Prairie Restoration
Instructors: Ben Swanson & Jeffrey Dorale
Description: With this course, students actively participate in the ecological reconstruction of a prairie on the University of Iowa campus. Topics include a brief history of tallgrass prairie; aerial photography and plant community analysis; stewardship land planning; native plant seed preparation and planting techniques; botany; invasive plant species identification and management; prescribed fire/controlled burning planning and techniques; erosion control and stormwater mitigation; Native American land management practices; and the tallgrass prairie's role in shaping the American Midwest's landscape.
Frequency at the Prairie: Weekly labs
Ecosystem Ecology
Instructor: Matt Dannenberg
Description: Terrestrial ecosystems as integrators of biological, physical, and ecological processes; flows of energy, carbon, water, and nutrients within ecosystems; spatial and temporal patterns and processes of Earth's ecosystems; sustaining ecosystems in the face of global change.
Frequency at the Prairie: Occasional labs
Applied Environmental Geology
Instructor: Ben Swanson
Description: Application of geology, water, and earth processes to civil and environmental engineering practice; physical properties of rock and soil, geologic mapping and surveying, groundwater supplies and wells, stream engineering, watershed management, site investigations for environmental assessment, and geologic hazards.
Frequency at the Prairie: Weekly labs
Hydrogeology
Instructor: Jessica Meyer
Description: Foundational concepts of physical hydrogeology including water cycle and hydrologic balance, hydrogeologic properties of porous media and fractured rock, Darcy's law, flow systems, and hydrogeologic characterization methods; students practice quantitatively evaluating groundwater flow problems through regular problem sets and hands-on labs. The overall goal for the course is for students to recognize that groundwater is stored in and moves through complex geologic materials, to know how slowly groundwater generally moves and is replenished, and to develop an appreciation for how these characteristics make groundwater a valuable but also vulnerable resource.
Frequency at the Prairie: Weekly labs
Entomology Lab
Instructor: Andrew Forbes
Description: Insects are the most species-rich and diverse of all animals; introduction to insect biology; emphasis on evolution, diversity, ecology, and morphology with some additional focus on physiology and behavior; students work in lab and field settings; memorization of entomological terms required; hands-on learning including how to employ various tools, techniques, and approaches used by professional entomologists, insect collecting and preservation, DNA extraction and sequencing, and analysis of evolutionary and ecological data.
Frequency at the Prairie: One lab