Table 2 Landscape genetics research team curriculum

Summer Session (July–August; Mon–Fri)

Lab and fieldwork safety

Workshop 1: Lab basics (how to micropipette)

Workshop 2: Keeping a lab notebook (guest graduate student)

Workshop 3: Developing an authentic research question (museum hall activity)

Workshop 4: How to read a journal article

Workshop 5: Journal club discussion (guest scientist)

Workshop 6: Morphological measurements (guest scientist)

Workshop 7: How to organize an annotated bibliography

Workshop 8: Background research (writing workshop)

Workshop 9: Measuring biodiversity (e.g., alpha diversity; beta diversity; gamma diversity; Jaccard’s similarity index)

Workshop 10: Analyzing biodiversity using the R Program for Statistical Computing)

Fieldwork with scientists and graduate students (sample collection, water quality testing, urban biodiversity surveys along multiple waterways within and adjacent to New York City)

Fall Session (September–December; Saturdays)

Review of safety protocols

Workshop 11: DNA Extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Workshop 12: Gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing

Workshop 13: Writing an Introduction (guest graduate student)

Workshop 14: Writing the Methods and Materials section

Workshop 15: Bioinformatics

Workshop 16: Statistical analyses

Workshop 17: Writing the Results section (guest graduate student)

Workshop 18: Writing the Discussion section

Workshop 19: Poster design

Workshop 20: Presenting a scientific poster

Ongoing: Lab work with scientists and graduate students; data analysis; bioinformatics; creating figures and tables; writing a research report; preparing for poster symposium