Rich Lab:Summer Courses

• Back to SWES-MEL

• MBL's STAMPS class [1]

Strategies and Techniques for Analyzing Microbial Population Structure

• Geobiology course [2]

Application Deadline: February 13

Now entering it’s 11 year, the International GeoBiology Course is an intense, multidisciplinary summer course exploring the coevolution of the Earth and it's biosphere, with an emphasis on how microbial processes affect the environment and leave imprints on the rock record. Participants get hands-on experience in cutting-edge geobiological techniques including molecular biology, bioinformatics, geochemistry, petrology and sedimentology, and work in research groups to solve relevant questions.

• Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry and Ecology summer course [3]

Iso-Camp is a multi-instructor lecture (Biol 7473) and lab (Biol 7475) short course offered to graduate students and postdoctoral investigators interested in learning more about the application of stable isotopes to environmental and ecological studies. About 40 students attend each June.

• Isotopes in Spatial Ecology and Biogeochemistry (SPATIAL Short Course) [4]

The SPATIAL (Spatio-temporal Isotope Analytics Lab) Short Course represents a bridge between theory and measurement, introduced in ITCE Course 1, and regional-to-continental scale research. It builds on the skills and knowledge base developed in Course 1 or equivalent stable isotope biogeochemistry coursework to introduce current research themes in large-scale ecology and environmental Earth science, theoretical and technical aspects of assembling and working with large, spatially distributed datasets, and analytical and computational tools available to support such work. The course emphasizes stable isotopes as a research tool, and their unique capacity to address many ecological problems, but also stresses the integration of isotopes with other data types and methods within a geospatial framework.

• Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry (ZOL 824 at Michigan State University) [5]

Led by Nathaniel and Peggy Ostrom (even years). A 2 unit course focused on Principles of stable isotope chemistry applied to biogeochemical problems: climate change, ecology, contaminants, oceanography, limnology, and paleobiology.

Course features: • Cooperative learning through lecture & laboratory instruction • Hands-on experience • Discussion of experimental design, sample handling, field techniques • Exposure to rapidly developing techniques, e.g.: • Automated analysis of O and H isotope values on organic matter • Automated measurement of trace gases (e.g., N2O and CH4) • Multi-element (H, C, N, S, O) isotope systematics on bulk organics • Multi-element (H, C, N) molecular-level isotope systematics • Exposure to new state-of-the art instrumentation

• Summer Soil Institute [6]

Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO June 15-28, 2014 Gain an integrated perspective with world-renowned faculty to address critical questions using current analytical techniques, experimental approaches, and instructional models.

What are the physical, chemical and biological components of soil? What do molecular techniques tell us about soil biodiversity? How does soil chemistry affect carbon and nutrient cycling? How are soil processes affected by global change?

The Summer Soil Institute is designed for graduate students, post-docs, professionals, faculty, and K-12 teachers. Located at the confluence of the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains.

The course is limited to a maximum of 24 students. Tuition is $2250 for current graduate students and $2750 for others. A limited number of scholarships will be awarded to support tuition costs. Applications are now being reviewed. For full consideration, applications should be submitted first week in March.

• Microbial Diversity [7]

Application Deadline: February 5

Directors: Jared R. Leadbetter and Dianne K. Newman

An intensive 6.5 week course for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and established investigators who aim to learn how to cultivate and genetically manipulate metabolically and phylogenetically diverse microorganisms. Students will also be exposed to state-of-the-art imaging and bioinformatic techniques used to study not-yet-cultivated microbes. Guest lecturers from a wide array of microbiology subfields will contribute to enhancing the intellectual richness of the course.

• Arctic Climate Change: EuRuCAS Land Hydrology and Cryosphere of the Arctic and Northern Eurasia in the changing climate [8]

The goal of the EuRuCAS Summer School is to involve young generation of researchers into EU‐Russia scientific cooperation in the field of Arctic and Sub-Arctic environmental and climate science. Participants will receive world-class instruction and experience in Land Hydrology, Cryosphere and Climate of the Arctic and Northern Eurasia and will have opportunity to share their own scientific results. The program will include lectures by leading scientists in each of the below listed topics and student’s session.

