NRES 484/ 684 Limnology: Study of Inland Waters

This course provides students with an introduction to limnology, the study of inland waters. The goal is to integrate concepts from physics, chemistry, and biology to develop an understanding of aquatic ecosystems. This course was incorporated into the new, NRES Ecohydrology major as a required course in 2008.

NRES 211 Conservation, Humans, and Biodiversity

This course is required for all majors in the NRES department and is a UNR Core Curriculum Diversity course. A major focus of this class is to introduce students to climate change and the major uncertainties and issues associated with this topic. I introduce both major and non-majors to this topic by walking them through the primary scientific literature and summary sections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report (IPCC). I also hold a panel discussion at the end of class on issues related to climate change. This class incorporates the cutting edge information gained from our National Science Foundation funded project- The Polaris Project: Rising Stars in the Arctic (see Research Activities below). Students are encouraged to apply for this program so they (1) gain experience writing proposals to competitive programs and (2) continue their learning during the summer as a researcher in the Russian Arctic. This combination of using the primary literature, telling stories from field experiences, and writing for a competitive grant process provides students with an insight into climate change research.  By the end of class the usual attitude that climate change does not apply to them is no longer apparent. The student selected as part of the National Science Foundation project is required to return and present findings of his/her experience and research to her peers and local secondary schools through in-classroom presentations.

NRES 485 & 701C Crocodile Conservation & Ecohydrology of Mexican Mangroves

This class introduces students to basic field, laboratory, and statistical techniques used in ecohydrology and community conservation programs. The class is field oriented, reading/discussions based on field lectures from researchers working in mangrove ecosystems and on conservation projects. Each student works within a group to develop and implement a short-term field study that facilitates the development of a natural resource management plan for Central Mexican Mangroves near La Manzanilla, Mexico. One of the major goals of the class is to show students how real-world conservation approaches are more complicated than are apparent from classroom discussions. This class was designed for graduate students and exceptional undergraduates.

NRES 701C Science, Writing, and Environmental Values

This interdisciplinary course is co-taught with Glenn Miller (NRES) and Scott Slovic (ENL). The goals of this class are to promote dialogue and reflection on contemporary environmental issues (including pollution, deforestation, landscape fragmentation, etc.) across the scientific and humanities disciplines. We bring to the class and University prominent environmental authors, some with scientific training, to discuss how scientific findings can be effectively presented to the general public.  Having preeminent, contemporary, environmental authors increases student interest in the subject matter.

NRES 485/ 685 Use of Religion and Medicine in Conservation Practice

This graduate level class introduces students to two recently emerging topics in conservation biology: (1) using faith to promote conservation practices and (2) the integration of conservation and medicine as a new subdiscipline in ecology. One of the major goals of the class is to expose science-oriented students to alternate ways of approaching conservation in applied settings.

NRES 701C Food Webs Ecology

This class focuses on food-web ecology, an ever-changing subdiscipline of ecology. In this class, we discuss the evolution of food web research in ecology. There is an initial introduction to the basic foundation of contemporary food-web research followed by a discussion of contemporary research that incorporates the study of food webs in applied ecological research (including conservation, restoration, ecotoxicology).

NRES 485/ 701D River Ecology and Management

This classes introduces students to basic theory in river eology and the application of this theory in the management of river ecosystems.