Teaching

TEACHING

Link to photo gallery from 2007 Costa Rica Field Studies Link to picture gallery from Costa Rica Field Studies 2004 & 2005

COURSES:

Autumn 2008: TESC 120 -- Introductory Biology (Mon/Wed 1:30-3:35pm; Labs Wed 3:45-6:15pm; Fri 1:30-4pm)

TESC 362 -- Introduction to Restoration Ecology (Thursdays 9am-6pm)

I teach courses in the Environmental Science and Environmental Studies curricula, which form part of the Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (IAS) program at UW Tacoma. Courses I regularly teach include:

TESC 100: Introduction to Environmental Science

TESC 236: Plants & People: The Science of Agriculture

TESC 304: Tropical Ecology and Sustainability

TESC 310: Environmental Science Research Seminar

TESC 340: Ecology and Its Applications (w/lab sections)

TESC 362: Introduction to Restoration Ecology (Field course)

TESC 404: Costa Rica Field Studies: Ecology & Community (Field course) (Click here for student research project website for 2007 Costa Rica course)

TESC 440: Environmental Entomology (w/lab sections)

TESC 452: Plants, Insects, and their Interactions (Field course)

For descriptions of these and other Environmental Science course offerings,

check out the IAS Course Catalogue.

A few accolades for Environmental Science:

In 2008, ES Lab Coordinator Lia Wetzstein was awarded the UWT Distinguished Service Award (see photo).
In 2006, Dr. Cheryl Greengrove (currently Interim Director of IAS) was awarded the UWT Distinguished Teaching Award for her work in the IAS Environmental Science program -- see story here for more information!
In 2005, I was awarded the UW Tacoma Distinguished Research Award -- see story here.
In 2004, Environmental Science at UWT was awarded the Brotman Award for Instructional Excellence - see story here.

I also currently serve as Tacoma campus coordinator for the UW Restoration Ecology Network. See our recent article in Science (subscriber restricted) describing this tri-campus program. You can also check out details of the program at: http://depts.washington.edu/uwren/.

Finally, I am the faculty supervisor for the UWT Journal on the Environment, an online peer-reviewed science journal that showcases student research projects, which had its debut in June 2003. The fourth issue is planned for late 2008; you can check out the first three issues here.

Recent research projects with undergraduate students:

Levi Keesecker, UWT undergraduate (2005-2006, Spider diversity in tropical agroecosystems; Levi was awarded a Research Scholarship from the Mary Gates Endowment for Students to continue his work on this research! See UWT News & Events story on Levi.)

Patti Sandvik, UWT undergraduate (2003-2005, Insect biodiversity in and around tropical agroecosystems; Banks, J.E., Sandvik, P.J., & L. Keesecker. 2007. Beetle (Coleoptera) and spider (Araneae) diversity in a mosaic of farmland, edge, and tropical forest habitats in western Costa Rica. The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 82(3): 152-160).

Connie L. Yasenak , UWT undergraduate (Banks, J.E. & C.L. Yasenak. 2003. Effects of plot vegetation diversity and spatial scale on Coccinella septempunctata movement in the absence of prey. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 108: 197-204).

Graduate student supervision:

Nauman Mumtaz, UWT IAS (M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies) (Faculty supervisor, Thesis advisor, 2007- present).

Tanya Roberts, UWT IAS (M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies) (Thesis committee, 2007).

Karen L. Brittain, UWT IAS (M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies) (Thesis advisor, 2002-2006).

Dave Peter, Ph.D. student UWS (Thesis committee, 2002-2006).

Mike Liquori, Ph.D. student UWS (Thesis committee, 2002 - 2006).

Roger Bowman, UWT, IAS (M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies) (Thesis committee, 2002-2003).

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