AGSC 132 introduces the student to site-specific crop management and precision farming. The course also involves the application of selective computer software and hardware in site-specific crop management. In addition, the course focuses on providing the student with an overview of the basics of the global positioning system (GPS), an introduction to geographic information systems (GIS), and an introduction to remote sensing. Students enrolled in AGSC 132 will be introduced to these important systems through lectures and laboratory exercises. At the successful completion of the course, the student will be expected to have gained practical knowledge of GPS, GIS, and remote sensing technologies and their potential applications in precision agriculture and site-specific crop management.
Course Format: Lecture (Asynchronous Online), Laboratory (Face to Face)
Meeting Times/Locations: Lecture (recorded by 5:00 PM on Sundays), Laboratory (Thu. @ 11:00 AM-12:50 PM for 01L and 2:00-3:50 PM for 02L in Bicknell 208)
Semester Start Date: August 25, 2025
Semester End Date: December 5, 2025
2 credits (1 lecture hour, 2 laboratory hours), fall semester
AGSC 137 involves the application of procedures and techniques for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting agricultural data. The course introduces statistical methods using examples and applications to which students can easily relate. The course also focuses on teaching students fundamental statistical analysis using the MS Excel spreadsheet program and other pertinent computer tools. Students enrolled in AGSC 137 will be introduced to these important concepts through lectures and exercises they may complete on their laptops. Emphasis will be placed on providing the student with problem-solving skills and the ability to interpret the results of basic agricultural statistical analysis. Following a brief introduction to statistics and statistical inference, students enrolled in AGSC 137 are introduced to common measures of central tendency and dispersion used to summarize agricultural data. They are then introduced to the main concepts of probability and probability distributions, along with their potential applications in the agricultural sciences. Additional topics include random sampling, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, correlation analysis, and linear regression (simple and multiple).
Course Format: Hybrid (Asynchronous Online and Face-to-Face)
Meeting Times/Locations: Lectures (recorded by 5:00 PM on Saturdays), Face-to-Face (Wednesdays @ 9:30-10:45 AM in Marshall 102)
Semester Start Date: January 27, 2025
Semester End Date: May 9, 2025
Prerequisite: MAGN 101 or equivalent
3 credits* (3 lecture hours), spring semester
* Credits do NOT count if a student successfully completes MATH 123. This course meets the SUNY General Education Requirement for Mathematics (and Quantitative Reasoning).
ENRM 303 is intended to cover the fundamentals of geospatial information systems. These include the geographic information system (GIS), which represents a computerized data management system designed to input, store, analyze, and output geographically-referenced spatial data; the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), which combines globally-functional satellite constellations (including the U.S. Global Positioning System or GPS) with global and regional ground-based reference stations (at accurately surveyed locations) to enhance and broaden positioning; and remote sensing, which is widely used to gather information about features on the earth’s surface without being in physical contact with these features. The course is designed to provide students with a limited background in geospatial technology and analysis, enabling them to gather spatially distributed and geographically referenced data, query data, analyze spatial relationships, and produce professional outputs. The specific topics covered include geospatial data models; geodesy, datums, map projections, and coordinate systems; mapping and cartographic output; data collection and entry; GNSS and coordinate surveying; aerial and satellite imagery; geospatial and tabular data analyses; basic geospatial analysis; advanced geospatial (including terrain) analyses; geospatial estimation; geospatial modeling; and data standards and quality. The laboratory work will focus on the practical application of geospatial information systems, following a hands-on approach, where students are expected to gain practical knowledge in using ArcGIS for Desktop, aerial and satellite imagery, and several positioning and navigation systems.
Course Format: Lectures (Asynchronous Online), Laboratories (Face-to-Face)
Meeting Times/Locations: Lectures (recorded by 5:00 PM on Saturdays), Laboratories (Mondays and Wednesdays @ 12:00-1:50 PM or 2:00-3:50 PM in Bicknell 208)
Semester Start Date: January 27, 2025
Semester End Date: May 9, 2025
Prerequisite: NATR 213 and upper-division standing or permission of instructor
4 credits (2 lecture hours, 4 laboratory hours), spring semester
ENRM 420 (formerly RREN 420) involves the presentation of two integrated teaching modules that focus on applying geospatial technology to forest and wildlife management. The first module includes the application of geospatial technologies to the integrated management and monitoring of forest land. The second module utilizes geospatial technology to assess habitat resources for wildlife management. The two modules incorporate the global positioning system (GPS), geographic information system (GIS), and remote sensing technologies, combined with field-tested, scientifically based principles, to provide an integrated approach to natural resources management. The two modules are vertically integrated, resulting in the Habitat and Natural Resources Inventory System (HANRIS), where field measurements are combined based on common sampling points. The course is offered for ten weeks during the spring semester for students finishing their third year in the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) program in Environmental and Natural Resources Management (ENRM).
