100 courses with the subject NTRES, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
NTRES 1101Understanding Environment and Sustainability3
This course examines two fundamental questions about biological, chemical and physical processes that influence the biosphere. First, how do humans obtain knowledge about these environmental processes? Second, how can we assess human influences upon these environmental processes? A key conceptual framework for the course is that environmental science provides tools for predicting future states of the earth's environment. Case studies, readings, discussions, writing assignments, and group exercises provide a foundation for understanding predictions about how the biosphere is influenced by human activities.
NTRES 1111Roadmap to Success in Environment and Sustainability1
This course is for first-year students entering or intending to enter the Environment & Sustainability (E&S) major. The multidisciplinarity of this major may make it seem complex. The purpose of this class is to position you for success with your goals in the major, at Cornell and beyond. Course content will facilitate your course planning, choice of concentration, and help you map out the resources and opportunities Cornell offers. Course activities will help you explore your personal identity and get to know your E&S student cohort.
NTRES 1200FWS: Special Topics in Natural Resources3
The department offers first-year writing seminars on environmental topics as staff is available. Consult John S. Knight Writing Seminar Program brochures for current year offerings, instructors and descriptions.
This course will cultivate an interdisciplinary, solution-oriented perspective on water resource challenges from local to global scales. Water is central to all of life, yet its management represents a wicked challenge in sustainability science because tradeoffs and feedbacks among multiple objectives are commonplace. Readings and parallel mini-lectures from natural and social science instructors will embrace the diversity of perspectives involved in managing water resources, and students will engage in collaborative problem-solving during class to deepen their understanding of each weekly theme. Meetings with case study experts from around the world will ground this dialog in reality, and all students will participate in debate-style examination of major controversies in water sustainability. Reflective writing assignments will encourage students to assess their own role in achieving water sustainability.
Our lives are touched increasingly by questions about environmental degradation at local, regional, and global scales. Business-as-usual is being challenged. This course stimulates students to go beyond the often-simplistic portraits of environmental dilemmas offered by the mass media to gain a firmer basis for responsible stewardship and informed action on environmental issues. Students will practice and apply critical-thinking skills.
In this course, students are introduced to field identification, natural history, and study of plants, animals, and natural systems. This course emphasizes hands-on interaction with nature, recording of ecological phenomena, and awareness and understanding of the natural environment, including ecological concepts (e.g., ecosystem, community, habitat, and niches). Students will 1) work cooperatively in hands-on field lab exercises to build skills in the identification and classification of native biota and their natural history 2) conduct a field research project in which they formulate research questions from field observations, develop a research design, collect field data, and interpret those data for a research report and presentation, and 3) maintain a detailed field journal of natural history observations from field labs and independent observations
The course introduces students to the practice of natural history through readings, discussion, and field excursions in local winter landscapes. Drawing inspiration from classic naturalist writings, students will learn to observe, record, and interpret ecological communities with attention to detail and context. Weekly discussions explore topics such as wilderness preparation, historical landscapes, wildlife and plant identification, and seasonal ecological events. Field labs emphasize practical skills, including outdoor safety, tracking wildlife, and identifying plants in dormancy, as well as documenting environmental change through written and illustrated observations. Two weekend field trips provides an immersive opportunity to explore Cornell’s Arnot Forest and the Biological Field Station at Oneida Lake during the winter season. The course concludes with reflective evaluation, encouraging students to revisit their early observations.
Flip a rock over on the shores of Beebe Lake in fall, and you will uncover a hidden ecosystem. How would you describe what you observe? Would it be limited to the scale of a snail, or zoomed out to encompass the wider system of the lake, its history, and role in campus life? This field course will focus on observing and writing about the environment at multiple spatial and temporal scales, with the campus natural areas as the primary field site. Students will read natural history texts, such as Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, and practice the art and science of phenology in areas such as the Cornell Botanic Gardens. Weekend trips to Cornell Biological Field Station on Oneida Lake and Sapsucker Woods.
The actions of people are crucial to environmental well-being. This course addresses the interrelationships between social phenomena and the natural (i.e., biophysical) environment. It is intended to (1) increase student awareness of these interconnections in their everyday lives; (2) introduce students to a variety of social science perspectives, including sociology, economics, psychology, and political science, that help us make sense of these connections; (3) identify the contributions of each of these perspectives to our understanding of environmental problems; and (4) discuss how natural resource management and environmental policy reflect these perspectives.
This course offers an introduction to global environmental justice as a field of scholarship, a social movement, and a set of demands for transformative change. Beginning with the origins of the US environmental justice movement, we rapidly expand our frame to examine how environmental injustices unfold across scales and continents — from the toxic burden carried by specific communities to global commodity chains, international governance frameworks, and planetary-scale crises. Students will develop a shared conceptual toolkit based on theories of justice and use it to analyze case studies drawn from around the world. We examine struggles over land sovereignty and Indigenous rights, the justice dimensions of climate transitions and conservation, the emergence of the rights of nature, and competing visions of just transformative change.
NTRES 2380Quantitative Thinking in Sustainability Science3
This course will focus on the quantitative side of sustainability science, with an attempt to balance introduction to the mechanics (how to do certain things with data, for example), with the underlying motivations (why are you looking at data a certain way?) - not simply how to do it. Completing the course will better prepare students for the quantitative elements of upper-level elective classes. Because the course balances why? with how?, students taking this class will not be able to claim mastery of either, but?will have a much better insight as to the coupling of the two. Students will be exposed to data collection, analysis, and the interpretation and application of both.
Students will learn and practice a variety of methodologies used for studying wild birds including banding, census methods (point counts, transects, spot mapping), and behavioral observations. In a 50-minute classroom session each week, students will discuss relevant scientific literature and prepare for the lab session. The weekly field session will be held at various locations and students should be prepared to handle variable weather conditions. Students seeking to conduct independent research in avian ecology are encouraged to enroll. Note that one weekend field trip is required.
