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The Department of Natural Resources Science offers a variety of courses in the environmental sciences. Students in NRS, with guidance from their major professors, develop programs of study that best meet their unique career objectives. Listed below are the courses offered by the Department of Natural Resources Science, as well as those offered by other departments. NRS 100 Natural Resource Conservation (II, 3) Introduction to man's use and management of natural resources: land, food, forest, wildlife, water, minerals, and air, with a survey of contemporary resource-use problems in environmental pollution. (Lec. 3) Husband (S) NRS 101 Freshman Inquiry into Natural Resources Science (I, 1) Introduction for freshman to the opportunities, careers, research activities, applied outreach, and educational programs of the Department of Natural Resources Science. Weekly interaction with faculty and staff. Explore hands-on modules. (Lecture) S/U credit. Staff NRS 200 Seminar in Natural Resources (I, 1) Review and discussion of research and current topics in natural resources. (Seminar) Pre: 100 and 212. S/U credit. Husband NRS 212 Introduction to Soil Science (I, 3) Physical, biological, and chemical properties of soils and their practical application to environmental science. Introduction to soil genesis, classification, and land-use and conservation issues. (Lec. 3) Amador (N) NRS 286 Analysis and Presentation of Environmental Data (II, 3) The scientific method, summarizing and reporting of numerical data, unique properties of environmental data, method of unit conversion, graphic visualization of environmental data. (Lec. 1, Lab. 2) Pre: 100 and 212, or permission of instructor. Open to natural resources science majors only. August NRS 301 Introduction to Forest Science (I, 3) Development and importance of forestry; forest regions; tree characteristics and identification with emphasis on Northeastern species; forest environment; tree growth and site productivity. (Lec. 2, Lab. 2) Pre: BIO 112. Staff NRS 302 Fundamentals of Forest Management (II, 3) Wood properties, timber harvesting, measurement and utilization of forest products; establishment, tending, and protection of forest stands; silvicultural systems; forest inventory procedures and management plans. (Lec. 2, Lab. 2) Pre: 301. Staff NRS 304 Field Ornithology (I, 3) Identification, field study techniques, habitats, and basic biology of birds. Emphasis on field identification of local species. (Lec. 1, Lab. 4) Pre: BIO 113. Paton NRS 305 Principles of Wildlife Management (I, 3) Introduction to wildlife management. Typical forest and farm game species. Forest and farm habitats analyzed, management principles emphasized. (Lec. 3) Pre: BIO 112, 113, and 262. McWilliams NRS 309 Wildlife Management Techniques Laboratory (I, 2) Application of practical field techniques for quantification and evaluation of wildlife and habitats. Methods of field identification, sampling, and data analysis. (Lab. 4) Pre: 100 and concurrent enrollment in 305, or permission of instructor. McWilliams NRS 312 Methods in Soil and Water Analysis (I, 3) Principles and exercises in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of soil and water data. Sampling and experimental design, chemical analysis techniques, data processing, and spatial analysis. (Lec. 1, Lab. 4) Pre: 212 and CHM 101 or 103 or permission of instructor. In alternate years. Compton NRS 324 Biology of Mammals (I, 3) Classification, distribution, field study techniques, and basic biology of mammals. Emphasis on New England species. (Lec. 2, Lab. 3) Pre: BIO 113. In alternate years. Husband NRS 351 Soil Morphology Practicum (I, 1) Six weeks of practical experience in the description of soil profiles under field conditions. Field trips to observe, describe, and interpret morphological NRS 395 Research Apprenticeship in Natural Resources Science
(I, II, and SS, 1-3) Supervised experience for qualified
undergraduates who assist NRS faculty and graduate students in
departmental research projects. Tasks may include literature
review, research design, installation of sampling plots and
equipment, laboratory analyses, data collection, and data analysis.
(Practicum) Pre: sophomore to senior standing and
permission of instructor. Limited to NRS majors. May be
repeated for a maximum of 6 credits. S/U credit. Staff
NRS 397 Natural Resources Internship (I, II, and SS, 1-6)
Supervised work experience in forestry, wildlife management, soil
science, water resources, environmental education, or related areas
of natural resources management. (Practicum) Pre: 100, 212,
and approval of chairperson. Open only to NRS majors. May
be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits. S/U credit. Staff
NRS 402 Wildlife Biometrics (I, 3) Presentation of statistical design
and analysis of ecological field measurements. Emphasis on
quantitative measurements and data analyses used in wildlife
population research. (Lec. 2, Lab. 3) Pre: BIO 262 and STA 308
or 409 or permission of instructor. In alternate years. Husband
NRS 403 Wildlife Biometrics Field Investigations (I, 1) Independent field study of wildlife populations using modern quantitative measurements and data analyses. Emphasis on experimental design, data collection and recording, statistical analysis, data interpretation, and reporting. (Practicum) Husband
NRS 406 Wetland Wildlife (II, 3) Introduction to management of
wetland wildlife. Emphasis on management techniques used for
major wetland types, waterfowl, furbearers, and nongame wildlife.
