Courses
EFB 496 | Field Ornithology (3)
This course focuses on ornithological field techniques and the taxonomy, diversity, identification (by both sight and sound), natural history, ecology, and conservation of birds in Central New York, New York State, and Eastern North America. Note: this course will serve as an upper-division field elective for all EFB majors, and it will serve as a vertebrate diversity elective for all EFB majors except Wildlife Science. This course does NOT meet the requirements for EFB 482 (Ornithology).
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: A. Belford
There will be an additional fee of $40 for transportation to and from field sites.
EFB 496/796 | Flora of Central New York (3)
Field identification and ecology of spring flowering vascular plants, woody plants, ferns and fern allies. We will visit several high quality natural areas in Onondaga County and nearby counties. A class session may be devoted to the identification of graminoids and other challenging plant groups. Field trips often involve extended hikes over rough terrain. Prior completion of a course that included plant identification is strongly recommended.
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: A. Petzke
There will be an additional fee of $40 for transportation to and from field sites.
EFB 496 | Fur School (1)
Across North America, regulated trapping is used by State, Federal, and Tribal agencies to manage wildlife and their habitats for reasons that include protecting endangered species during vulnerable life-cycles (e.g., sea turtles, ground nesting birds), reintroducing populations (e.g., river otters, red wolves), scientifically monitoring (e.g., population size and health), providing relief to the public from property damage (e.g., livestock, agriculture, forestry), protecting public health and safety (e.g., rabies, flooding caused by beavers), and insuring that resources are used responsibly. Whereas many students are interested in carnivore conservation, few recognize that regulated trapping involves managing the public harvest of furbearing animals and, further, that most carnivores in North America are managed as furbearing game species. If you wish to work in carnivore conservation, even endangered wildlife conservation, your professional career will inevitably involve working with fur trappers.
Fur School workshops provide aspiring wildlife biologists practical experience in trapper education and management, and are offered annually to newly hired biologists at state agencies across the country. This 4-day workshop will be taught by wildlife biologists from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in partnership with the SUNY ESF Roosevelt Wild Life Station, and will be held at ESF’s Heiberg Forest property.
Location: Heiberg Forest Classrooms, May 13 – 16, 9 am – 5 pm
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: J. Frair
EST 202 | American History: Discovery to Civil War (3)
A survey of American history considering the origin and development of American institutions
and ideals, from the discovery of the New World through the Civil War. Students are
introduced to works of major historians and to various interpretations of American
history.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: None
Textbook: Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty Brief 7th, Vol 2 ISBN# 978-1-324-04190-0
Instructor: P. Bushnell
This course meets the SUNY general education requirement for US History and Civic Engagement.
EST 296 | Intro to Wilderness Awareness and Fieldcraft (3)
This field-based course held at Heiberg Forest provides an introduction to observation and engagement with local woodland environment for survival. We will explore fundamental skills for sustaining yourself outdoors including: building fires from scratch, finding food and water in nature, crafting essential tools, sheltering and coping with weather, and using natural navigation. Acknowledgement of ancestral practices and Haudenosaunee land and culture will be included. The course explores the safe and skillful use of selected bushcraft tools (e.g. knives) as well ways to find materials and craft essential tools in the wild (such as wooden utensils, baskets, cordage), connecting you with long standing strategies for survival. You will learn ways to keep you warm and protected in wilderness settings (tarps, debris huts, and other improvised shelters). We will expose you to the identification and responsible harvesting of wild edibles. This hands-on, field-based course also includes readings, journaling, and writing exercises.
Location: Syracuse Campus & Heiberg Classrooms, Monday – Thursday, 10 am – 4:15 pm
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: S. Moran & J. Devine
LSA 496/696
Planning Climate Futures for Resilient Communities Through Design (3)
This field-based course held at Heiberg Forest provides an introduction to observation and engagement with local woodland environment for survival. We will explore fundamental skills for sustaining yourself outdoors including: building fires from scratch, finding food and water in nature, crafting essential tools, sheltering and coping with weather, and using natural navigation. Acknowledgement of ancestral practices and Haudenosaunee land and culture will be included. The course explores the safe and skillful use of selected bushcraft tools (e.g. knives) as well ways to find materials and craft essential tools in the wild (such as wooden utensils, baskets, cordage), connecting you with long standing strategies for survival. You will learn ways to keep you warm and protected in wilderness settings (tarps, debris huts, and other improvised shelters). We will expose you to the identification and responsible harvesting of wild edibles. This hands-on, field-based course also includes readings, journaling, and writing exercises.