This course examines the history and future of the ecological city and the technological and social forces that continue to shape it. Metropolitan transformation is explored in conjunction with alternative transportation, renewable energy, green infrastructure, recycling and resource management, and sustainable economics as means toward advancing cities to become the basis of an ecologically sound and socially just society. The first part of the course introduces students to the long, but often overlooked, history of environmental city development in the western planning tradition. The second part of the course reviews present-day efforts to apply these approaches in the face of modern metropolitan challenges to creating ecologically responsible cities. Specific case studies are studied within the theoretical context and political struggles that frame them.
While individual sustainability actions are crucial, the collective power of organizations - such as nonprofits, schools, businesses, and communities - can significantly amplify the impact toward sustainability goals through changes in organizational culture, environmental actions, policies, social norms, and behaviors. This course explores how anyone can become a sustainability educator and a sustainability leader within their organization to motivate their colleagues and peers to address social and environmental challenges. Through this course, aspiring sustainability leaders will explore how to foster transformative changes, sustainability learning, and environmental norms in their organizations, communities, and neighborhoods. As agents of change, students in this undergraduate-level course will develop strategies that inspire and guide individuals and organizations toward sustainability and equity.
Taught by an artist and scientist, this experiential, project-oriented field course emphasizes methodologies used by ecological artists and scientists who conduct expeditionary and place-based field work. The beginning of the class presents a conceptual and historical foundation in the ecological arts through lectures, readings, and artist talks. Techniques in the sciences as well as conventional and unconventional methodologies in the arts and humanities will be employed to research sites to collect, analyze, and interpret data, objects, natural phenomena, and sensorial experiences in the field through five projects: a site-specific research presentation, bioacoustics, video, sculpture and the final. Work is submitted and graded through a student-built website resulting in a solid portfolio.
Covers molecular, Mendelian and population genetic principles as they relate to population biology and biodiversity. A laboratory section is devoted to problem solving, computer exercises and discussions. We will focus on mechanisms generating and shaping genetic variation within and among populations, examine the relation of gene expression, and consider conservation relevance of variation at multiple levels. Recommended as a preliminary to upper-level ecology, evolution, and natural resources management courses.
Taught by an artist and scientist, in this experiential, place-based field course, students will engage in a range of interdisciplinary practices to understand and interpret ecological systems and land use issues using artistic and scientific approaches. The core of this course will be based on weekend field trips to diverse sites in the Finger Lakes Region of New York with varied cultural and ecological significance. Sites include Cornell's Biological field station at Shackelton Point on Oneida Lake, Arnot Forest, and several art museums. Immersive stays will allow students to gain a deep understanding of place along with uninterrupted time to work on creative projects independently, in groups, and as a class. Students will gain an understanding of the history of creative interventions and performance in the landscape, as well as scientific approaches to engage with and conceptualize Earth's topography and natural phenomena. Students will have the opportunity to interact with various visiting scientists and artists who are leaders in their fields. Lectures, readings, fireside chats, critique, and interdisciplinary experiences will contribute to students' development. The final product of this class will be an art exhibition at the Soil Factory, an interdisciplinary art space in downtown Ithaca.
Control and function of the Earth's global biogeochemical cycles. Begins with a review of the basic inorganic and organic chemistry of biologically significant elements, and then considers the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nutrients, and metals that take place in soil, sediments, rivers, and the oceans. Topics include weathering, acid-base chemistry, biological redox processes, nutrient cycling and limitation, trace gas fluxes, bio-active metals, the use of isotopic tracers, controls on atmospheric carbon dioxide, and carbon cycle models. Interactions between global biogeochemical cycles and other components of the Earth system are discussed. Co-enrollment in one lab/discussion section per week is required.
In-depth analysis of the ecological factors influencing the natural fluctuation and regulation of animal population numbers. Develops models of single- and multi-species population dynamics, with emphasis on understanding the relationship between ecological processes operating at the individual level and subsequent dynamics at the population level. Significant emphasis is placed on application to conservation and management. Computer exercises are used to reinforce concepts presented in lecture.
NTRES 3110Fish Ecology, Conservation, and Management3
This course covers basic principles of fish ecology at the individual, population, and community level.These ecological principles are applied to the conservation and management of fisheries resources and aquatic habitats. Several fisheries management case studies are analyzed using these principles.Examples are taken from both the freshwater and marine environments.
This course gives students direct hands-on experience with fisheries management through field trips, including visits to a fish hatchery, a fish ladder, a Great Lakes fisheries laboratory, and a Cornell fisheries research station. The students will learn about approaches to fisheries management through discussions with fisheries professionals. Activities include the use of various fish sampling gears and sample analysis techniques. Each student is required to maintain a written journal describing activities and concepts learned from each field trip that is submitted at the end of the semester.
NTRES 3150Introduction to Conservation Bioacoustics3
This course provides a strong foundation in the discipline of conservation bioacoustics, the use of sound to assess biodiversity, monitor animal populations, and make conservation decisions. In lecture, students will learn the basics of how sound is recorded and visualized, how animals produce and perceive sounds, and how to select recording equipment that is appropriate to the question and application. The course lectures will also build skills in acoustic data analysis including manual annotation, template detection, and machine learning approaches. In lab, students will use recording equipment to make recordings, practice analyzing acoustic data using a variety of cutting-edge analysis approaches, and learn strategies for the curation and management of large datasets. This course is a mandatory pre-requisite for an optional marine and terrestrial field component that will take place in Hawaii. Additional information about the related trip will be provided in class.
NTRES 3151Conservation Bioacoustics Field Course Preparation0.5
This course will focus on preparing students for the winter term Hawai'i field course. Specifically, we will learn about Hawai'ian ecosystems, culture, and conservation needs, and ideate potential bioacoustic project ideas related to these topics. Students will also learn about field techniques and data management practices that will be essential during our field course. This course will include lectures from Yang Center instructors and our local collaborators, discussion of relevant literature, and group work to develop project ideas and create plans for data collection.
NTRES 3152Field Methods in Conservation Bioacoustics: Hawai'i Experience2
This follow-up to the Conservation Bioacoustics Field Course will focus on the analysis, refinement, and presentation of data from the winter field experience. Students will work with marine and terrestrial data collected in Hawai'i to develop and refine statistical analysis, create graphics and visualizations, and communicate their results through scientific writing and media for general audiences.
