Insects represent one of the most abundant and diverse life forms on Earth, and their environmental importance is displayed across both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Beyond environmental importance, insects shape human society through their impact on our health, the pollination of our food crops, and damage to our commodities and homes. Insect Biology is an introductory entomology course on the biology and ecology of insects, their classification, and their interactions with the environment and human society. This course will provide background on insect diversity and physiology while providing insight into how scientists examine the roles of insects in medicine, agriculture, advances in genetics, and ecology. These topics will provide fundamental biological knowledge needed to make informed decisions about insect-related topics in a global society.

An opportunity in which a student designs and carries out a directed research project under the direction of a faculty member. Directed research may be taken for variable credit and special permission is needed for enrollment. Students enrolling in a directed research course will be required to use the University-wide online directed research contract process in order to enroll. prereq: department consent, instructor consent, no more than 6 credits of directed research counts towards CFANS major requirements.

Biology, ecology, population management of forest/shade tree insects. Emphasizes predisposing factors/integrated management. Lecture/lab.

Comparative study of insect structures/functions from evolutionary perspective. Introduction to physiology of digestion, respiration, other organ systems. prereq: 3005 or instr consent

Insects are the most diverse group of organisms on Earth with almost 1 million described species. Millions more remain to be described, especially in tropical regions of the world. Insects come in a remarkable array of sizes, colors, and shapes. Taxonomists use this morphological complexity as the primary means of identifying insects, but also for inferring evolutionary relationships. In this course, we will learn how to identify insects, explore methods of collection and curation of insects, discuss their evolutionary relationships, see how insects fit in the natural world, and discuss exciting new efforts to inventory, describe, and conserve the remarkable diversity of insects.

Synthetic analysis of the causes of insect diversity and of fluctuations in insect abundance. Focus on abiotic, biotic, and evolutionary mechanisms influencing insect populations and communities.

Techniques for preparing and observing insects for subsequent illustration. Traditional illustration techniques using the drawing tube and ocular grid on the microscope, including pencil sketching and pen and ink line drawing. Other ?traditional? rendering methods will include line and ink, stippling, cross-hatching, color illustration. Major emphasis will be in computer-assisted techniques of scientific illustration using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, including instruction on preparing full body, true-to-life, color illustrations of insects on the computer.

This course covers linear models (regression and ANOVA) and extensions to temporal data and spatial point processes, lattice/areal data, and geostatistics. The course bridges sufficient theory to understand why contending with spatiotemporal dependence is important with enough application to make students confident in their own data analyses.

Biological control is the suppression of pests and weeds using living organisms. It involves fascinating interactions between organisms such as plants and herbivores, and insects and the predators and parasitoids that attack them. These interactions can provide spectacular protection from invasive species but risks to the environment are possible as well so biological control interventions must be undertaken with great care. We will explore these interactions and interventions in depth in this class. The class is online.

Introduction to the classification, ecology, and identification of insects that are dependent on aquatic habitats during portions of their life cycle. The goal of the course is to provide the student with essential technical skills to perform research, using field and laboratory methods, on insect communities in aquatic ecosystems. Students will develop skills to identify insects to family without reference to taxonomic keys as a way to successfully pass the Family-Level Proficiency Certification administered by the Society for Freshwater Sciences. prereq: ENT 1005 or BIOL 1009 or Instructor consent

Selection of current environmental issues affecting our daily lives. Evaluate the scientific and social approaches necessary to resolve environmental issues. Students explore how everything we do affects the environment in different ways.

Harvard biologist E. O. Wilson referred to insects and other invertebrates as the ?little things that run the world?. Insects may be small but are numerous, diverse and present almost everywhere ? as humans we encounter them not matter where we are and what we do! In this course, Honors students and the Instructor will jointly explore influences of insects as pollinators, ?recyclers?, and as invasive species that lead to environmental pollution; adaptations that enable insects to handle diverse environmental conditions including climate change; and impacts on humans of insects on planet earth. The course will include brief interactive lectures, select readings and videos for providing background and context related to a specific topic. Students will then explore each topic by engaging in open conversations, small/large discussions using active learning approaches such as think-pair-share, jigsaw discussion groups, and debates for sharing their perspectives based on individual backgrounds/major/interests.