(Lec. 2, Lab. 2) Pre: BIO 262 or permission of instructor.
Paton
NRS 407 Nongame and Endangered Species Management (II, 3)
Management programs for nonhunted species, basic conservation
biology, and techniques used for management of endangered
species. (Lec. 3) Pre: 305 or concurrent enrollment in 305. In
alternate years. Staff
NRS 409 Concepts in GIS (I, 3) Discussion of the unique properties of
spatial data, GIS data structures, accessing existing spatial data, and
applications of GIS in the environmental sciences. (Lec. 3) Pre:
BIO 262 or permission of instructor. Not for graduate credit.
August
NRS 410 Fundamentals of GIS (I, 3) Emphasis on using a geographic
information system (GIS) to create a geographically referenced
spatial database, spatial topology, data visualization,
computer-assisted map making, and spatial data query and analysis.
(Lab. 6) Pre: past or simultaneous enrollment in 409 or 509.
August
NRS 412 Soil-Water Chemistry (I, 3) Biogeochemistry of soil-water
interactions. Soil composition, the exchange and sorption of
elements, trace element behavior, redox reactions and control of
these factors on availability and loss. (Lec. 3) Pre: 212 and CHM
124 and 126 or permission of instructor. In alternate years.
Compton
NRS 415 Remote Sensing of the Environment (I, 3) Introduction to fundamentals of air-borne and space-borne remote sensing. Emphasis on remote sensing applications in terrestrial environmental and natural resources studies. (Lec. 2, Lab. 2). Pre: NRS 286 or permission of instructor. Y.Q. Wang
NRS 423 Wetland Ecology (I, 4) Formation, development, and
distinguishing features of inland and coastal wetlands. Topics
include classification, geology, hydrology, soils, plant ecology,
vegetation dynamics. Primary emphasis on wetlands of the glaciated
Northeast. (Lec. 2, Lab. 4) Pre: BIO 262, GEL 103, and
concurrent enrollment in NRS 425 or 525. Golet
NRS 424 Wetlands and Land Use (II, 4) Survey of wetland values,
exploitation, current status, and legal protection. Emphasis on critical
issues including wetland evaluation, impact assessment, mitigation
procedures. Field trips provide examples of wetland use conflicts.
(Lec. 2, Lab. 4) Pre: 423 or permission of instructor. Golet
NRS 425 Wetland Field Investigations (I,1) Independent field study
of a diverse freshwater wetland ecosystem, with emphasis on aerial
photo-interpretation, wetland classification, and in-depth examination
of glacial geology, hydrology, plant ecology, and soils. (Practicum)
Pre: concurrent enrollment in 423. Not for graduate credit.
Golet
NRS 426 Soil Microbiology (II, 3) Occurrence, metabolism and
ecology of soil microorganisms, with emphasis on nutrient cycling,
soil pathogens, transformation of organic and inorganic pollutants,
and soil biotechnology. (Lec 3) Pre: 212 or permission of
instructor. Amador
NRS 440 Ecosystem Processes in Land and Water Management
(II, 3) Processes affecting the flows of energy, water, mass, and
nutrients in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, with emphasis on
linkages between ecosystems and management implications. (Lec.
3) Pre: BIO 262 and NRS 212 and CHM 101 or 103 or
permission of instructor. Compton
NRS 441 Methods in Ecosystem Analysis (II, 2) Measurement of
processes affecting the flow of energy, water, mass, and nutrients in
terrestrial ecosystems of southern New England. Comparison of
ecosystems and assessment of management impacts. (Lab. 4) Pre:
212 and BIO 262 and CHM 101 or 103 or permission of
instructor. Compton
NRS 450 Soil Conservation and Land Use (II, 3) Application of soil
survey interpretation as a tool in soil and water conservation and
land use planning. Implications of soil properties and problems for
land use considered with emphasis on urbanizing situations. (Lec. 3)
Pre: 212 or permission of instructor. Stolt
NRS 451 Soil and Water Conservation Technology (I, 3) Principles
and practices involved in mechanical protection, improvement, and
development of soil and water resources. Design of conservation
features and structures. (Lec. 2, Lab. 3) Pre: MTH 111 or
equivalent. Staff
NRS 460x (or ASP 460x) Ecotoxicology and Coastal Pollution (I, 5) Coastal pollution and the effects of anthropogenic compounds on the aquatic ecosystem. Laboratory includes shipboard sampling techniques and microscale aquatic toxicology testing. Student project required. (Lec. 3, Lab. 6) 10-week course taught only as part of the RI-Bermuda semester. Pre: basic chemistry; junior level standing; permission of the RI-Bermuda course coordinator. Staff
NRS 461 Watershed Hydrology and Management (I, 4) Study of
the processes that govern the hydrology and quality of surface
runoff and groundwater. Emphasis on watershed management and
the impact of land use on water quality. (Lec. 3, Lab. 2) Pre: 212
or permission of instructor. Gold
NRS 471 Soil Morphology and Mapping (I, 3) A detailed study of
the morphological properties of soils and their distribution on the
landscape. Practical experience in describing soil profiles and
preparing soil maps. (Lec. 1, Lab. 4) Pre: 212 or permission of
instructor. Stolt
NRS 475 Plant Nutrition and Soil Fertility (See Plant Sciences)
NRS 491, 492 Special Projects (I, II, and SS, 1-3 each) Special work
to meet the needs of individual students in natural resources.
