2nd Announcement
Important Notes:
* Applications are due
on MARCH 1st
(see below for application procedures)
* Financial aid may be available for applicants (see below for
application procedures)
PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS: EXPERIMENTAL AND FIELD APPROACHES IN
BIOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY
FRIDAY HARBOR LABORATORIES (UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON), SAN JUAN ISLANDS,
WA, USA
Biology 533b (9 credits)
Summer Session B
July 19 - August 21, 2004 (5 weeks: M-F 8-5; S 8-12)
INSTRUCTORS: Dr. Michal Kowalewski & Dr. Lindsey
Leighton
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Predation, which plays a key role in many ecosystems and may have
been critical in shaping the evolution of life on our planet, provides a
rich source of data of interest to biologists and paleobiologists. This
course provides training in experimental and field approaches used to
study predator-prey interactions and is designed broadly and flexibly to
include diverse organisms from various environments. The students will be
trained in a wide range of research methods, including both biological
and paleontological perspectives. The lectures will review behavioral
models (ESS, OFT, etc.), ecological aspects of predator-prey
interactions, the long-term evolutionary consequences of predation,
experimental/field methods used to study predation in modern
environments, and data acquisition strategies used by paleontologists in
the fossil record. Lectures, laboratory exercises, and field activities
will be explicitly integrated. Students will also be required to conduct
a small, independent research project during the course. Several field
trips (including boat dredging) will be included to acquaint students
with practical aspects of research on predator-prey interactions. The
field trips may also serve to obtain data for individual student
projects. The class is at the graduate student level, but exceptionally
qualified undergraduate students will also be considered. We also
encourage applications from foreign institutions. Enrollment limited to
12 students.
APPLICATIONS AND FINANCIAL AID
Applications are due on MARCH 1st and financial aid is available for
qualified applicants (anticipated expenses may include tuition, room and
board, travel and other education or living expenses). To download forms
and obtain more information visit
http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/classinfo.html.
If you have any questions regarding application and financial aid
procedures, please contact FHL at fhladmin@u.washington.edu.
ABOUT FRIDAY HARBOR LABORATORIES (selected excerpts from the FHL
website)
The Friday Harbor Laboratories are located on San Juan Island, part of an
archipelago that lies between the mainland and Vancouver Island. The
Laboratories are well situated for research on many aspects of marine
biology and oceanography. The waters around San Juan Island are
relatively free from pollution, and although the salinity is in general
like that of the open ocean, there are a few estuarine situations of low
salinity. There are swift tideways as well as quiet bays and lagoons. A
tidal range of about 4 meters exposes diverse intertidal areas of rock,
sand, and mud. The flora and fauna are exceptionally rich.
Representatives of nearly all major groups of marine algae and
invertebrates can be obtained by collecting at the shore, and depths down
to 300 meters can be explored by dredging and other collecting
techniques. Many of the organisms available are important for research in
physiology, development, and ecology. The islands of the San Juan
Archipelago are generally rocky, forested, and rimmed by precipitous
shores. Some are deeply cut by fjord-like inlets. The islands were
strongly glaciated and have valleys with lakes, swamps, and bogs. The
varied terrestrial and freshwater habitats offer a diverse flora and
fauna. The 484-acre tract of land on which the Laboratories are sited,
and the marine waters of the region in general, are biological preserves.
The Laboratories also control biological preserves at False Bay and
Argyle Lagoon on San Juan Island, at Point George and Cedar Rock on Shaw
Island, and some other areas. These preserves provide a wide range of
protected terrestrial and marine environments available for short- and
long-term research projects. In 2004 the Friday Harbor Laboratories of
the University of Washington will have been in operation for one hundred
years, supporting research and education in a broad variety of marine
related disciplines. These have engaged hundreds of national and
international scholars. For more information please visit the FHL website
at
http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/.
Should you have any questions regarding this course, its content,
logistic aspects, and its educational and research goals, please contact
the instructors as indicated below.
We are looking forward to hearing from you,
Sincerely yours,
Michal Kowalewski
Department of Geosciences
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
4044 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
EMAIL: michalk@vt.edu
Phone: (540) 231-5951
Fax: (540) 231-3386
AND
Lindsey Leighton
Department of Geological Sciences
San Diego State University
MC-1020
5500 Campanile Dr.
San Diego, CA 92182, USA
EMAIL: leighton@geology.sdsu.edu
Phone: (619) 594-6978
Fax: (619) 594-4372