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BIOS Summer Courses: Immerse Yourself in Marine Science

Coral Reef Ecology
July 11 - 31 2010
Open to All Students
SCUBA certification strongly recommended
Instructor: Dr. Samantha De Putron

The Coral Reef Ecology (CRE) course exposes the student to the reef ecosystem at all organizational levels from physiological ecology through population biology and community structure to ecosystem dynamics and ends with consideration of human impacts. CRE participants regularly come from the UK, Europe, USA, and South and Central America. The maximum class size is 16. The format and content of the course is geared to upper level undergraduates and graduate students, teachers and professionals.

CRE is an intensive, integrated program comprised of lectures, required reading, laboratory exercises and field surveys. The lectures cover a broad range of relevant topics and ecological principals in coral reef ecology that are supplemented by readings from the primary literature with attention given to active areas of research. The course is divided into 20 lectures (1 to 1.25 hours long), 9 field trips (4 hours each), 6 lab sessions (4-5 hours each), 6 precepts (1 hour each), 3 seminars by BIOS scientists on current research, a take home written exam, and an afternoon of oral presentations. An additional 10-15 hours is taken to complete the working-group analyses and presentations. Each student is graded on participation (50%), exam (25%) and oral presentation (25%). All participants in the course must be certified SCUBA divers with current certification, including the medical examination.

The lab work is focused on training in practical techniques commonly used in coral reef research: cell fractionation by centrifugation, enumeration of zooxanthellae with a haemocytometer, chlorophyll analysis, determination of coral surface area, and measurement of coral growth. Various field techniques and subsequent lab analyses are used repetitively at different sites so that each student has the opportunity to become familiar with the following methods: video-taping reef transects to assess community structure, quantification of reef fish community structure using a visual census method, quantification of parrot fish feeding rates and social interactions, quadrat sampling of reef algae, sorting, identification and dry weight biomass estimation, quadrat sampling and measurement of juvenile corals and gorgonians to construct size/frequency curves.

The most significant aspect of the course is a final synthesis of the data sets collected from the different study reefs and laboratory experiments. The students divide up into small groups to collate and analyze data sets for a particular parameter (e.g. algal biomass and diversity or coral community structure). They look for trends and patterns across reefs and correlations with other data sets collected during the course. The groups then present their analyses as final oral presentations (also requiring a 300 word abstract and a list of 4-5 references) and discuss their conclusions with the rest of the class. The presentations are based on a typical format for presenting scientific results to an audience and so are designed to provide experience in communicating science.

Primary references for the course are handouts prepared by the instructors that are supplemented by required reading from the primary scientific literature.

COURSE FEE: $4,600 (tuition, room and board)

APPLICATIONS: Please download an application form here, fill this out and email it to education@bios.edu as an attachment, or you may fax if you prefer; details are on the application form. Please also arrange for the following support materials to be emailed:

1. Two letters of recommendation (we prefer to receive these as email to education@bios.edu)
2. Current transcripts (photocopies of originals are acceptable)
3. Personal Resume
4. A brief (not more than one page) summary/statement of how the course will advance your education or research goals.

Without these support materials your application will not be complete. These should reach BIOS before March 15, 2010. Applications received after this date will be considered on a space available basis. If applying for a scholarship, please provide a statement attesting to your needs and qualifications for a scholarship and outlining your contribution to the costs of the course. Examples of relevant details include your financial needs, your level in education, other awards made to you. Other details that you deem important will be considered. Transportation costs must be borne by the course attendee.

SCHOLARSHIPS and FINANCIAL AID: Scholarships and financial aid are based on academic background/performance and demonstrated need. Full scholarships are rare and only available in exceptional circumstances. We encourage students to apply for other sources of funding that BIOS can supplement or match. Travel and SCUBA equipment are NOT included under any circumstance. Some scholarships and financial aid are open to all nationalities. We particularly encourage Canadian and UK students to apply, as there are specific funding sources for these students.