2013 summer courses for k-12 teachers

June 23 – June 28, 2013
Biomechanics
Operational Weather Forecasting

June 30 – July 5, 2013
Climatology and Climate Change
Art Works For Science: Drawing in and out of the Classroom NEW!
Field Botany 

July 7 – July 12, 2013
Field Ecology and Natural History
Exploring a Habitable Planet NEW!
The Imaginative Classroom: Creating Depth with the Arts  NEW!
Engaging Learners Through Citizen Science NEW!
(not eligible for graduate credit - CEUs only)

July 14 – July 19, 2013
Coastal Marine Ecology (Course full, no longer accepting registrations)
Monitoring Our Changing World  NEW!
Introduction to Maritime Archaeology NEW!
Animal Behavior

July 28 – August 9, 2013 (2 week courses)
Environmental Photography: Education Through the Lens (Course full, no longer accepting registrations)
Introduction to Whales, Porpoises and Seals

August 4 – August 9, 2013
An Anthropologist on Mars: Fieldwork Research Strategies NEW!

Courses may be taken for either continuing education/CEUs or
Graduate credit for an additional $140 per credit fee.

One-week courses are eligible for 2 graduate semester credits
Two-week courses for 4 graduate semester credits.

Biomechanics

Course #SG5093
June 23 - 28, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

Why do we get shorter and more wrinkled with age? Could T. rex really outrun a jeep, as Steven Spielberg imagined in Jurassic Park? What keeps an eagle aloft? Why do elephants have such thick legs? How do geckos stick to a glass window, and can human technology mimic their mechanism? These diverse questions are all within the realm of biomechanics. Biomechanics examines the form and function of living organisms through the lens of physics and engineering. This interdisciplinary approach has led to new insights about the evolution of organismal diversity on Earth. It can also be a tool for making mathematics, physics, and engineering more accessible to young students and adult learners alike. Through lectures, readings, and lab activities, we will explore fluid dynamics, including the fluids organisms live in (air and water) and the fluids transported through their bodies (water-based solutions and suspensions such as sap and blood). We also will investigate mechanical properties of the materials that organisms make and are made of (bone, tendon, wood, shell, chitin, silk, hair, etc.) and how those materials are organized into working structures. We will be using Steven Vogel’s Life’s Devices as our main text to support this course, and additional short readings will be provided.
Lab fee: $25

Dr. Helen Hess received a B.S. in Biology from UCLA in 1985 and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Washington in 1991. She has been on the faculty at COA since 1994. Helen teaches a variety of biology courses at COA, most of which involve a significant field or lab component. Her formal training as an invertebrate zoologist has led her to develop courses that take her and her students wherever invertebrates are found, including local rivers, Maine's rocky intertidal shores, and Caribbean coral reefs. She also teaches a course in bio mechanics, where students explore how the laws of physics have played a role the evolution of living organisms. Helen also has strong interests in teacher education and spends part of every summer involved in courses and workshops aimed at K-12 teachers as well as COA students who are pursuing a teaching credential. Helen's research interests focus on the reproductive biology of marine organisms, and she has studied parental behavior in worms, mating systems in mouth brooding in fishes, and the evolution of self-fertilization in hermaphroditic invertebrates. Helen also occasionally writes science articles for popular magazines.
E-mail: hhess@coa.edu

Course Syllabus

Operational Weather Forecasting

Course #SG5106
June 23 - 28, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

This course will introduce the student to the basic concepts of weather and the atmosphere, their properties and tendencies, changes over time, and the daily process of producing and delivering a weather forecast. Basic atmospheric processes will be introduced, and general planetary circulation will be addressed. Web resources will be discussed and sources of information assessed. Field trips will include natural weather observation and forecasting techniques, and a factory that makes weather instruments. Working in teams, the student will gain real-life experience in producing and delivering a daily weathercast, and will acquire the skills needed to integrate daily weather information into curricula at all levels. Actual live delivery of a self-produced weathercast on a statewide radio network will be included as part of the class. This course is best suited to middle or high school teachers, graduate students and adult learners. Lab fee: $25.

