The course
Students will spend approximately 9 weeks at the Richard B. Gump Biological Field Station on Moorea in French Polynesia and 6 weeks (3 at the beginning and 3 at the end of the semester) at UC Berkeley. Enrollment is limited by the Gump facilities to 22 students.
Faculty and GSIs for 2009
Brent Mishler (bmishler@berkeley.edu), lead instructor for 2009
Patrick Kirch (kirch@berkeley.edu)
Human ecodynamics in the Pacific
Vince Resh (vresh@nature.berkeley.edu)
Aquatic biology, water quality
George Roderick (roderick@berkeley.edu)
Invasion biology, insect biodiversity
Stephanie Bush (stephalopod@berkeley.edu)
Cephalopod behavioral ecology in the deep-sea
Maya deVries (msdevries@berkeley.edu)
Mantis shrimp behavior and feeding ecology
David Hembry (hembry@berkeley.edu)
Biodiversity, coevolution, insect and plant mutualisms
All instructors would be happy to answer your questions.
Application
The application form can be downloaded here:
http://ib.berkeley.edu/moorea/Moorea_Application_2009.doc.
This is a Fall Semester course. Applications are due Friday, 3 April 2009.
Students must complete the application and, if selected for an interview, attend an interview with course instructors. Admission is by consent of the instructors.
The application comprises 4 parts:
1.the application (2 pages),
2.a statement of purpose (1 page),
3.a written CV or resume (no more than 3 pages), and
4.a transcript (may be unofficial, such as copied from bearfacts).
Course costs are outlined on the application form.
Enrollment
Students enroll in either ESPM C107 or IB C158, which are the same course. The course is the only course you can take during this Fall semester because it is taught mostly off-campus at the Gump South Pacific Research Station. You must enroll for the full 13 units and participate in both the lectures and field trips at UC Berkeley and the full field component at the Gump Station in Moorea. We are looking for the best students with relevant academic interests. The course is for students who have taken upper division science courses that will prepare them for the course.
Risk and Responsibility
Participation in a field course carries with it some increased risk of personal injury. All participants will be required by the University of California to sign a document prior to travel that includes a waiver of liability, assumption of risk, and indemnification. The updated Visitors Guide to Moorea including health facilities, emergency contacts, and other services is available on the Gump Station web site, http://moorea.berkeley.edu. Please read this document before your interview.
Further resources
Handout from class meeting, 30 Apr 2009
Preliminary packing list for planning, 2009
Resource literature and summer reading, 2009
UC Berkeley Student Travel Insurance Coverage
Gump South Pacific Research Station Web Site
Final papers from previous classes
