GLG 413/513: Tropical Marine Ecology of the Florida Keys, Everglades & Bahamas
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I am taking applications now for the Summer, 2009!
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Listen to a "vocal intro" to the "Tropical Marine Ecology" Syllabus Page (Quicktime:
or MP3)Welcome! It is 5:32:05 PM on Saturday, July 4, 2009. Eco-Philes served: 174948 Last update: Sunday, May 3, 2009.
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Tropical Marine Ecology of the Florida Keys, Everglades and San Salvador, BahamasListen to a "vocal intro" to the "Tropical Marine Ecology" Syllabus Page (Quicktime:
or MP3)Geology 413/513--May 17-May 30, 2009 Focus: Tropical Marine Ecology is being offered to introduce both undergraduate and graduate students to the present and past ecologic environments of the Bahamas, Everglades and Florida Keys. Topics will be covered from an interdisciplinary perspective and students should have a keen interest in natural science. Quite simply, we will learn by doing. We will look, discuss, ask questions, reflect, and look again! It is possible you will learn more in this field course than you will in a semester back at Miami! We will explore:
Days are spent in the field making observations and responding to questions and what I call "ecosystem challenges." Field notebooks and underwater slates will be provided. We will examine coral reef and grassbed ecology, taxonomy of vertebrates, invertebrates and flora (of coral reefs, lagoons and tidal flats), climate, and many physical aspects of marine ecology. Measurements and interpretation of environmental parameters (currents, tides, dissolved oxygen, pH, Eh, salinity, and temperature), sedimentology, and the statistical analyses of ecologic data will be performed using modern instrumentation and computers. Group and individual projects concerning biologic and physical analyses of select marine environments will be performed. We'll spend lots of time in the water, swimming and snorkeling. SCUBA opportunities will be available throughout the trip. Nights are spent in laboratory work, discussion groups, lectures and astronomic observations using a telescope. Class Mix: My goal is to have a class with a healthy variety of undergraduate majors, graduate students, and teachers that are eager to contribute and learn about these ecosystems. People from other universities, states or countries are encouraged to attend! Where: San Salvador, Bahamas, Everglades and Florida Keys Prerequisites: Strong desire to learn and two natural science courses. Limited scholarships are available. Maximum enrollment: 20. CREDIT: 5 semester hours COST:$795 plus tuition and fees for 5 credit hours of Miami University Registration
REGISTRATION:Reserve a spot by contacting me or, informing Jeanne Johnson (Miami Geology Office, 513-529-8183) and paying a $100 deposit. First come - first served.
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Syllabus: Tropical Marine Ecology of the Florida Keys, Everglades, and San Salvador, Bahamas |
Director: Dr. Hays Cummins, Miami University, 513-529-1338
Who is Dr. Cummins? My doctorate is in oceanography. Besides satisfying my love of the sea, I chose this field because of its inherent interdisciplinarity and broad systems approach towards understanding the world around us. Over the years, I have received over $3,500,000 in research funding from the National Science Foundation for work in paleobiology, science pedagogy and the development of a young investigator's magazine called Dragonfly. I love being in the field and I love to teach. Tropical Marine Ecology is in its 14th year.
Goals & Objectives
Welcome to Tropical Marine Ecology. First of all, we will see and do many things. This is a field course where we will investigate aquatic systems (estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, lagoons, beaches, intertidal zones, taxonomy of vertebrates and invertebrates of coral reefs, lagoons, and tidal flats) and paleobiology and global change (paleo-reconstruction of past lagoon environments, fossil coral reefs, dune systems and land use). Along the way, we we will integrate your research questions--group projects concerning biological and physical analyses of a select marine habitat-- into the overall experience culminating with a presentation of your work at our own Natural History of the Bahamas Research Symposium.
To recap, we will explore:
For the first part of the course, we will be based in the Florida Keys & Everglades
Evaluation |
Students in our course have a wide range of rich academic backgrounds. Participants include teachers, graduate students, and undergraduate students at various stages in their careers. Because of this diversity, I ask that everyone be open to what others have to offer -- we can all learn from one another. To facilitate this interaction, I would like each research "team" to have a mixture of participants with various academic backgrounds in it. In this way we can all work together towards making your experience as productive as possible.
Evaluation of your performance will be based upon your participation in all aspects of the course--I anticipate active engagement. Highlights include field work and preparation of a field journal, participation in evening discussions and labs (see the frisbee lab, earth-sun lab, geologic time scale metaphor lab, and the moon lab as examples), group interaction, research-team project reports, and a San Salvador Natural History Symposium where we celebrate the presentation of your field research projects. You will also research a topic of your choice before arriving for the course and present your topic to the class--sign-up here! I expect that you will be tired by the end of it all, but you will have learned more in this seventeen day field experience than in an entire semester of regular course work.
Division of Labor-Undergraduates, Graduate Students and Teachers:
Our course will have undergraduates, teachers, and traditional graduate students enrolled. Each group has a different set of educational needs. Graduate students (traditional graduate students and teachers) have some additional, unique requirements beyond those of undergraduates.
