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Courses for NRS Graduate Students
The Department of Natural Resources Science offers a variety of courses in the environmental sciences. Students in NRS, with guidance from their major professors, develop programs of study that best meet their unique career objectives. Listed below are the graduate-level courses offered by the Department.
NRS 402 Wildlife Biometrics (3) Presentation of statistical design and analysis of ecological field measurements. Emphasis on quantitative measurements and data analyses used in wildlife population research. (Lec. 2, Lab. 3) Pre: BIO 262 and STA 308 or 409 or permission of instructor. In alternate years.
NRS 406 Wetland Wildlife (3) Introduction to management of wetland wildlife. Emphasis on management techniques used for major wetland types, waterfowl, furbearers, and nongame wildlife. (Lec. 2, Lab. 3) Pre: BIO 262 and permission of instructor.
NRS 407 Nongame and Endangered Species Management (3) Management programs for nonhunted species, basic conservation biology, and techniques used for management of endangered species. (Lec. 3) Pre: past or concurrent enrollment in 305.
NRS 410 Fundamentals of GIS (3) Emphasis on using a geographic information system (GIS) to create a geographically referenced spatial database, spatial topology, data visualization, computer-assisted map making, and spatial data query and analysis. (Lab. 6) Pre: past or concurrent enrollment in 409 or 509.
NRS 412 Soil-Water Chemistry (3) Biogeochemistry of soil-water interactions. Soil composition, the exchange and sorption of elements, trace element behavior, redox reactions and control of these factors on availability and loss. (Lec. 3) Pre: 212 and CHM 124 and 126 or permission of instructor. In alternate years.
NRS 415 Remote Sensing of the Environment (3) Introduction to fundamentals of air-borne and space-borne remote sensing. Emphasis on remote sensing applications in terrestrial environmental and natural resources studies. (Lec. 2, Lab. 2).
NRS 423 Wetland Ecology (4) Formation, development, and distinguishing features of inland and coastal wetlands. Topics include classification, geology, hydrology, soils, plant ecology, vegetation dynamics. Primary emphasis on wetlands of the glaciated Northeast. (Lec. 2, Lab. 4) Pre: BIO 262, GEL 103, and concurrent enrollment in NRS 425 or 525.
NRS 424 Wetlands and Land Use (4) Survey of wetland values, exploitation, current status, and legal protection. Emphasis on critical issues including wetland evaluation, impact assessment, mitigation procedures. Field trips provide examples of wetland use conflicts. (Lec. 2, Lab. 4) Pre: 423 or permission of instructor.
NRS 426 Soil Microbiology (3) Occurrence, metabolism, and ecology of soil microorganisms, with emphasis on nutrient cycling, soil pathogens, transformation of organic and inorganic pollutants, and soil biotechnology. (Lec 3) Pre: 212 or permission of instructor.
NRS 450 Soil Conservation and Land Use (3) Application of soil survey interpretation as a tool in soil and water conservation and land use planning. Implications of soil properties and problems for land use considered with emphasis on urbanizing situations. (Lec. 3) Pre: 212 or permission of instructor.
NRS 452 Soil, Water, and Land Use Investigations (1) Independent field and laboratory study of soil and water topics related to land use issues. (Practicum) Pre: concurrent enrollment in 450.
NRS 471 Soil Morphology and Mapping (3) A detailed study of the morphological properties of soils and their distribution on the landscape. Practical experience in describing soil profiles and preparing soil maps. (Lec. 1, Lab. 4) Pre: 212 or permission of instructor.
503 Wildlife Biometrics Field Investigations (1) Independent field study of wildlife populations using modern quantitative measurements and data analyses. Emphasis on experimental design, data collection and recording, statistical analysis, data interpretation, and reporting. (Practicum) Pre: concurrent enrollment in 402.
NRS 505 Biology and Management of Migratory Birds (2) Current programs, problems, and techniques for managing migratory game and nongame birds. Emphasis on basic biology of the species, habitat management, and harvest management. (Seminar) Pre: 305 or permission of instructor. In alternate years.
NRS 509 Concepts of GIS and Remote Sensing in Environmental Science (3) Unique properties of geospatial data, accessing GIS and remote sensing data, and applications of GIS and remote sensing in the environmental sciences. Uses in ecology, conservation, soil science, geohydrology, and conservation biology. (Lec. 3) Pre: BIO 262 or permission of instructor.
NRS 510 Soil-Water Relations (3) Processes governing water flow and availability in unsaturated and saturated soil. Emphasis on soil-water-plant relationships with applications to watershed management and hydrology. (Lec. 2, Lab. 3) Pre: 212, 361, or permission of instructor.
NRS 516 Remote Sensing in Natural Resources Mapping (3) Digital remote sensing in environmental and natural resource studies. Emphasis on satellite remote sensing image rectification, georeferencing, classification, and integration with GIS. (Lec. 2, Lab. 2). Pre: NRS 415 or permission of instructor.
NRS 520 Quantitative Techniques in Natural Resource Research (3) Research design, database management, and analysis and interpretation of natural resource data. Emphasis on hands-on experience of quantitative and computerized techniques commonly used by natural resource scientists. (Lec. 2, Lab. 2) Pre: STA 308 and permission of instructor.