NTRES 3153Advanced Topics in Conservation Bioacoustics2
Proficiency in scientific research arises from direct first-hand experience and through interactions with colleagues and mentors. The course Advanced Topics in Conservation Bioacoustics will provide students with hands-on experience in cutting-edge bioacoustic methods. This course will consist of four modules, each built around learning and implementing an acoustic methodology to address a real-life conservation issue. Each module will be taught by an expert in the topic, who will provide introductory lecture material and guide students through hands-on exercises on species from whales to gibbons to owls. These exercises will consist of a curated set of learning materials including original data, analysis scripts, and information about the stakeholders, project and site.
How might understandings of "the environment" change depending on who is included or excluded from projects to define, identify, and study the environment, biodiversity, ecological systems, natural resources, or more-than-human life? This course is an introduction to the critical concept of “intersectionality” and an exploration of its potential to transform understandings of “the environment”. In this course, students are exposed to the concept as an intervention in the foundational assumptions of mainstream environmental studies and science. Through engagement with a wide variety of scholarship, students will explore how an Intersectional Ecologies approach can help scholars and practitioners across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences ethically account for a plurality of environments within shifting planetary arrangements of bodies, beings, places, processes, practices, and technologies.
This course will explore the historical and ecological concepts underlying the planet's biological diversity. The goal is to develop an overview of what we know about patterns and processes of biological diversity in the past, present, and future. Pattern and process is the foundation to explore conservation and policy implications of changing biodiversity. Patterns include species richness, endemism, and extinction for plants and animals. Processes include climatic, ecological, geographic, and human induced changes. Recognizing the origin and maintenance of biological diversity is imperative in light of the tremendous increase in the human population size and the effects that humans have on life on Earth.
NTRES 3240Sustainable, Ecologically Based Management of Water Resources3
In-depth analyses of those ecological and biological principles relevant to the sustainable management of global fresh and marine water resources. Lectures and discussion integrate scientific literature with current management issues, including water supply, dams, irrigation, and groundwater overdraft, and coastal development. Topics include linkages between hydrologic variability and communities, groundwater-surface connections, flow paths for dispersal, patchily distributed water resources, and water quality controls on organisms, and adaptations to climate change.
NTRES 3250Forest Management and Maple Syrup Production3.5
This course is designed to give students a practical and experiential exposure to private lands forest management and maple syrup production in New York and the Northeast. As a result of the class, students should be able to articulate the attributes of sustainable forest management practices on private woodlots. Student learning will emphasize field-based concepts and applications rather than theories and policy. All weekly labs are outdoors, and students will need appropriate winter clothing and potentially snowshoes. By the second lab, students need to provide a basic hardhat (construction type) and magnetic field compass with a rotating dial. The Thursday lab prior to spring break is mandatory.
An interactive-field and lab course designed to provide direct experience with some of the most important field methods and analytical techniques used to examine species, ecosystem and community-level function, structure, and value, especially within the context of contemporary conservation ecology and evolutionary theory. Tools include field sampling techniques, resource and conservation mapping, spatial referencing, GIS, measures of biodiversity, and manual and automated techniques for studying soil, stream, forest, terrestrial, and marine biota and related physical factors. The class is designed to provide a strong background in field research methods and theory related to ecological conservation.
Environmental governance is defined as the assemblage of institutions that regulate society-nature interactions and shape environmental outcomes across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Institutions, broadly defined, are mechanisms of social coordination including laws (formal) and social norms (informal) that guide the behavior of individuals. Participants in the course will explore the roles of governments, markets, and collective action in environmental management and mismanagement. We will emphasize interactions among leading environmental policy strategies: public regulation, market-based incentives, and community-based resource management. The course is focused around a set of analytic perspectives. These theoretical frameworks allow us to synthesize empirical observations and material changes in ways that inform our understanding of contemporary evolution of environmental policy and management.
NTRES 3330Ways of Knowing: Indigenous and Place-Based Ecological Knowledge3
Based on indigenous and place-based ways of knowing, this course (1) presents a theoretical and humanistic framework from which to understand generation of ecological knowledge; (2) examines processes by which to engage indigenous and place-based knowledge of natural resources, the nonhuman environment, and human-environment interactions; and (3) reflects upon the relevance of this knowledge to climatic change, resource extraction, food sovereignty, medicinal plant biodiversity, and issues of sustainability and conservation. The fundamental premise of this course is that human beings are embedded in their ecological systems.
NTRES 3400Molecular Tools for Ecology, Conservation, and Natural Resource Management3
Molecular genetics has become one of the fastest growing fields in the life sciences, and application of molecular methods has spread to virtually all fields of modern biology. In this course, we will examine how DNA analysis and modern 'omics' technologies can be used to address important issues in ecology, conservation, and natural resource management such as identification of species, populations, and individuals, reconstruction of phylogenetic and kinship relationships, and inference of migration patterns, behavior, and abundance. The focus will be on practical applications, and students will develop both a theoretical understanding of the methods and hands-on experience with all steps from sample collection, molecular biology laboratory techniques, data analysis, and communication of results.
The planet we call home is dominated by one feature: the oceans. This makes us Ocean People. In this course, we will unpack what that means by examining the historical and contemporary human relationship with the ocean. The ocean is a source of human culture, connection, and curiosity. It is also the site of past and present injustices. While focusing on contemporary conservation and management issues, we will also explore the complex interrelationships between human culture and society and ocean issues. These relationships are embedded in the broader issues of cultural values, social structures, and social change and subsequently have important impacts on planning, management, and policy. This course draws on diverse material, highlighting the necessity of multiple perspectives in addressing ocean conservation.
