Summer Field Ecology option

The College of Biological Sciences offers a section of BIOL3004 in the Global Change Ecology research area that allows students to complete their research projects at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, a University field site located about an hour north of campus.

Course Information

The summer session runs for 13 weeks, from May - August.
- Registration opens during the spring semester before the summer session.
- For specific dates, see the UMN academic calendar and filter for the semester you are interested in.
The course is 3 credits and fulfills the BIOL3004 requirement for students in the College of Biological Sciences.
The course will meet for a weekly 2 hour class on the St. Paul campus on Wednesdays.
Several field research days will occur at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, a UMN field station.
- - Students should be available Thursdays from 8AM-2PM. Field work will not happen every week, but students should keep that time open in their schedule
  - Transportation to the field site is offered from the St. Paul campus. However, students are also welcome to provide their own transport to the site. Cedar Creek is about a 40-60 minute drive from the Twin Cities.
You do not need to have participated in a BIOL 1961 Global Change Ecology section to participate in this course.

Example Past Projects

"Analysis of selective choice of Eurosta solidaginis (gall flies) of host plant Solidago Gigantea (goldenrod) in a controlled nutrient deposition experiment"
"The Effect of Chemical Fertilizer on the Diversity of Fungus Genera Within Grassland Soil"
"Impacts of Anthropogenic Disturbances on Flying Insect Abundance"
"The Effects of Fertilizer on Soil pH and of Soil pH and Fertilizer on the Growth Rate of Artemisia ludoviciana"
"Depth over Distance: an Analysis of Spatial Factors Impacting Nematode Population Distribution
in Cedar Bog Lake"
"Soil Faunal Detritivore Feeding Activity in Relation to pH and Nutrient Addition of the Cedar Creek Prairie Biome"

Field Site Information

Field research projects will occur at Cedar Creek Reserve in East Bethel, MN (about an hour drive by car from campus). From their website:

Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve is a University of Minnesota biological field station with many ecosystems and species found throughout the forests and grasslands of North America. Faculty, staff and students who work at Cedar Creek are dedicated to understanding how human activities, such as agriculture and fossil fuel combustion, are changing ecosystems.

Many of the experiments at Cedar Creek consider the long-term consequences of human-driven environmental changes. These include ecosystem responses to:

Biodiversity loss
Nitrogen deposition
Elevated carbon dioxide
Warming and changes in precipitation
Exotic species invasions

Questions?

For more information, please contact the course coordinators, Max Kramer (kram0247@umn.edu) and Catherine Kirkpatrick (cakirkpa@umn.edu)

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