Teaching

NRES 480 – Human-Wildlife Interactions

This course is open to undergraduates and graduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The course is a mix of lectures, activities, and lots of discussion, much of which is led by students. Students in this course will be able to:

1. Describe a variety of human wildlife interactions from conflict to coexistence.

2. Discuss the pros and cons of various measures that have been taken to reduce conflicts between humans and wildlife.

3. Describe the ways that attitudes, economics, policies, and culture have affected our relationships with wildlife around the world.

NRES 285 – Owl Migration and Education

This course is co-taught with Mike Ward, avian ecologist. Students conduct research on Northern Saw-whet Owls in central Illinois. Students aid in capture, banding, and attaching radio transmitters to owls. The students also learn about automated radio telemetry and how to analyze large telemetry datasets. Students learn the basic principles of scientific communication and design and host large outreach events (“Owl Nights”) for the public to convey their knowledge on the ecology and conservation of owls. As owls are nocturnal, this course meets in the evenings.