Three FZ Projects are to be completed by each student for the course. A project involves a student choosing a topic area, becoming "expert" in that topic area, and sharing their knowledge with the rest of the class in an oral report. Each of the topic areas will be of the student's own choosing.
Topic Area 1: Identifying Characteristics of One Taxonomic Group of Animals. The entire class will work together to classify animals captured at Wallops Island and arrive at a "Phylogeny." Each student will be asked to choose a taxonomic group that he/she would like to study and share with the class the field characteristics that can be used to separate his/her taxonomic group from the others.
Topic Areas 2 & 3: Field Techniques. During field trips students will have experience using a variety of field techniques and methods. Students will choose two field methods that they wish to work in the field and use these methods during our afternoon field trips. After using the methodologies in the field and researching the techniques, each student will be asked to share the objectives for the methodology, advantages, and disadvantages of his/her chosen methodologies.
For example: While at Wallops Island, someone may take a particular liking to jellyfish and choose to determine the identifying characteristics of these animals for Topic Area 1. Back in Pennsylvania, this same person may then choose to attempt focal observations (behavioral observation of one animal) and mark-recapture of some animal (e.g., lizards, salamanders, minnows, tadpoles, sparrows) as their Topic Areas 2 & 3 respectively.