he Marine Science Consortium offers intensive graduate and undergraduate courses during four 3-week long summer sessions. Courses are field oriented and provide substantial experience in applications within disciplines. Classes are small, averaging 12 students per course, allowing a great deal of student-teacher interaction. Because the Marine Science Consortium draws its faculty from throughout its Membership, professors with expertise in diverse specific subject areas are available to teach at the Marine Science Center. All courses are taught by specialists with direct professional experience in the content areas of the courses. The combination of faculty expertise, a unique geological and biological environment for fieldwork, ready access to specialized equipment, and an opportunity for focused study create an unparalleled learning environment.

To create an intensive learning experience, and to allow the flexibility for substantial fieldwork, students take only a single course during each three weeklong session. No courses may be taken concurrently during a single 3-week session. There are four 3-week long sessions each summer. Students may register for 1, 2, 3, or 4 three-week long courses during a given summer. Session I begins in mid-May and Session IV ends in mid-August. Each course generates 3 semester hours of academic credits. In the courses listed below, stated prerequisites are general and minimal to accommodate differences in programs between participating institutions. Most students participating in courses at the Marine Science Center have a solid foundation in fundamental biology or geology. Students unfamiliar with courses offered at the Marine Science Center should inquire to see if their background prepares them to succeed in a course.

MS-110 Introduction to Oceanography. An introduction to marine sciences with emphasis on physiography of the ocean basins, wave, tides, near-shore processes, the physical and chemical nature of seawater, circulation, and characteristics of marine plant and animal communities. Prerequisites: None.

MS-211 Field Methods in Oceanography. Familiarizes students with the dynamic marine environment and work on board small research vessels, including the use and application of standard oceanographic instruments and sampling devices. Promotes and encourages independent research. Prerequisites: Introduction to Oceanography.

MS-221 Marine Invertebrates. Designed to utilize the marine invertebrate taxa to introduce students the unique specializations that animals have evolved, which allow them to successfully carry out the processes necessary for life and to exploit a wide variety of marine habitats. Major trends in invertebrate evolution will be used to illustrate the historical constraints upon these solutions and the necessity of narrative explanations of form and function in animals. It is assumed that each student has been introduced to the major taxa of animals in a prior introductory zoology course. Taxonomy will be used as a heuristic tool, but will not be stressed as an ends in itself. Prerequisites: One year of introductory biology, including general zoology.

MS-241 Marine Biology. Designed to introduce students to each area of biology as it is applied to the study of marine organisms. Introduces the history of marine biology, marine microbiology, marine botany, marine zoology, marine biogeography, marine physiology, larval biology and embryology, and natural history. Prerequisites: One year of introductory biology.

MS-250 Wetland Ecology. This is a field-based course that introduces students to the biogeochemical, ecological, societal, and regulatory aspects of coastal wetland ecosystems.  Through a combination of field trips, lectures, and "hands on" field investigations, students will learn about the processes that form wetlands and their associated plant and animal communities.  Through readings and discussions students will develop insight into the current issues pertaining to the ecology and management of coastal wetlands in the vicinity of WIMSC as well as globally.

MS-260 Marine Ecology. Interrelationships among animals, plants, and physical and chemical aspects of the environment will be studied, with stress on adaptations for survival, which are unique to the marine environment. Prerequisites: None.

MS-300 Behavior of Marine Organisms. Concepts of ethology; discussion and observation of the influences of external and internal factors on the regulation and control of behavior of organisms living in the marine coastal environment. Prerequisites: General Biology.

MS-331 Chemical Oceanography. A field-based study of ocean, bay, and estuarine chemistry to develop an awareness of the relationships between the chemical environment, the geological environment, and biological productivity. Chemical composition as well as biogeochemical processes and cycles are investigated. Prerequisite: Inorganic chemistry or permission of the instructor.

MS-342 Marine Botany. The taxonomy, physiology, ecology, and economic importance of marine and coastal plants, as exemplified by those found on the Delmarva Peninsula, will be considered.  Laboratory techniques will include collecting, preserving, identifying, and analyzing plants and plant materials, appropriate instrumentation will be used.  Emphasis will be given to both in-the-field studies and laboratory analyses.  Prerequisites: One year of biology or one semester of botany.