This course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of protozoan and metazoan parasites, focusing on the biology and epidemiology of parasitic diseases and on the parasite-host association. Parasites are explored in the context of transmission, associated disease, diagnosis and treatment options; and environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic drivers of disease epidemiology. The intent of this course is for students to see science as a tool for understanding the world and solving problems. Importantly, the course is not designed to promote skills to become a practicing parasitologist but rather aims to facilitate broad exposure to infectious disease dynamics to foster more informed global citizens?using parasitic diseases as examples. A key tenet of liberal education is that it does not ignore the sciences, as such topics are explored in a way that intertwines science, history, and politics. Liberal education also teaches students how to speak their mind, how to write, and how to learn. As a result, this course will teach students how to use fundamental biological principles to think critically about challenges facing their society and the world.

What can maggots and beetles collected at a crime scene tell investigators about the body? Often, insect evidence collected at the scene of a crime can help experts make a variety of conclusions, such as time of death and whether or not the body has been moved from the original crime scene. In this seminar, students will explore how insect evidence can be used in various ways in the field of forensic science. This class will discuss the scientific approaches and techniques involved in forensic entomological analysis. Topics will include, but are not limited to, the different insects found in decomposing bodies, how insect development time can be affected by factors like the weather or body placement, and how insect evidence can be useful to both crime scene investigators and medical examiners.

Insects have had an immense yet underappreciated impact on the course of human history and civilization. Through their effects as carriers of disease, insects have decided the outcomes of numerous battles and wars, often causing many more deaths than weapons did. On the other hand, beneficial insects have made important contributions to the development of many industries, in particular related to textiles and agriculture, and they also serve as important sources of food in many cultures. Because of their varied and important roles in human life and well-being, insects feature prominently in sacred texts and have thus influenced spiritual and religious thought through the ages. And from Greek times until the present, insects have contributed greatly to the development of scientific thought. Many of the great naturalists throughout history ? from Aristotle to Darwin to EO Wilson ? have had an inordinate fascination with insects. In the second half of the 20th century and beyond, insects sparked the environmental movement, serve as models for innovating technologies such as robots, and continue to shape our lives in fascinating, challenging and novel ways. In this class we will discuss the major ways in which the fates of humans and insects have been intertwined over the course of human history. Throughout the class we focus on ways that historical inquiry can be used to elucidate entomological questions and, conversely, how entomological knowledge can be brought to bear to solve historical mysteries.

What?s so attractive about human blood? How have human interactions with insects evolved? Insects and ticks transmit viral, bacterial, protozoan and filarial diseases to humans, particularly in tropical countries. Zika, most recently, and also dengue and other mosquito-borne viruses pose an emerging challenge in the southern US as climate change increases the range of important vector species. Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are increasing in the US, and pose challenges in diagnosis and treatment. This course covers contemporary topics in "Medical Entomology" that will provide an overview of arthropod-borne disease and its impacts on global health from the perspective of insect vectors and microbial pathogens. Students will explore historical, contemporary and epidemiologic stories demonstrating exposure and control strategies via lecture, student discussions, laboratory demonstrations, and critical review of current best practices in medical entomology. This course is designed for upper division undergraduate and graduate students in any major or minor.

An opportunity in which a student designs and carries out a directed research project under the direction of a faculty member. Directed research may be taken for variable credit and special permission is needed for enrollment. Students enrolling in a directed research course will be required to use the University-wide online directed research contract process in order to enroll. prereq: department consent, instructor consent, no more than 6 credits of directed research counts towards CFANS major requirements.

