The goal of this special topics course is to introduce students to specimen-based research in U-M’s biological research museums. The class will take place primarily in the Research Museum Center (RMC) south of campus, which contains over 13 million specimens of insects, vertebrates, mollusks, plants and fungi associated with the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ) and Herbarium (UMH). During the weekly on-campus lecture, the class will discuss research relevant to two major course themes: biological discovery and ecological change. At the RMC, we will examine U-M collections associated with these lines of research, and learn about the curatorial activities of U-M faculty and museum staff. The class will visit the E.S. George Reserve in Livingston County to see linkages between historical field research, museums, and studies of ecological change. Students will work on individual and/or group projects at the RMC.

Course Requirements:

Students will read 1-2 scientific papers each week, attend lectures and labs, and participate in one Saturday field trip to the E.S. George Reserve. The class may also visit the Museums of Paleontology (UMP) and Anthropological Archeology (UMMAA), also located in the RMC. The faculty coordinator will help students come up with individual and/or group projects using museums specimens.