MS-343 Marine Ichthyology. A study of the internal and external structure of fishes, their systematic and ecological relationships, and their distribution in time and space. Prerequisites: One year of general biology.

MS-345 Marine Ornithology. Introduces students to the field of Ornithology, including topics on avian evolution, diversity of birds, avian anatomy and physiology, migration and orientation, behavior, ecology and conservation. Students will learn how to identify coastal birds using cues from plumage, behavior, and song. Prerequisites: One year of biology or consent of the instructor.

MS-352  Modeling Applications in the Environmental and Biological Sciences.  An introduction to systems and modeling approaches as techniques for describing the behavior of nonpoint source (NPS) contaminants. Pollutant loading to ground and surface waters and wetlands will be explored. Students will use physically based models routinely used by the U.S. EPA, USDA-ARS, and state environmental agencies.  A case study approach and “What-If Scenarios” will be used to investigate best management practices to minimize environmental degradation.  Emphasis is placed on simulation interpretation. Students will devote approximately 60% total class time to hands-on computer exercises and data collection.  Prerequisites: One year of inorganic chemistry; precalculus; physical geology or introductory soil science, or ecology; and familiarity with Windows 95, 98, or 2000; or permission of the instructor.  Course is suitable for advanced undergraduate students.

MS-362 Marine Geology. Most of the earth is covered by marine sediments or ancient marine sedimentary rocks. This marine sedimentary record is tremendously informative to scientists interpreting diverse aspects of earth history. Organic evolutions, global climate change, sea level change and many other topics of general scientific interest are best understood by studying the marine sedimentary record. In this course, we will examine the marine sedimentary record from a variety of perspectives but will focus on depositional environments, both modern and ancient. Field and laboratory exercises will characterize sediments (e.g. their textural trends, biologic components) and sedimentary structures in the coastal and continental shelf environments, examine long shore sedimentary transport, and interpret sea level changes from core samples taken in coastal environments and from outcroppings of ancient marine sediments. Prerequisites: Introduction to Oceanography and one semester of geology or consent of the instructor.

MS-394 Comparative Physiology of Marine Organisms. This course will provide an introduction to the physiology of marine organisms utilizing a comparative approach. The lecture will introduce the topics of respiration, circulation, metabolism, osmoregulation, thermoregulation, locomotion, and sensory systems by drawing comparisons between the mechanisms and strategies utilized by a wide range of marine organisms. Laboratory and fieldwork will focus on the physiological responses of marine plants and animals to common environmental stresses such as salt load, temperature variation, depletion of dissolved oxygen, and tidal flux. This will be accomplished through measurements and observations in the field, as well as through experimental manipulations in a laboratory setting. Prerequisites: One year of general chemistry, zoology, and marine biology, or permission of the instructor.

MS-431 Ecology of Marine Plankton. A study of the phytoplankton and zooplankton in marine and brackish environments. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons will be made between the planktonic populations of various types of habitats in relation to primary and secondary productivity. Prerequisites: On year of biology.

MS-432 Marine Evolutionary Ecology. The study of the ecological mechanisms underlying evolutionary processes. This course is broad in scope and requires that students synthesize both evolutionary and ecological concepts and theory into an understanding of how organisms adapt to their environment. Marine, estuarine, and maritime organisms will be used as model systems and processes which affect marine populations will be emphasized. Prerequisites: Fundamentals of Genetics, Fundamentals of Ecology, Evolution recommended. Graduate or advanced undergraduate standing.

MS-433 Advanced Methods in Coastal Ecology. An introduction to the wide array of methods of data collection, study designs, and analyses used in ecology.  Emphasis is placed on understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different ecological methods and analyses in the study of coastal environments.  Lecture, fieldwork, and laboratory are integrated, and students gain practical computer experience, by analyzing ecological data from the filed using software that performs analyses introduced in lecture.  Prerequisites: Students must have satisfactorily completed College Algebra or an equivalent course and Ecology or an equivalent course.  An introductory course in statistics is highly recommended.

MS-441 Biology of Molluscs. The Mollusca is the second largest group on animals and perhaps the most diverse in terms of morphological, ecological and behavioral variations. This course offers an evolutionary, functional, and ecologic approach to studying this important group of Organisms. Prerequisites: One year of introductory biology, Invertebrate Zoology recommended.

