EEB 3340/5340 Microbial Ecology
Offered Fall 2024 & 2025
When thinking about microbes what comes to mind are usually diseases and unpleasant smells from the fridge or the basement. Nevertheless, microbes and the communities they form are key contributors to our wellbeing and the functioning of the planet. This course provides an introduction to microbial ecology, with an emphasis on how microbial systems differ from their macroscopic counterparts, including defining a microbial species; sampling/experimenting with microbes; principles of microbial growth, metabolism, and death; species interactions and community assembly in different environments; microbial community functions; elements of microbial evolution.
E&EB 724: Soft Skills Development
Offered Spring 2025
This course provides practical tools to navigate academia, the job market, and careers at the interface with science, with an emphasis on crafting one’s own scientific brand. Readings and discussions about leadership and mentorship will be integrated with in-class activities focused on practicing science communications in all its forms, including writing (applications documents, abstracts, tweetorials, blog posts, and press-releases), presenting (talks, video-abstracts), conferencing, and outreach. The practiced tools can be employed to build a personal website, prepare application packages, and promote one’s scientific work.
EEB 7712 Foundations of Ecology
Offered Spring 2026
Foundations of Ecology is a seminar course that will familiarize students with foundational concepts and themes in Ecology and how those concepts have changed through time. The course will allow students to critically examine and engage with topics that are related to their own research interests, and gain a historical perspective on modern ecology. It is appropriate for graduate students and upper level undergraduate students.
Each week we will read and discuss two papers; one classic paper selected from either “Foundations of Ecology: Classic Papers with Commentaries” (Eds. Real and Brown, 1991) or “Foundations of Ecology II: Classic Papers with Commentaries” (Eds. Miller and Travis, 2022), and one related contemporary paper published after 2010. We will discuss how the concepts and themes introduced in these classic papers have influenced the field of Ecology, and consider how new methods, data, and insights have advanced, diminished, or changed their impact. The “Foundations” books covers many topics, arranged into core areas. Readings will cover all areas, but the final content will depend on the interests of students enrolled in the class. Students will be responsible for choosing at least one classic paper from the “Foundations” volumes, pairing it with one contemporary paper, and leading the discussion during the class meeting. Students will also submit short weekly “reflections” in response to a prompt.