Dr. Lou McNally received his Interdisciplinary Ph.D. from the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. He is currently Assistant Professor of Applied Meteorology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL, and a broadcast meteorologist for Maine Public Radio and Television. Additionally, he heads up L. K. McNally & Associates, which has been advising private and public clients in operational and forensic meteorology for 30 years. Recent research centers on forensic synoptic analysis, or reconstruction of the weather from anecdotal source information, and recent publications include invited papers for History of Meteorology, and Weather, a publication of the Royal Meteorological Society.
E-mail: loumcnally@me.com

Course Syllabus

Climatology and Climate Change

Course #SG5109
June 30 - July 5, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

This course will introduce the student to the study of climate, the beginnings of the science, changes over time, and its perception in the media and public today. Beginning with a historical approach to climate, students will learn the science of climatology as practiced today. Basic atmospheric processes will be introduced, and general climate classifications and changes over various time scales will be examined. Students will be prepared to bring back explanations to their classrooms for exploring and explaining climate change and developing exercises for daily weather forecasting. Web resources will be discussed and sources of information assessed. Field trips will include an instrument factory and climate research laboratories. Guest lecturers have included legislators, researchers, and editors for the IPCC. Recommendations for further study will be discussed as well. Students will gain an appreciation of how the science is done today. This course is best suited to middle or high school teachers, graduate students and adult learners. Lab fee: $25

Dr. Lou McNally received his Interdisciplinary Ph.D. from the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. He is currently Assistant Professor of Applied Meteorology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL, and a broadcast meteorologist for Maine Public Radio and Television. Additionally, he heads up L. K. McNally & Associates, which has been advising private and public clients in operational and forensic meteorology for 30 years. Recent research centers on forensic synoptic analysis, or reconstruction of the weather from anecdotal source information, and recent publications include invited papers for History of Meteorology, and Weather, a publication of the Royal Meteorological Society.
E-mail: loumcnally@me.com

Course Syllabus

Art Works For Science: Drawing in and out of the Classroom

Course #SG5128
June 30 - July 5, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

Intense observation is hard work and a gratifying pursuit that leads to a greater awareness of the natural world. Scientists throughout the ages have made astonishing discoveries through sustained focus, patience, comparison, observation and questioning. Similarly, artists utilize visual attention skills to enhance learning and the ability to represent the world around them. The resulting drawings become an effective means of communication. Learn how to observe like an artist using comparative measurements, proportion, and visualizing underlying forms to plan out and complete scientific drawings. Subjects will include a variety of natural items found in the Dorr Natural History Museum, the instructor’s collection and the diverse environments of the COA campus and Acadia National Park. Instruction will include a survey of dry drawing mediums (graphite pencil, charcoal, colored pencil, pen, graphite powder) and the expectation to push their possibilities. Learn about the elements and principles of design in a way that can add depth and better understanding to science lessons. We will review the work of Age of Discovery artist – naturalists, take a “trip” through the history of botanical illustration and apply some of their techniques to our drawings. Students will be encouraged to bring their own science knowledge to the assignments and will be required to create a lesson incorporating aspects of observation, drawing and creativity appropriate for their own students. Drawing on-location during field trips, including an outing on the college’s research vessel Osprey (weather permitting) will encourage teachers to bring students outside, if only in their own back yards. Students will have created a portfolio of multi-medium drawings and acquired new skills giving them the confidence to incorporate creative observation and art into their classrooms. Assignments are presented with visual samples, demonstrations, support and encouragement, bringing the drawing experience into the natural environment and the world of nature to the classroom. Lab fee: $75

Jean Carlson Masseau received her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in Illustration, with special interest in the areas of printmaking, photography and textiles. She is a freelance illustrator and photographer working for a variety of clients nationwide from her studio in Hinesburg, Vermont. She received her teaching certificate from the University of Vermont and began her career as a full time high school art teacher at South Burlington High School in Vermont. She has taught a wide variety of community art classes for students of all ages over the years and occasionally teaches a Botanical Illustration workshop for RISD’s C.E. Department. Some of her clients have included Vermont Life Magazine, Vermont Magazine, Horticulture, Fine Gardening, Gardeners’ Supply Catalog, National Gardening Magazine, Delta Airline’s SKY Magazine, Lake’s End Cheeses, Garden Design Magazine, GARDENING FOR DUMMIES (IDG Books Worldwide), Chapters Publishing (EVENING GARDENS), and Women’s Day Gardening among others. Her recent work has focused on fine art painting in watercolor and gouache (opaque watercolor) and creating limited edition prints of her paintings. One of her favorite artistic activities is drawing from nature in a variety of mediums. Her work has received recognition from the NY Society of Illustrators, and Print Magazine in their Regional Design Annuals’ “Best of New England” category. She is a regular practitioner of figure drawing and portraiture from life. E-mail: jcmasseau@gmavt.net

