Research Opportunities in the OEB Department

Students interested in furthering their field research experiences though course work should look into the various OEB classes that offer local and international field trips.There are also opportunities for summer research opportunities in OEB faculty's laboratories (email Chris for more information).

Local Field Trips

• OEB 10 -- Foundations of Biological Diversity
  An integrated approach to the diversity of life, emphasizing how chemical, physical, genetic, ecological and geologic processes contribute to the origin and maintenance of biological diversity. Topics to be covered include the evolution of metabolic pathways, multicellularity and structural complexity; causes and consequences of differences in diversity over space and time; the role of species interactions (including symbioses) as an evolutionary force; and the evolution of humans and their impact on the environment. Includes field trips to the Boston Harbor Islands and Harvard Forest.

• OEB 52 -- Biology of Plants
  Introduction to the structure, diversity, and physiology of plants with an emphasis on evolutionary relationships and adaptations to life on land. Topics include growth, resource acquisition, interactions with other organisms (i.e., fungi, bacteria, insects), reproduction, and survival in extreme environments. Laboratory sessions provide an overview of plant and diversity and an introduction to basic physiological processes.

• OEB 54 -- Biology of Fungi
  This intensive course explores the fascinating diversity of the kingdom fungi, including evolution, ecology and morphology. All the major groups of fungi from smuts to molds will be included. Students will use a variety of techniques to learn about fungi and their activities. There is a weekly laboratory and at least one weekend field trip and several afternoon field trips.

• OEB 55 -- Ecology: Populations, Communities, and Ecosystems
  Relationships of organisms to their environment at the individual, population, and community level. Topics in pure and applied ecology including adaptations to physical environment, competition, concept of the niche, population dynamics, predator-prey interactions, herbivore effects, community ecology, ecosystem structure, stability and function, and resource management.
  

• OEB 118 -- Biological Oceanography
  The ocean as an ecological system. Emphasis on the ecology and physiology of the plankton. Considerable attention to processes and events that demonstrate the complexity of environmental-organismal interactions. Discussion sessions treat special topics such as sampling strategies, plankton demonstrations, and critical analyses of current literature.

• OEB 234 -- Topics in Marine Biology
  Reproduction and dispersal of marine organisms. Human impacts on marine community structure.

International Field Trips

• OEB 51 -- Biology and Evolution of Invertebrate Animals
  ntroduction to invertebrate diversity, emphasizing the anatomy, biology and evolutionary relationships of the main animal phyla including sponges, mollusks, annelids and arthropods among others. Special emphasis is placed on understanding the broad diversity of animal forms and their adaptations to different ecosystems and how these phenomena shape animal evolution. Lectures will be complemented with a mandatory weekly lab and a field trip to different areas of outstanding marine diversity in the Caribbean. Past trips have been to Lee Stocking Island in the Bahamas and Bocas del Torro, Panama.

• OEB 103 -- Plant Systematics and Evolution
  An introduction to the diversity and evolution of vascular plants. The course focuses mainly on flowering plants because of their dominant role on the earth, but lycophytes, ferns, and gymnosperms are studied as well. A phylogeny of vascular plants provides the framework for their evolution and diversification. Related subjects, including plant habitats, biogeography, phylogenetics, herbaria, nomenclature, and pollination biology are also presented in lecture and laboratory. An optional trip to the Brazilian state of Bahia to study plants in their native setting is currently in the works!
  
  
• OEB 156r -- Tropical Insect Systematics
  A lab course on the systematics and diagnosis of the 200 principal families across 26 orders of insects, including acquisition of the skills to perform rapid onsite insect biodiversity assessment and documentation in the field. Learning to identify insects to the family level using microscopes and a teaching collection. Includes a spring break fieldtrip to the Dominican Republic, during which student teams will collect and process insect specimens for database entry onsite, including digital imaging.
  
• OEB 190 -- Biology and Diversity of Birds
  An introduction to the biology of birds. Covers the fossil record and theories for avian origins, physiology and anatomy, higher-level systematics and field characters of the ~27 orders, speciation processes, nesting and courtship behavior, vocalizations, mating systems and sexual selection, cooperative breeding, demography and conservation. Optional field trip to the Neotropics during spring break. Laboratories will consist of gross anatomy, bird watching excursions in the Cambridge area, field techniques and specimen preparation, and systematic study of avian groups using the collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology.

All biology department courses are listed in the Course Catalog