Lower-Division

Surveys the production of indoor crops and landscape plants to gain a working knowledge of how light, temperature, water, fertilizers, and soilless media interact in a controlled environment. Also covers pest management and propagation. Lectures and demonstrations are combined with activities in the UCSC Greenhouses and at the UCSC Arboretum to give students direct experience with horticulture practices and principles in controlled environments. The approach is to develop practical skills and familiarity with agricultural technology while mastering basic principles in plant biology. Emphasis is placed on indoor growth systems.

How can we better understand how humans have affected Earth and its inhabitants? Explores how DNA shed by organisms into the environment can be collected and used to study Earth's biodiversity, with applications in medicine, anthropology, agriculture, and conservation.

Topics in morphology, physiology, development, genetics, and endocrinology selected to exemplify current issues and perspectives in organismic biology.

Introduction to ecology and evolution covering principles of evolution at the molecular, organismal, and population levels. Evolutionary topics include genetic and phenotypic variation, natural selection, adaptation, speciation, and macroevolution. Also covers behavioral, population, and community ecology including applied ecological issues.

Introduction to the practice of field biology. Includes implementing the scientific process from formulating and testing hypotheses, sampling, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation. Grounded in the natural ecosystems surrounding the UC Santa Cruz campus, this course incorporates field and laboratory techniques, natural history of flora and fauna, and both observational and experimental biology.

Prerequisite for course 161/L, Kelp Forest Ecology, and all research diving performed under the auspices of UCSC or other academic institutions. Course work includes lectures and scuba diving. Topics include subtidal sampling techniques, navigation, low visibility diving, search and recovery, rescues, small boat use, oxygen administration for divers, technical blue water deep diving, physics, and physiology. Apply online at http://www2.ucsc.edu/sci-diving. Students are billed a course materials fee that covers costs for equipment use, materials, and transportation. Prerequisite(s): skill level equal to Advanced Scuba Diver Certification, pass scuba physical, provide own scuba gear, be certified in CPR and First Aid; and interview: pass swim test and scuba skills test.

Probability and statistics underlie much of our everyday experience and, as such, there is a fundamental need for an understanding of the use, and misuse, of statistics. This course is taught through case studies based in biology, politics, economics, crime, education, disease, conservation, and other fields of interest. For example, does a change in crime rate really affect your probability of being a victim of a crime? The goal is to provide all students with sufficient understanding probability and statistics to determine if everyday and often sensationalistic reporting of statistical results is meaningful.

A field-based course with overnight and day trips to regionally diverse areas throughout Central California. Field trips and lectures familiarize students with a wide variety of topics in the ecological, conservation, and environmental science as well as natural-resource management. Enrollment is by instructor permission. Students are billed a materials fee of $180.

Lectures and field trips familiarize students with the flora and fauna of the UCSC Natural Reserves. Field trips focus on surveying and identifying vertebrates and plants at each UCSC Natural Reserve (Fort Ord, Campus Reserve, Big Creek, Younger Lagoon, and Ano Nuevo).

Taught as a series of seminars, course provides a survey of marine sciences and the role of scientific research in understanding and conserving the world's oceans. Topics include: marine biology, ecology, conservation, coastal geology, and climate change. This series is intended to prepare students to interpret research and inform the public by leading tours at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at the Long Marine Lab. Enrollment is by application and interview.

Individual, directed study for undergraduates. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.