Course Syllabus

Field Botany

Course #SG5131
June 30 - July 5, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

The course is designed to teach botany to students interested in natural history, ecology, forestry, landscape design, and ethnobotany. All classes will be held in Acadia National Park, focusing on native, naturalized, and invasive woody plants. Using field-based techniques you will learn how to identify about 100 plant species belonging to about 20 plant families found throughout North America. We will discuss the ethnobotany of many species and learn how they can be used for edible, medicinal or other purposes. Additionally, we will examine the stressors and threats impacting plants and their habitats of eastern North America and discuss best approaches for their conservation. Habitats to be visited during daily field trips will include mountain summits, lowland forests, bogs, coastal bluffs and wetlands, and rock outcrops. Evaluations are based on class participation and field quizzes. Prerequisite: desire to be outdoors and an interest in the plant world. Lab fee: $50

Dr. Nishanta "Nishi" Rajakaruna received his B.A. in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic (1994). In 1995 he joined the Department of Botany at The University of British Columbia and received a M.Sc (1998) and a Ph.D. (2002) for his work on the evolutionary ecology of the Californian endemic annual plant Lasthenia californica (common goldfields of the sunflower family). He returned to COA as a faculty member in botany from 2004-2008. In 2008, he joined the Faculty at the Department of Biological Sciences at San José State University in California to pursue his research on California’s plants. Nishi rejoined the COA faculty in September 2010. Nishi’s primary research interest is in understanding the role extreme edaphic (soil) conditions play in generating and maintaining plant diversity. He teaches Edible Botany, Ethnobotany, Trees and Shrubs of Mount Desert Island, Plant Taxonomy, Plant Evolutionary Processes, among other botany-related courses.
E-mail: nrajakaruna@coa.edu

Course Syllabus

FIELD ECOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY

Course #SG5103
July 7 - 12, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

Field Ecology and Natural History is a course that integrates concepts of ecology, natural history, and environmental science using examples from Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island. Daily field exercises will focus on natural history of the Maine coast and ecological analysis of local streams, forests, lakes, bogs, marine intertidal systems, salt marshes, and montane granite domes. Participants will collect and interpret evidence regarding forest stand history and disturbance patterns, ecological zonation of organisms in different habitats, influence of soil and geologic conditions, adaptations in a coastal bog ecosystem, biodiversity patterns in different ecosystems, and indicator species in stream benthic communities. Class projects will focus on developing teaching tools, visual aids, mapping techniques, methods of data analysis, and lecture materials for use in middle school and high school classrooms. It is expected that course content will provide substantial enrichment for teachers seeking to meet national science education standards in life science, earth science, and scientific inquiry. This course is best suited to middle and high school teachers and adult learners. Lab fee: $50

Christopher Cronan, Ph.D., Dartmouth College, is Professor of Biology and Ecology, and founding Director of the Graduate Program in Ecology and Environmental Science at the University of Maine.

E-mail: cronan@maine.edu

Course Syllabus

Exploring a Habitable Planet

Course #SG5124
July 7 - 12, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

This course integrates an exploration of Mount Desert Island’s rich geologic record with the brilliant synthesis of Earth’s story “How to Build a Habitable Planet” (Langmuir and Broecker 2012; http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9691.html ). Daily field investigations focus on deciphering evidence of the varied processes that have shaped our planet and resulted in the stunning diversity of today’s world. Participants apply the methods of field geologists on visits to classic exposures of the Earth’s mantle, ancient seafloor, hydrothermal deposits, tilted caldera, glacially sculptured landscape, raised shorelines, and today’s active coast. Intended primarily for K12 educators, and consistent with current NSES objectives, the course should appeal to anyone with an interest in the latest developments of earth system science. The week culminates with an analysis of our present predicament—seven billion people competing for limited resources within a climate system under stress. Lab fee: $50

