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Environmental Biology
Faculty
MSc Program
PhD Program
Interdepartmental Programs
Courses
Disclaimer
Acting Chair
Gard Otis (1106 Bovey, Ext. 52478)
(E-mail: gotis@evbhort.uoguelph.ca)
Associate Chair
L. Ritter (2114 Bovey, Ext. 52980)
(E-mail: lritter@tox.uoguelph.ca)
Graduate Co-ordinator
Greg J. Boland (3234 Bovey, Ext. 52755)
(E-mail: gboland@uoguelph.ca)
Graduate Secretary
Joy Roberts (1102 Bovey, Ext. 53937)
jroberts@evb.uoguelph.ca
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Graduate Faculty
Gregory J. Boland
BSc, MSc Acadia, PhD Guelph - Professor
Paul H. Goodwin
BS Villanova, MSc Minnesota, PhD California (Davis) - Associate Professor
Andrew M. Gordon
BScF New Brunswick, PhD Alaska - Associate Professor
J. Christopher Hall
BSc, MSc Guelph, PhD Alberta - Professor
Robert Hall
BAgrSc, PhD Melbourne - Professor
Rebecca Hallett
BSc Toronto, MPM, PhD Simon Fraser - Assistant Professor
Thomas Hsiang
BSc, MSc British Columbia, PhD Washington - Associate Professor
Peter G. Kevan
BSc McGill, PhD Alberta - Professor
Hung Lee
BSc British Columbia, PhD McGill - Professor
Steven A. Marshall
BSc (Agr) Guelph, MSc Carleton, PhD Guelph - Professor
Gard W. Otis
BS Duke, PhD Kansas - Associate Professor
Leonard Ritter
BSc, MSc Montreal, PhD Queen's - Professor
Jonathan M. Schmidt
BSc, PhD Toronto - Associate Professor
Cynthia D. Scott-Dupree
BSc Brandon, MPM, PhD Simon Fraser - Associate Professor
Mark K. Sears
BS, PhD California - Professor
Keith R. Solomon
BSc, MSc Rhodes, PhD Illinois - Professor
Gerald R. Stephenson
BS, MS, PhD Michigan State - Professor
Gordon A. Surgeoner
BSc (Agr), MSc Guelph, PhD Michigan State - Professor
John C. Sutton
BSc Nottingham, PhD Wisconsin - Professor
Jack T. Trevors
BSc, MSc Acadia, PhD Waterloo - Professor
The Department of Environmental Biology offers
programs of study leading to MSc and PhD degrees. Graduate studies
in this department are designed to train people to work independently
and imaginatively with a high level of technical skill and scientific
acumen in various areas of environmental biology.
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MSc Program
The MSc program emphasizes two
major areas of specialization: plant protection and environmental
management.
Plant protection includes:
- Entomology, which emphasizes applied aspects of insect pest
management plus systematics, ecology, physiology, and toxicology
- Plant pathology, which includes diseases of agronomic and horticultural
crops, and emphasizes the ecology and genetics of plant pathogens,
the epidemiology of disease, and methods for disease management
such as chemical and biological controls.
- Weed science, which encompasses the study of weed biology and
management, and the modes of action and environmental impact of
herbicides, while emphasizing the underlying biological, physical
and chemical factors involved in plant growth and interactions
among weedy plants, insects, pesticides and other environmental
factors.
Environmental management comprises studies on the impact of
anthropogenic substances and practices on the biological components
of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. It encompasses several substantial
research programs and areas for graduate education including apiculture,
pollination biology, forestry, pesticide chemistry and toxicology,
biological control, environmental microbiology, and aquatic biology.
These areas are distinctive in their interdisciplinary approach to
studying the impact of agricultural and manufacturing practices on
both agricultural and non-agricultural systems.
Admission Requirements
Normally, applicants must hold
a bachelor's degree with high second-class honours standing or better
in a field appropriate to their proposed area of study. Interested
students from other disciplines may also be acceptable, subject to
the decision of the department graduate admissions committee.
