Dan currently teaches the following CSU courses:

General Ecology (LIFE 320)

Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with one another and the environment. It is an interdisciplinary field that connects the physical and biological sciences. Some of our course content will draw from adjacent fields including meteorology, geology, chemistry, physics, physiology, behavior, evolutionary biology, ecosystem science, and mathematics. Our course is rooted in understanding processes at different scales of ecological organization including individual organisms, populations, communities, and whole ecosystems. This course is meant to provide a general overview of foundational ecological concepts, rather than a deep dive into any one subfield of ecology.

Wildlife Disease Ecology (FW 467)

Disease ecology is vitally important for economics, public health, and the conservation of biodiversity. Increasing rates of disease emergence in humans, livestock, and wildlife highlight a need for CSU students to enter the natural resources work force with an understanding of disease ecology and management. Most newly emerging diseases in humans are transmitted from wildlife populations, emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of disease ecology. Parasitology, veterinary medicine, epidemiology, and ecology are intimately linked together in the advancement of disease ecology knowledge. In this course, we will focus on the ecological, evolutionary, and management aspects of wildlife disease. We will examine disease concepts at multiple scales of organization, from within hosts to ecosystem-level processes. The course format will include short lectures, out-of-class media, discussions, and individual or group activities.

Ecological Science Writing (FW / ECOL 680) - Co-taught with Dr. Kevin Bestgen

Writing is an essential form of communication for the ecological sciences. Science writing can take many forms, including scientific manuscripts, grant proposals, peer reviews, and informal communication with colleagues. While most of our content is relevant to several of these writing formats, our focus will fall largely on the process of preparing and submitting peer-reviewed publications. The instructional format will include lectures, discussions, written assignments, peer-review, and readings from The Scientist's Guide to Writing by S. B. Heard. Students are strongly encouraged to have their own writing project to work on as they develop and hone their writing skills throughout the course.