Dr. Douglas Reusch is an Associate Professor of Geology at the University of Maine at Farmington (M.Sc. Memorial University of Newfoundland, Ph.D. University of Maine). He is interested in the origins and significance of mountains, notably the New England Appalachians, and also how tectonic processes affect carbon cycling and Earth’s climate. He has participated in Antarctic research, Ocean Drilling Leg 183 to the southern Indian Ocean, and mapping projects in coastal Maine, west-central Maine and Newfoundland. Along the way, he has taught 9th grade earth science and was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education.
E-mail: reusch@maine.edu

Course Syllabus

The Imaginative Classroom: Creating Depth with the Arts

Course #SG5129
July 7 - 12, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

Students are born with a natural curiosity and desire to imagine, create, explore, and learn. But how do we find ways to foster that in the classroom, while still meeting content mandates? In this course, you will learn how to integrate art, critical-thinking, and student-driven inquiry into regular content curriculum using the Lincoln Center Institute's Capacities for Imaginative Learning. You will leave understanding aesthetic education, and how to encourage imagination, creativity, and innovation while still meeting the rigorous demands of state and national requirements. Through art interaction, integration with content, and creative lesson planning your students will become excited about learning through participation. They will deepen their connections, higher-level thinking, and cognitive skills. During this week, we'll explore the many opportunities students can have to "experience" art through performance, observation and creation of visual art, and interaction with pieces that directly integrate with your curriculum. We'll enjoy an evening performance, visit a local artist, and explore the vast resources of the Farnsworth Museum. We'll also take that exposure and learn how to create lessons that inspire creativity and natural curiosity. As you progress through the week, you'll also accumulate and create an individual portfolio of a wide variety of unit ideas that tie to your own individual curriculum. Lab Fee: $75

Amber Pickers received a BA in Elementary Education from Northern Kentucky University and completed an additional 2 year Bible and Practical Ministry degree at World Harvest Bible College. She then continued her education with the research of imaginative learning and aesthetic education through Lincoln Center Institute's International Educator's Workshops. She has completed several follow up projects for the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine, and continues to share her passion through curriculum committees, teacher trainings, and panel discussions. She is an elementary teacher in the Mount Desert Island Regional School System who has spent her entire career trying to inspire enthusiasm, natural curiosity, and critical thinking in her students. She's worked with students of all ages (3 years-college) and had varied classroom experiences. These positions have included elementary level teacher, head-teacher of an inner-city preschool, tutor of students of all ages, camp counselor for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, student advisor, and youth leader for junior and high school students. She strives daily to create higher-level thinkers through art, integrations, and imaginative learning in the classroom.
E-mail: apickers@mdirss.org

Course Syllabus

Engaging Learners Through Citizen Science

July 7 - 12, 2013
(1 week - no graduate credit available – eligible for CEU credits only)

This course is designed to inspire and engage, offering a unique combination of practical, student-focused methodologies, unique and universally useful field techniques, and customized goal setting for educators interested in creating or improving their own citizen science initiative. Hands-on training using Project Noah’s education and wildlife documentation tools is just one part of this dynamic crash-course in student-centered citizen science: we’ll look at best practices for targeting standards across multiple subject areas, the crucial skills of promoting and publicizing within the school and community, and innovative ways to examine data and develop meaningful assessments, all delivered through amazing field experiences on land and sea in and around Acadia National Park. Lab fee: $75

David Munson, B.S in Agriculture & Education from Cornell University. David is an educator, writer and nature nerd with a passion for citizen science and experiential learning. He is the Director of Education for Project Noah, a global research and social media platform for wildlife enthusiasts with nearly 200,000 registered users worldwide. In that role, David assists educators in the development and implementation of wildlife-focused citizen science initiatives. A long-time classroom teacher, David has spent nearly 20 years teaching students of all levels in public schools and education nonprofits, framing hands-on educational programming around a wide variety of content, including everything from plankton biodiversity to elephant digestion.
E-mail: dave@projectnoah.org

Course Syllabus

Coastal Marine Ecology

THIS COURSE IS FULL AND NO LONGER ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS

Course #SG 5125
July 14 – 19, 2013 (1 weeks, 2 credits)

