Welcome to the Class

To get started with the course, we'll discuss what ecology is and why it might matter to you.  

For many of you, this class will be the only science lecture (ENV 1003 fulfills your Scientific World pathways credit) you take at Baruch (although we hope the course encourages you to take more!)  So, our goal is to introduces students to basic concepts of science by focusing on ecology through lectures, discussion, and hands-on activities. We want to connect the science part of the class to its application (why its important and matters to you!), so we will use examples (current and classic) from the real-world to motivate our exploration of the topic.   We will work to relate the topics we discuss in class to the management and restoration of natural resources in the New York area and beyond.  By the end of this course, you should be able discuss the complex linkages among biotic and abiotic factors that impact natural communities, explain how these factors may be measured, and predict impacts of change. 

First, let's think about the course from a broader perspective.  For example, what makes science "science"?  Science is the process by which data is collected from the natural world and used to explain what people observe. This involves deciding to investigate a phenomenon that someone has observed (a pattern or process) and producing a hypothesis about what you believe leads to that pattern or process (a mechanism). This is where observation and reliance on existing scientific knowledge come in as questions are formed, gaps in knowledge are identified, and information is used to produce reasonable, testable hypotheses. Data is then collected via experiments or observation that you can then analyze to test your hypothesis. Hypothesis testing is part of statistics that we will introduce and use in this class, but developing the techniques needed to analyze data is an entire field unto itself. This definition means science has limits (see here) as it relies on data to test the natural world.

To better understand the scientific process, refer to the Understanding Science site for additional background information. The Understanding Science website, produced by the University of California Museum of Paleontology, is an excellent resource in this area and will continue to be referenced below.

Once scientists reach conclusions, they need to share them to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge (and help future scientists!). You should understand that scientific information like you find in textbooks is most commonly shared initially in journal articles. These articles are written by scientists (faculty, students, government personnel, and others all fall in this category) and submitted to journals for publication. Once received, articles are typically reviewed by other experts in the field of study before being edited and published (see here to learn more about the peer review process). These articles have a general format we'll discuss (introduction, methods, results, discussion) and will be what many of you try to emulate in the lab report that will be written for ENV 1004.  

Scientific articles are often dense reading, only available to certain groups, and take a long time to produce and publish, so the information may also be shared in other ways. Scientists may share information about their work through presentations, which are more informal. Information may also be shared in the popular press through articles, videos, radio, and other avenues. These articles are typically easier to read as they are meant for a wider audience with less specialized knowledge. A portion of our class will be devoted to reading/listening/watching scientific articles from various venues that relate to class.  For more information on how to read and summarize a scientific article, see this tip sheet.  Additionally, you will learn to recognize subjects and articles written that disguise as science (see here).