Courses

Struwe
Prerequisites: Principles of Botany or Vascular Plant Systematics.
A broad, evolutionary overview of major groups of vascular plants, from club mosses and ferns to conifers and flowering plants. Principles of classification and field identification, morphology and basic concepts in evolutionary studies in botany. Independent project.

Struwe
Prerequisites: Advanced Plant Systematics (taken at the same time or earlier).
Developing skills in plant ID, learning vouchering techniques, phylogenetic analysis, and understanding macroevolutionary patterns in morphology and species diversification. Digital and online tools and resources will be strongly emphasized.

Smouse
Factors affecting the genetic evolution of individuals and populations (selection, mutation, migration, drift), and how they are organized over time and space, with an introduction to continuously distributed polygenic traits and molecular phylogenetics and phylogeography. Smouse. Prerequisites: Genetics and Statistics, Evolution recommended, or permission of instructor.

Meixler
Landscape ecology is a sub-discipline of ecology, focusing on spatial relationships and the interactions between organisms and habitat. This hybrid course is an applied, project-focused, comprehensive introduction to the field. Emphasis is on hands-on practical experience through labs and case studies.

Struwe and Duffy
Journal club in evolution including examination of major elements of organismal evolutionary theory. Emphasis on phylogenetics, genetic variation, natural selection, adaptation, and speciation. Demonstration of methodology and software programs.

Pinsky
This course will explore how new tools from genetics and genomics are revolutionizing our understanding of ecology. We will learn how to use DNA to infer behavior, kinship, historical demography, dispersal patterns, natural selection, community composition, and conservation genetics, among other topics. The emphasis of the course will be on giving students the theoretical understanding and practical skills they need to apply these cutting-edge tools themselves.

Maslo
Description – TBA

Morin
Patterns and processes involving sets of two or more existing species. Theoretical and empirical studies.

Morin
Prerequisites: Calculus.
A survey of the application of multivariate statistical methods to the analysis of problems in ecology and evolution. Topics covered include cluster analysis, ordination, discriminant function analysis, canonical correlation, multivariate analysis of variance, and analysis of repeated measures.

Xu
Prerequisites: College-level calculus and basic statistics.
Review of the background mathematical and statistical tools necessary in pursuing ecological and environmental modeling. General model formulation, validation, hypothesis testing, non-linear phenomena, and forecasting.

Aronson
This course provides an overview of ecology in and of cities, including responses of organisms to urbanization, socio-ecological linkages, and urban planning and design as it relates to biodiversity.

Various Faculty
Literature review and synthesis of a selected current topic in applied or theoretical ecology. Varies from Year to Year, faculty and topics vary by semester. Check the current schedule of classes online. Courses will have a synopsis as they are offered on this website.

Morin
A basic understanding of the biology of single species populations is an essential part of ecological literacy. This course will use a “hands on” approach combining real world examples and data together with explorations of model populations using R to provide insights about basic population processes and quantitative approaches. Topics will include continuous-time and discrete-time population growth models, estimation of population growth rates, survivorship analysis, life tables, age- and stage-specific population projection matrices, complex population dynamics in simple and stage-structured populations, alternate population models, population viability analysis, metapopulation dynamics, SIR models, and simple models of interspecific interactions.

Winfree
Prerequisite: None for graduate students; for undergraduates, permission of instructor and the Graduate School. This course is designed for first- and second-year graduate students and provides an overview of concepts and current topics in the field of ecology. Topics include biodiversity and biogeography; life histories; population biology; herbivory, predation and parasitism; mutualism; and global change and conservation. All assigned readings are provided as pdfs available on the course Sakai site. Major assignments include writing an NSF-GRFP style grant proposal, OR a 10-page research paper; and a 10-minute presentation. Meets once a week for 3 hours.

Various faculty
Topics vary by semester. Current listing can be found on the on-line schedule of classes and a synopsis of the classes will be listed below in the semester they are offered.
Topics in the past have included: Microbial Ecology; Selfish Genetic Elements; Field Ecology; Biology of the Ericaceae; Environmental and Cultural Behavior; Ecological Economics, Ecological Networks, and Experimental Ecology.

