I invite qualified undergraduates and first-year Masters students to enroll in my hybrid summer 2014 field biology course through Villanova University. The 2-credit course (Bio 4940 for undergraduates, Bio 7970 for graduate students; minimum prerequisite = introductory-level university Biology or Environmental Science with laboratory) will involve (1) distance learning (online lecture, discussion, submission of written assignments) between 28 May and 28 July 2014 and (2) a required 2-week field experience in southwestern Nova Scotia. The field trip will take place between late June and mid July (specific dates to be determined in consultation with interested students); it will involve travel by university van from Villanova (SE Pennsylvania) to Portland, ME, and then by ferry to/from Yarmouth, NS. Activities in NS will emphasize exploration of regional ecosystems (forest, bog, lakes & streams, salt marsh, intertidal), field identification, bird banding, and introduction to selected methods in field ecology, with secondary focus on fisheries and other natural resources in the region. Accommodation in cabins and tent camping. Students will be responsible for trip costs in addition to Villanova tuition. There will be no required activities at Villanova; it will be possible to pick up and drop off students between Pennsylvania and Maine. For more information, visit http://www98.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.curry/NS2014/index.htm and https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/summersession.html; contact [email protected] with questions
