Teaching

Currently taught courses at OU

Conservation Biology BIOS 4810/5810

Course syllabus and schedule 3 CREDITS

Taught Spring 2024, 2025

Course Description: Our planet faces significant challenges as human-caused stressors lead to alarming rates of biodiversity loss. This course delves into key topics in animal conservation biology and practical approaches to address pressing wildlife conservation challenges. We will center on the intersection of ecology, evolutionary biology, genomics, field studies, and population modeling, as this is where potential solutions to effectively mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on wildlife populations lie. Students will gain a foundational understanding of conservation biology principles and will learn to connect population ecology data with science-based solutions for conserving wildlife in an increasingly crowded world.

Climate Change Biology BIOS 4800/5800

Course syllabus and schedule 3 CREDITS

Taught Fall 2024

Course Description: This discussion-based course in Climate Change Biology focuses on past, present, and future responses of wildlife to climate change. We will learn about global-scale climate changes, the factors that cause them and the consequences of these changes for wildlife populations and natural communities. We will discuss how species are responding to climate change, emphasizing ecology, evolution, physiology and behavior. We will also explore the various ways we study the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and strategies to mitigate these impacts. There will be a strong emphasis on understanding the process of gaining reliable knowledge in climate change ecology through reading and critical evaluation of the primary literature via in-class discussions.