LRES 510-002: Biodiversity Survey and Modeling Methods

Bozeman, MT campus/Online/in field

Dates:

This course will begin one week prior to the fall semester, on campus.        

During this week, it will run TUES-FRI, Aug 18-21, 2026

@8:00 AM-5:00 PM in LJH 346 and the field, and           

SAT-SUN Aug 22-23, 2026 @8:00 AM-5:00PM in the field;     

This is an 8-week course, and the rest of the class is taught online, ending October 16, 2026.    

Credit: 3 graduate 

Instructor: Lisa Rew, lrew@montana.edu

Please contact instructor before registering/making travel arrangements.

Course Description

Careers and graduate studies in land resources and conservation management require knowledge of how to design and execute research projects and analyze temporal and spatial biodiversity data. This course will provide students with the theoretical and practical skills associated with surveying and monitoring designs, sampling methods, and data analysis techniques to answer research questions about biodiversity. The course will concentrate on applying and evaluating these methods using plants but students will also gain experience with other taxa. The course will focus on applying these concepts and methods to three systems: agroecosystems, rehabilitation/restoration, and wildlands. Using the methods, materials, and analytical techniques introduced in the course, students will design and conduct their own research project, analyze the data they collect, and write a final research report.

Meeting Place and Times

One week of fieldwork required prior to semester; remainder of course is online. 
The course will be completed mid-October.

Instructor(s)

Lisa Rew, PhD

Time Commitment:

Tuition and Fees

See the Online Tuition, Fees and Financial Aid page.

If you are also taking a face-to-face course, please refer to the MSU Fee Schedules.