Undergraduate Course: Ecological and Environmental Science field course (including management) (ECSC10033)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The field course builds upon the skills and competences acquired by Ecological and Environmental Sciences students during previous field courses and lecture classes. The core element of the two components of the field course are the acquisition of skills in designing and conducting field sampling and monitoring projects; the acquisition of skills using field equipment. Field course locations may change for a variety of reasons, including security risks, increased costs or inability to access field locations. Any changes to the main destination of the field course will be announced as soon as possible. |
| Course description |
The field course builds upon the skills and competences acquired by Ecological and Environmental Sciences students during previous field courses and lecture classes. The core element of the two components of the field course are the acquisition of skills in designing and conducting field sampling and monitoring projects; the acquisition of skills using field equipment.
Saturday 31st
1000: Arrive at Crew Building for loading
1030: Leave from Crew Building
1230: Arrive the Green Welly, Tyndrum
1300: Depart Tyndrum
1400: Arrive Oban. Supermarket trip.
1500: Arrive Cologin. Assemble the field lab. Initial discussion of projects with demonstrators.
1600: Overview talk about the week to come. Project planning. Itinerary. Domestic issues. Gail Jackson
1630: Lecture and discussion about renewable resources. Margaret Graham
2000: Optional walk around Cologin: Bat detection and ID. Jess Finan and James Watt
Sunday 1st
0900: Health and Safety this week. Alex Thomas
0930: Discussion of projects. Assembling equipment and visiting field sites.
1600: Group presentations of project plans
2000: Talk: 'What do Professional Ecologists do?' Jess Finan
Monday 2nd
0900: Depart for the wind farm and hydroelectricity scheme at Stronachullin (PA30 8ET)
1000: Arrive at Stronachullin. Talk and visit to a turbine.
1230: Packed lunch on site. Return to Cologin.
1400: Project work
2000: Introduction to tomorrow's beach trawl and transect activities. Gail Jackson
2030: Talk: 'Tropical Biology Association field course in Botswana' Jonathan Morely
Tuesday 3rd
0900: Project work
1315: Depart for Tralee beach
1400: Arrive at the beach. Beach trawl and transect activities.
1700: Return to Cologin
2000: Lecture about the role of National Nature Reserves. Gail Jackson
2030: Talk: 'Analytical Services offered by the School of GeoSciences with a view to Honours project research' Gavin Sim
Wednesday 4th
0900: Depart for Glasdrum National Nature Rererve. The Ranger is Heather Watkin.
0945: Arrive Glasdrum
1100: Leave Glasdrum
1200: Arrive Cruachan power station. Tours at 1230, 1300 and 1330.
1400: Leave Cruachan power station
1500: Project work
2000: Talk: 'Using ground-based LiDAR to determine savanna tree canopy structure' John Godlee
2030: Talk: 'Scaling up biodiversity data for international conservation' Mariana Garcia Criado
Thursday 5th
0900: Project work all day
2000: Quiz in the bar
Friday 6th
1000: Depart for Edinburgh
1400: Process soil samples in Edinburgh (The soils groups only)
Monday 9th September 0930 Analysis of data from group projects
Tuesday 10th September 0930 Analysis of data from group projects
Wednesday 11th September 1400 Poster presentations
Friday 27th September 1200 Deadline for hand in of project reports
Project titles
Project 1. Plant and invertebrate richness across a disturbance gradient
Project 2. Mitigating the leaching of nutrients and trace metals in coniferous forest soils
Project 3. Can we characterise molecular-level differences between forest and grassland organic matter?
Project 4. Steam chemistry and invertebrates' water quality
Project 5. The relationship between understorey plant diversity and woodland tree canopy cover
Project 6. Small mammal monitoring
Project 7. Ecoacoustics: connecting the soundscape and the landscape
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 6,
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 6,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 12,
Fieldwork Hours 32,
External Visit Hours 14,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 5,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
120 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Poster Conference: 20%, Field Project write-up: 40%, Essay: 40%
Poster of field project due in week 0
Write up of the field project due in week 2
A second written assignment on a second topic due in week 10.
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Have a comprehensive knowledge of the principles and some of the specialised skills of enquiry employed in ecological field work.
- Have gained competence in the use of ecological and environmental field techniques and to apply these skills in field investigations.
- Be able to execute a defined project of research and identify the relevant outcomes by appropriate statistical data analysis and interpretation. This will enable students to plan and practise in a context similar to those found at a professional level, which includes an element of unpredictability.
- Have an ability to communicate with professional level peers and senior colleagues and specialists will be developed through the peer-to-peer presentations and field visits with practitioners which will also enable students to gain an appreciation of the contexts and challenges associated with ecological and environmental management.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Field techniques,ecology and environment,populations,biodiversity,trace gases,micrometeorology |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Gail Jackson
Tel: (0131 6)50 5436
Email: G.Jackson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Nicola Clark
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email: nicola.clark@ed.ac.uk |
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