(Independent Study) Pre: permission of chairperson. Staff
NRS 495 Advanced Natural Resource Apprenticeship (I and II, 1-3) Collaboration with faculty, staff, and graduate students in departmental research, including supervision and mentoring of students enrolled in NRS 395. Emphasis on independent decision-making and leadership of undergraduate research teams. Limited to NRS majors. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits. Not for graduate credit. Staff
NRS 496x (or BIO 495x or MRD 495x) Tropical Marine Biology Research (I, 6) Independent study on a selected topic conducted in Bermuda. Topics may include work in ecology, oceanography, conservation, or other areas represented by faculty mentors. Term paper required. (Lab. 12) 5-week course taught only as part of the RI-Bermuda semester. Pre: basic chemistry; junior level standing; permission of the RI-Bermuda course coordinator. Staff
NRS 497 Natural Resouces Cooperative Internship (I and II, 6-12) Supervised work experience with a governmental agency, nongovernmental organization, or private company in the environmental field. (Practicum) Pre: Senior standing and permission of department. Staff
NRS 498 Teaching Practicum in Natural Resources Science (I
and II, 1-3) Teaching experience for qualified undergraduates
through actual involvement in planning and assisting in NRS
courses. May include supervised participation in a discussion group,
assisting in a laboratory or field course, or tutoring. (Practicum)
Pre: senior standing, previous enrollment in the course to be
taught, and permission of instructor. Limited to NRS majors.
May be repeated for a maximum of 3credits. Not for graduate
credit. S/U only. Staff
NRS 499 Senior Thesis in Natural Resources Science (I and II, 6) In-depth research or outreach effort reviewed by a faculty committee and culminating in a thesis written in scientific journal format. Oral presentation to the committee required. (Independent Study) Pre: GPA of at least 3.25, successful completion of NRS 491 or 492 and permission of department chairperson. Not for graduate credit. Staff
NRS 505 Biology and Management of Migratory Birds (II, 2)
Current programs, problems, and techniques for managing migratory
game and nongame birds. Emphasis on basic biology of the species,
habitat management, and harvest management. (Seminar) Pre:
305 or permission of instructor. In alternate years. Paton
NRS 509 Concepts of GIS and Applications in Environmental
Science (I, 3) Unique properties of spatial data, geographic
information system (GIS) data structures, accessing existing spatial
data, and applications of GIS in the environmental sciences. Uses in
ecology, conservation, soil science, geohydrology, and wildlife
management. (Lec. 3) Pre: BIO 262 or permission of instructor.
August
NRS 510 Soil-Water Relations (II, 3) Water is a crucial factor in the ecology of plants, and the ecosystems which depend upon it (including the agricultural ecosystems managed by humans). This course will explore some of the many ways in which variation in water availability affects ecological and agricultural processes, on both the local and global scale. The fundamental water-use adaptations of plants will be explained, against the evolutionary background of the colonization of the land. The challenges of living in very dry or very wet environments, effects of rising carbon dioxide levels on vegetation, and changes in rainfall distribution under global warming, will be explained. Some of the ways in which plants are affected by and may also affect groundwater, lakes and rivers will also be dealt with. (Lec. 2, Lab. 3) Pre: 212, 461, or permission of instructor. Adams
NRS 516 Advanced Remote Sensing (II, 3) Digital remote sensing in environmental and natural resource studies. Emphasis on satellite remote sensing image rectification, georeferencing, classification, and integration with GIS. (Lec. 2, Lab. 2). Pre: NRS 415 or permission of instructor. Y.Q. Wang
NRS 520 Quantitative Techniques in Natural Resource Research (II, 3) Research design, database management, and analysis and interpretation of natural resource data. Emphasis on hands-on experience of quantitative and computerized techniques commonly used by natural resource scientists. (Lec. 2, Lab. 2) Y. Wang
NRS 522 Advanced GIS Analysis of Environmental Data (II, 3)
Discussion and application of terrain modeling, spatial statistics,
proximity analysis, remote sensing/GIS linkages, and environmental
data integration. Emphasis on ecological data at
watershed/landscape scales. (Lec. 1, Lab. 6) Pre: 410 or
permission of instructor. August
NRS 523 Water Pollution Microbiology. See Microbiology 523.
