Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Interdepartmental Graduate Major
The ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB) interdepartmental major is offered through a faculty housed in ten departments of the university. Faculty from the departments of Agronomy, Anthropology; Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology; Entomology; Geological and Atmospheric Sciences; Horticulture; Mathematics; Natural Resource Ecology and Management; Plant Pathology; and Statistics cooperate to offer courses and research opportunities leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees with a major in ecology and evolutionary biology.
Applicants should have completed an undergraduate or master of science or arts degree in one of the biological, physical, or Mathematical sciences. Applicants also should have taken undergraduate courses in both basic ecology and evolution.
The EEB major is designed for students interested in the study of mechanisms controlling the composition, structure, and functional processes of ecological systems and the mechanisms that regulate the pattern and rate of evolutionary change within and among species.
EEB offers a core course, and special topics and seminar courses, as well as an extended field trip course. In addition, a number of offerings in the ethics and practice of research in the biological sciences are offered as short courses. Cooperating departments offer courses and research opportunities in population, community, and ecosystems ecology; landscape ecology, modeling, and spatial dynamics; systematics, biodiversity, and biogeography; physiological and behavioral ecology; conservation and restoration ecology; agroecology; natural resources ecology and management; evolutionary ecology; population, quantitative and evolutionary genetics; and environmental Statistics, stochastic modeling, and quantitative ecology and evolution.
Students majoring in EEB may prepare themselves for careers focused on basic or applied ecology and evolutionary biology in a variety of settings, including academia, government, industry, and private organizations. Graduates have a broad understanding of ecology and evolutionary biology, experience designing and conducting research, writing grant proposals, and communicating effectively with scientific colleagues at meetings and through publications.
Information on application procedures, research interests of the faculty, and specific requirements of the major may be obtained from the EEB web site www.grad-college.iastate.edu/EEB/, or by contacting eeboffice@iastate.edu.
Courses for graduate students
EEB 511. Conceptual Foundations in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
(3-2) Cr. 4.
F.
Prereq: Graduate classification
Introduction to key figures and ideas that have shaped the development of ecology and evolutionary biology. Covers major developments in ecology and evolutionary biology at five levels of biological organization: Genome, Organism, Population, Community, and Ecosystem. Impacts of these developments on current approaches to investigation and argument formulation. Effects of technological advances on the direction of scientific investigations. Introduction to analytical skills important for critical thinking in ecology and evolutionary biology and the impact of accepted lines of scientific reasoning on the objectives and conduct of research, such as explanation and prediction, design of studies as experimentation, and structured or unstructured observation.
EEB 565. Professional Practices in Science and Engineering.
(Cross-listed with AGRON, AN S, BCB, CH E, CPR E, HORT, M E, MICRO, PL P, V MPM). Cr. arr.
Prereq: Graduate classification
Professional, ethical and legal issues facing scientists and engineers in academia. Offered in modular format.
A. Responsible Conduct of Research. (Cr. 1.0). F,
B. Working with Industry. (Cr. 0.5).
C. Communications in Science. (Cr. 0.5). Alt S., offered 2011. Reading and reviewing manuscripts; publishing papers; oral and poster presentations.
D. Time Management and Mentoring. (Cr. 0.5). Alt F., offered 2012. Balancing life and career; mentoring; lab management.
E. The Interview Process. (Cr. 0.5). Alt S., offered 2012. Applying and interviewing for academia, industry and government.
F. Grant Writing. (Cr. 1.0). Alt F., offered 2011. Writing a winning proposal.
G. Teaching. (Cr. 0.5). Preparation of a teaching portfolio and course materials; lecturing, technology.
S. Ethical and legal issues in research.
S. Establishing productive collaborations with industry.
EEB 585. Extended Field Trip.
(0-6) Cr. 2.
Repeatable. S.
Prereq: Graduate classification
Annual field trip to a region of North America to study the major terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem types of the region. Report required.
EEB 590. Special Topics.
Cr. 1-3.
Repeatable. F.S.SS.
Prereq: Graduate classification and permission of instructor
For students wishing to conduct in-depth study of a particular topic in ecology and evolutionary biology.
EEB 698. Seminar.
(1-0) Cr. 1.
Repeatable. F.S.
Reports and discussion of recent research and literature.
EEB 699. Research.
Cr. arr.
Repeatable. F.S.SS.
Thesis and dissertation research.
Courses Offered by the Organization for Tropical Studies
ISU graduate students can take courses through the widely recognized Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) at field sites in Central and South America. Students register for OTS courses and upon successful completion, receive credit from University of Costa Rica which transfers as either OTS 510 Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach or OTS 515 Topics in Tropical Biology. For further information about OTS courses, see www.ots.duke.edu.
For information regarding OTS course offerings, please contact the EEB Program Office at eeboffice@iastate.edu.
OTS 510. Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach.
Cr. 8.
This course is designed for students in the early stages of graduate study in biology or a related field, with the goal of training graduate students in research methods by providing intensive field experience in diverse tropical ecosystems.
OTS 515. Topics in Tropical Biology.
Cr. 1-8.
This course is designated for students enrolled in graduate course offerings through OTS (excluding OTS 510). Examples of graduate courses offered by OTS include Tropical Plant Systematics, Tropical Ecology and Conservation, Molecular Methods in Tropical Ecology, and Tropical Agroecology.