Faculty First Year Seminars 191ECO5 - Campus Ecology

Bees collecting sugar from a spilt soda, birds using napkins to build their nests?? Have you ever wondered about the place of a college campus within the natural world? What are the plants and animals that make up the environment between the bustling buildings and busy roads and how do they all interact? Whether intentional or not, how has the university provided habitat for plants and animals? In Campus Ecology, we will explore the campus current and historical land-use practices, as well as discover the plants and animals that make up the urban environment. As a class we will investigate and catalog the various flora and fauna that make UMass home. The ultimate goal is to find the connections between the campus built and natural environments and how they have changed through time. We will also study basic biological concepts including plant and animal biology and ecological processes.

Freshmen Only