Courses

This course has two main objectives: (i) to illustrate the diverse uses of natural history collections for research, teaching and conservation, and (ii) to introduce students to the fine art of avian specimen preparation. Students will learn multiple specimen preparation techniques (skeletons, spread wings, and round skins) and will be required to prepare 20 round skins to receive course credit. Students will be evaluated on the quality of their specimens and on a short (3 page) essay advocating the value of natural history collections.

Full details for BIOEE 1150 - Techniques of Avian Specimen Preparation

This class relies more on intuitive reasoning rather than complicated mathematical formulas to convey basic concepts about how the ocean works. For this reason, the class is very accessible to non-science majors. The class covers standard material about how the ocean works, but also includes current environmental threats facing the ocean such as global warming, ocean acidification, overfishing and coastal pollution. Students will gain a depth of knowledge about the ocean and global warming to enable them to speak and write confidently about contemporary public issues regarding the health of the ocean, global warming and a sustainable future. This course satisfies the Physical and Biological Sciences (PBS) requirement for students in most colleges. For students in A&S and CALS, this course counts as "in-college" credit.

Full details for BIOEE 1540 - Introductory Oceanography

This class relies more on intuitive reasoning rather than complicated mathematical formulas to convey basic concepts about how the ocean works. For this reason, the class is very accessible to non-science majors. The class covers standard material about how the ocean works, but also includes current environmental threats facing the ocean such as global warming, ocean acidification, overfishing and coastal pollution. Students will gain a depth of knowledge about the ocean and global warming to enable them to speak and write confidently about contemporary public issues regarding the health of the ocean, global warming and a sustainable future. This course satisfies the Physical and Biological Sciences (PBS) requirement for students in most colleges and the Introductory Life Sciences/Biological Sciences requirement for students in CALS. For students in A&S and CALS, this course counts as "in-college" credit.

Full details for BIOEE 1560 - Introductory Oceanography with Laboratory

This course provides an introduction to ecology, covering interactions between organisms and the environment at scales of populations, communities, and ecosystems. Ecological principles are used to explore the theory and applications of major issues facing humanity in the 21st century, including population dynamics, disease ecology, biodiversity and invasive species, global change, and other topics of environmental sustainability.

Full details for BIOEE 1610 - Introductory Biology: Ecology and the Environment

The First-Year Writing Seminar provides the opportunity to write extensively about issues related to ecology and evolutionary biology. Topics vary by section.

Full details for BIOEE 1640 - FWS: Topics in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Considers explanations for pattern of diversity and the apparent good fit of organisms to the environment. Topics include the diversity of life, the genetics and developmental basis of evolutionary change, processes at the population level, evolution by natural selection, modes of speciation, long-term trends in evolution, origin of humans.

Full details for BIOEE 1780 - An Introduction to Evolutionary Biology and Diversity

Evolution is the central concept in biology. This course examines evolution as a science and places it in an historical context. Lectures focus on descent with modification, the nature of natural selection, the history of the earth, the information content of the fossil record, and processes responsible for diversification (speciation and extinction). The science of evolutionary biology is presented in the context of a broader history of ideas in science. The course also explores the importance of evolutionary thinking in the 21st century, including discussion of antibiotic and pesticide resistance, personalized genomics, climate change, and the conflict between creationists and evolutionists.

Full details for BIOEE 2070 - Evolution

This on-campus and international field course combination provides participating students with a broad introduction to the research process in field ecology, with literature and hands-on examples drawn from the fauna and flora of coastal Patagonia (Argentina), an area that provides us with unprecedented access to both marine and terrestrial wildlife as well as exposure to conservation challenges and success stories. The course begins in the latter part of the Fall semester when it meets twice weekly for seven weeks, largely to discuss relevant papers from the scientific literature with an emphasis on best practices in designing field studies to address questions in Neotropical ecology, behavioral ecology, conservation, and evolutionary biology.

Full details for BIOEE 2525 - Ecology and Conservation of Wildlife in the Neotropics

Provides students with the opportunity to study birds intensively in a neotropical environment. Students learn observational and field techniques, formulate and participate in group research projects.