In this one-week course, we will explore the biological diversity along Maine’s rocky shores. We will poke among tidepools, encountering the creatures that live there, including crabs, snails, barnacles, anemones, sponges, and more. If we’re lucky we may see delicate nudibranchs, adorable baby lumpfish, and perhaps a lobster lurking amid the kelp. Intrepid participants may brave the cold water and snorkel along the COA waterfront for an underwater view. Much of the time spent learning about intertidal ecology in this course happens in the field. We will compare patterns of species abundance and diversity among different sites in the intertidal as a way of learning censusing methods and statistical analysis. In addition, we will complement our field work with time in the classroom discussing tides, adaptations of intertidal organisms, and fundamental ecological concepts such as competition and predation. Lab work will include closer examination of organisms, making drawings or keying out specimens as a way of focusing attention to detail. We will also conduct some behavioral experiments, as well as do some microscope work with planktonic organisms. Participants will develop a familiarity with local intertidal organisms, and we will use a combination of field activities as well as substantial time in the lab for more careful observation to learn about the behavior, anatomy and ecology of these critters that inhabit the intertidal zone. We also have a boat trip planned with Diver Ed to get familiar with our local subtidal regions (check out his website: www.divered.com). Throughout the course we will discuss the data we collect, how these kinds of methods are used by scientists, how they can be applied by educators, and how they can be adapted to areas beyond marine ecology. And we will have a lot of fun. Lab Fee: $50.00.

Dr. Helen Hess received a B.S. in Biology from UCLA in 1985 and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Washington in 1991. She has been on the faculty at COA since 1994. Helen teaches a variety of biology courses at COA, most of which involve a significant field or lab component. Her formal training as an invertebrate zoologist has lead her to develop courses that take her and her students wherever invertebrates are found, including local rivers, Maine's rocky intertidal shores, and Caribbean coral reefs. She also teaches a course in bio mechanics, where students explore how the laws of physics have played a role the evolution of living organisms. Helen also has strong interests in teacher education and spends part of every summer involved in courses and workshops aimed at K-12 teachers as well as COA students who are pursuing a teaching credential. Helen's research interests focus on the reproductive biology of marine organisms, and she has studied parental behavior in worms, mating systems in mouth brooding in fishes, and the evolution of self-fertilization in hermaphroditic invertebrates. While she mainly identifies herself as a teacher at COA, she also enjoys including students in her research activities. She is currently working with COA students on a project studying the reproductive biology of a large, local sea cucumber species that is the target of an emergent fishery. She is also involved in writing papers with COA students on research projects on cleaning behavior in tropical reef fishes and on the evolution of egg size in fishes. In addition to publishing in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, Helen also occasionally writes science articles for popular magazines. E-mail: hhess@coa.edu

Course Syllabus

Monitoring Our Changing World

Course #SG5126
July 14 - 19, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

One of the challenges of helping students understand the impact of climate change is to connect their experiences and observations of their own environment with broader, sometimes more complex patterns of change. This course is designed to help teachers blend local field-based monitoring projects with the rich datasets available online. We will conduct several hands-on field projects to practice low-cost techniques for gathering data and will access and analyze a variety of data available online to place our results in context. This course will be taught with a geologic emphasis, but the activities will be of interest to those teaching earth, environmental, and biologic sciences. This course will also emphasize the use of low-cost data loggers and will emphasize the integration of technology into a science curriculum. Lab fee: $50

Julia Daly, Ph.D. (University of Maine, Geological Sciences), is an Associate Professor of Geology at the University of Maine at Farmington. Her current research focuses on the dynamics of alpine and subalpine lake systems, and she works with undergraduate students to research the impact of climate change on nearly two dozen high elevation lakes in western and central Maine. She teaches from an Earth systems perspective which emphasizes the connections between humans and the environment; current courses include geomorphology, climate change, and field geophysics. Her earlier research focused on salt marsh records of sea-level change around Newfoundland, and she has had the opportunity to participate in fieldwork in Greece, Argentina, and New Zealand.
E-mail: dalyj@maine.edu

Course Syllabus

Introduction to Maritime Archaeology - NEW!

