Course Catalog

Instructor: Alexander Braidwood

Credit Hours: 2

This course introduces students to the field of acoustic ecology.  Build a strong understanding of the role sound plays in the environment. Explore a variety of tactics for exploring, documenting, and analyzing soundscapes at various locations surrounding Lakeside Lab.  

Instructor: Paul Weihe

Credit hours: 4

8:00am - 5:00pm, M-F

In this course, students will study the ecological principles of aquatic ecosystems at the population, community, and ecosystem levels. The course is divided into two, 2-week sections which can also be taken independently as stand-alone sections. The first half focuses on the ecology of wetlands and streams with an emphasis on faunal and floral diversity. The second half will focus on limnology: an overview of the biology, chemistry, and physics of lake ecosystems. Students will investigate how physical and chemical environments of aquatic ecosystems affect the distribution and composition of aquatic biota, and vice versa. Lectures will cover the origins and global distribution of lakes. Topics also include biogeochemical nutrient cycling, phytoplankton and zooplankton ecology, and the management of aquatic ecosystems. This includes wetland delineation and regulation.

This course will have a strong field and laboratory component, in which students will learn field techniques and laboratory analyses commonly used by aquatic ecologists. For example, students will learn to sample and identify common plants and animals of streams and wetlands. Instruction includes using organisms as indicators of environmental conditions and understanding how hydrologic and soil conditions influence flora and fauna. Students will also learn methods to measure underwater light climate and lake mixing regimes, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus analytical techniques. Additional topics include phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrate identification and enumeration, and measures of community metabolism in aquatic ecosystems.

Students will further develop skills in statistical analysis, ecological data interpretation, and scientific writing through independent group research projects.

Credit hours: 4

8:00am - 5:00pm, M-F

This course introduces the principles of ecology at the population, community, and ecosystem levels. Field studies of local lakes, wetlands, and prairies are used to examine factors that influence the distribution, interactions, and roles of plants and animals in native ecosystems.

An introduction to the principles of ecology at the organismal, population, community, and ecosystem levels. The course integrates lectures and field studies to examine factors controlling the distribution and abundance of plants and animals in native ecosystems. General topics include climate and microclimates, soil and aquatic environments, and organismal responses to environmental conditions. Additional topics include life history, population growth and regulation, demography, species interactions, community composition and structure, landscape ecology, trophic structure and productivity, and biogeochemical cycles. There is a strong emphasis on field ecology (what do ecologists do?), meaning that students will conduct many field research projects. These require collection, analysis, and the interpretation of data in short reports.

Pre-requisites: Two semesters of introductory biology or consent of the instructor

Academic credit is awarded through the University of Iowa. 

Instructor: Kalina Manoylov

Credit Hours: 2

Online -- June 30 - July 11. On-line with synchronous class work from 11-1 M-F and asynchronous class work on your own. 

This course covers the ecology, morphology, phylogeny, and taxonomy of freshwater algae using field-collected material. Emphasis is placed on genus-level identification, biodiversity, and algal ecology. The course includes habitat visits to lakes, fens, streams, and rivers.

Instructor: David Burge

Credit hours: 2

8:00am - 5:00pm, M-F

This course is an intensive, field-oriented class appropriate for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and post graduate workers in ecology, geology, environmental sciences, and diatom taxonomy. We will immerse ourselves in the diverse aquatic habitats and fossil deposits of the Upper Midwest to observe freshwater diatoms. Students will learn techniques in diatom collection, preparation, and identification. Lectures will cover taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of most freshwater genera. Students will complete individual voucher collections using modern database techniques and produce a written species treatment using guidelines for electronic publication. Students are encouraged to bring research materials. The use of diatoms in ecological and paleoecological research will be discussed.

Instructors: Mark Edlund, St. Croix Watershed Research Station, Science Museum of Minnesota.
Sylvia Lee, United States Environmental Protection Agency. 

Scholarships: Available through Iowa Lakeside Lab including The Charlie Reimer Scholarship, which is awarded to one student annually based on scholastic merit. For more information see the scholarship section of the Lakeside Lab web site (www.iowalakesidelab.org). 

The Hannah T. Croasdale Fellowship is available through the Phycological Society of America (deadline March 1): https://www.psaalgae.org/croasdale-award 

The John C. Kingston Diatom Fellowship was established in 2004 by colleagues, friends and family to honor John's memory and to recognize the contributions he made to the study of diatoms at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. Each summer, an award is made to one advanced student or researcher to serve as teaching assistant for the Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms course and to engage in a research project. The fellowship includes a stipend and room and board at Lakeside and is available to domestic and international students, at the graduate level or advanced undergraduate level. See the Iowa Lakeside Lab webpage (www.iowalakesidelab.org) to apply.  The JC Kingston Fellowship is administered by the Friends of Lakeside Lab.

Pre-requisites: none

This course is offered at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Instructor: Lisa Dill

Credit hours: 3

8:00am - 5:00pm, M-F

Learn the ways scientists can better communicate discoveries and ideas.  Learn the importance of identifying your audience and how you can adapt your writing based upon your understanding of those varying audiences.  

