Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Seminar

Instructors: Dr. Matthew Gray (mgray11@utk.edu) and Dr. Sharon Jean-Philippe (jeanphil@utk.edu)

Seminar Assistants: Jessie Birckhead, Emily Hockman, and Daniel Reed

Phone: 974-2740 (MG), 974-2946 (SJP)

Office: 247 Ellington PSB (MG), 281 Ellington PSB (SJP)

Meeting Time and Place: Wed, 12:20 − 1:10 p.m., 160 Plant Biotechnology Building

Course Goal: To provide an opportunity for forestry, wildlife and fisheries graduate students to practice delivering professional presentations and to increase opportunities for graduate students and faculty to interact.

Expected Outcomes: Students will develop skills in constructing and delivering PowerPoint presentations and in answering questions related to their graduate research and natural resource principles, concepts and issues.

Course Credits: 1 credit

Academic Assessment:

Weights of Academic Assessments:

● Presentation 80%

● Attendance 20% (1.82% per seminar, 15 Sept – 24 Nov)

Course grade will be determined using the following scale:

Grade	Final Weighted Percent	Grade	Final Weighted Percent
A	90–100%	B	80–86%
B+	87–89%	C+	77–79%

Full Syllabus

Presentation Grading Sheet

Examples of Contemporary Natural Resource Topics

Presentation Schedule:

Date	Name (MS/PhD; 1^st/2^nd Seminar)	Title
15 September	Dr. Lisa Muller	Expanding our knowledge of deer reproductive biology.
22 September	Dr. Larry Wilson	Pigeon River Recovery Project: 10 Years and Counting
29 September	1. Evan Tanner (MS, 1^st) 2. Anna “Keonhee” Kim (MS, 1^st)	Northern Bobwhite Population Ecology on Reclaimed Mined Land Effect of FACE on wood chemistry—Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment
6 October	1. Stuart Hale (MS, 2^nd) 2.	Forest Certification: Biological Benefits or Just Landowner Costs?
13 October	1. Mega Abang (MS, 2^nd) 2. Aju Sahadevan (MS, 2^nd)	What are the long term effects of the 2007 and summer drought in the Southeast? How does increasing carbon dioxide affect forest productivity?
20 October	Statistical Forum I	A discussion over contemporary statistical topics led by Dr. Arnold Saxton.
27 October	1. Rebecca Stratton (PhD, 2^nd) 2. Tyler Brannon (MS, 1^st)	Influences of climate on plantation loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) growth and development Apical Bud Strength Tests and tree sway movements to Examine Crown Abrasion
3 November	1. Jared Beaver (MS, 1^st) 2. Jessie Birckhead (MS, 1^st)	An evaluation of various population estimators and seasonal forage availability for white-tailed deer in middle Tennessee Assessing Nesting Habitat for Avian Species in an Integrated Forage/Biofuels Management System in the Mid-South
10 November	1. Matthew Goode (MS, 1^st) 2. Misty Huddleston (PhD, 2^nd)	Mark-Recapture of White-Tailed Deer for Abundance Estimation Using DNA Sampling from Scat Clear and Present Danger: Invasive Species Threats to Tennessee Forests
17 November	Statistical Forum II	A discussion over contemporary statistical topics led by Dr. Tim Young.
24 November	1. Beth Aubuchon (MS, 2^nd) 2. Adam Klobucar (MS, 2^nd)	Danger under foot: The spread of Phytophthora ramorum Lurking Peril in the Pine Woods and What We Can Do about Them
7 December	*No Presentations Scheduled*