Marine and Coastal Ecological Research Methods

BIOL 306 Supervised research on the adaptations and interactions of organisms of the beaches, salt marshes, sand dunes, and embayments of Nantucket. In the first week students will participate in directed field surveys and experiments to become familiar with the marine and coastal environments and some common techniques used to research them. In the second week students will design and execute experiments to test hypotheses based on observations from one of the projects from the previous week. A bed in our Bunkhouse housing is included in the course fee. The Bunkhouse has two bathrooms and two bedrooms of bunkbeds, shared full kitchen, dining room, and conference/lounge space. Periodic transportation is provided, for grocery shopping or other necessities. Students are responsible for their own meals. This is a two week course and runs during summer session II, from August 2, 2026 to August 15, 2026. Please note: these fees do not cover meals, books, insurance, or travel to and from Nantucket Island. Instructor: Elizabeth Boyle, School for the Environment, UMass Boston. Course Fees & Expenses: Tuition Rate x 3 credits plus a course fee of $804. Tuition rates/credit: MA residents $659/credit, New England Regional $1,153/credit, Non-Resident $1,1609/credit. Travel and food are not included. Scholarships & Fellowships: https://www.umb.edu/nantucket/courses/battle-family-scholarships/

Electronic application submission is available at https://www.umb.edu/nantucket/courses/ Applicants will be contacted to confer with and then registered.