• UNIS Arctic biology courses [9]

Despite the apparent harshness of the High Arctic, many organisms are well adapted to this environment. The fauna and flora of Svalbard includes more than 1,800 marine invertebrate species, 1,200 terrestrial or freshwater invertebrate species and over 170 higher plant species in addition to the 21 mammal and 28 bird species.

UNIS emphasizes the biological studies (taxonomy, diversity, ecology, physiology) of the fauna and flora of Svalbard related to the physical and chemical environment. Easy access to key habitats gives students and staff at UNIS a unique opportunity to identify and quantify environmental threats in addition to basic knowledge of the Arctic.

• Arctic Alaska Environmental Change: Field excursion to the North Slope, 6-21 Jun 2014 [10]

During this 16-day course, students will learn about Arctic vegetation, soils, landforms, permafrost, geology, wildlife and land-use along the incredible transect from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, which traverses boreal forest, alpine, and Arctic biomes. Plant species and vegetation will be studied in the context of environmental gradients and methods for vegetation sampling and description will be taught. Students will undertake an independent research project of their choosing.

Ten days will be spent camping at locations along the transect. We will also stay at Toolik Field Station, a world-renowned Arctic research station. Guest instructors will discuss Arctic ecology and landscape features in greater detail at key points along the travel route.

The course is limited to fifteen undergraduate or graduate students. The cost of meals, lodging and travel between the field sites is included in the course fee. Students are expected to pay for their travel to Fairbanks and meals while in Fairbanks. Students will need to bring all-weather clothing including winter jackets and rubber boots, a warm sleeping bag, and a tent.

OTHERS LESS RELEVANT TO OUR LAB BUT STILL POSSIBLY OF INTEREST

• Neural Systems & Behavior

Directors: Andre Fenton and Hans A. Hofmann An intensive eight-week laboratory and lecture course focusing on the neural basis of behavior, including the cellular and synaptic levels, sensory and motor systems, neurogenetics, and the analysis of complex systems. Intended for graduate students, postdoctoral students, and independent investigators who wish to gain a broad perspective on neural systems and how they produce behavior.

• Neurobiology

Directors: Graeme Davis, and Timothy A. Ryan An intensive and comprehensive laboratory-oriented course in cellular and molecular neurobiology intended primarily for advanced doctoral or postdoctoral students and for clinical scientists who have completed their residency training and are beginning independent research careers. Established investigators interested in acquiring expertise in areas of neurobiology beyond their own research specialty will also be considered.

• Physiology: Modern Cell Biology Using Microscopic, Biochemical and Computational Approaches

Directors: Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, Wallace F. Marshall, and Rob Phillips An intensive laboratory course that provides a unique interdisciplinary training environment at the interface between cellular and computational biology. Students with backgrounds in both the biological and physical/computational sciences are encouraged to apply.

• Biology of Parasitism: Modern Approaches

Directors: Kirk Deitsch and Gary Ward A unique course for advanced graduate students, postdocs, and independent investigators, who are seeking thorough training in modern approaches to the study of protozoan and helminthic parasites.

• Embryology: Concepts & Techniques in Modern Developmental Biology

Directors: Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, and Richard R. Behringer An intensive six-week laboratory and lecture course for advanced graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and more senior researchers who seek a broad and balanced view of the modern issues of developmental biology.

• Frontiers in Reproduction

Lead Director: Mario Ascoli Section Directors: Lane Christenson, Rafael Fissore, and Lawrence Reynolds An intensive six-week laboratory and lecture course designed for advanced graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, newly independent scientists and physicians who seek training in modern state-of-the-art methods and a broad view of current concepts in all areas of reproductive biology.

• Many summer courses offered through Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health [11]