This course integrates technical approaches to biodiversity conservation, with a focus on biological analysis of species facing extinction risk. Students will learn quantitative tools for analyzing variation at genetic, population, and landscape levels. The curriculum covers stage-structured population dynamics, predation, gene flow, inbreeding, extinction processes, and harvesting effects. Analytical methods include population-projection models, perturbation analysis, metapopulation models, population viability analysis, and various genetic diversity assessments. Special attention is given to evaluating extinction risk in data-deficient species such as insects. By developing these quantitative skills, students will critically evaluate assumptions underlying conservation plans and assessments, including IUCN criteria and endangered species classification. The course is suitable for all biology and conservation-related majors.
NTRES 4120Wildlife Population Analysis: Techniques and Models3
This course will explore the theory and application of statistical methods used in the conservation and management of wildlife and fish populations, including capture-mark-recapture and occupancy modeling as well as other cutting-edge methodologies. This course will focus on estimating population parameters, such as survival, recruitment, movement, and abundance, as well as the dynamics associated with temporal changes in these parameters. Individual modules will integrate hypothesis development, data analysis, and inference to reinforce concepts discussed throughout the course. Students will become fluent in the R programming language and be exposed to a wide variety of real-world applications.
Ecosystem restoration has been identified by the United Nations as a critically needed focus for the coming decades. This course introduces the basic steps and processes of ecosystem restoration, using guidelines and resources developed by the Society of Ecosystem Restoration. Case studies demonstrate application across different ecosystem types and geographic regions. Particular attention is given to agricultural grassland restoration, as agricultural lands cover about 40% of the Earth’s land surface and have been largely degraded, affecting food and water security, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. Students engage with projects, data sets, and stakeholder networks connected to the Professor’s research and outreach program. Each student develops a small project that includes writing a research proposal and delivering a final presentation.
NTRES 4150Conservation with Communities for One Health2
This course integrates life, social, and medical sciences with the humanities to explore the concept of One Health, the idea that the health of the environment, animals, and people are all inextricably linked. The course provides a comprehensive framework that enables students to critically examine varied perspectives and expand their view of the world, skills that are essential to a career in the interdisciplinary fields of One Health, Planetary Health and Conservation Medicine. The course also serves as a preparatory course for a subset of students who will be selected for international field experiences to work with communities to conserve endangered rhinoceroses and great apes with our partners in Indonesia (Ujung Kulon National Park and Alliance of Integrated Forest Conservation) and Africa (Jane Goodall Institute).
NTRES 4155Conservation Medicine: A One Health Laboratory3
The program integrates students into the issues and challenges at the core of the preservation of species diversity through direct exposure to risks and mitigation strategies being used to protect the Indonesian Rhino and the African Great Ape. It provides students with general concepts relative to species risk, but also directly engages them in addressing these problems within the necessary cultural and economic context of competing pressures between human and animal populations. As such, through direct engagement, the course represents an immersion in the concept of One Health. This concept of a more holistic approach to medicine that considers animal and environmental, as well as human health is made tangible through exposure to the current threats to the survival of key species. Multi-term course with NTRES 4161, students must enroll in both sections.
NTRES 4160Conversations in Conservation for One Health1
This is a seminar series on community conservation projects conducted through Engaged Cornell with partners in Indonesia (Ujung Kulon National Park and Alliance of Integrated Forest Conservation) and Africa (Jane Goodall Institute). Each meeting consists of a presentation, open to students and members of the community, given by a veterinary or undergraduate participant of the Engaged Learning Program and followed by a discussion with enrolled students. The course brings together faculty and student mentors with prospective students interested in conservation medicine, providing opportunities for dialogue on One Health projects from proposal and implementation to impact and reflection. Debriefing uses material from field portfolios and relevant literature to augment case-based sharing of unique conservation experiences at the wildlife-domestic animal interface, great ape-human interactions, and environmental-public policy.
NTRES 4255Deep Learning in Earth & Environmental Science3
Machine learning (ML) has become an increasingly important tool for improving predictive and diagnostic models. It is also being adopted across a multitude of physical disciplines. However, in most physical science applications (e.g., seismology and geophysics, climate and atmospheric science, environmental and ecosystem science), researchers are interested in doing more than merely improving their models of real-world phenomena: we are interested in using the broader family of AI tools to deepen our understanding of the dynamic, physical or ecological processes that are fundamental to these fields. This course will explore deep learning, how machine learning relates to first principles physical models in a wide range of geological and geophysical sciences, atmospheric sciences, environmental sciences, and hydrogeology/hydrology.
NTRES 4280Principles and Practices of Applied Wildlife Science3
Covers the theory and practice of solving wildlife-related, resource management issues. The integration of human dimensions inquiry and applied wildlife science are examined. Important aspects of contemporary wildlife management issues will be critically evaluated and discussed. Important policies, legislation, management actions, and case studies are highlighted. This course includes sessions with information and practices important for sustaining threatened or endangered wildlife populations, and also international aspects of wildlife management.
This on-campus and off-campus course sequence focuses on how environmental policy issues move through the federal policy-making process. Students select an environmental policy topic during the fall semester session (NTRES 4300) for analysis during the second part of the course (NTRES 4301), which takes place in Washington, D.C. The second session continues course focus on contemporary environmental problems, how they are defined, aggregating interests, agenda-setting, formulating alternative solutions, implementation and evaluation, and roles of lobbyists, advocates, the legislative, executive, judicial branches of government, and other actors. DC activities also include organized meetings with policy makers, advocates and experts as guest panelists. The spring semester session (NTRES 4302) requires presenting an oral policy briefing and writing both short and long policy briefs based on the DC interviews and additional research.
This on-campus and off-campus course sequence focuses on how environmental policy issues move through the federal policy-making process. Students select an environmental policy topic during the fall semester session (NTRES 4300) for analysis during the second part of the course (NTRES 4301). The second session continues course focus on contemporary environmental problems, how they are defined, aggregating interests, agenda-setting, formulating alternative solutions, implementation and evaluation, and roles of lobbyists, advocates, the legislative, executive, judicial branches of government, and other actors. DC activities also include organized meetings with policy makers, advocates and experts as guest panelists. The spring semester session (NTRES 4302) requires presenting an oral policy briefing and writing both short and long policy briefs based on the DC interviews and additional research.
