FISH 497: Aquatic Ecological Research in Alaska (AERA), Summer 2022
[MB advising: This course does not meet any major or minor requirements for Marine Biology, but could be taken for electives or area of knowledge requirements.]
This course is open to upper division UW undergraduate students in the natural sciences who demonstrate an interest in aquatic ecology. Students will live and work at the Alaska Salmon Program field stations in Bristol Bay, AK for 4 weeks. Tentative dates for 2022 are July 15-August 15. The course is co-taught by Daniel Schindler and Ray Hilborn, with shorter sections taught by additional UW faculty (Gordon Holtgrieve) and NOAA scientists (George Pess and Wesley Larson).
The AERA class is an intensive, full-time research training experience where a team of students works on focused research problems guided by a group of faculty, staff, postdoctoral, and graduate student mentors. Course topics include behavioral ecology of salmonids, limnology, aquatic food webs, population dynamics, molecular ecology, and geomorphology. Workload expectations vary from year to year, but typically students are expected to produce 1 short paper in addition to short assignments and field research. Course format is a mix of classroom lectures, field lectures, and hands-on data collection/analysis/writeup. Students may also choose specific research questions for their own exploration – many students use this opportunity to begin Capstone project research.
2022 AERA course application due MARCH 1, 2022.
Your application packet should include a statement of interest, your unofficial transcripts, and a resume/CV. We anticipate a highly competitive pool of applicants. Interviews will be conducted in the first two weeks of March. Class enrollment will be capped at 6 students.
If selected for the course, students are expected to purchase their own plane ticket to Dillingham, AK and supply their own chest waders and stream boots. Room, board, and other course materials will be provided. Check with your undergrad advisor if there are scholarship opportunities to offset travel costs or tuition.
See website for more information. Send complete application packets and any questions to Chris Boatright (cboat@uw.edu) and Jackie Carter (jlcarter@uw.edu).