Field Program in Ecological Problem Solving
This is an intensive 3-week course that will involve traveling across the ACF River Basin, the watershed of the Apalachicola River, Chattahoochee River, and Flint River, in the Southeastern United States. Each day will be a different, consisting of some combination of field excursions, lectures and discussions. Many of the speakers with whom you will interact will be leaders in the fields of ecology, environmental policy, and sustainability.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to attain a foundational understanding of socio-ecological systems, and articulate ways in which sustainability and resilience are achieved by integrating ecological, economic, and social dimensions of complex problems. This will be accomplished through four objectives:
- Describe foundational principles of social-ecological systems, sustainability, and resilience.
- Engage with stakeholders and apply systems thinking to unpack sustainability challenges.
- Analyze the interdependence of social, economic, and ecological systems.
- Design real-world solutions to resilience and sustainability challenges using problem-solving skills modeled by stakeholders and gained through the cooperative learning experiences.
Program Locations
Students will reside in seven cities distributed throughout the ACF River Basin. Site visits include the Chattahoochee National Forest, Lake Lanier, Atlanta Mayor's Office of Resilience, Southern Environmental Law Center, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Clayton County Constructed Wetlands, Columbus Mayor's Office, Troy University Center for Water Resources Economics, Joseph Farley Nuclear Plant, Lake Seminole, Torreya State Park, Apalachicola Riverkeeper, US Fish and Wildlife, Apalachicola Bay, Jones Center for Ecological Research, ACF Stakeholders Headquarters, Stripling Irrigation Research Park, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, Flint Riverkeeper, Sprewel Bluff State Park, Georgia Tech Global Climate Change Program, Delta Airlines Headquarters
Program Director and Course Leaders
Jasmine Crumsey Forde, Ph.D.
Undergraduate Program Coordinator & Lecturer
Odum School of Ecology
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
jcrumsey@uga.edu
Amanda Rugenski
Odum School of Ecology
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
atrugenski@uga.edu
Academic Program
ECOL 3300: Field Course in Environmental Problem Solving (4 credit hours)
Format: This is an intensive 3-week course that will involve traveling across the ACF River Basin, the watershed of the Apalachicola River, Chattahoochee River, and Flint River, in the Southeastern United States (figure below). The course involves a 3-day teach-in on the UGA Athens campus, two weeks of travel throughout the ACF River Basin, and a 3-day design session that involves a synthesis of sustainability challenges related to water availability and use and peer evaluation proposed strategies for achieving a resilient social-ecological system. Each day will consist of some combination of field excursions, lectures and discussions. Many of the speakers with whom you will interact will be leaders in the fields of ecology, environmental policy, and sustainability. Activities may also take place during evenings and early mornings.
Housing and Meals
Accommodations: Hotels in seven cities + one-night at Torrey State Park. Breakfast and kitchens included in accommodations where possible. Most other meals are the responsibility of the student. Time will be made for grocery shopping in the course schedule.
Program Itinerary
Week 1:
- Introductory lectures on UGA campus: welcome, socio-ecological systems, environmental policy, course project topics discussion, guest lectures, expert and learner group assignments, field lectures, individual field notebook entries, group reflections
- Site visits: Chattahoochee National Forest, Lake Lanier, Atlanta Mayor's Office of Resilience, Southern Environmental Law Center, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
Week 2:
- Guest lectures, field visits, individual field notebook entries, group reflections, group discussions and projects
- Site visits: Clayton County Constructed Wetlands, Columbus Mayor's Office, Troy University Center for Water Resources Economics, Joseph Farley Nuclear Plant, Lake Seminole, Torreya State Park, Apalachicola Riverkeeper, US Fish and Wildlife, Apalachicola Bay, Jones Center for Ecological Research, ACF Stakeholders Headquarters, Stripling Irrigation Research Park, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Week 3:
- Lectures, site visits, individual field notebook entries, group assignment on assessing socio-ecological system resilience and recommendations for moving forward, group presentations, course wrap-up on UGA campus
- Site Visits: Flint Riverkeeper, Sprewel Bluff State Park, Georgia Tech Global Climate Change Program, Delta Airlines Headquarter
Final paper due on the last day of the Maymester by 5pm
