NAS 405 - Biodiversity and Conservation Field Research Capstone

Credits: 4

Prerequisite(s): NAS 104 or NAS 111, NAS 107, and another additional NAS course.
This is a senior-level capstone course for the Environmental Science minor and the Coastal Environmental Science major. Students will integrate ecological principles with information they have learned in other coursework into a multidisciplinary course designed to challenge students in the science-based application of ecological principles. Current research in conservation ecology and management will be considered and applied to real-world scenarios for conserving biodiversity, both in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Focus areas will include biodiversity protection, adaptive management, natural areas design, sustainable ecosystem management and restoration, landscape conservation, and conservation and population genetics. Laboratory coursework is designed to observe and critically evaluate regional conservation efforts. Student research is a major element of this coursework.