Full details for BIOEE 2640 - Tropical Field Ornithology

This course provides an in depth survey of ecology emphasizing conceptual foundations and the integration of experimental and quantitative approaches, including population and community ecology, ecosystem biology, and ecological modeling. Current and classical ecological research is used to introduce major concepts and methods, derive major ecological principles, and critically discuss their applicability on multiple organizational levels, on multiple scales, and in a variety of ecosystems. Weekly discussion/lab sections focus on measurement techniques and computation (modeling, simulation and data analysis using the R language).

Full details for BIOEE 3610 - Advanced Ecology

Exercises designed to give students direct experience with field research to address ecological hypotheses, with emphasis on developing observational skills and basic methods in population and community ecology. Topics include methods in plant succession, niche relationships, influence of herbivores and competitors on plant communities, aquatic food web analysis, use of scientific collections, and presenting research results in written and oral form. We will visit a diversity of habitats and natural areas in Central New York.  Students will conduct an independent research project and present their findings.

Full details for BIOEE 3611 - Field Ecology

This course is an introduction to CT visualization for its applications in comparative biology of the vertebrates. Students will learn and practice the exploration of vertebrate anatomy with OSIRIX 3-D visualization software or its future replacement; work on student-designed projects and/or a large survey of the vertebrates based on CT scans from specimens in the Cornell museum as well as the Smithsonian and other museums around the world.            

Full details for BIOEE 3780 - Computerized Tomography of Vertebrates

You will learn to think like an ecologist by studying the fundamental principles of insect ecology and the types of questions ecologists ask, seeing how ecology can be used to understand and solve environmental problems, and putting this knowledge into action during group activities in the lab and field.

Full details for BIOEE 4550 - Insect Ecology

Lectures and discussion focus on current research in marine ecosystems with an emphasis on processes unique to marine systems and current issues of ocean sustainability. A synthetic treatment of multiple levels of organization in the ocean including organismal, population, community, and ecosystems. Examples are drawn from all types of marine habitats, including polar seas, temperate coastal waters, and tropical coral reefs. Each 75-minute class will have 50 minutes of lecture and 25 minutes of discussion.

Full details for BIOEE 4620 - Marine Ecosystem Sustainability

Introduction to the systematic study of fossil and living fishes: their anatomy, physiology and functional morphology, behavior, ecology, diversity, evolution, classification, and identification. Emphasizes marine fishes from different habitats (temperate, tropical coral reef, intertidal, and deep sea), local freshwater species, and interesting freshwater fishes from around the world, especially South America, Africa and Australia.

Full details for BIOEE 4760 - Biology of Fishes, Lectures

Laboratory course covering topics presented in BIOEE 4760, Biology of Fishes, Lectures.

Full details for BIOEE 4761 - Biology of Fishes, Laboratory

Designed to give qualified undergraduate students teaching experience through actual involvement in planning and assisting in biology courses. This experience may include supervised participation in a discussion group, assisting in a biology laboratory, assisting in field biology, or tutoring.

Full details for BIOEE 4980 - Teaching Experience

Graduate-level discussion of the ecology, epidemiology, genetics, and evolution of infectious disease in animal and plant systems. Weekly discussion of research papers published in the primary scientific literature. Participation in discussion and presentation of at least one paper required for course credit.

Full details for BIOEE 6900 - Seminar in Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases

Independent or group-intensive study of special topics of current interest. Content varies each semester.

Full details for BIOEE 7600 - Special Topics in Evolution and Ecology

Group intensive study of current research in plant-insect interactions. Topics vary from semester to semester but include chemical defense, coevolution, insect community structure, population regulation, biocontrol, tritrophic interactions, and mutualism.

Full details for BIOEE 7640 - Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar

Critical evaluation and discussion of theory and research in ecology and evolutionary biology. Lectures by faculty and student-led discussions of topics in areas of current importance.

Full details for BIOEE 7670 - Current Topics in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Group intensive study of current research in ornithology built around a research seminar series covering a wide variety of projects and topics in ornithology and related disciplines, including avian ecology, evolution, conservation, behavior, and physiology. Each weekly seminar is followed by informal discussion and networking that builds connections among the large community of Cornell students and scholars with an interest in avian biology.

Full details for BIOEE 7800 - Graduate Seminar in Ornithology

Thesis research conducted by an M.S. student in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology with advice and consultation of a major professor who is a member of the field.

Full details for BIOEE 8990 - M.S. Thesis Research

Dissertation research conducted by a Ph.D. student in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology with advice and consultation of a major professor who is a member of the field.

Full details for BIOEE 9990 - Ph.D. Dissertation Research