This on-campus and off-campus course sequence focuses on how environmental policy issues move through the federal policy-making process. Students select an environmental policy topic during the fall semester session (NTRES 4300) for analysis during the second part of the course (NTRES 4301). The second session continues course focus on contemporary environmental problems, how they are defined, aggregating interests, agenda-setting, formulating alternative solutions, implementation and evaluation, and roles of lobbyists, advocates, the legislative, executive, judicial branches of government, and other actors. DC activities also include organized meetings with policy makers, advocates and experts as guest panelists. The spring semester session (NTRES 4302) requires presenting an oral policy briefing and writing both short and long policy briefs based on the DC interviews and additional research.
Hands-on, experiential learning in agroforestry and forest farming. Students will learn skills related to planning and implementing agroforestry systems, focusing on non-timber forest products (NTFPs), forest site assessment, site design, biodiversity considerations, and group projects. Weekly activities and field trips include hands-on applications, species outlines and discussions, reading and presentation assignments, and participatory demonstrations.
The risks and costs associated with climate change, and the uneven distribution of the risks and costs, produce hot politics. In the past 20 years, ‘Natural Climate Solutions’ (NCS) has emerged as an important environmental policy and management response. NCS encompasses a range of strategies focused on managing agriculture, forests, grasslands, and aquatic environments to store carbon in order to meet GHG reduction goals. Planning, implementation, finance, governance and assessment raise multiple questions, and NCS represents a research and policy frontier for scientists, policy makers, practitioners, and activists. Through interdisciplinary active learning strategies, students in the course will engage critical questions as part of an effort to assess and to develop NCS.
Historical conditions are becoming less reliable guides to ecological futures. Climate change, disturbance regimes, and changing human priorities challenge conventional ideas about what it means to restore an ecosystem into the future. This course focuses on how restoration, conservation, and management should respond when returning to the past may be impossible, undesirable, or ecologically difficult. Topics will include succession and community assembly, ecological transformation, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning, disturbance ecology, and climate change adaptation with the historical, economic, and biological dimensions of environmental change. Classes will include lectures, discussion, and group problem-solving activities.
Interested in working toward solutions to the climate crisis? In this course, you will choose and implement a climate action from Project Drawdown's (www.drawdown.org) list of 82 climate solutions. You will also apply social sciences research to influence your friends or family to implement your climate action alongside you. For the capstone team project, you will work with other students and a community partner (Cornell Cooperative Extension or Climate Action Now) to support education related to plant-rich diet, low-emissions agriculture, forest regeneration, or other climate solutions. Interested students should have a general understanding of climate change science.
NTRES 4520Land Use and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Nilgiris3
This course addresses land use and land governance in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Students explore how changes in land use shape prospects for sustainable livelihoods in connection with agriculture, non-timber forest products, and tourism. This course is offered in conjunction with Cornell Abroad's program: Cornell in India: Nilgiris Field Learning Center (NFLC). The NFLC is an engaged learning and research program where Cornell students and members of local communities live, study, and research together for 16 weeks each spring.
Lecture examines patterns and processes in stream ecosystems, including geomorphology and hydrology, watershed-stream interactions, trophic dynamics, biogeochemistry, disturbance, and conservation and management. Field and laboratory exercises focus on experimental and analytical techniques used to study stream ecosystems, including techniques to measure stream discharge, physical habitat, water chemistry, and stream biota. Field project with lab papers.
NTRES 4600Planning for Environmental Conservation and Sustainability3
An interactive course designed to provide students with experience applying some of the most important techniques that are used to develop plans to protect and sustain valuable environmental resources, such as species, ecosystems, land, and water. The class focuses on highly charged controversies over conservation, and students learn how planning can help them to identify and address the full range of ecological and social factors that lead to conservation success in these contexts. Students adopt the roles of stakeholders and work on intensive case studies of conservation issues, learning how ecological and social insight are integrated for effective conservation planning. Topics covered in the course include: rational planning, adaptive management, stakeholder engagement, and conflict resolution.
NTRES 4601Decision Making in Natural Resource Management2
This course will provide an introduction to the principles and practice of structured decision making and its application in natural resource management. Students will become familiar with methods for finding optimal solutions to decision problems, and will apply these methods to natural resource problems. Students will become familiar with the application of quantitative decision modeling tools: single and multiple-objective trade-off techniques, decision trees, Bayesian belief and decision networks, linear programming, and dynamic optimization.
NTRES 4700Art and Science of the Mohawk River Watershed3
This experiential, community-engaged interdisciplinary course will introduce students to a range of artistic and ecological practices to understand, interpret, and communicate past and present environmental issues of the Mohawk River Basin. We will dive deep into current topics related to the river basin using the New York Water Resource Institute's Action Agenda items including A) Understanding inequitable distribution of flood, drought, and water scarcity vulnerability in New York State. B) Exploring traditional ecological knowledge and people's history of the river to help to communicate those knowledge systems. C) Learn about water quality, restoration, and riparian systems.
Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies (USEPA, 2017). This hands-on seminar course addresses key topics and themes in environmental justice. This course investigates the disproportionate impacts of climate change and related adaptation and mitigation efforts on vulnerable groups, especially communities of color and indigenous communities. In addition, this course looks at policy drivers and levers that may carve opportunities for change for the future.
Ecological connectivity conservation focuses on protecting wildlife corridors that link protected areas and other biodiverse regions. These corridors counter habitat fragmentation and form “ecological networks,” which strengthen conservation efforts and improve resilience to climate change. A major driver of fragmentation is linear infrastructure such as roads, railways, pipelines, canals, and transmission lines. Over the next 25 years, global road and rail networks are expected to double, often expanding into remote, biodiverse areas. The ecological impacts of this development remain poorly understood but contribute significantly to biodiversity loss. This course explores Wildlife Corridor and Road Ecology, including landscape architecture, wildlife movement, socio-ecological connectivity, transportation design, economics, environmental policy, Indigenous engagement, and the implementation of mitigation strategies.
