Welcome to another summer season at the
Flathead Lake Biological Station!
Our academic session has something for everyone interested in learning ecology. We emphasize hands-on learning outside under the open sky, as opposed to traditional college courses in lecture halls and stuffy laboratories. Each course involves multiple field trips to relevant sites within the Flathead Basin, including Glacier National Park and the National Bison Range. Direct observation of biota and ecological processes is stressed.
We recommend students take a full course load to
get the best return on the dollar. However, we work with you to tailor the
session to your needs. You may want just one 2-week or 4-week course or you
may wish to enroll for 6 or 8 weeks. Numerous enrollment options are
available throughout the 8-week session. If you have any questions, contact us.
Please Note: Scheduled classes will be held on Friday, July
4, 2008.
Courses and Faculty
The Bio Station opened for students like you in 1899. Courses and faculty have improved every year. Join the legacy! You willl be more competitive for graduate school or that next job you want by gaining real field experience in the high-octane research and educational environment of the Flathead Lake Biological Station. These courses are also great for professionals looking to upgrade their basic training, and they can be taken for undergraduate or graduate credit or on an audit basis. Talk to students who have been here for a summer. They will tell you how rewarding and fun the Flathead Lake Biological Station can be!
Bio Station courses substitute for required or elective courses in many campus degree plans, or you may wish to pusue the new degree in Biology with Field Ecology Option.
Note: Prerequisites for
all FLBS courses include introductory college-level biology, ecology and
chemistry or equivalents. Without these prerequisites, you may have
difficulty with FLBS courses.
It is also important that you be in good
physical condition, as many FLBS courses require strenuous hiking. |
Two-Week Courses (3 semester credits -- Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.
-5:00 p.m.)
Core Courses
Conservation Ecology -- BIOL 452 (Sec. 01) -- July 21-August 1
Principles and methods of conservation ecology applied to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and biota with emphasis on evolution, population genetics and behavioral ecology as key attributes to be considered in the design and implementation of conservation. This course emphasizes the application of basic biological research to problems in conservation and management with an eye toward the interface between science and policy. There are three primary themes to the course: defining units of conservation; metapopulation dynamics and population viability and the effects of introduced species. These three themes are applied to a diversity of case studies that have been chosen to illustrate general issues in conservation. Much of our time will be spent meeting in the field with practicing conservation biologists who work for state and federal government agencies or for nongovernmental organizations. Instructor - Dr. Fred Allendorf, Division of
Biological Sciences, The
University
of
Montana
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Aquatic Series
The biota and biogeochemical processes of running waters with unifying principles and contemporary research approaches. This course focuses on the fundamental concepts of stream/river ecology and the physical, chemical and biological processes that characterize running water ecosystems. Students learn principles, concepts and methods of study in a field setting, and obtain hands-on experience in the examination and characterization of stream systems. Over 80% of this course is taught in the field at streamside. Written and oral reports of independent studies as directed by the professor are required. Instructor - Dr. F.
Richard Hauer, FLBS, The
University of
Montana
Lake Ecology -- BIOL 453 (Sec. 01) -- July 7–18
The physical, chemical and biological characteristics of lake ecosystems with an emphasis on nutrient cycling, food web interactions and water quality. This course focuses on the functional relationships and productivity of plant and animal assemblages in lakes as regulated by physical, chemical and biotic processes. Fundamental concepts of ecology as they relate to the aquatic environment are emphasized. Students learn key limnological principles and methods of study in a field setting and obtain hands-on experience in the examination and characterization of lakes, including study and importance of factors influencing water quality. Written and oral reports of independent studies as directed by the professor are required. Instructor – Dr. Craig Stafford, Division of
Biological Sciences, The
University
of
Montana |
Terrestrial Series
Alpine Ecology -- BIOL 459 (Sec. 01) -- July 9–20
Distribution, abundance and life cycles of plants and animals and their unique ecophysiological adaptations to life in the rigorous environments of the high mountains above the timberline, with emphasis on the Crown of the Continent area. Students observe and learn about the distributions of plants and animals, and study the processes and interactions that are the foundation to plant ecology, ecophysiology, mammalogy, ornithology and animal behavior in alpine environments. Substantial emphasis is placed on the global processes that determine climate and how those processes affect alpine systems. Energy and materials transfer and feedback within food webs are used to describe and model the complex interrelationships driving the dynamics of these systems, including natural and human components. Field trips and class projects underscore concepts and allow data gathering and interpretation by students. Instructor - Dr. Ray Callaway, The
University of
Montana
|
Four-Week Courses (5 semester credits -- Mon-Thurs 8:00 a.m.
-5:00 p.m.)
Field Ecology -- BIOL 342 (Sec. 01) -- June 9–July 3
Principles and practice of the study of animals and plants in their natural environments, including human influences, with focus on the Crown of the Continent area of the Rocky Mountains. Students are required to observe and describe an ecological process or response in a written report as directed and edited by the professor. Ecology is the study of biophysical controls on the distribution and abundance of biota, including human influences. The course provides detailed study and discussion of ecological phenomena, including: behavior and life cycles of organisms; population, community and landscape dynamics; biodiversity and productivity; biophysical processes (e.g., climate change, nutrient cycles, herbivory, predator-prey interactions) and organization (e.g., genomes, ecosystems, biomes, ecoregions) across space (local to global) and time scales; and, ecological economics and human ecology. Natural history observations and ecological principles are used to explain biological patterns, processes, responses and complex interactions as influenced by changing environmental conditions. Lectures build upon the laws of thermodynamics and other unifying principles to present ecology as a primary controller of the natural world and as a primary controller of personal and collective human well being. This course is conducted outdoors regardless of weather, including all lectures and lab exercises, so those ecological phenomena can be examined in real time and real life. All day and overnight trips, mainly by foot, are conducted throughout the course, taking students into the full range of aquatic and terrestrial environments near the Biological Station and the adjacent mountain areas, including Glacier National Park. Students are expected to take detailed notes and conduct directed measurements that require analysis and interpretation. Meets writing requirement. Instructor – Jack Stanford, FLBS, The University of Montana
Seminar
and Independent Research (Four
or Eight Weeks)
Undergraduate Thesis (Senior Thesis) in Field Ecology -- BIOL 499 (Sec. 01) -- June 9–July
4 or July 7–August 1 or June 9–August
1 -- 3–6 credits (P/NP aka CR/NCR)
The objective of this independent study is preparation of a thesis or manuscript based on undergraduate research in field ecology for presentation and/or publication. Student must give an oral presentation at the Biological Station. Send us a short outline of research work you would like to undertake.
Undergraduate Research Experience -- BIOL 497 -- June 9–July
4 or July 7–August 1 or June 9–August
1 -- 3–6 credits (P/NP aka CR/NCR)
Independent research experience in field ecology associated generally with the various research projects at FLBS. Projects are mentored by permanent and visiting FLBS faculty. Send us a short outline of research work you would like to undertake.
Research in
Ecology -- BIOL 596
-- June 9-July 4 or July 7-August 1 or June 9-August 1 -- 1-8 credits (P/NP aka CR/NCR-open to non-UM graduate students only)
The purpose of this independent research is to solve a specific ecological problem as identified and examined by the student under mentorship of one of the Biological Station professors. Independent research includes design, analysis and reporting of ecological data. Send us a short outline of research work you would like to undertake.
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