The proximity of the Brackenridge Field Lab to the University of Texas’s main campus makes it an excellent site to host various field ecology courses without interrupting students’ class schedule. Currently, two field lab courses are taught on site, lower division Field Biology and upper division Field Ecology. The student work from these courses is archived on site and contributes to long-term records of the sites plant and insect communities.
Field Ecology
Field Ecology is an advanced undergraduate lab course focused in field ecology techniques and independent study. Students enter the course with a background in ecology and statistics and are expected to perform data collection in small groups with minimal supervision. Weekly labs are accompanied by a write-up assignment in which students synthesize information from previous studies and their own observations in the style of a peer-reviewed article. At the beginning of the course, each student is assigned an acre of land to study independently throughout the semester by mapping the landscape and documenting the species they encounter. Reports of student acre observations are kept as records in the lab that provide focused, primary accounts of the natural communities across BFL over time. The course ends with four weeks of independent study, where students use the skills they gained in the course to design and execute their own research project. This course is an excellent preparation for 3rd and 4th year students planning to study or work in ecology and would not be possible without the resources provided by BFL.
Field Biology
Field Biology is an introductory field lab that combines computer simulations and field exercises to teach the application of field ecology techniques learned in the classroom. Students are also introduced to the the process of experimental design by executing and reporting on their own independent research project. This course covers basic aspects of field ecology, including species identification, population dynamics.
BFL has also hosted many other field courses over the last few decades. The following courses and programs have recently used the field stations natural space as a resource for their students:
- Limnology
- Entomology
- Vertebrate Natural History
- Native Plants
- Architecture
- History of the Modern Life Sciences
- Environmental Science Institute (ESI)
To learn more about courses offered in fieldwork, visit the Biodiversity Center's listing of Biology Field Courses.