Biology and geomorphology of tropical islands
Course Number: ESPM C107 or IB 158LF
Semester Taught: Fall Credits: 13 How to Enroll: Students must apply and interview Location: Moorea, French Polynesia Home Base: UC Berkeley Gump Research Station COVID-19 Impact. Please note. Our current plan is to offer the course in Fall 2021. We expect UC to approve international travel during the summer Summer of 2021. If you are interested in the course in Fall 2021, please email one of the professors, so that we can contact you with updates (click for links): Stephanie Carlson, Cindy Looy, George Roderick, or Jonathon Stillman. Also, the new Island Sustainability Semester/Quarter, is planned for Moorea for Spring 2022. This is a set of courses ESPM 109A-E that will be open to students at all UCs and others by application. More details will follow when travel restrictions are lifted. If you would like to be notified, please email course coordinators, Hannah Stewart or George Roderick. Important Dates
Spring 2021 Applications:
19 March: Applications Due (link will be posted here) early April 2021: Potential interviews April 2021: Students notified of acceptance May 2021: Required course meeting |
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Introduction
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This course offers a transformative field research experience that many former students consider the capstone to their years at Berkeley. The course begins with 3 weeks of intensive lectures and training on the UC Berkeley campus that provide the contextual framework for the remainder of the course. The students then depart for approximately 9 weeks at the Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station on Moorea in French Polynesia. While in Moorea, students design and execute their own independent research projects, starting with the initial preliminary studies and ending with statistical analyses and writing. The final weeks are spent back in the Berkeley campus where students write up their findings and prepare a professional seminar on their projects. The class size is limited to 22 students by the Gump dormitory facilities.
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Students learn about the biology, geology, evolution, and people of the South Pacific. They develop the fundamentals of field research and work with faculty members to develop an independent project on an island topic, such as marine or terrestrial ecology, volcanic geomorphology, biodiversity, invasion biology, animal behavior, or oceanography of reefs and islands.
Interested students should complete the course application. Selected students are then interviewed by course instructors. Students from other UC’s may take this course, though preference is given to Berkeley students. Those selected for interviews will be called or emailed to arrange for an interview in April. This is a 13-unit course and enrollment is by application and interview only. In addition to tuition, additional fees are required for lodging, food, research expenses. Financial assistance is available for qualified students through the Financial Aid Office. Air fare from the Bay Area varies depending on ticket source and time of purchase. A valid passport is required, and if you do not hold a US or EU passport, also a visa.
Interested students should complete the course application. Selected students are then interviewed by course instructors. Students from other UC’s may take this course, though preference is given to Berkeley students. Those selected for interviews will be called or emailed to arrange for an interview in April. This is a 13-unit course and enrollment is by application and interview only. In addition to tuition, additional fees are required for lodging, food, research expenses. Financial assistance is available for qualified students through the Financial Aid Office. Air fare from the Bay Area varies depending on ticket source and time of purchase. A valid passport is required, and if you do not hold a US or EU passport, also a visa.