IB Graduate Seminars - Fall 2006

Name of Seminar Course Control # Instructor/s Time Location Additional Info
Academic Survivorship, IB 305 44224 Robert Dudley, Bob Full, Mimi Koehl F, 12-2 PM 2063 VLSB Course Info [PDF]
Behavioral Development: Coordinating Field and Captive Research, designated as Psychology 290B   Irving Zucker & Stephen Glickman One two-hour meeting per week (time and day to be arranged) TBD

Organizational Meeting: Wednesday, August 30th, noon, in room G-75 Tolman Hall

Emphasis will be on behavioral development in mammals and birds, with a particular focus on the ways in which field and captive studies complement each other. The student responsible for the seminar in any given week will, in consultation with the faculty, select an article for all of us to read in advance. The student will then lead a discussion of the target paper, and present findings reported in an additional paper on the same topic. In lieu of a term paper, each student will submit a one to two page precis and critical evaluation of the target paper, as assigned each week. Professor Kay Holekamp of Michigan State University will participate in this seminar. Professor Holekamp, who has supervised a field study of spotted hyenas in Kenya for nearly 20 years, will be spending a sabbatical semester on the Berkeley campus.
Biology of Amphibians & Reptiles (Herp Group), IB 234 43603 Jim McGuire M, 7-9 PM 3101 VLSB The group meets every other Monday.
Biomechanics, IB 232 43600 Robert Dudley, Bob Full, Mimi Koehl F, 3:30-5 PM 4110 VLSB Students, postdocs, and faculty will discuss their research ideas and plans, ongoing research, and recently completed research in biomechanics. Biology and engineering students with an interest in biomechanics are welcome to participate.
Comparative approaches to morphology, biomechanics and behavior, IB 298, sec 29   Sheila Patek First meeting to take place 3 PM, Thurs, 8/31 to schedule course meeting time during semester 5192 VLSB (note room change) We will examine phylogeny-based approaches to testing hypotheses about organismal diversity, specifically at the level of morphology, biomechanics and behavior. We will combine conceptual discussions with concrete applications of comparative methodology. The seminar will be structured as a series of group discussions. The semester will begin with a brief overview of the fundamental principles of phylogenetic comparative methods and historically important comparative studies. Students will then identify key areas of interest and lead discussions on these topics.
Evolution above the Species Level, IB 268 43615 Kevin Padian W, 3-5 PM 4110 VLSB  
ISOTOPICS: "Isotopes as Tracers of Ecological Change", IB C226 / ESPM C225 43597 Todd Dawson, Stefania Mambelli, & Ronald Amundson M, 2-4 PM 4110 VLSB  
Locomotion Energetics & Biomechanics: Air vs. Water, the Media of Life, IB 222 43591 Robert Dudley & Mimi Koehl Th, 2-3:30 PM 5053 VLSB We will explore the biology and physics of the media in which terrestrial organisms (air) and aquatic organisms (water ) live. We will examine biological issues such as locomotion, heat exchange, diffusion and mass exchange, bioacoustics, and bio-optics in the two different media, as well as living at the interface between air and water.
Paleontology (Fossil Coffee), IB 286 43621 Kevin Padian Tu, 11-12 PM 1101 VLSB  
Primate Biology Group, IB 290, Section 023   Leslea Hlusko Tu, 4-5 PM TBA Meets every other Tuesday. Contact instructor for details or visit: http://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/hlusko/prg.php
Vertebrate Evolution and Paleontology, IB 283 43618 Kevin Padian F, 12-1 PM 1101 VLSB  

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