Course #SG5127
July 14 - 19, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

What is maritime archaeology? What are some of the challenges of working in a submerged environment? What has underwater archaeology contributed to our understanding of the past? How do archaeologists record shipwreck sites? This course will introduce maritime and submerged archaeology, exploring varying site types and themes, from submerged prehistoric landscapes to maritime history. In addition to lectures, participants will receive practical experience in archaeological mapping, taking boat lines, and investigating a site in the intertidal zone, allowing students to experience maritime archaeology without having to dive. Readings in the field will provide students with an overview of the topic at an international and regional scale. Although a large part of the class will center on site recording, this course will stress archaeology as a discipline combining history, geology, geography, and anthropology. Lab Fee: $50

Franklin H. Price received his MA in Maritime Studies from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, and his BA in History from Earlham College in Richmond Indiana. He has experience in excavation, remote sensing, micro-archaeology, shipwreck patterning, and vernacular watercraft. He has participated in projects as far afield as Sweden and Cyprus, and has worked on archaeological projects in ocean, river, lacustrine, and inter-tidal environments in the United States. One of his most recent projects involved the investigation of an historic vessel on Mount Desert Island, Maine. He is currently a Senior Archaeologist specializing in underwater archaeology with the Florida Department of State.
E-mail: franklinhprice@hotmail.com

Course Syllabus

Animal Behavior

Course #SG5117
July 14 - 19, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

This course will introduce students to the fascinating and challenging adventure of studying animal behavior. It will show them how far we have come in understanding some behaviors, while others are still a mystery. The purpose of the course is three-fold: 1) Find out about the history, basic concepts, theories and methods that make up the modern science of animal behavior. 2) By going out into the field and observing animals (birds, insects, seals, whales, …) students will start observing animals around them with a scientists eyes and mind by thinking about possible questions and answers for their observations . 3) Develop approaches and tools to teach aspects of animal behavior in their classes. Students will be presented with the basic concepts and theories of animal behavior; be introduced to basic methods used in animal behavior research; and taught techniques and approaches to teaching animal behavior in high school classes. Students will be evaluated based on regular and active participation in the course program, as well as through the design and development of a teaching unit. Lab fee: $95

Christoph Richter, Ph.D., Christoph Richter received his Ph.D. from the University of Otago, New Zealand, where he investigated the impact of whale watching on male sperm whales. He earned a M.Sc. from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, researching means to reduce bycatch of harbor porpoise in the Bay of Fundy. He is currently a lecturer for the Biology Department at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, Canada, where he teaches courses on ecology, diversity of organisms, and statistics. He previously taught at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, has lectured on cruise ships in the Arctic, and has studied cetacean behavior around Canada’s east coast, the Gulf of Mexico and New Zealand.
E-mail: christoph.richter@utoronto.ca

Course Syllabus

Environmental Photography: Education Through the Lens

THIS COURSE IS FULL AND NO LONGER ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS
Course #SG5015 
July 28 - August 9, 2013 (2 weeks, 4 credits)

The concept of conservation photography has grown out of the need to make a distinction between capturing images for the sake of photography, and the creation of images to serve the purpose of conserving nature. Conservation photography reveals both the beauty and fragility of our planet's natural systems.

This area of photography is a subset of nature photography that produces images that inspire and move people to change their behavior and take action to help conserve our planet. Dr. FitzGerald will lead the class through hands-on coursework that will guide participants through the process of capturing inspirational images and processing these images for web presentation and/or print display. The course will cover composition, lighting, subject matter, digital optimization, printing, matting and framing. Although this course is geared toward the novice and intermediate photographer, participants will need (at a minimum) a digital SLR and a tripod. Participants must be open to learning some advanced PhotoShop techniques. Some light hiking will be required to reach areas where images will be captured. This course is appropriate for K-12 teachers, graduate students and other adult learners. Lab fee: $75

Randall Fitzgerald is a biologist, behavioral ecologist and environmental educator at Montclair State University's School of Conservation. He has pursued the fine art of photography for over 40 years, using many different photographic techniques. His love of the natural environment has permeated both his academic and photographic life, and consequently most of his fine art images reflect the intimacy he enjoys with the natural world. Natural and rural landscapes comprise the bulk of his work, however he also enjoys creating still-life photography and capturing images of wildlife. Regardless of the subject matter, he strives to create images that stimulate our undeniable connection to the planet and the cultures that have populated it. His goal is to strike that universal cord of understanding, through imagery, that is innately present in each of us. Dr. FitzGerald currently exhibits and sells his images at several galleries in the northwestern region of New Jersey. A sampling of his images can be viewed on his website:http://randallfitzgerald.com/
E-mail: fitzgeraldr@mail.montclair.edu