Undergraduates will complete every aspect of the course except the post-trip research paper.
Graduate Students: Upon your return to the United States, traditional graduate students will be expected to write up a final research report on their San Salvador Natural History Symposium Research Project. Your paper should include a bibliography, a synopsis of your research question, your experimental design and field methods, your data, statistical analyses and graphs, discussion, conclusions and recommendations for further research.
Teachers have the option of either following the "traditional graduate student" plan as shown above, or teachers can turn in a Teaching Unit on "Marine Ecology" or a unit that best fits your teaching needs that includes marine ecosystems. The choice is yours! Teachers (if following the "teaching unit route" will: (1) post on the Web an outline of the "Teaching Unit" before we leave for Florida; (2) present your "Teaching Unit" to the class--I anticipate some great feedback from the class! and (3) turn in and post to the Web your "Teaching Unit" three weeks after returning to the United States.
| Assignment | Point Distribution |
| Class Participation | 100 pts |
| Field & Readings Journal | 150 pts |
Ecosystem Challenges
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150 pts |
Discovery-Oriented Research Projects
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200 pts |
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Topic Presentation & Topic Paper Teachers: "Ecology Teaching Unit" |
200 pts |
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Natural History Symposium of San Salvador (Based Upon Your Group Field Research) Graduate Students: Research Paper |
200 pts |
| Point Total | 1000 pts |
Things to Do Before the Course Begins!Listen to a "vocal intro" to the "Tropical Marine Ecology" Syllabus Page (Quicktime:
or MP3)
There are several tasks to complete prior to arriving in Florida. First, you must select a presentation topic and post a discussion outline (see below) to the Web. This is followed by the completion of (2)a five page paper, with sources,that is developed from the foundation provided by your presentation topic. And last, (3) you must have finished reading The Enchanted Braid by Osha Gray Davidson, published by John Wiley and Sons, prior to arriving in Florida.
Student-Led Discussion/Presentation Topics (First-Come, First Served)As part of our course expectations, each student will present a fifteen minute talk on a marine/ecological topic of your choice during the course. These presentations will be in the evenings. I expect you to research a topic of interest to you and share what you know with the class. Topics can include, but are not restricted to, anything related to marine science, oceanography, ecology, mangroves, coral reefs, lagoons, the Everglades, agriculture in southern Florida, the Seminole Indians, birds, alligators and other specific organisms of interest, introduced species, seagrass beds, human perturbation, paleobiology, air-sea interactions, climate change--let your interests lead the way. Priority for presentation topics will be on a first-come, first served basis. Topic Paper Outline and PapersYour topic paper (5 pages plus references) will be based upon the foundation provided by your presentation outline. Sign-up with me via the Discussion Feedback Web Page If you have questions, please e-mail or phone me at 529-1338 or feel free to come see me during my office hours, 3-5 T &TH in 222 Boyd Hall on the Western campus. Look at previous years' submissions: |
More Info on Page 2
Review Sample Discussion Topics from Previous Years |
Field Course Discussions/Presentations-2008,'07, '06, '05,'04,'03,'02,'01,'00, '99 and '98
Intertidal Zone Organisms
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Corals
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Sea Turtles
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Tropical Fish
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Tropical Algae and Seagrass
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Salt water intrusion into the groundwater supply of coastal ecosystems | Bioluminescence | Sharks
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Hunting and Grazing:Large Gastropods in Tropical Lagoons
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Marine Art & Science:
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Seminole Indians:
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Manatees
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Weather in the Tropics:
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Global Climate Change:Are Oceans the Wild Card? | Wetlands:
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Fish in the Deep Sea:
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Conservation Ecology:
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The Ecology of Mangroves
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Cetaceans
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Sea Snakes
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Essential Participant Information! |
Course Texts: |
We will have three texts for the course: (1) Tropical Marine Ecology, a course reader consisting of recent articles pertaining to tropical ecology, oceanography, astronomy, land use, climatology, the Everglades, and the Florida Keys. A Table of Contents of the reader is at the end of this document. The course reader will be available at the Oxford Copy Shop by April 30. I will assign many of the course readings before the class begins in June. These will be available as PDF documents that I will e-mail to you or have on Miami's Library Reserve for download from the web; and (2) Peterson Field Guide # 36, Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores. I will also provide other field guides for class use. Readings will be assigned on a daily basis. And last, (3) you must have finished reading The Enchanted Braid by Osha Gray Davidson,published (1998) by John Wiley and Sons, prior to arriving in Florida.
More Marine Ecology Syllabus Info on the More Info on Page 2 |
For further information,
contact Hays
Cummins or phone me @ 513-529-1338. The course is filled on a first-come,
first-served basis!
WEATHER & EARTH SCIENCE RESOURCES |
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OTHER ACADEMIC COURSES, STUDENT RESEARCH, OTHER STUFF
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TEACHING TOOLS & OTHER STUFF
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Tropical
Marine Ecology 
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