{"id":6455,"date":"2019-10-07T14:28:44","date_gmt":"2019-10-07T18:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology-new\/?page_id=6455"},"modified":"2026-04-17T12:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T16:20:08","slug":"courses","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/students\/courses\/","title":{"rendered":"Courses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Undergraduate Courses, Fall 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AEC 203 \u2013 Introduction to the Honey Bee and Beekeeping<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TR 11:45 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
David Tarpy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AEC 295 \u2013 Animal Communication<\/strong><\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

MW 1:30-2:45 p.m.
<\/strong>Brad Metz<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Communication \u2013 the exchange of information between individuals \u2013 is the underpinning of emergent function that leads to superorganisms, societies, and multicellularity. If you\u2019re 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\u2019s a cowbird, this is the class for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AEC 400 \u2013 Applied Ecology<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TR 1:30- 2:45p.m.<\/strong>
Erin McKenney<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AEC 460 \u2013 Field Ecology and Methods<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

T 8:30- 9:45 a.m.
R 8:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.<\/strong>
Erin McKenney<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Restricted to seniors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AEC 495(002)\/592 \u2013 Environmental Issues in Aquatic Ecology<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TR 3:00- 4:15 p.m.<\/strong>
JoAnn Burkholder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AEC 495(011) \u2013 Ecosystem Ecology<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TR 10:15-11:30am<\/strong>
Matteo Petit Bon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AEC 441\/442- Biology of Fishes\/Lab<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

MW 1:30- 2:45 p.m.
F 12:50 -3:35 p.m.
Connor Neagle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduate Courses, Fall 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AEC 502 \u2013 Introduction to Biological Research<\/b><\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

MW 8:30- 9:45 a.m.
Brad Taylor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AEC 495(002)\/592 \u2013 Environmental Issues in Aquatic Ecology<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TR 3:00- 4:15 p.m.<\/strong>
JoAnn Burkholder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AEC 624 \u2013 Advanced Fisheries Science<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

R 10:40 a.m.- 1:25 p.m.
Erin McKenney<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AEC 716 \u2013 Fish Population Dynamics<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TR 10:15-11:30am<\/strong>
Jie Cao<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Undergraduate Courses, Fall 2026 AEC 203 \u2013 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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2094,"featured_media":0,"parent":2567,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"pageIntro\":\"Updated April 17, 2026
Learn more about the teaching faculty here<\/a>.<\/strong>\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-6455","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2094"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6455"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101412,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6455\/revisions\/101412"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/applied-ecology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}