NRS 525 Wetland Field Investigations (I, 1) Independent field study
of a diverse freshwater wetland ecosystem, with emphasis on aerial
photo-interpretation, wetland classification, and in-depth examination
of glacial geology, hydrology, plant ecology and soils. (Practicum)
Pre: concurrent enrollment in 423. Golet
NRS 526 Microbial Ecology of Soils and Sediments (I, 3)
Occurrence and activity of microorganisms in soils and sediments,
including wetlands. Environmental physiology of microbes; habitat
interactions; methods of study; importance of microbial processes to
ecosystem productivity, pollutant degradation, and atmospheric
chemistry. (Lec. 3) Pre: 212, MIC 211, or permission of
instructor. Amador
NRS 532 Conservation Biology (II, 2) Examination of the different
components of conservation of biological diversity. Topics include
genetics of small populations, minimum viable population sizes,
captive propagation reintroduction ecology, and causes of extinction.
(Lec. 2) Pre: BIO 262. In alternate years. Paton
NRS 533 Landscape Pattern and Change (I, 3) Remote sensing perspective of landscape characterization; landscape dynamics; spatiotemporal land-use and land-cover change; modeling and analysis of landscape by integration of remote sensing, GIS, GPS, and in situ data. (Lec. 2, Lab. 2) Pre: NRS 415 or permission of instructor. Y.Q. Wang
NRS 534 Ecology of Fragmented Landscapes (II, 2) Presentation of
the concepts of landscape ecology with emphasis on populations of
plants and animals in fragmented habitats. Topics discussed include:
habitat corridors, fluxes of energy and species along habitat edges,
shape analysis, and stability of populations in habitat patches. (Lec.2) Pre: BIO 262 or permission of instructor. In alternate
years. August
NRS 538 Physiological Ecology of Wild Terrestrial Vertebrates (II, 3) Relationships between animal physiology and the ecology and dynamics of wild vertebrate populations, including birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. (Lec. 3) Pre: 305 or permission of intructor. McWilliams
NRS 555 Applied Coastal Ecology (I, 2) Resource management
problems in coastal national parks. Topics include air and water
pollution, barrier island erosion, deer overpopulation, Lyme disease,
and ecosystem restoration. Examples of conflicting
land-management mandates and research needs discussed. Optional
field trips. (Lec. 2) Pre: advanced course work or experience in
topical fields or permission of instructor. Offered in
even-numbered years. Johnson
NRS 567 Soil Genesis and Classification (II, 3) Development of soils
as influenced by physical, chemical, biological, and climatic factors.
Processes of soil formation presented relative to soil taxonomy and
geographic distribution. (Lec. 3) Pre: 471 or permission of
instructor. Stolt
NRS 568 Recent Advances in Natural Resources Science (I, 3)
Critical analysis and presentation of technical reports on recent
advances in natural resources science. Topics will vary according to
instructor and background of students. (Lec. 3) Pre: graduate
standing or permission of instructor. Staff
NRS 582 Seminar in Soil Ecology and Biochemistry (II, 1)
Discussion of current topics in special areas of soil ecology and
biochemistry based on primary scientific literature. (Lec. 1) Pre:
senior or graduate standing, 212, and permission of
instructor. Amador
NRS 591, 592 Special Problems (I and II, 1-3 each) Advanced
independent research projects supervised by members of the
research staff and unrelated to thesis research. Projects developed
to meet individual needs. (Independent Study) Pre: permission of
chairperson. Staff
NRS 599 Master's Thesis Research (I and II) Number of credits is
determined each semester in consultation with the major professor
or program committee. (Independent Study) S/U credit.
NRS 600 Graduate Seminar in Natural Resources (II, 1)
Presentation of research reports and discussion of current topics in
natural resources. Critique of research methodology and scientific
literature. (Seminar) Pre: graduate standing in NRS.
Enrollment is required of all graduate students in residence,
but no more than 2 credits may be taken for program credit.
S/U credit. Golet
NRS 699 Doctoral Dissertation Research (I and II) Number of credits is determined each semester in consultation with the major professor or program committee (Independent Study) S/U credit.
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