Covers topics ranging from mythological ideas about spiders and their importance in traditional cultures and folklore, to diversity patterns, ecology, behavior, and general biology of spiders. In the laboratory section, students learn to identify local spiders and to prepare a collection.

In this class, students study the natural history and evolutionary biology of island terrestrial and freshwater organisms and their communities, and of marine organisms in the coral reef and lagoon systems. The students also learn about the geomorphology of volcanic islands, coral reefs, and reef islands. Features of island biogeography are illustrated with topics linked to subsequent field studies on the island of Mo’orea, French Polynesia. The course trains students as independent scientists, as students develop, conduct, and communicate independent research projects on a topic of their choice.

In this class, students study the natural history and evolutionary biology of island terrestrial and freshwater organisms and their communities, and of marine organisms in the coral reef and lagoon systems. The students also learn about the geomorphology of volcanic islands, coral reefs, and reef islands. Features of island biogeography are illustrated with topics linked to subsequent field studies on the island of Mo’orea, French Polynesia. The course trains students as independent scientists, as students develop, conduct, and communicate independent research projects on a topic of their choice.

(1) survey of museum resources, including strategies for accession, conservation, collecting and acquiring material, administration, and policies; (2) strategies for making collections digitally available (digitization, databasing, georeferencing, mapping); (3) tools and approaches for examining historical specimens (genomics, isotopes, ecology, morphology, etc); and (4) data integration and inference. The final third of the course will involve individual projects within a given museum.

(1) survey of museum resources, including strategies for accession, conservation, collecting and acquiring material, administration, and policies; (2) strategies for making collections digitally available (digitization, databasing, georeferencing, mapping); (3) tools and approaches for examining historical specimens (genomics, isotopes, ecology, morphology, etc); and (4) data integration and inference. The final third of the course will involve individual projects within a given museum.

Insects display an incredibly rich array of behaviors, including extravagant displays, rituals, deception, sociality, and slavery. In some cases, these behaviors are innate, but in other cases individual insects can actively learn and modify their future behaviors based on real-life experiences. This course will focus on the development, structure, and function of insect behaviors, using examples from classic and recent publications. We will examine the evolution of insect behavior, how these behaviors play a role in the ecology of the organisms that express them, and explore various modes of communication that allow insects to judge their environment and respond appropriately.

A survey of the unique physiological mechanisms of insects, including the analysis of physiological systems at the cellular-molecular level. The roles of the nervous and endocrine systems in coordinating physiological processes are emphasized.

A survey of the unique physiological mechanisms of insects, including the analysis of physiological systems at the cellular-molecular level. The roles of the nervous and endocrine systems in coordinating physiological processes are emphasized.

A survey of the unique physiological mechanisms of insects, including the analysis of physiological systems at the cellular-molecular level. The roles of the nervous and endocrine systems in coordinating physiological processes are emphasized.