The department teaches trial courses under this number. Offerings vary by semester and are advertised by the department before the semester starts. Courses offered under the number will be approved by the department curriculum committee, and the same course is not offered more than twice under this number.
On-the-job learning experience under the supervision of professionals in a cooperating organization. A learning contract is written between the faculty supervisor and the student, stating the learning objectives, conditions of the work assignment, nature of on-the-job supervision, and reporting requirements, including the formal basis on which the faculty supervisor will assign a grade. All 4960 internship courses must adhere to the CALS guidelines at cals.cornell.edu/academics/student-research/internship.
A variety of speakers present seminars on international development topics relating to sustainable development throughout the world. Students attend each seminar and submit a five-page essay at the end of the semester reflecting on the speakers' presentations and analyzing connections between topics.
NTRES 4970Individual Study in Environmental Social Science and Resource Policy1-4
Individual study under faculty supervision. Topics in environmental social science resource policy are arranged depending on the interests of students and availability of staff.
NTRES 4971Individual Study in Applied Ecology and Conservation Ecology1-4
Individual study under faculty supervision. Topics in applied ecology or conservation biology are arranged depending on the interests of students and availability of staff.
NTRES 4972Individual Study in Ecosystem Science and Biochemistry1-4
Individual study under faculty supervision. Topics in ecosystem science and biogeochemistry are arranged depending on the interests of students and availability of staff.
NTRES 4980Undergraduate Teaching in Natural Resources1-4
Designed to give students an opportunity to obtain teaching experience by assisting in labs, field trips for designated sections, discussions, and grading. Students gain insight into the organization, preparation, and execution of course plans through application and discussions with instructor.
This course integrates technical approaches to biodiversity conservation, with a focus on biological analysis of species facing extinction risk. Students will learn quantitative tools for analyzing variation at genetic, population, and landscape levels. The curriculum covers stage-structured population dynamics, predation, gene flow, inbreeding, extinction processes, and harvesting effects. Analytical methods include population-projection models, perturbation analysis, metapopulation models, population viability analysis, and various genetic diversity assessments. Special attention is given to evaluating extinction risk in data-deficient species such as insects. By developing these quantitative skills, students will critically evaluate assumptions underlying conservation plans and assessments, including IUCN criteria and endangered species classification. The course is suitable for all biology and conservation-related majors.
NTRES 5110Fish Ecology, Conservation, and Management3
This course covers basic principles of fish ecology at the individual, population, and community level. These ecological principles are applied to the conservation and management of fisheries resources and aquatic habitats. Several fisheries management case studies are analyzed using these principles. Examples are taken from both the freshwater and marine environments.
NTRES 5400Molecular Tools for Ecology, Conservation, and Natural Resource Management3
Molecular genetics has become one of the fastest growing fields in the life sciences, and application of molecular methods has spread to virtually all fields of modern biology. In this course, we will examine how DNA analysis and modern 'omics' technologies can be used to address important issues in ecology, conservation, and natural resource management such as identification of species, populations, and individuals, reconstruction of phylogenetic and kinship relationships, and inference of migration patterns, behavior, and abundance. The focus will be on practical applications, and students will develop both a theoretical understanding of the methods and hands-on experience with all steps from sample collection, molecular biology laboratory techniques, data analysis, and communication of results.
The planet we call home is dominated by one feature: the oceans. This makes us Ocean People. In this course, we will unpack what that means by examining the historical and contemporary human relationship with the ocean. The ocean is a source of human culture connection, and curiosity. It is also the site of past and present injustices. While focusing on contemporary conservation and management issues, we will also explore the complex interrelationships between human culture and society and ocean issues. These relationships are embedded in the broader issues of cultural values, social structures, and social change and subsequently have important impacts on planning, management, and policy. This course draws on diverse material, highlighting the necessity of multiple perspectives in addressing ocean conservation.
Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies (USEPA, 2017). This hands-on seminar course addresses key topics and themes in environmental justice. This course investigates the disproportionate impacts of climate change and related adaptation and mitigation efforts on vulnerable groups, especially communities of color and indigenous communities. In addition, this course looks at policy drivers and levers that may carve opportunities for change for the future.
Ecological connectivity conservation focuses on protecting wildlife corridors that link protected areas and other biodiverse regions. These corridors counter habitat fragmentation and form “ecological networks,” which strengthen conservation efforts and improve resilience to climate change. A major driver of fragmentation is linear infrastructure such as roads, railways, pipelines, canals, and transmission lines. Over the next 25 years, global road and rail networks are expected to double, often expanding into remote, biodiverse areas. The ecological impacts of this development remain poorly understood but contribute significantly to biodiversity loss. This course explores Wildlife Corridor and Road Ecology, including landscape architecture, wildlife movement, socio-ecological connectivity, transportation design, economics, environmental policy, Indigenous engagement, and the implementation of mitigation strategies.
NTRES 6000Introduction to Graduate Study in Natural Resources1
Students will attend weekly seminar in Natural Resources and engage in follow up discussion of the scientific content presented and implications for the management and conservation of resources. Additional goal of the course is to examine how scientists pursue career paths toward effective participation in this realm. Discussions focus on the practices of scientists and institutions that provide a framework for scientific endeavors.
NTRES 6100Collaborative and Reproducible Data Science in R2-3
As datasets grow larger and more complex across all areas of science, computational skills are increasingly in high demand. This course introduces a series of practical tools that enable researchers to spend less time wrestling with software or repeating error-prone manual data processing and more time getting research done in efficient and transparent ways that facilitate collaboration and reproducibility. We will work in R/RStudio. Topics covered include 1) tidy data formatting, 2) rearrangement, filtering, exploration, and visualization of complex datasets, 3) basic programming, 4) version control with Git and GitHub, and 5) using R Markdown to combine text, code, tables, and figures into reports, websites, and presentations. The course emphasizes practical skill development and is structured around hands-on (the keyboard) learning.
