Courses

Undergraduate Courses, Fall 2026

AEC 203 – Introduction to the Honey Bee and Beekeeping

TR 11:45 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
David Tarpy

A course targeted towards non-science majors to explore biology and science using honey bees as a charismatic vehicle. Provides an introduction to honey bee biology and management, as well as an examination of the relationships between honey bees and humans from prehistoric through modern times.

AEC 295 – Animal Communication

MW 1:30-2:45 p.m.
Brad Metz

Communication – the exchange of information between individuals – is the underpinning of emergent function that leads to superorganisms, societies, and multicellularity. If you’re interested in how whales find and recognize each other, why crickets chirp and how they manage it, or how the cowbird, raised by another species, finds out it’s a cowbird, this is the class for you.

AEC 400 – Applied Ecology

TR 1:30- 2:45p.m.
Erin McKenney

Applied ecology uses fundamental ecological principles to help solve grand environmental challenges. Students will apply ecological topics across systems and from the individual to global scales through a series of case studies, culminating in an independent research project.

AEC 460 – Field Ecology and Methods

T 8:30- 9:45 a.m.
R 8:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
Erin McKenney

Field Ecology and Methods will expose senior students with interests in Ecology and Evolution to the diverse field approaches used to address ecological questions. The course considers and implements a variety of field approaches ranging from microcosm experiments to global studies of patterns and diversity.

*Restricted to seniors.

AEC 495(002)/592 – Environmental Issues in Aquatic Ecology

TR 3:00- 4:15 p.m.
JoAnn Burkholder

This course explores the science, policy, and politics of environmental issues affecting aquatic ecosystems from freshwaters to the open ocean. Its overall goal is improved protection of these natural resources and the health of people across the world who depend on them for potable water supplies and seafood.

AEC 495(011) – Ecosystem Ecology

TR 10:15-11:30am
Matteo Petit Bon

This course examines how ecosystems function through interactions between climate and organisms. Students explore how these interactions regulate ecosystem pools and fluxes, and the movement and transformation of matter and energy, including carbon and nutrient cycling, and how ecosystems are responding to global change.

AEC 441/442- Biology of Fishes/Lab

MW 1:30- 2:45 p.m.
F 12:50 -3:35 p.m.
Connor Neagle

Fishes are the largest and most diverse assemblage of vertebrates on the earth. This undergraduate level course provides an overview of ichthyology including evolution, classification, and identification of fishes and a comparative examination of divergent fish behavior, physiology, and ecology. The content of the course will emphasize evolutionary relationships between fish groups and their adaptations for life in streams, lakes, and oceans. *442 is optional but students who take 442 must enroll in 441.

Graduate Courses, Fall 2026

AEC 502 – Introduction to Biological Research

MW 8:30- 9:45 a.m.
Brad Taylor

This course aims to introduce and develop the tools and skills useful for excelling in graduate programs in Biology. Topics range from practical skills, such as selecting a committee, communication, data management, generating a thesis topic, and formulating hypotheses, to those that are more philosophical.

AEC 495(002)/592 – Environmental Issues in Aquatic Ecology

TR 3:00- 4:15 p.m.
JoAnn Burkholder

This course explores the science, policy, and politics of environmental issues affecting aquatic ecosystems from freshwaters to the open ocean. Its overall goal is improved protection of these natural resources and the health of people across the world who depend on them for potable water supplies and seafood. 

AEC 624 – Advanced Fisheries Science

R 10:40 a.m.- 1:25 p.m.
Erin McKenney

This is a seminar style course where students and faculty discuss readings in advanced fisheries science. Students will learn both foundational and current research in fisheries science.

AEC 716 – Fish Population Dynamics

TR 10:15-11:30am
Jie Cao

Students will learn how to use appropriate quantitative methods to analyze data collected from fisheries to estimate vital parameters for fisheries, describe the dynamics of fish populations, evaluate the current status of a fishery and alternative management strategies through formal stock assessment process, and understand and interpret uncertainties associated with the assessment in managing fisheries resources.