to the HLC and to field sites, and meals are included in the auxiliary course fee. RESTRICTIONS: Restricted to MES and MREM students, or permission of the instructor. FORMATS: Other (explain in comments)