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Integrative Biology 24, Section 2
Plants of the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden (1 unit, P/NP)
Professor David Ackerly
Wednesday 12:00-2:45, UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, CCN: 43006
The class will meet alternate Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. at the Hearst Mining Circle to take the shuttle bus to the Botanical Garden, and return to the Mining Circle by 2:40 p.m. The first seminar meeting will be on Wednesday, January 20, 2010. Additional meeting dates will be announced before the semester starts.
 The UC Botanical Garden is home to thousands of wild-collected plant species from all over the world. In this seminar, we will spend each class in a different part of the garden and adjoining areas along Strawberry Creek, examining plants from California, the New World deserts, the tropics, and more. Based on our observations, we will pose questions about the diversity of plant form and function: why are some leaves small and others big? Why are desert plants often succulent? How did cactus get their thorns? One class will be devoted to crop plants and a discussion of Michael Pollan's 'Omnivore's Dilemna'. In the final several classes, students will work in small groups to conduct independent mini-projects, and then share the results with the entire group. Our goal is to learn how scientists turn simple observations into hypotheses and research projects, and at the same time to enjoy the great diversity of the Botanical Garden's plant collection. This seminar is intended for students who enjoy being outdoors and are curious to learn more about plant ecology and evolution. The seminar is open to all freshmen; it is also a good introduction for those who are interested in the Integrative Biology major. Enrollment is limited to fifteen freshmen. This seminar is part of the On the Same Page initiative: http://onthesamepage.berkeley.edu and is a Beyond the Classroom Theme seminar.
Professor Ackerly joined the faculty at UC Berkeley in 2005. His research focuses on the ecology and evolution of plant diversity, focusing on the form and function of woody plants. He has worked in temperate and tropical forests of New England, Japan, Brazil and Mexico, and currently focuses his research on the flora of California. Website: http://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/ackerly/index.html
"Its awesome! Professor Ackerly is a professor that cares about students! He is genuinely enthusiastic! They should know that the class is like one learning adventure." - student in spring 2009 seminar
"This is a great course because you get to be outdoors while learning. Professor Ackerly is very knowledgeable and present information in a very interesting way." - student in spring 2009 seminar
"Everyone in my class was extremely friendly and fun to be with. Usually when I think of science classes I imagine competitive, unfriendly environments. But this class was really nice. I love how it was so hands on." - student in Spring 2007 seminar
"Take it. It is very interesting and gratifying." - student in Spring 2007 seminar
"It's a totally fun and educational class. Dr. Ackerly is an awesome guy." - student in Spring 2007 seminar |
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