Systems Thinking and Sustainability
HES 220, 3 credits, Spring
Cross listed with: ANT / GEOS
Instructor(s): Vicken Hillis
Introduces the fundamentals of complexity science and systems thinking. May include dynamics, chaos, emergence, information theory, networks and evolution. Students use modeling exercises to apply course concepts to sustainability and human-environment systems.
Foundations in Human-Environment Systems Science
HES 400/500, 3 credits, Fall
Cross listed with: BIOL 497/597
Instructor(s): Kelly Hopping
Explores transdisciplinary and collaborative approaches in human-environment systems (HES) science to help solve complex environmental problems facing human society, such as global climate change and natural resource management. Provides students with a foundational understanding of the theories, methods, and applications of HES science.
Vertically Integrated Project: MaRS: Mapping and Remote Sensing for Social-Ecological Resilience to Disturbance
VIP 200-049; 400-049; 500-049, 1 or 2 credits, Fall/Spring
Instructor(s): Megan Cattau
Responding to the impacts of disturbances – including wildfire, invasive species, and drought – will require a social-ecological systems approach. Remotely sensed data can serve as a boundary object that crosses disciplinary lines to enable us to understand and predict the social-ecological impacts of and recovery from disturbance. In this VIP, remotely sensed data collected from unoccupied aerial systems (UAS), or drones, and from satellites, along with relevant large-scale social-economic datasets, will be used to map and analyze social-ecological resilience in response to disturbance. We will read and discuss literature and case studies around the impacts of disturbances on social-ecological resilience; work in the open-source spatial software QGIS with some of the commonly-used datasets that represent disturbance, ecological states, and social-economic variables; and build on these theoretical and analytical competencies to work together as a team on a research project. Read more here.
Vertically Integrated Project: Art-Science Integration
VIP 200-049; 400-049; 500-049, 1 or 2 credits, Fall/Spring
Instructor(s): Megan Cattau, Allison Simler-Williamson, Stephanie Galla, and Sarah Dalrymple
Our goal is to integrate scientific and artistic ways of exploring the world. Though typically viewed as separate disciplines, art and science share conceptual foundations. Each field requires scholars to observe patterns in the world and communicate them, suggesting that distinct benefits can emerge from leveraging these fields’ shared features. In the Art-Science Integration VIP, students will bridge the divide between these disciplines by learning artistic techniques (e.g., painting, movement) and participate in research being conducted by faculty, postdoctoral, and graduate-level STEM mentors in order to communicate that research and unite these modes of inquiry. Through the intersection of STEM course material and artistic media, undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty will strengthen science literacy, creative communication, and critical thinking skills. Each semester will focus on a different theme that unites several campus research labs and will culminate in an annual public exhibition, in which students will share their art and BSU science with diverse audiences in our broader community. Read more here.
Vertically Integrated Project: Environmental Sustainability
VIP 200-024; 400-024; 500-024, 1 or 2 credits, Fall/Spring
Instructor(s): Kelly Hopping, Vicken Hillis
Our interdisciplinary team is tackling sustainability challenges across the planet. Students will work with Human-Environment Systems faculty to address these real-world challenges, while simultaneously building skills in mapping, data analysis, and collaboration. Each student will be matched with a project based on individual interests. More details on VIP courses here. More details on VIP courses here.
Introduction to Spatial Data in R
HES 505
Social Network Analysis
HES 597, 3 credits, Fall
Cross listed with: DATA-LA 420 / ANT 597
Instructor(s): Vicken Hillis
Introduces and applies concepts and empirical methods of network analysis in a field-base project. Social networks influence learning, economic behavior, and adoption of new products and organizational innovations.
Selected Topics in HES
HES 580, 1 credit, Fall/Spring
Instructor(s): Jodi Brandt, Vicken Hillis, Kelly Hopping, Matthew Williamson, Megan Cattau
This 1-credit seminar, focused on interdisciplinary science and professional development, introduces students to a range of methodologies, and provides students with networking opportunities with peers and fellow HES scientists.
Rangelands Field Studies
HES 594, 2 credits, FALL Cross-listed with ENVSCI 494; ENVSTD 494; MEM 594
Instructors: Kelly Hopping, Jared Talley
This course applies principles of ecology in rangeland management, including response of rangeland ecosystems to disturbance and management, measurement and monitoring of vegetation and soils, and assessment of wildlife habitat.
Research Approaches for Complex Environmental
Systems
HES 600, 3 credits, Spring
Cross listed with: EEB/BIO/PUBADM/GEOS/ANTHRO
Instructor: Matthew Williamson
Trains students to design interdisciplinary research. Introduces methods employed in human-environment systems science. Includes spatial analysis, social science approaches, and agent-based modeling.
Spatial Analysis for Environmental Research (Landscape Ecology)
HES 610, 3 credits, Spring
Instructor(s): Jodi Brandt
Introduction to the history, theory, quantitative methods, and practical applications of spatial analysis in environmental research, using the discipline of landscape ecology as a foundation. Focuses on the interplay between spatial pattern and process, where it comes from, why it matters, and how it changes through time.
Ecology of Disturbance and Recovery
HES 597, 3 credits, Fall
Cross listed with: BIOL 597
Instructor(s): Megan Cattau
This course focuses on how natural disturbances – including wildfire, drought, invasive species, etc. – play a significant role in shaping the composition, structure, and function of terrestrial ecosystems. Students will evaluate and discuss the concepts of disturbance and disturbance regimes, synergistic effects of multiple disturbances, the human influence on disturbance regimes, and disturbance risks across ecosystems under both current and future conditions. This course will also address post-disturbance recovery processes in the context of ecosystem stability and resilience, including restoration and natural succession.
Introduction to Drone Flying and Workflows
HES 482/582, 3 credits, Fall
Cross listed with: GEOS 598
Instructor(s): Megan Cattau
Introduction to Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) technology. Practice manipulating the equipment with controllers to increase proficiency in flight skills. Gain exposure to how drones are used across various disciplines and industries. Introduces the primary components of the drone-based workflow from start to finish. Overview of defining goals, selecting equipment, safety and regulations, mission planning, fieldwork, data management, data products and analysis, communication, visualization, and innovation.