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UC Davis Evolution and Ecology: Wild Davis

Course Description

EVE 16 Wild Davis, 4 Units

This non-majors course offered to enrolled students attending the University of California, Davis introduces students to the natural history and urban ecology of the Davis township and UC Davis campus through ecological observation, community science and service, and hands-on projects. Activities in the course relate to urban water quality, interactions between native and introduced species, urban landscape management, and the role of urban centers in promoting ecological awareness and stewardship. The citizen science component of the course is participation in the City Nature Challenge, a global bioblitz competition started in California in 2016 and organized through the citizen science platform iNaturalist. 

Dates: April 1 - June 13, 2024

Delivery Mode: In-Person

Lecture: Wednesday(s), 1:10-4:00pm 

Contact: Laci Gerhart-Barley, lgerhart@ucdavis.edu, (530) 752-9814

Registration: This course is for registered students attending UC Davis. Apply online with UC Davis

About the Instructor: Laci Gerhart-Barley, PhD is an LPSOE in the Department of Evolution and Ecology at the University of California, Davis. She grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas and graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. She worked for a year for the Center for Public Partnerships and Research. Laci began her doctoral program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at KU in 2007, completing a PhD with honors in 2013. Following the completion of her PhD, she began a post-doctoral research position at Kansas State University. Laci then spent three years teaching at the University of Hawai’i, West O’ahu and at University of Hawai’i, Manoa.

Organization Description: The Department of Evolution and Ecology (EVE) is a multi-disciplinary and highly collaborative community of faculty, students, post-doctoral researchers and staff who are dedicated to understanding the evolution and ecology of populations, species and communities. Our research programs span all levels of biological organization, ranging from the evolution of genes and genomes, to the diversification of species over time, to the structure, function and biogeography of ecological communities.