Instructor: John Doershuk

Summer 2025 - This course is available for 1, 2 or 4 credit hours.
1 credit hour course meets June 23 - June 27, 2025
2 credit hours meets June 23 - July 4, 2025
4 credit hours meets June 16 - July 11, 2025 

8:00am - 5:00pm, M-F 

Nature of cultural and environmental evidence in archaeology, how such evidence is used to model past human behavior and land use; emphasis on Iowa prehistory; basic reconnaissance surveying, excavation techniques.

As this is primarily a field course, excavation and mapping notes as well as recording of general observations while digging will be required. Lab processing forms will also be completed by field school participants. No formal tests or writing assignments are required beyond the field notebooks (which will include building an annotated bibliography from pertinent source materials provided by the instructor).

Participants will be introduced to the essential methods of field archaeology including artifact identification, site mapping, excavation techniques, artifact processing, and beginning analytical methods. The field school will include lectures on Iowa archaeology and the culture history of western Iowa. It will also feature day trips to the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, Iowa, and the Dixon Oneota site. Additional visits may include the Blood Run National Historic Landmark, Jeffers Petroglyphs, and Pipestone National Monument.

This course is offered at the undergraduate level. Academic credit is awarded through the University of Iowa. 

Instructor: Drew Howing

Credit Hours: 2 

8:00 am - 5:00 pm M-F

This course introduces students to the concepts and applications of geographic information systems (GIS).  Students will become familiar with using GIS software to visualize, query, create, edit, analyze, and present vector and raster geospatial data.  Additionally, this course will also use global positioning systems (GPS), drones, and phone survey applications to create data and prepare maps.  A field trip to the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) facility near Sioux Falls, South Dakota will be included along with field work.   

Instructor: Brianna Burke and Zoe Fay-Stindt

Credit hours: 3

8:00 am - 5:00 pm M-F

Although this is a literature course, it is grounded in the Environmental Humanities and American Indian Studies and is inherently interdisciplinary. Readings include works by ecologists, botanists, climatologists, Indigenous writers and theorists, fiction writers and poets, playwrights, and a small number of podcasters. While studying and reading, we will embark on a number of projects designed to build familiarity and relationships with Lake Okoboji and the grounds of the Lakeside Lab. These projects involve exploring archives, maps, and collections of fossils, species, and scientific studies to build connections, narratives, and new understandings of how to relate to—and live intermeshed within—place.

Instructor: Drew Howing

Credit hours: 2

8:00 am - 5:00 pm M-F

Practical training in the methods used to monitor and manage wildlife populations. Topics include proper animal handling and permitting, wildlife capture techniques, measuring morphometrics and marking, radio telemetry, camera traps, sampling protocols, research design, and Iowa wildlife identification. Students learn to enter and analyze data using database and GIS tools.

Credit hours: 2

8:00am - 5:00pm, M-F

Examination of ecological and evolutionary theories of animal behavior through field studies of animal coloniality, courtship, territoriality, predator defense, habitat selection, foraging, mating systems, and parental care.

This course is offered at the undergraduate and graduate level. Academic credit is awarded through the University of Iowa.

Credit hours: 2

This field based course is intended as an introduction to design ecology principles for students of all levels interested in design, art, architecture and making. No prior experience is required, and students from all disciplines are encouraged.   In this special Lakeside Lab course, we will: Survey both scientific and creative field research methods that engage with the physical and invisible ecologies of Northwest Iowa’s Great Lakes region. Conduct material studies on local low-carbon, earthen/plant-based and repurposed materials. Be introduced to design tools and concepts like LCA material analysis, cradle to cradle thinking, and multi-species design. Collectively research, design and build an interactive pavilion that enhances the public’s perception of water, soil, geology, flora and fauna on Lakeside’s campus. 

Credit hours: 2

This course introduces Earth systems, processes, and environments through experiential, immersive, and place-based approaches. These methods build confidence with the subject matter and deepen understanding of landforms, landscapes, climate, geology, and geologic time. The course is designed for in-service teachers, pre-service teachers, and informal educators.

Credit hours: 2

8:00am - 5:00pm, M-F

An introduction to environmental geology. 

Essentials of earth science, including astronomy, meteorology, geology, and paleontology; includes laboratory and fieldwork. The 2023 course has a focus on drones and AUV data collection methods.  

This course is offered at the undergraduate level. Academic credit is awarded through the University of Iowa. 

Credit hours: 2

8:00am - 5:00pm, M-F

Lichens are a diverse, abundant, and readily accessible group of organisms that are routinely overlooked. This course will focus on allowing students to appreciate the beauty and diversity of local lichen species, while learning to identify these organisms.

Course Objectives: By the end of the course, students will be able to: 1) recognize and describe the biology and morphology of lichens; 2) use taxonomic keys to identify lichens; and 3) recognize local lichen species in the field.

This course is offered at the undergraduate and graduate level. Academic credit is awarded through the University of Iowa. 

Credit hours: 4

8:00am - 5:00pm, M-F

Biology, ecology, and behavior of birds; emphasis on field studies of local avifauna; group projects with focus on techniques of population analysis and methodology for population studies.

This course is offered at the undergraduate and graduate level. Academic credit is awarded through the University of Iowa. 

Credit hours: 4

This course introduces the principles of classification and evolution of vascular plants. Students learn taxonomic tools, collection techniques, and the use of identification keys. Emphasis is placed on field and laboratory studies to identify local flowering plants and recognize major plant families.