Degree Requirements
A candidate for the MSc degree
is expected to have a general knowledge of fundamental aspects of
biology and detailed knowledge of the specialty area. The specialty
area will normally be one of the areas in which the Department of
Environmental Biology is prepared to offer a graduate degree. In addition,
students are encouraged to obtain a knowledge of both theoretical
and applied aspects of their specialty area.
Before the end of the student's first semester,
the advisory committee will meet informally with the student to discuss
the student's background, interests and knowledge in the proposed
research area. The advisory committee will then establish a program
of prescribed courses (at least 1.5 credits of 600 level courses)
and, if required, additional courses. All MSc candidates must complete
a thesis. A statement of the objectives of the thesis research program
should be prepared as early as possible.
A normal MSc program requires six semesters.
Programs involving field work may require seven or eight semesters.
The number of courses per semester should not normally exceed four.
Among these would be courses that are core requirements of the undergraduate
specialty and represent the candidate's deficiencies.
Graduate students must take both the Introductory
Seminar, ENVB*6710, and the Advanced Seminar, ENVB*6720, unless exempted
from taking the Introductory Seminar by the advisory committee.
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PhD Program
The PhD program emphasizes the
same major areas of specialization as the MSc program.
Admission Requirements
Normally applicants should have attained
a master's degree with high second-class honours standing or better
in a field appropriate to their proposed area of study. Under exceptional
circumstances, as noted in the Graduate Calendar, students may be
permitted to transfer from an MSc to a PhD program without completing
the master's degree. Interested students from other disciplines may
also be acceptable subject to the decision of the department graduate
admissions committee.
Degree Requirements
A candidate for the PhD degree is expected
to have a general knowledge of fundamental aspects of biology and
detailed knowledge of the specialty area. The specialty area will
normally be one of the areas in which the Department of Environmental
Biology is prepared to offer a graduate degree. In addition, students
are encouraged to obtain a knowledge of both the theoretical and applied
aspects of their specialty area.
Before the end of the student's first semester
the advisory committee will meet informally with the student to discuss
the student's background, interests and knowledge in the proposed
research area. The advisory committee will then establish a program
of prescribed courses and, if necessary, additional courses.
All PhD candidates must complete a thesis. A
statement of the objectives of the thesis research program should
be prepared as early as possible. A PhD program normally requires
9 to 11 semesters. The number of courses per semester should not normally
exceed four. Graduate students must take the Advanced Seminar, ENVB*6720,
and may be required by their advisory committee to take the Introductory
Seminar, ENVB*6710.
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Interdepartmental Programs
Toxicology MSc/PhD Collaborative Program
The Department of Environmental Biology participates
in the MSc/PhD program in toxicology. Professors C. Hall, Harris,
Ritter, Solomon, and Stephenson are members of the Toxicology Interdepartmental
Group. The faculty members' research and teaching expertise includes
aspects of toxicology; they may serve as advisers for MSc and PhD
students.
Please consult the Toxicology listing for
a detailed description of the MSc/PhD collaborative program.
Courses
| Course/(Credit Value) |
Term |
Course Description |
| Plant Protection Entomology |
ENVB*6340
Colloquium in Insect Systematics (0.25) |
W |
Weekly discussions and seminars dealing with current topics
in systematic entomology. |
ENVB*6370
Physiology of Insects (0.5) |
F |
Students will be assigned a library exercise and will select
a laboratory project in their own area of interest. Emphasis
will be placed on techniques and familiarity with current literature. |
ENVB*6540
Insect Pest Management (0.5) |
W |
The course will examine the various methods of controlling
insects and the development of pest management programs. Students
will prepare research papers and participate in seminars on
the application of control methods to the management of pests
of agriculture, forestry and the urban environment. |
| Plant Pathology |
ENVB*6040
Molecular Basis of Plant-Microbe Interactions (0.5) |
F |
A lecture and seminar course on recent advances in the study
of plant-microbe interactions. Topics included are the biochemical,
physiological and genetic aspects of plant defenses and the
interaction of plants with pathogenic and mutualistic bacteria,
fungi and viruses. |
ENVB*6060
Topics in Phytopathology (0.5) |
W |
Current topics and emerging issues in phytopathology and plant
health will be examined through presentations, discussions and
group projects. Emphasis will be placed on ecology, population
biology and genetics of plant pathogens and other microorganisms,
and their application to current practices in plant health. |
ENVB*6080
Plant Disease Epidemiology and Management (0.5) |
W |
Epidemiology and management of plant diseases caused by fungi,
viruses, and bacteria. (Offered in alternate years.) |
| Weed Science |
ENVB*6180
Physiology and Biochemistry of Herbicides (0.5) |
W |
Chemical and biological fate of herbicides in soil. Physical,
morphological and physiological factors influencing herbicidal
selectivity and modes of action. (Offered in alternate years.) |
Environmental Management
Apiculture/Pollination Biology |
ENVB*6520
Pollination Biology (0.5) |
F |
Pollination biology is discussed from both entomological and
botanical viewpoints, stressing fundamental and applied aspects.
