Meeting Abstract
We piloted a course-based undergraduate research program assessing ecosystem health in a restored stream. Freshwater ecosystems are sensitive to anthropogenic changes and while restoration efforts are noble, measurements of ecosystem function are often superficial rather than integrated. With funding from HeidelbergCement through the Quarry Life initiative, we infused authentic research projects into three upper-level courses: Conservation Biology, Ecology, and Animal Physiology. Our model is flexible to serve as a template for partnerships between industry and small undergraduate institutions to assess effectiveness of habitat restoration. Each course used complementary methods to examine presence, abundance, physiological condition, and activities of animals at restored sites to identify functional indicators of habitat health, contributing to an integrative robust assessment. Students in Conservation Biology deployed camera traps to assess presence, diversity, and behaviors of terrestrial mammals in the ecosystem, while students in Ecology examined plant communities and invertebrate abundance and diversity. Students in Animal Physiology assessed health metrics of fish living in the stream. Each student group developed their own hypotheses, research design, and data analysis under this framework resulting in high-impact outdoor learning. Because small schools are often resource-poor or lack field sites, we see mutualistic benefits in collaboration with green-minded industry partners. We propose that professors anywhere, in differing areas of expertise (e.g., chemistry, microbiology, geology) can integrate research into classes by incorporating small changes that not only increase productivity for industry partners, but also broaden participation in undergraduate research.