NTRES 6120Wildlife Population Analysis: Techniques and Models3
This course will explore the theory and application of statistical methods used in the conservation and management of wildlife and fish populations, including capture-mark-recapture and occupancy modeling as well as other cutting-edge methodologies. This course will focus on estimating population parameters, such as survival, recruitment, movement, and abundance, as well as the dynamics associated with temporal changes in these parameters. Individual modules will integrate hypothesis development, data analysis, and inference to reinforce concepts discussed throughout the course. Students will become fluent in the R programming language and be exposed to a wide variety of real-world applications.
NTRES 6140Conservation Controversies Literature Seminar2
This seminar course is designed to give graduate students mid-level understanding of a suite of timely topics in environmental conservation and sustainability. We will discuss contentious topics, exploring different scientific perspectives as well as feedbacks among science, policy, management, and public perceptions. The overall learning objective is to encourage students to think critically and openly discuss the scientific and sustainability dimensions of major challenges in managing the Earth system in the21st century. A recurrent theme will be how these thorny issues are communicated and understood among scientists, decision makers, and the public. The semester will be divided into four thematic modules: 30x30 and the efficacy of protected areas, Carbon as a currency of sustainability, Feeding 9 billion, and Sustainability of renewable energy.
NTRES 6150Introduction to Conservation Bioacoustics3
This course provides a strong foundation in the discipline of conservation bioacoustics, the use of sound to assess biodiversity, monitor animal populations, and make conservation decisions. In lecture, students will learn the basics of how sound is recorded and visualized, how animals produce and perceive sounds, and how to select recording equipment that is appropriate to the question and application. The course lectures will also build skills in acoustic data analysis including manual annotation, template detection, and machine learning approaches. In lab, students will use recording equipment to make recordings, practice analyzing acoustic data using a variety of cutting-edge analysis approaches, and learn strategies for the curation and management of large datasets. This course is a mandatory pre-requisite for an optional marine and terrestrial field component that will take place in Hawaii. Additional information about the related trip will be provided in class.
NTRES 6151Conservation Bioacoustics Field Course Preparation0.5
This course will focus on preparing students for the winter term Hawai'i field course. Specifically, we will learn about Hawai'ian ecosystems, culture, and conservation needs, and ideate potential bioacoustic project ideas related to these topics. Students will also learn about field techniques and data management practices that will be essential during our field course. This course will include lectures from Yang Center instructors and our local collaborators, discussion of relevant literature, and group work to develop project ideas and create plans for data collection.
NTRES 6152Field Methods in Conservation Bioacoustics: Hawai'i Experience2
This field methods course will consist of a 2-week experience in Hawaii that provides hands-on experience with conservation bioacoustics projects across marine and terrestrial ecosystems on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Activities will include the design and execution of field projects, presentations and meetings with local researchers and conservation practitioners, group discussions on how to maximize conservation outputs from the projects, and analysis of acoustic data. Students will learn acoustic data collection techniques through participating in ongoing monitoring projects with researchers from the Hawai'i Marine Mammal Consortium and the University of Hawai'i. Throughout the course, teams of students will execute their conservation bioacoustic projects, including question development spanning hypothesis testing, study design, data collection, analysis, and writing. At the close of the course, students will present their findings in a symposium and write up their project results as a chapter in our annual field course book.
NTRES 6153Advanced Topics in Conservation Bioacoustics2
Proficiency in scientific research arises from direct first-hand experience and through interactions with colleagues and mentors. The course Advanced Topics in Conservation Bioacoustics will provide students with hands-on experience in cutting-edge bioacoustic methods. This course will consist of four modules, each built around learning and implementing an acoustic methodology to address a real-life conservation issue. Each module will be taught by an expert in the topic, who will provide introductory lecture material and guide students through hands-on exercises on species from whales to gibbons to owls. These exercises will consist of a curated set of learning materials including original data, analysis scripts, and information about the stakeholders, project and site.
How might understandings of "the environment" change depending on who is included or excluded from projects to define, identify, and study the environment, biodiversity, ecological systems, natural resources, or more-than-human life? This course is an introduction to the critical concept of “intersectionality” and an exploration of its potential to transform understandings of “the environment”. In this course, students are exposed to the concept as an intervention in the foundational assumptions of mainstream environmental studies and science. Through engagement with a wide variety of scholarship, students will explore how an Intersectional Ecologies approach can help scholars and practitioners across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences ethically account for a plurality of environments within shifting planetary arrangements of bodies, beings, places, processes, practices, and technologies.
NTRES 6240Sustainable Water Resource Management in the Face of Climate Change4
In-depth analyses of those ecological and biological principles relevant to the sustainable management of global fresh and marine water resources. Lectures and discussion integrate scientific literature with current management issues, including water supply, dams, irrigation, and groundwater overdraft, and coastal development. Topics include linkages between hydrologic variability and communities, groundwater-surface connections, flow paths for dispersal, patchily distributed water resources, and water quality controls on organisms, and adaptations to climate change.Students taking the course for graduate credit are required to meet one additional day each week outside the normal class times in order to participate in a collaborative graduate group project, which includes reading supplemental materials, weekly discussions, data collection/synthesis and write-up.
NTRES 6250Forest Management and Maple Syrup Production3.5
This course is designed to give students a practical and experiential exposure to private lands forest management and maple syrup production in New York and the Northeast. As a result of the class, students should be able to articulate the attributes of sustainable forest management practices on private woodlots. Student learning will emphasize field-based concepts and applications rather than theories and policy. All weekly labs are outdoors, and students will need appropriate winter clothing and potentially snowshoes. By the second lab, students need to provide a basic hardhat (construction type) and magnetic field compass with a rotating dial. The Thursday lab prior to spring break is mandatory.
NTRES 6255Deep Learning in Earth and Environmental Science3
Machine learning (ML) has become an increasingly important tool for improving predictive and diagnostic models. It is also being adopted across a multitude of physical disciplines. However, in most physical science applications (e.g., seismology and geophysics, climate and atmospheric science, environmental and ecosystem science), researchers are interested in doing more than merely improving their models of real-world phenomena: we are interested in using the broader family of AI tools to deepen our understanding of the dynamic, physical or ecological processes that are fundamental to these fields. This course will explore deep learning, how machine learning relates to first principles physical models in a wide range of geological and geophysical sciences, atmospheric sciences, environmental sciences, and hydrogeology/hydrology.
