Biological Station

Campus Address

(Aug. 16 — June 17)

Douglas Lake Address

(June 18 — Aug. 15)

2541 Chemistry Building
930 North University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048
(734) 763-4461 (phone)
(734) 647-1952 (fax)

9008 Biological Road
Pellston, MI 49769
(231) 539-8408 (phone)
(231) 539-8785 (fax)

www.lsa.umich.edu/umbs

e-mail:   umbs@umich.edu

Professor Philip Myers (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), Director

Karie Slavik, Associate Director

 

The UM Biological Station Coursework and Community

The University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS), founded in 1909, is the world’s largest inland field station for education and research in biological science. Surrounded by coniferous and deciduous forests, the Biological Station occupies a 10,000-acre tract between Burt and Douglas Lakes in lower Northern Michigan. It is an ideal setting for studying topics related to the natural environment.

The UMBS curriculum focuses on ecology, systematics, field biology, and environmental studies, and courses are taught during Spring and Summer half terms. Two courses of college biology are typically required for admission to UMBS courses, all of which are either upper level or graduate level. The station serves as a tight-knit community, where students, faculty, and researchers interact on a daily basis in classrooms, laboratories, at meal tables, and at various recreational activities. Many past participants call their time living and studying at the Biological Station a truly magical and life-changing experience.

Formal coursework is offered in both a four-week spring term and an eight-week summer term. Classes are taught by the Station’s dedicated faculty, who concurrently carry out their own research projects. Enrolled students typically earn five semester credits in the spring and 10 credits in the summer, taking courses in all aspects of field biology such as limnology, entomology, parasitology, mammalogy, general ecology, evolution, ornithology, phycology, ichthyology, and aquatic sciences. Field work is supported by modern equipment, vehicles, boats, laboratories, and a library. There are typically about 150 students per season in these courses.

Be sure to request the most recent copy of the UMBS Bulletin for a complete list of courses. Meanwhile, please see below for an example of some of the courses typically offered at the station.

SPRING:

ANTHRARC 487 Field Training Course in Archaeology;

BIOLOGY 104 or RCNSCI 104 Introduction to Natural Sciences;

EEB 381 General Ecology;

EEB 455 Ethnobotany;

SUMMER:

BIOLOGY 482 Limnology: Freshwater Ecology

EEB 320 or ENVIRON 311 Rivers, Lakes, & Wetlands;

EEB 330 Biology of Birds;

EEB 348 or ENVIRON 348 Forest Ecosystems;

EEB 381 General Ecology;

EEB 390 Natural History & Evolution;

EEB 400 Advanced Research in Biology;

EEB 442 Biology of Insects

EEB 486 Biology and Ecology of Fishes

EEB 492 Behavioral Ecology

EEB 556 Field Botany of Northern Michigan;

EEB 700 Advanced Studies in Biology;

ENGLISH 317 & 328 or ENVIRON 377 & 300 Environmental Writing & Great Lakes Literature;

 

 

Research Programs for Students

In addition to regular courses, the Biological Station offers a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program and a Biosphere-Atmosphere Researching and Training (BART) program.

The REU program is an intensive eight-week program designed to provide hands-on experience and training in field biology and atmospheric science with all phases of research, including hypotheses formulation, data gathering, analysis, interpretation, and communication of scientific studies. Students receive a stipend.

BART is a Ph.D. training program funded by the National Science Foundation. The BART program features a broad range of projects related to biosphere-atmosphere interaction. Participants conduct interdisciplinary research and participate in a series of workshops, retreats, and seminars. Participants receive a two-year fellowship that includes a $30,000 annual stipend.

Specialized Research Facilities

Specialized research facilities include a greenhouse and elevated carbon dioxide facility (open top chamber arrays for studying the responses of multiple trophic levels of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to elevated atmospheric CO2), a soil biotron (a building built into the soil with 34 windows on the soil profile), an artificial stream facility on the East Branch of the Maple River (water can be pumped out of the river to a concrete pad and distributed into small artificial streams in many ways), and stations for precipitation chemistry (NADP), ultraviolet monitoring (USDA UV-B), and mercury deposition.

A 31m tower was constructed in 1996 to study the atmospheric chemical and meteorological processes linked to tropospheric ozone and oxidant formation. Similarly in 1998 a 50m eddy flux tower was completed to study the movement of carbon dioxide and water in a forested ecosystem with continuous measurements of CO2 and many environmental parameters. Specimen collections are available to researchers and are especially extensive in birds, fishes, insects, invertebrates and parasites, vascular plants, mosses and lichens.

Scholarships & Financial Assistance

The UM Biological Station offers a wide range of scholarships and tuition support options to help qualified students who may need financial assistance. These include both merit-based and needs-based awards.

We are committed to helping to make sure that young scientists wanting to study at the station have an opportunity to do so. Please visit the UMBS website to learn about financial support options, or call the office at (734) 763-4461.