Location: Syracuse Campus, Monday – Friday, 9 am – 1:30 pm
Prerequisites: LSA 226 or LSA 600
Instructor: E. White & D. Cronan
APM 391 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics (3)
Introduction to concepts and methods of statistics as applied to problems in environmental science and forestry. Topics include inference (confidence intervals and hypothesis testing), sampling distributions, descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis, comparison of population means and proportions, categorical data analysis, regression and correlation, and nonparametric methods.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: C. Carsten
EFB 307 | Principles of Genetics (3)
A general course covering concepts of genetics and evolution basic to upper-division biology and biochemistry courses. Includes the inheritance and analysis of Mendelian and quantitative traits, the chemical nature of the gene and its action, genetic engineering, the genetic structure of populations and their evolution. Numerical methods for characterizing and analyzing genetic data are introduced.
Location: Online / Asynchronous with recommended recitations held biweekly on: Tuesdays, 6 to 7 p.m. and Thursdays, 8 to 9 p.m.
Prerequisites: One year of biology
Textbook: Essentials of Genetics by Klug (10th edition) (Pearson); Other readings provided.
Instructor: W. Helenbrook
EFB 480 | Principles of Animal Behavior (3)
Basic principles of animal behavior and the scientific process, including genetic,
neural and physiological basis of behavior, behavioral ecology and behavioral responses
to a changing environment. Proximate and ultimate mechanisms controlling the behavior
of animals including humans.
Location: Online / Asynchronous with recommended recitations held biweekly on: Tuesdays, 8 to 9 a.m. and Thursdays, 6 to 7 p.m.
Prerequisites: EFB 101 or equivalent
Textbook: Animal Behavior by John Alcock (11th edition); The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond; All other readings provided.
Instructor: W. Helenbrook
EFB 496/796 | Flora of Central New York (3)
Field identification and ecology of spring flowering vascular plants, woody plants, ferns and fern allies. We will visit several high quality natural areas in Onondaga County and nearby counties. A class session may be devoted to the identification of graminoids and other challenging plant groups. Field trips often involve extended hikes over rough terrain. Prior completion of a course that included plant identification is strongly recommended.
Location: First week is online asynchronous. Remaining 5 weeks: Monday, Wednesday, Friday from
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: A. Petzke
There will be an additional fee of $40 for transportation to and from field sites.
EFB 496 | Applied Molecular Ecology (3)
Ecological studies of both microbial and non-microbial communities have become increasingly
reliant on molecular methods. This course is intended to complement and extend existing
molecular technique courses with a substantial field component—both aquatic and terrestrial—and
additional molecular techniques, including qPCR and nanopore sequencing. It is becoming
increasingly clear that successful molecular ecology studies are reliant on robust
study design followed by well-executed field work. As such, it is an essential aim
of this course that students learn and conduct the foundational field work that supports
later molecular analysis. This year, the course will consist of two pre-designed,
student-led studies: one eDNA study of Adirondack (ADK) fishes of lakes within Huntington
Wildlife Forest and one study of microbial communities of ADK soils in the same general
area. The results will be presented
by the students at the end of the course.
Location: Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
June 10-13: Adirondack Ecological Center.
June 13, 14, 17-21: Syracuse Campus Room – TBA
Prerequisites: EFB 101, 102, 103, & 104, or equivalent
Instructor: H. Green
There will be an additional fee of $40 for transportation to and from field sites.
EST 201 | American History: Reconstruction to Present (3)
History of changes occurring in America post 1865 including land use, government, economic and international relations.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: None
Textbook: Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty Brief 7th, Vol 2 ISBN# 978-1-324-04190-0
Instructor: P. Bushnell
This course meets the SUNY general education requirement for US History and Civic
Engagement.
EWP 220 | Public Presentation Skills (3)
Development of skills and fluency needed by environmental professionals in preparing,delivering and evaluating effectiveness of expository and persuasive oral presentations. Communication theory, rhetorical analysis, and visualizations of complex and technical data, self and peer evaluation, listening skills. The course will be taught asynchronously, and students will access a weekly folder to review notes and handouts in order to complete various activities, assignments, and speeches. Each week will require 10-12 hours of work, and by the end of the 6 weeks, students will have accumulated 60-72 hours of work.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: C. Ciereck
This course meets the SUNY general education requirement for Oral Communication.
EWP 290 | Research, Writing, and Humanities (3)
Intended for students who have had an introductory writing course. Students will examine the views of nature and the environment as they are expressed by selected writers, poets, and essayists. Frequent informal and formal writing assignments as well as research and documentation are required. With an emphasis on critical writing, critical thinking, and critical reading, students will learn the literacy expectations of their disciplines.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: R. Spano
This course meets the SUNY general education requirement for Humanities.
