Issues in Biological Conservation
Level: Open to students entering grades 11 or 12 or freshman year of college in fall 2010.
Session: I, June 28-July 16, 2010; II, July 20-August 6, 2010
Days & Time: Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM and 2:30-4:30 PM
Instructor(s): Kevin Olival
Prerequisite: One year of high school biology
Related Courses: Students interested in this course might also be interested in Explorations in Genetics and Molecular Biology (Sessions I and II) and Deity, Darwin, and Intelligent Design (Session II).
"Very enjoyable and challenging. Very good instructor and course to taste university life."
–Jiny Ha, 2009
"All the labs were amazingly fun and enjoyable for me and my classmates to work with. The equipment was easy to use yet always advanced in technology. I love this class."
–Kanakorn Wattanavekin, 2009
Course Description
Designed for students with a background in biology, this program investigates some of the exciting developments in the new field of conservation biology. Topics include: what is biodiversity, why is it threatened, and why is it important?; habitat alteration and species loss; captive breeding as a conservation tool; conservation genetics; protected areas; the effects of exotic species in local ecosystems; basic computer modeling for ecology; conservation medicine; and the impact of global warming on ecosystems and wildlife.
Class lectures are supplemented with several field trips to sites in the New York area, including Central Park and Black Rock Forest (a two-night camping trip; see photo gallery). Students also visit area institutions that address conservation—the American Museum of Natural History, the Bronx Zoo, and/or the New York Botanical Garden--to see behind-the-scenes research and talk with professionals in the field of conservation biology.
The program is presented in conjunction with the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, a consortium based at Columbia University that includes the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Botanic Garden, the Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo), and the Wildlife Trust.
Instructor(s)
Faculty
Kevin J. Olival
Kevin Olival holds a Ph.D. in ecology, evolution, and environmental biology and an M.A. in conservation biology from Columbia University. He is currently a post-doctoral research scientist at the American Museum of Natural History. Dr. Olival has taught graduate-, undergraduate-, and high school-level conservation biology courses over the past five years. He has ten years of on-the-ground and academic experience in the field of biological conservation. Relevant work includes conservation of endangered Hawaiian tree snails, global analysis of freshwater and terrestrial protected areas, fruit bat conservation, malarial parasites in non-human species, and the ecology and evolution of emerging diseases. Dr. Olival is deeply committed to integrating science with public policy and he strives to make the complex learning material of biological science accessible and fun for students of all ages. His current research focuses on the population genetics and parasites of large fruit bats in Southeast Asia, a subject which has both conservation and emerging disease implications.
Specific course information, such as hours and instructors, are subject to change at the discretion of the University.