MS-451 Coastal Environmental Oceanography. This course examines the interaction of biological, chemical, physical, geological and ecological ocean processes as applied to coastal environments.  Emphasis is placed on environmental management issues of the coastal zone. Topics include water quality analysis, barrier island geology and ecology, estuarine pollution, beach defense and biological implications in areas of coastal up welling and coastal fronts.  Specific cases in coastal pollution will be examined from coastal environments around the U.S., including Kepone in the James River, VA, DDT on the Palos Verde Shelf, CA, eutrophication on the North Carolina Coast, The Exxon-Valdez Oil spill and Pfiesteria in coastal waters of NC and VA.  Prerequisites: Introductory Oceanography and Junior standing, or permission o the Instructor.

MS-464 Biological Oceanography. Interdisciplinary study of the interactions between biological communities and the ocean environment as seen by distributions of coastal plankton, fish, and benthic invertebrates. Projects will involve boat trips to sample populations and to quantitatively document environmental variables with state of the art equipment, laboratory and field experiments to determine rate processes, and visits to nearby field and government laboratories. Examples of project topics include transport of plankton at barrier island passes, effect of submarine banks on fish populations, ground truth data for satellite imagery, and other current topics in biological oceanography. Prerequisites: Two semesters of introductory biology. Recommended: Introduction to Oceanography. 

MS-470 Research Diver Methods. Study and practice of aquatic research methods using SCUBA as a tool. Advanced research diving topics include areas such as navigation, search and recovery, underwater photography, survey methods, estimating population parameters, and data acquisition while under water. Specific research techniques will be presented in the context of specific aquatic research projects conducted by students under the direction of the Instructor. Prerequisites. Introductory Zoology and Basic SCUBA Certification (NAUI, PADI, SSI)

MS-471 Scanning Electron Microscopy: Marine Applications. Trains students in the use of a portable scanning electron microscope (PSEMII), including principles of operation and use of the SEM, preparation of geological and biological samples for imaging, size and shape analysis, and elemental and mineralogical analysis with the energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX).  The latter portion of the course is dedicated to the design and execution of independent research projects investigating a problem in marine science using the SEM and/or EDX. Prerequisites. Marine Biology or Oceanography or Marine Geology or Graduate Standing or permission of the instructor. 

MS-490 Marine Aquaculture. This course will include the theory and the practice of raising organisms for food and for the aquarium trade. Techniques of raising economically important organisms from the egg stage to marketable size and their food supplies will be Studied. Prerequisites: One year of introductory biology, advanced undergraduate or graduate standing.

MS-491 Coral Reef Ecology. A study of coral reef structure, formation, types, and the relationships of reef organisms to their environment. Emphasis is given to species diversity, identification, symbioses, and effects of temperature, salinity, light, nutrient concentration, predation, and competition on the abundance and the distribution of coral reef organisms. Prerequisites: One year of biology and SCUBA and/or snorkeling experience. 

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MS-492 Marine Mammals. A study of the distribution, population ecology, behavior, physiology and adaptations of marine mammals. Student projects will entail collecting physiological and behavioral data at field sites and at facilities studying marine mammals. Prerequisites: One year of biology. Vertebrate biology course recommended. 

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MS-493 Behavioral Ecology. Designed to present animal behavior within an ecological and evolutionary context. Presents mathematical and theoretical framework of behavioral ecology. An in-depth exploration of the ways in which the behavior of animals is influenced by the environment, especially with regard to resource distribution. Prerequisites: One year of introductory biology. Upper-level or graduate standing recommended. Facility in using mathematical models is recommended.

Windows to the Ocean.  This is a course in marine biology designed for the non-science major.  Students will be introduced to the major groups of marine organisms, diverse coastal habitats, adaptations and distribution of organisms within marine habitats, and the potential for human impact on marine organisms and the environment.  Current discoveries and “hot topics” within the field of marine biology will also be discussed.  Laboratory work will include hands-on experience with sampling methods and equipment from both shore-based and boat-based platforms, general identification of marine plants and animals, and first-hand observation of different coastal habitats, their residents and unique adaptations.  This course will be taught at the Marine Science Consortium in Wallops Island , VA.   3 s.h. 4 c.h.  Prerequisites:  None.