NRS 522 Advanced GIS Analysis of Environmental Data (3) Discussion and application of terrain modeling, spatial statistics, proximity analysis, remote sensing/GIS linkages, and environmental data integration. Emphasis on ecological data at watershed/landscape scales. (Lec. 1, Lab. 6) Pre: 410 or permission of instructor.
NRS 524 Application of Advanced Spatial Analysis (1) Independent application of spatial data analysis to derive solutions to environmental problems, with emphasis on GIS data integration, vector and raster modeling, and visualization of analytical and quantitative results. (Practicum) Pre: concurrent enrollment in 522.
NRS 525 Wetland Field Investigations (1) Independent field study of a diverse freshwater wetland ecosystem, with emphasis on aerial photo-interpretation, wetland classification, and in-depth examination of glacial geology, hydrology, plant ecology, and soils. (Practicum) Pre: concurrent enrollment in 423.
NRS 526 Microbial Ecology of Soils and Sediments (3) Occurrence and activity of microorganisms in soils and sediments, including wetlands. Environmental physiology of microbes; habitat interactions; methods of study; importance of microbial processes to ecosystem productivity, pollutant degradation, and atmospheric chemistry. (Lec. 3) Pre: 212, MIC 211, or permission of instructor.
NRS 532 Conservation Biology and Resource Economics (2) Examination of the different components of conservation of biological diversity. Topics include minimum viable populations, ecology and economics of reserve design, reintroductions, causes of extinction, and the ecosystem conservation strategies. (Seminar) Pre: BIO 262, EEC 105 or permission of instructor. In alternate years.
NRS 533 Landscape Pattern and Change (3) Remote sensing perspective of landscape characterization; landscape dynamics; spatiotemporal land-use and land-cover change; modeling and analysis of landscape by integration of remote sensing, GIS, GPS, and in situ data. (Lec. 2, Lab. 2) Pre: NRS 415 or permission of instructor.
NRS 534 Ecology of Fragmented Landscapes (2) Presentation of the concepts of landscape ecology with emphasis on populations of plants and animals in fragmented habitats. Topics discussed include: habitat corridors, fluxes of energy and species along habitat edges, shape analysis, and stability of populations in habitat patches. (Lec. 2) Pre: BIO 262 or permission of instructor. In alternate years.
NRS 538 Physiological Ecology of Wild Terrestrial Vertebrates (3) Relationships between animal physiology and the ecology and dynamics of wild vertebrate populations, including birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. (Lec. 3) Pre: 305 or permission of intructor.
NRS 545 Invasive Species Research, Management and Policy (3) Overview of the major invasive alien species issues in the research, management, and policy arenas. (Lec.3) Pre: BIO 262 or permission of instructor.
NRS 555 Applied Coastal Ecology (2) Resource management problems in coastal national parks. Topics include air and water pollution, barrier island erosion, deer overpopulation, Lyme disease, and ecosystem restoration. Examples of conflicting land-management mandates and research needs discussed. Optional field trips. (Lec. 2) Pre: advanced course work or experience in topical fields or permission of instructor. In alternate years.
NRS 567 Soil Genesis and Classification (3) Development of soils as influenced by physical, chemical, biological, and climatic factors. Processes of soil formation presented relative to soil taxonomy and geographic distribution. (Lec. 3) Pre: 471 or permission of instructor. In alternate years.
NRS 568 Recent Advances in Natural Resources Science (3) Critical analysis and presentation of technical reports on recent advances in natural resources science. Topics will vary according to instructor and background of students. (Lec. 3) Pre: graduate standing or permission of instructor.
NRS 591, 592 Special Problems (1-3 each) Advanced independent research projects supervised by members of the research staff and unrelated to Master's or Doctoral research. Projects developed to meet individual needs. (Independent Study) Pre: permission of chairperson.
NRS 600 Graduate Seminar in Natural Resources (1) Presentation of proposed, ongoing, or completed research by NRS graduate students. Discussion among graduate students, faculty, and staff, with emphasis on research design, methods and interepretation of results. (Seminar) Pre: graduate standing in NRS. All graduate students must enroll at least twice; full-time students are expected to enroll each spring. S/U credit.
EVS 597 Professional Internship in Environmental Science and Management (3) Supervised work performed with an environmental agency, nongovernmental organization, or private firm as part of the requirements of the Master of Environmental Science and Management degree. (Practicum) Pre: enrollment in M.E.S.M. degree program.
EVS 598 Professional Master’s Research (3) Independent investigation to satisfy the research requirement for the Master of Environmental Science and Management degree. Substantial paper required. (Independent Study). Pre: enrollment in M.E.S.M. degree program.
EVS 599 Master’s Thesis Research To be taken by students in the Master of Science in Environmental Sciences degree program. Number of credits is determined each semester in consultation with the major professor or program committee. (Independent Study) S/U credit.
EVS 699 Doctoral Dissertation Research To be taken by students in the Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences degree program. Number of credits is determined each semester in consultation with the major professor or program committee. (Independent Study) S/U credit.
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