Comparative study of insect structures/functions from evolutionary perspective. Introduction to physiology of digestion, respiration, other organ systems. prereq: 3005 or instr consent

Introduction to the classification, ecology, and identification of insects that are dependent on aquatic habitats during portions of their life cycle. The goal of the course is to provide the student with essential technical skills to perform research, using field and laboratory methods, on insect communities in aquatic ecosystems. Students will develop skills to identify insects to family without reference to taxonomic keys as a way to successfully pass the Family-Level Proficiency Certification administered by the Society for Freshwater Sciences. prereq: ENT 1005 or BIOL 1009 or Instructor consent

This course uses fundamental concepts of ecology and evolution to illuminate and solve the challenges in managing insects and microbes in today?s global context of food and fiber production. Students will learn relevant aspects of insect and microbial biology to be able to situate concrete management problems in an appropriate ecological and evolutionary conceptual framework. Students will apply these concepts and discuss ecological and management controversies, such as what can we learn from natural areas to better manage food and fiber production systems. Case studies, readings, and discussion topics will emphasize factors influencing responsible management decisions.

Management of Insect Pests is designed for upper division undergraduates in any major or minor. The course will emphasize principles of insect pest management and draw from examples related to agricultural, horticultural and landscape and urban systems. Conventional (nonorganic) and organic approaches, the use of social media and modern technology, and economic, environmental and social consequences of diverse tactics (chemical, cultural, biological, genetic, etc.) will be covered by the Instructor and, on occasion, by guest lecturers. Student debates on pesticide-pollinator and genetic engineering issues will provide real-world context and insights on complexities of insect pest prevention and management.

An opportunity in which a student designs and carries out a directed research project under the direction of a faculty member. Directed research may be taken for variable credit and special permission is needed for enrollment. Students enrolling in a directed research course will be required to use the University-wide online directed research contract process in order to enroll. prereq: department consent, instructor consent, no more than 6 credits of directed research counts towards CFANS major requirements.

Natural history, identification, and behavior of honey bees and other social insects. Evolution of social behavior, pheromones and communication, organization and division of labor, social parasitism. Lab with honey bee management and maintenance of other social bees for pollination. prereq: Biol 1009 or instr consent

Biology, ecology, population management of forest/shade tree insects. Emphasizes predisposing factors/integrated management. Lecture/lab.

Comparative study of insect structures/functions from evolutionary perspective. Introduction to physiology of digestion, respiration, other organ systems. prereq: 3005 or instr consent

Synthetic analysis of the causes of insect diversity and of fluctuations in insect abundance. Focus on abiotic, biotic, and evolutionary mechanisms influencing insect populations and communities.

This course covers linear models (regression and ANOVA) and extensions to temporal data and spatial point processes, lattice/areal data, and geostatistics. The course bridges sufficient theory to understand why contending with spatiotemporal dependence is important with enough application to make students confident in their own data analyses.

Biological control is the suppression of pests and weeds using living organisms. It involves fascinating interactions between organisms such as plants and herbivores, and insects and the predators and parasitoids that attack them. These interactions can provide spectacular protection from invasive species but risks to the environment are possible as well so biological control interventions must be undertaken with great care. We will explore these interactions and interventions in depth in this class. The class is online.

Harvard biologist E. O. Wilson referred to insects and other invertebrates as the ?little things that run the world?. Insects may be small but are numerous, diverse and present almost everywhere ? as humans we encounter them not matter where we are and what we do! In this course, Honors students and the Instructor will jointly explore influences of insects as pollinators, ?recyclers?, and as invasive species that lead to environmental pollution; adaptations that enable insects to handle diverse environmental conditions including climate change; and impacts on humans of insects on planet earth. The course will include brief interactive lectures, select readings and videos for providing background and context related to a specific topic. Students will then explore each topic by engaging in open conversations, small/large discussions using active learning approaches such as think-pair-share, jigsaw discussion groups, and debates for sharing their perspectives based on individual backgrounds/major/interests.

An opportunity in which a student designs and carries out a directed research project under the direction of a faculty member. Directed research may be taken for variable credit and special permission is needed for enrollment. Students enrolling in a directed research course will be required to use the University-wide online directed research contract process in order to enroll. prereq: department consent, instructor consent, no more than 6 credits of directed research counts towards CFANS major requirements.

Natural history, identification, and behavior of honey bees and other social insects. Evolution of social behavior, pheromones and communication, organization and division of labor, social parasitism. Lab with honey bee management and maintenance of other social bees for pollination. prereq: Biol 1009 or instr consent