(Offered in the fall semester or by arrangement with the professor.) |
ENVB*6620
Management and Biology of the Honey Bee (0.5) |
F |
An in-depth treatment of advanced topics related to honey
bees, including management techniques such as wintering bees,
queen rearing and instrumental insemination, comb-honey production,
genetics and breeding of honey bees, caste determination, and
social behaviour of honey bees. Discussion sections will focus
on recent research. |
| Microbiology |
ENVB*6190
Environmental Microbial Technology (0.5) |
W |
Current topics in selected areas of environmental microbial
technology. An emphasis will be placed on the physiology and
genetics of microorganisms useful in environmental biotechnology.
The course involves extensive use of current journal articles.
|
| Other |
ENVB*6451
Topics in Environmental Biology (0.25) |
F, W, S |
This course provides graduate students, either individually
or in groups, with the opportunity to pursue topics in the major
areas of departmental specialization: plant protection and environmental
management. This course may be offered in any of lecture, reading/seminar,
or individual project formats. |
ENVB*6452
Topics in Environmental Biology (0.5) |
F, W, S |
See ENVB*6451 above. |
ENVB*6530
Ecotoxicological-Risk Characterization (0.5) |
W |
A biologically based, advanced course that will give students
working knowledge of current procedures and techniques for ecotoxicological-risk
characterization. The course material will cover the following
topics: problem definition, dose-response characterization,
exposure characterization, and risk assessment and risk-management
decision making. Also offered as TOX*6530. |
ENVB*6550
Bioactivity and Metabolism of Pesticides (0.5) |
W |
The basis of pesticide bioactivity will be examined, with
emphasis on mode of action, structure-activity relationships
and analytical methods. Students will participate in seminars
and prepare a research paper and/or conduct a laboratory research
project in consultation with the instructor(s). |
ENVB*6560
Forest Ecosystem Dynamics (0.5) |
F |
An exploration of energy flow and distribution in forest ecosystems.
Both components will be examined in the context of biomass and
productivity, perturbations and resilience. Some aspects of
modelling will be covered. |
ENVB*6570
Pesticide Toxicology Colloquium (0.25) |
F |
A literature review and open discussion course designed to
critically analyze issues of pesticide toxicology and their
relevance to human health and the environment. |
ENVB*6710
Introductory Seminar (0.25) |
F |
Graduate students will be provided with information and training
in seminar presentation styles, abstract and precis preparation,
and computer generation of both slides and posters. Students
must present a seminar and poster presentation on a topic of
their choice, as well as participate in the presentations of
colleagues and selected faculty. |
ENVB*6720
Advanced Seminar (0.25) |
W |
Graduate students will prepare either an oral or a poster
presentation on their thesis research. They will also be responsible
for participating in the organization of a departmental graduate
student symposium during which their presentations will be given
and evaluated. Students must also attend weekly departmental
seminars and prepare 5 precis for evaluation. |
The Office of Graduate Studies has attempted to ensure
the accuracy of this on-line Graduate Calendar. However,
the publication of information in this document does not bind the
university to the provision of courses, programs, schedules of studies,
fees, or facilities as listed herein. Other
limitations apply.
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