An interactive-field and lab course designed to provide direct experience with some of the most important field methods and analytical techniques used to examine species, ecosystem and community-level function, structure, and value, especially within the context of contemporary conservation ecology and evolutionary theory. Tools include field sampling techniques, resource and conservation mapping, spatial referencing, GIS, measures of biodiversity, and manual and automated techniques for studying soil, stream, forest, terrestrial, and marine biota and related physical factors. The class is designed to provide a strong background in field research methods and theory related to ecological conservation.
NTRES 6280Principles and Practices of Applied Wildlife Science3
Covers the theory and practice of solving wildlife-related, resource management issues. The integration of human dimensions inquiry and applied wildlife science are examined. Important aspects of contemporary wildlife management issues will be critically evaluated and discussed. Important policies, legislation, management actions, and case studies are highlighted. This course includes sessions with information and practices important for sustaining threatened or endangered wildlife populations, and also international aspects of wildlife management.
NTRES 6300Current Topics in Molecular Ecology and Population Genomics1
This graduate seminar will take the form of a journal club that meets weekly to discuss the burgeoning literature on genomic approaches used to address ecological and evolutionary questions in non-model organisms (i.e. organisms that have not been selected by large research communities for extensive study). The class time is used for discussion of recent primary research articles. Paper topics will be determined based on student interest and will include both novel results and methodological advances, primarily in evolutionary and ecological genomics or molecular ecology. To earn course credit, students are required to actively participate in class discussions each week and lead the discussion of at least one paper over course of the semester.
Considers the question of environmental governance, defined as the assemblage of social institutions that regulate natural resource use and shape environmental outcomes. Participants explore the roles of public policy, market exchange, and collective action in resource (mis)management. Introduces theoretical concepts from a variety of social science perspectives to support case studies and student-led discussions. Comparative analysis of how governance is pursued in different countries, historical periods, and ecological contexts (forestry, endangered species, water quality) highlight scope for institutional innovation. Students taking the course for graduate credit are required to read supplemental materials, undertake more complex research assignments, and participate in seminar discussion section. (MHA-EL)
NTRES 6330Ways of Knowing: Indigenous and Place-Based Ecological Knowledge4
Based on indigenous and place-based ways of knowing, this course (1) presents a theoretical and humanistic framework from which to understand generation of ecological knowledge; (2) examines processes by which to engage indigenous and place-based knowledge of natural resources, the nonhuman environment, and human-environment interactions; and (3) reflects upon the relevance of this knowledge to climatic change, resource extraction, food sovereignty, medicinal plant biodiversity, and issues of sustainability and conservation. The fundamental premise of this course is that human beings are embedded in their ecological systems. Graduate students are required to read supplemental materials, undertake more complex research assignments, and participate in seminar discussion section.
NTRES 6350Planning for Environmental Conservation and Sustainability3
An interactive course designed to provide students with experience applying some of the most important techniques that are used to develop plans to protect and sustain valuable environmental resources, such as species, ecosystems, land, and water. The class focuses on highly charged controversies over conservation, and students learn how planning can help them to identify and address the full range of ecological and social factors that lead to conservation success in these contexts. Students adopt the roles of stakeholders and work on intensive case studies of conservation issues, learning how ecological and social insight are integrated for effective conservation planning. Topics covered in the course include rational planning, adaptive management, stakeholder engagement, and conflict resolution.
Hands-on, experiential learning in agroforestry and forest farming. Students will learn skills related to planning and implementing agroforestry systems, focusing on non-timber forest products (NTFPs), forest site assessment, site design, biodiversity considerations, and group projects. Weekly activities and field trips include hands-on applications, species outlines and discussions, reading and presentation assignments, and participatory demonstrations.
Historical conditions are becoming less reliable guides to ecological futures. Climate change, disturbance regimes, and changing human priorities challenge conventional ideas about what it means to restore an ecosystem into the future. This course focuses on how restoration, conservation, and management should respond when returning to the past may be impossible, undesirable, or ecologically difficult. Topics will include succession and community assembly, ecological transformation, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning, disturbance ecology, and climate change adaptation with the historical, economic, and biological dimensions of environmental change. Classes will include lectures, discussion, and group problem-solving activities.
Interested in working toward solutions to the climate crisis? In this course, you will choose and implement a climate action from Project Drawdown's (www.drawdown.org) list of 82 climate solutions. You will also apply social sciences research to influence your friends or family to implement your climate action alongside you. For the capstone team project, you will work with other students and a community partner (Cornell Cooperative Extension or Climate Action Now) to support education related to plant-rich diet, low-emissions agriculture, forest regeneration, or other climate solutions. Interested students should have a general understanding of climate change science.
NTRES 6601Decision Making in Natural Resource Management2
This course will provide an introduction to the principles and practice of structured decision making and its application in natural resource management. Students will become familiar with methods for finding optimal solutions to decision problems, and will apply these methods to natural resource problems. Students will become familiar with the application of quantitative decision modeling tools: single and multiple-objective trade-off techniques, decision trees, Bayesian belief and decision networks, linear programming, and dynamic optimization.
The department teaches trial courses under this number. Offerings vary by semester and are advertised by the department before the semester starts. Courses offered under the number will be approved by the department curriculum committee, and the same course is not offered more than twice under this number.
A variety of speakers present seminars on international development topics relating to sustainable development throughout the world. Students attend each seminar and submit a five-page essay at the end of the semester reflecting on the speakers' presentations and analyzing connections between topics. (MHA-EL)
NTRES 6970Graduate Individual Study in Natural Resources1-4
Study of topics in natural resources more advanced than, or different from, other courses. Subject matter depends on interests of students and availability of staff.
This course is a discussion of current topics in limnology. Students will have the opportunity to present and receive feedback on their research in limnology. Topics include (but are not limited to) biogeochemistry, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, microbial ecology, and population ecology in inland freshwaters.