EWP 290 | Research, Writing, and Humanities (3)
Intended for students who have had an introductory writing course. Students will examine the views of nature and the environment as they are expressed by selected writers, poets, and essayists. Frequent informal and formal writing assignments as well as research and documentation are required. With an emphasis on critical writing, critical thinking, and critical reading, students will learn the literacy expectations of their disciplines.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: T. Dorholt
This course meets the SUNY general education requirement for Humanities.
EWP 407 | Writing for Environmental and Science Professionals (3)
Focuses on principles and practice of writing skills required of environmental and science professionals. Emphasizes proficiency in determining purpose of a document; analyzing audience; selecting, developing and organizing information in an appropriate design; and writing clearly, precisely, and effectively.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: EWP 290 and Junior/Senior status
Textbook: Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach
Instructor: S. Woltman
SUS 296 | Introduction to Sustainability (3)
This course is a blend of sustainable and environmental science. This course covers the history of planet earth and life on earth, with a focus on human cultures. Topics include human resource use and management, including energy, water, mineral, land, soil, food, plants and animals. Additionally, the course will explore environmental degradation and solutions for dealing with pollution and waste. This course will also cover a history of sustainability movement and various measures of sustainability.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: None
Textbook: McKinney, M.L., Schoch, R.M., Yonovjak, L., & Mincy, G.A. (2019). Environmental science: Systems and solutions (6th ed.). Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Instructor: K. Searing
APM 103 | Applied Algebra and Trigonometry (3)
This course is designed to enable non-science students to solve practical problems in their specific areas of study. Topics include algebraic, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions used in measurement and modeling. Applications include percents, scaling, slopes, and contour mapping.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: Three years of high school mathematics.
Textbook: Cengage's Webassign, ebook included.
Instructor: L. Snyder
This course meets the SUNY general education requirement for mathematics and quantitative reasoning.
APM 104 | College Algebra and Precalculus (3)
Elements of analytic geometry. Emphasis on the concepts of polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometry and trigonometric functions and their application to design and life and management sciences.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: Three years of high school mathematics.
Textbook: Cengage's Webassign, ebook included.
Instructor: K. Conahan
This course meets the SUNY general education requirement for mathematics and quantitative reasoning.
EFB 496 | Evolution (3)
An introduction to the fundamental processes driving evolution (genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, sexual selection, and natural selection), the evolution of life-histories, trade-offs, and phenotypic plasticity. Macroevolutionary concepts covered include speciation, extinction, co-evolution, and the reconstruction of phylogenies.
Location: Online / Asynchronous with recommended recitations held biweekly on: Tuesdays, 6 to 7 p.m. and Thursdays, 8 to 9 p.m.
Prerequisites: EFB 307 and EFB 320, or equivalents.
Textbook: Evolution (3rd Edition or newer) by Futuyma; Coyne, Jerry A. 2009. Why evolution is true. Penguin. Additional readings provided.
Instructor: W. Helenbrook
EFB 480 | Tropical Conservation Biology (3)
As an introduction to the discipline of conservation biology, the course seeks to
demonstrate how basic biological science can be integrated with social, economic and
political perspectives to achieve the goals of biological conservation. Several core
themes that will be covered in a series of video lectures, online discussions and
readings, including: biodiversity - distribution, value and measurement; global threats
to biodiversity; philosophy, tools and applications; and tropical conservation problems
and solutions.
Location: Online / Asynchronous with recommended recitations held biweekly on: Tuesdays, 8 to 9 a.m. and Thursdays, 6 to 7 p.m.
Prerequisites: One year of introductory biology suggested.
Textbook: All readings will be provided.
Instructor: W. Helenbrook
EFB 496 | Wetland Monitoring and Assessment (3)
Classroom (25%) paired with extensive field experiences (75%) in wetland monitoring and assessment. The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge and techniques used by practitioners and researchers to monitor and assess wetland plant and animal communities. Includes a final project presentation, technical paper, and popular article. Students will have a check-in assignment in Blackboard on July 8th and the core portion of the course will run from August 5th - August 16th.
Location: Hybrid, July 8th through Aug 16th
Campus - TBA and various field locations, Aug 5th through Aug 16th
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: M. Schummer
There will be an additional fee of $40 for transportation to and from field sites.