Juan Bonachela
Syllabus 16:215:600:02 (PDF)
Theoretical models are great vehicle to understand biological systems from a different perspective that complements empirical work. For many systems, we are very often given typical/prescribed mathematical models, and using them or adapting them to our specific needs can be challenging without a deep understanding of what each term in the model represents, or what the best way to analyze the model is.
In this course, we will review classic as well as state-of-the-art models, and the different mathematical and computational techniques required to analyze them. We will dissect and understand the models and assumptions involved, with the ultimate goal of learning how to construct and modify them, and tailor them to specific biological systems and questions.

Various Faculty (organized by GPD)
Introductory seminar required for all first year Ph.D. and M.S. Ecology and Evolution students.
Required core course for Ph.D. and M.S. students in Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program.

Lockwood
This course covers applying for academic jobs, presentations at professional meetings, basics of scientific writing and training in responsible conduct in research. The course will provide a firm foundation in the ethics associated with collaboration, publishing, peer review and mentoring.
Required core course for Ph.D. and M.S. students in Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program.

Individual/independent study in an area of expertise of the faculty.

Description – TBA
Various faculty from the Cary Institute for Ecosystems Study
A critical review of ecosystem ecology, including biogeochemical cycles and budgets, ecosystem energetics, the theory and history of ecosystem ecology, and the response of ecosystems to disturbance.
Interim two-week course offered every January at the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY.

• Students must first apply and be accepted into the course by the Cary Institute. To receive credit for the course students must then register through Rutgers registration. Any additional course costs are not covered by Rutgers tuition remission. Students from other universities should consult with their programs and registrars regarding tuition remission and additional course cost coverage.

Register by advisor’s name for research credits to fulfill degree requirements.
701 is fall registration, 702 is spring and summer registration.

Description – TBA

Prerequisites: 01:640:115 or equivalent. Credit not given for more than one of 01:960:201, 211, 285, and 401; nor for more than one of 01:960:212, 384, 401, and 484.
As applied in fields other than statistics; treats research projects dependent on the use of observed data from planned experiments. Includes inference methods in estimation and hypothesis testing, and general linear models.

Prerequisites: Statistics 16:960:563 (Regression Analysis)
Model based forecasting methods, autoregressive and moving average models, ARIMA, ARMAX, ARCH, state-space models, estimation, forecasting and model validation, missing data, irregularly spaced time series, parametric and non-parametric bootstrap methods for time series, multi-resolution analysis of spatial and time series signals, time-varying models, and wavelets.

Prerequisites: 34:970:515 or 516 or equivalent 
Brief history of GIS, core concepts, GIS on the Internet, projections and coordinate systems, thematic mapping, data classification and exploration, map interpretation, data visualization, basic cartography, data collection and management GIS data collection and management, address geocoding, ORDBMS concepts, and spatial analysis. Introduces basic concepts of geographic information science and its computer applications.

Only open to doctoral students
Description - TBA

Only open to doctoral students
Description - TBA

Description - TBA

This course discusses the definitions and ethical problems caused by fabrication of data, falsification of results, plagiarism, and other behaviors inconsistent with ethical scientific conduct. This course is required for all SGS Biomedical PhD students and Masters of Science in Biomedical Sciences students. The course complies with NIH guidelines for RCR training. Students will receive 1 credit for successfully completing the course. Postdoctoral fellows as well as F33 and K award recipients are invited to participate in the course and will receive a certificate of completion after attendance at a minimum of eleven one-hour weekly meetings. Students in their 5th year graduate school must take a refresher training course (16:115:558).

Description - TBA

Institutional, technical, procedural, and normative factors that influence environmental planning and policy. Topics include environmental decision-making, stakeholders, methods, process issues, and decision criteria. Case studies and in-class exercises put topics into context.