Course Syllabus

Introduction to Whales, Porpoises and Seals

Course #SG5107
July 28 - August 9, 2013 (2 weeks, 4 credits)

This comprehensive course gives elementary and secondary school teachers, as well as adult learners, the chance to study and observe the marine mammals common to New England. Campus lectures, slide presentations and discussion examining behavior, ecology and world-wide issues in the conservation of marine mammals will be supplemented with field trips cruising the off-shore waters of the Maine coast to observe whales, porpoises and seals. This course is best suited to K-12 teachers and adult learners.
Lab fee: $195.00.

Christoph Richter, Ph.D., Christoph Richter received his Ph.D. from the University of Otago, New Zealand, where he investigated the impact of whale watching on male sperm whales. He earned a M.Sc. from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, researching means to reduce bycatch of harbor porpoise in the Bay of Fundy. He is currently a lecturer for the Biology Department at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, Canada, where he teaches courses on ecology, diversity of organisms, and statistics. He previously taught at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, has lectured on cruise ships in the Arctic, and has studied cetacean behavior around Canada’s east coast, the Gulf of Mexico and New Zealand.
E-mail: christoph.richter@utoronto.ca

Course Syllabus

An Anthropologist on Mars: Fieldwork Research Strategies - NEW!

Course #SG5130
August 4 - August 9, 2013 (1 week, 2 credits)

Immersing ourselves in research offers us and our students a popular and fascinating kind of nonfiction writing, a cross between distance and intimacy. “The study of another is also a study of the self.” Anthropologists know that immersion in alien environments helps us understand ourselves. With ethnographic inquiry, this course will allow you a greater understanding of the “self” (your habits, biases, and assumptions) as you reflect on your encounters with “the other.” We’ll try some fieldwork research methods to study and write about subcultures on the island of Mt. Desert. In this short course, we’ll consider the ethics and skills for conducting interviews, collecting artifacts and insider language, and mapping space. You may choose to study local professionals or focus your observation on a local place. You’ll create a portfolio of reflections on the process of conducting research, and submit plans for a larger project-- an essay, an audio or video documentary, or another kind of public presentation. We encourage active engagement and collaboration among group members. Lab fee: $50

Dr. Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater earned her Ph.D from an interdisciplinary program in English and Education at the University of New Hampshire. She is currently a professor of Rhetoric and Writing and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro where she has taught for the past twenty years. She is the co-author of Fieldworking: Reading and Writing Research (fourth edition)and What Works: A Practical Guide to Teacher Research as well as her own ethnographic study, Academic Literacies. She has taught similar courses in the Summer Studies Program at the University of New Hampshire and the Martha’s Vineyard summer program.
E-mail: e_chiser@uncg.edu

Dr. Bonnie Sunstein earned her Ph.D from an interdisciplinary program in English and Education at the University of New Hampshire. She is currently professor of English and education at the University of Iowa where she directs undergraduate writing in English and chairs English Education. Her book, Composing a Culture (1991), is an ethnographic study of teachers in a summer writing program. She has taught in schools and colleges throughout New England, continues to teach in writing institutes across the US and abroad. She has co-edited three books about portfolios, and her essays appear in professional journals for teachers. Currently, she is studying student writing partnerships across cultural settings, and working on a book about writing nonfiction for the University of Chicago Press.
E-Mail: bonnie-sunstein@uiowa.edu

Since 1997, they have co-authored four editions Fieldworking: Reading and Writing Research, a textbook for doing field-based research studies and another book about conducting teacher research, What Works? A Practical Guide for Teacher Research. In 2000, they received a major grant from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation for a website “FieldWorking Online,” a virtual community for student and faculty researchers. Over twenty years, they have taught summer courses together at the University of New Hampshire’s Summer Studies program, the Smithsonian Institution, and at Northeastern University’s Martha’s Vineyard Summer Institutes. Sunstein and Chiseri-Strater are researchers well known for their unified style, deliberately reciprocal, and their collaborative teaching and writing processes. What’s more, they enjoy it.

Course Syllabus