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Teaching

Whittell offers an experiential learning environment for discovery in the natural world.

Current courses

These are the courses that are active on the forest or at the research station.

Advanced Field Studies

Art 397

This course covers advanced field and archival research in the arts. Students will analyze questions related to the intersection of the humanities and science through immersive travel to art and cultural locations within the U.S. and abroad to produce artistic projects.

A large bear at the Whittell Forest & Wildlife Area.

Dynamics and Management of Wildlife Populations

NRES 488

This course covers estimation of parameters, modeling and inference of wildlife population dynamics in the face of uncertainty, and how to translate that information into management decisions.

Experimental Field Ecology

BIOL 322

This is an intensive summer course at the Whittell Forest & Wildlife Area and the Little Valley Research Station. Students will get an introduction to the area’s natural history and to techniques for field study of plants and animals and complete individual and group projects.

Forest Measurements

NRES 307

This course teaches forest measurement techniques commonly used in forest ecology, management and resource use. Sampling strategies and field interpretations are emphasized, along with statistical analysis and data interpretation.

A student measuring a tree diameter at the Whittell Forest & Wildlife Area.

Internship credits

NRES 416

This is a coordinated work study program under the direction of a faculty advisor. Written progress reports are prepared periodically and at the conclusion of the internship.

Silviculture

NRES 405

This course teaches the theory and methods of controlling establishment, composition, growth and quality of forest stands. It also covers the application of silvicultural practices to important species and forest types of the U.S. and involves mandatory field trips.

Wildlife Ecology and Management

NRES 310

This course covers the application of ecological principles and knowledge of wildlife behavior and population dynamics for effective conservation and management. The course involves mandatory field trips.

Post-fire restoration photo gallery

Through the internship credits course, students had the opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience working in a post-fire environment. The students learned about post-fire landscape restoration, while actively participating in restoration efforts within private lands affected by the Little Valley Fire in 2016.

  • Students observe from a safe distance as a certified arborist rigs a climbing line into a dead tree, so he can begin the process of cutting. The students are not working up in the trees, but are able to work with the material once the tree is down.
  • Students help the certified arborist by pulling a guideline, which is done to ensure that the top section of the tree is felled in the desired direction.
  • A student in the post-fire restoration course uses a chainsaw to buck large sections of a felled tree into smaller rounds to be carried to the trailer for removal. All students operating chainsaws have to wear the appropriate safety equipment and complete a training prior to the fieldwork.
  • Students move slash tree materials from the site and load them into a trailer. This debris will be taken to a University station designated for green waste.