EST 135 | Introduction to Climate Justice (3)
This course will introduce students to climate justice – the idea that climate change has serious negative consequences not only for our planet’s atmosphere and ecosystems, but also for our communities and society at large. We will explore how the impacts of climate change – such as droughts, hurricanes and rising sea levels – affect some groups and places more than others, from the communities of color in Syracuse to small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, we will learn about scholars, activists and local communities fighting to rectify these inequalities and to achieve climate justice for all the inhabitants of our warming planet. In discussing these issues, we will draw from many radical theories and concepts that will help us understand the course topic from diverse perspectives, such as feminism, energy democracy, ecological justice, Indigenous knowledge, and queer & trans liberation. As part of this course, students will write short reaction papers, share discussion posts or videos on Blackboard, present a virtual poster as part of an online mini-conference, and deliver a final project on a topic and in a format of their choice. The course does not require any prior knowledge of climate science.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: EFB 101, 102, 103, & 104, or equivalent
Textbook: Ayana E. Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson. (2020). All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis. New York, NY: One World. [selected chapters] and Greta Thunberg. (2023). The Climate Book: The facts and the solutions. New York, NY: Penguin Press. [selected chapters]
Instructor: M. Mikulewicz
This course meets the SUNY general education requirement for Diversity: Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice.
EST 296 | Comics and the Drawn Environment (3)
An introduction to the medium and tools of comics storytelling focusing on the environment and environmental issues. Students will read a wide range of comics and relevant academic scholarship to explore the creative possibilities of this storytelling medium. The course will cover topics such as the history of, and how to read comics, comics as an environmental communication device, and the unique ways in which environments are constructed within the medium. In addition, students will have an option to create narratives through their own short-form comics or focus on written assessment only. No artistic ability is required to succeed in this course.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: None
Textbook: McCloud, Scott. 1994. Understanding Comics. New York, NY: Harper Perennial. ISBN: 978-0-06-097625-5
Instructor: J. Cairns
FOR 110 | Environmental Physics (3)
Introduction to principles of physics using examples from the natural environment and coupled human-natural systems.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: D. Kloster
This course meets the SUNY general education requirement for Natural Sciences and Scientific Reasoning.
SUS 296 | Ecology (3)
Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms. During this course we will gain an introductory understanding of many kinds of interactions, both biotic and abiotic, that regulate ecological population size and community structure. We will examine how organisms respond to their physical environment, interact with each other in populations and communities across the landscape, and affect the movement of energy and nutrients through terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Location: Online / Asynchronous / Recitation and office hours available based on student availability
Prerequisites: None
Textbook: Elements of Ecology by Smith & Smith. 8th Ed. Pearson
Instructor: W. Helenbrook
SUS 300 | Sustainable Systems Thinking: Ecology, Economics, and Society (3)
This course defines sustainability and sustainable development, introduces the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and helps the student begin to understand the complex interactions between the environment, the economy, and society, and their implications for sustainable development.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: T. Ploumi
APM 105 | Survey of Calculus and Its Applications I (4)
Elements of analytic geometry, functions and their graphs, with an emphasis on the concepts of limits, and differentiation techniques for algebraic, exponential and logarithmic functions and their application to economics, and the life and management sciences. Some multivariable calculus including constrained optimization. Note: Credit will not be granted for APM 105 after successful completion of MAT 284, MAT 285, or MAT 295 at SU.
Location: Online / Asynchronous
Prerequisites: Precalculus or 3 1/2 years of high school mathematics.
Textbook: Cengage's Webassign, ebook included.
Instructor: N. Abdel-Aziz
This course meets the SUNY general education requirement for mathematics and quantitative reasoning.
EFB 496 | Grow What You Eat (3)
This course will provide students with an introduction to the art and science of growing food for themselves and others. Through a combination of recorded video lecture and content, and twice-weekly zoom synchronous sessions, assigned readings, and problem-solving exercises, students will develop the foundational knowledge and skills needed to successfully propagate, grow, and harvest a core group of herbs, vegetables, grains, and fruits under a wide range of environmental conditions.
Location: Online / Synchronous: Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: T. Ettinger
EFB 496 | Principles of Plant Propagation (3)
This course will provide students with an introduction to the art and science of plant
propagation during the summer months when temperate plant species are actively growing.
Through a combination of recorded video lecture content and twice-weekly synchronous
zoom sessions, assigned readings, problem-solving exercises, and a summer-long capstone
project, students will develop the foundational knowledge and skills needed to successfully
propagate a wide range of temperate trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennial species.
Location: Online / Synchronous: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon
Prerequisites: None
Textbook: American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques.
Instructor: T. Ettinger
