Graduate Seminar
ESSM 681
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PREREQUISITES
The course is designed to engage students with current research topics and accomplished professionals in Ecosystem Science and Management through participation in weekly seminars. Seminars provide students with opportunities for scholarly discussions with invited speakers and faculty and students in ESSM and related departments. Students will gain insights into the function of an academic seminar series by contributing to implementation and planning the seminar for next semester. Prerequisites: Graduate level classification
CONTACT INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. David Briske
Telephone: 979-845-5581
Email: dbriske@tamu.edu
Office hours: by appointment
Office location: WFES 326
Co-Chairs of Seminar: essm.seminar@gmail.com
INSTRUCTOR
Dr. David D. Briske
Ecosystem Science & Management Dept.
Room 328
Animal Industries Building
Telephone: 845-7331
Email: dbriske@tamu.edu
Textbook and/or Resource Material
Students are expected to become familiar with each speaker’s research and engage speakers with relevant questions and discussions during seminars and associated social gatherings.
Attendance and Make-up Policies
Attendance at all seminars is required and students must sign in at each seminar to verify their attendance. If you have to miss a seminar, contact us beforehand. Texas A&M University student rules addressing attendance can be found at http://student-rules.tamu.edu/rule07.
Course Topics and Schedule
Exploring Ecosystem Resilience
Resilience represents the capacity of ecosystems to undergo change in response to external drivers or internal disturbances while still retaining integrity and function. Understanding resilience is critical for natural resource management and conservation in a rapidly changing world. Questions abound regarding the amount of change ecosystems can withstand before transitioning to alternative states, the characteristics of such states, and the ecological processes that confer system resilience. This seminar series explores resilience both as an ecosystem property and as a management framework.
Grading
This course is graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory scale. To receive a Satisfactory grade, you must complete all of the requirements. If you know you will miss a seminar or will not be able to complete a requirement, contact us beforehand. In case of an emergency, please let us know at your earliest convenience. Make-up opportunities are available on a case-by-case basis.
Course Requirements
- Attend all seminars
Students are expected to attend all seminar talks.
- Assist with the set-up/clean-up for at least 2 seminars
Working in groups of at least 2, you will be responsible for setting up and cleaning up for the selected seminar. Students will sign up for this task at the beginning of the semester. This requires that students arrive no later than 3:15 to the ESSM breakroom on the third floor of HFSB to begin preparing coffee, drinks, and snacks. The food and drinks should be available in the seminar room (HFSB 104) no later than 3:40. Clean up involves picking up trash in the seminar room, returning the cart and other items used to transport food and drinks, and storing any leftover food in the breakroom.
- Attend a minimum of 4 lunches with invited speakers*
During the weeks we have out of town speakers, there will be a graduate student lunch from 12-1pm in HFSB 303. You must sign up to attend beforehand. This will provide another opportunity, specifically for graduate students, to interact with visiting speakers in their field.
- Attend a minimum of 2 social gatherings held after seminar*
A social gathering will be held after each seminar at the Blackwater Draw Brewing Co. at 303 Boyett Street beginning around 5:30pm. These socials are intended to promote informal intellectual dialogue between our visiting scholars and the ESSM academic community.
- Submit a minimum of 1 written seminar response
Students are responsible for writing a 1-page response to one seminar of your choice. You will sign up for a specific speaker at the beginning of the semester. Your response must be emailed to essm.seminar@gmail.com by 1pm on Friday following your speaker’s seminar presentation.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, currently located in the Disability Services building at the Student Services at White Creek complex on west campus or call 979-845-1637. For additional information, visit http://disability.tamu.edu.
Academic Integrity
For additional information please visit: http://aggiehonor.tamu.edu
“An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.”