Course Format: Lectures and Laboratories (Face-to-Face)
Meeting Times/Locations: Lectures (Fridays @ 2:00 PM in Bicknell 115), Laboratories (Fridays, 3:00-4:50 PM in Bicknell 115)
Semester Start Date: February 28, 2025
Semester End Date: May 9, 2025
Prerequisite: ENRM 303 and junior standing or permission of the instructor
1 credit (1 lecture hour, 2 laboratory hours), spring semester, ten-week course
ENRM 421 is a senior-level course in the Renewable Resources Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.). It is offered during the first ten weeks of the fall semester, in which students are expected to master the application of geospatial technology to natural resources management through independent and group projects. It is a capstone course where many college forested lands will be inventoried using the methodology covered in ENRM 420. The course employs integrated approaches to managing and monitoring forest land and assessing habitat resources for wildlife management, focusing on a new college property each year. Geospatial technologies, including the global positioning system (GPS), geographic information system (GIS), and remote sensing, are combined with field-tested, scientifically based principles to provide an integrated approach to forest natural resources management.
Course Format: Face-to-Face
Meeting Times/Locations: Lecture (Tues. @ 2:00 p.m. in Bicknell 203), Laboratory (Fri. @ 1:00-5:00 p.m., or at a mutually agreed time, in the field)
Semester Start Date: August 26, 2024
Semester End Date: November 5, 2024
Prerequisite: ENRM 420
2 credits (1 lecture hour, 5 laboratory hours), fall semester, first ten weeks
This course provides an introduction to the global positioning system (GPS). The basic principles of GPS are covered with emphasis on field applications in the natural resources and renewable energy areas. The course will also briefly introduce the geographic information system (GIS), emphasizing data viewers and online GIS applications. Students will be expected to learn how to conduct field surveys using handheld and real-time differential GPS units and incorporate those within GIS data viewers. The course will also familiarize the students with the high-end, open-source, and commercial GIS software used within the geospatial technology courses offered within the environmental sciences curricula at the 200-, 300-, and 400-levels.
Course Format: Lecture (Asynchronous Online), Laboratory (Face to Face)
Meeting Times/Locations: Lecture (recorded by 5:00 PM on Sundays), Laboratory (Fri. @ 9:00-10:50 AM for 01L, 11:00 AM-12:50 PM for 02L, and 1:00-2:50 PM for 03L in Bicknell 115; Thu. @8:00-9:50 AM for 04L in Bicknell 203)
Semester Start Date: August 25, 2025
Semester End Date: October 10, 2025
1 credit (1 lecture hour, 2 laboratory hours), fall semester, first seven weeks
NATR 142 covers the basic concepts of plane surveying related to agriculture and natural resources. Such applications include fieldwork in land drainage, pipeline stakeout, and parcel boundaries. In addition, a review is made of survey planning and associated survey computations, including traverse surveys. Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on the modern land measurement equipment operation, including the automatic level, the theodolite, and the total station and GPS.
Course Format: Lecture (Hybrid), Laboratory (Face to Face)
Meeting Times/Locations: Lecture (Mon. & Wed. @ 9:00-9:50 a.m. in Bicknell 203), Laboratory (Wed. @ 3:00-5:50 p.m. for 01L and 12:00-2:50 p.m. for 02L in Bicknell 115)
Semester Start Date: August 25, 2025
Semester End Date: December 5, 2025
Prerequisite: MAGN 101 or equivalent
3 credits (2 lecture hours, 3 laboratory hours), fall semester
NATR 213 involves a basic introduction to geospatial technology, focusing on the practical applications of geographic information and global positioning systems in mapping natural and renewable resources. The basic principles of geospatial technology and geographic information systems (GIS) are discussed, with an emphasis on computer-assisted mapping. The focus will be on learning QGIS, an open-source GIS software, and its application in several assigned class projects. Students are also expected to understand how to create thematic maps and utilize GPS measurements and digital orthoimages to generate geographically referenced spatial data, which forms the basis for geospatial analysis.
Course Format: Lecture (Hybrid), Laboratory (Face-to-Face)
Meeting Times/Locations: Lecture (Tue. @ 8:00-9:15 AM in Marshall 101), Laboratory (Fri. @ 11:00 AM-1:50 PM for 01L, 9:00 - 10:50 AM for 02L, and Thurs. @ 2:00-3:50 PM for 03L, in Bicknell 208)
Semester Start Date: January 27, 2025
Semester End Date: April 11, 2025
Prerequisite: NATR 113 or permission of instructor
2 credits (1.5 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours), spring semester, first ten weeks
The ENRM 470 is a capstone 12/15-credit internship course in the Environmental and Natural Resources Management Bachelor of Technology Degree Program. It follows the ENRM 450 internship planning course and culminates with an oral presentation and the submission of a portfolio of required materials to the faculty advisor. The steps are sequential, with mandatory documentation, reporting, and evaluation. A successful internship happens when both the intern and the employer understand that while the work of the intern happens over 600 hours on the job, the internship itself happens outside of that time when the student is reflecting on his/her experiences, processing the knowledge and skills gained, and relating those experiences to others: that is the true learning experience.