Spring 2002

This information effective for Spring 2002.
Check with instructor the first day of class for any changes.

Environmental Studies

[ENVS 104A] [ENVS 161A/L]

104A. Introduction to Environental Field Methods

Spring 2002
Instructor: Maggie Fusari
MWF 11:00–12:10 p.m.
J. Baskin Engineering 372

TA: TBA
Lab: Mon. 2:00–6:00 p.m.
Nat Sci 2 233—or TBA

This syllabus is for last year’s class. I anticipate that the syllabus for this spring will be very similar and will supply it as soon as it is available, probably by mid March. The class does not currently have a web site.

This class is a working lab class. Students do not take midterms or finals, but there are ongoing projects, papers, data entries, etc., every week. Students are expected to have done the reading before class/lab and to be prepared to carry out the exercises.

This class has trained professionals in the environmental assessment field and prepared students for graduate research. In fact former students now call me to ask about current or recently matriculated students in terms of job offers or graduate school entry.

Professional work standards apply at all times.

Please e-mail me (fusari@cats) if you have questions, or sign up for my office hours at 475 Nat. Sci. 2.

I will be gone during Spring Break.

TEXTS: (All readings are subject to POP quizzes which will be prorated into your score.)

1. BZV = Brower, James; Zar, Jerrold, & Carl von Ende. 1998. Field & Laboratory Methods for General Ecology (4th. ed.). WCB/McGraw-Hill San Francisco. 273pp. (Readings are assigned by chapter and subsection.)
2. P = Pechenik, Jan A. 1997. A short guide to writing about biology 3rd ed. Addison-Weslay Inc. 284pp
3. LM = Lab Manual—Available at UCSC Copy Center. Be sure to read each lab before lab.
4. ART = Articles, on reserve in the Science Library. We will expect references to the ideas in your discussions and adherence to their principles in your work.

Class Requirements: YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL ASSIGNMENTS REGARDLESS OF POINTS EARNED and you must earn at least 150 points (pending pop quizzes). A missing assignment at the end of the quarter will result in an incomplete. A total of 200 points is available according to the following list. Notice that, for the papers, we have left plenty of room for improved performance as the quarter progresses. Any pop quizzes will be added to the totals and factored in proportionately. Questions? ASK ME!

*For the final project the content is evaluated for points on your last submission, the final paper. The proposal and the poster are given points only for their formats and the appropriateness of their presentations. In other words, if your analysis still needs work after poster day, you get the chance.
** From 0–10 points will be awarded at the end of the quarter for professional conduct, which includes, attending classes, reading assignments, being on time, handing in work on time, contributing to your team’s work etc. Missing a lab will require makeup work. If you appear to have lost all 10 of your points we will let you know that additional points will be deducted for late work.

PAPERS: Three reports, in scientific format, are required. Complete draft versions will be edited by your writing partner. Each report needs to be printed or typed, double spaced. Prepare it on a computer for easy revision. No covers please. Professional standards.
LAB ASSIGNMENTS: For other labs you have a page or two with specific questions to complete and turn in. Most of this work will involve application of data reduction techniques and analysis of method. How carefully you do them counts. Sloppy work will be turned back to be redone. Casual work will lose points, pay attention to the questions and the background materials.
SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS:
Library Assignment: A search for references, done at the Science Library according to the assignment given during the library tour. If you are smart you will complete it then and there. Format must be correct for citations. Avoid overkill. Bibliography topic must be selected to receive credit. (No cards)
Bibliography Cards: Select a topic on the methodologies used to study some natural phenomenon (sea bird foraging; the distribution of rare, annual plants; vegetation succession; large mammal radiotelemetry; evaluation of lands for park acquisition; etc. etc.). Pick a topic you like. Find 15–20 primary (up to 5 secondary) references and do a bibliography card on each one, IN THE CORRECT FORMAT, with a sentence or two on the specific method(s) used. If you find a book with several chapters it can count for up to 3 separate references. See P 120–123. You may use a computer program if you can handle the citation data.
Field Journals—Site description and phenology summary: Carry this with you at all times for lab exercises. Your first assignment will be a site description to be done as an introduction to your phenology observations. This will be turned in separately for feedback. The field journal is to include, IN THE CORRECT FORMAT, notes on all field exercises including site descriptions and procedures for the field work; and the phenology observations on a site of your choosing. You need to find a site, do your assigned site description there, and then continue to observe the site and record your observations twice a week over time until about a week before the journal is due. Include some quantification of your observations as feasible. Then summarize the changes over time (the phenology) in one or two pages (journal pages) and turn the whole thing in (without the binder please).
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS for class performance. You and your work need to be ON TIME at all times. You are responsible for reading the directions and following them, turning in all data in the correct format, developing your basic knowledge about standard field techniques, practicing some of those techniques, learning to search for reference material in the library, applying correct statistical analysis to data and to experimental design, learning the writing style of good science reports and good field journals, and doing things with care and precision. You will be judged on the level of your performance. Improvement will count a lot but the final level of your performance counts the most.
Equipment needed: You need clothing adequate for field work. Consider hats, boots, long pants, etc.! Facts of life include poison oak, brambles, ticks (possibly with Lyme disease), sun, rain, etc. You need rain gear, a water bottle, a hat, sunscreen, and enough breakfast or lunch to work without getting cranky. There are risks in fieldwork, we will talk about that!

A proper field notebook (5x7 or 6 1/2x9 ring binder with narrow ruled paper); a waterproof, indelible, black pen; ruler, protractor, clipboard, and if possible, binoculars.

Tolerance for Murphy’s Law, it doesn’t apply just to computers. Our schedule may have to change to accommodate people and events. We assume you will come prepared to work in the rain!

Safety: Leaving a pack is an invitation to theft. Work with a partner in isolated areas, even on the campus - its safer. Be aware of your surroundings, know what to do if you come upon a mountain lion, a rattlesnake, a feral dog (well, you get the idea). Talk to me if you have concerns.

IF YOU ARE HAVING ANY KIND OF PROBLEM, TALK TO US. WE CAN HELP YOU; WE UNDERSTAND ABOUT PROBLEMS AND WE DON’T BITE. WE CAN MAKE EXCEPTIONS FOR ALL GOOD REASONS.

Use e-mail: I am fusari@cats.ucsc.edu and my office is 475 NS2

161A/L. The Soil Resource

Spring 2002
Instructor: Weixin Cheng
TTh 12:00–1:45 p.m.
Social Sciences 1 161

Lab:
Th 2:00–6:00 p.m.
Natural Sciences 2 233

For more information, go to http://ic.ucsc.edu/~wxcheng/envs161/.