<p>anyone have any experience in Duke's undergraduate Biolgy department, specifically in the ecology concentration if possible? How is it?</p>
<p>I have quite a lot of experience with the ecology offerings at Duke. Duke’s extraordinarily strong program in ecology, combined with its excellent financial aid, was in fact the reason I chose to attend Duke. (My username, like yours, reflects my interest in organismal biology.)</p>
<p>As you probably know, strong ecology programs are surprisingly somewhat uncommon among elite private universities, with Duke, Stanford, Cornell, Princeton, Harvard, and WUStL as the most notable exceptions. Many “ecology and evolution” tracks at other universities are heavy on the latter and light on the former, and some universities don’t really bother teaching ecology at all (e.g. Hopkins and MIT). Most major public universities, especially land grant universities, do a much better job of teaching ecology, zoology, and botany.</p>
<p>Ecology at Duke: an overview</p>
<p>The ecology program at Duke, one of the many tracks within the biology department, was born in the 1990s from merging of the zoology and botany departments at Duke, both of which were ranked in the top 5 at the time. This merging understandably caused quite a bit of upheaval. Many of the professors retired, and several new ecology professors were hired to replace them. Duke has hired numerous other ecologists over the years, some of them in the biology department and others in the Nicholas School of the Environment. Ecology at Duke currently has four major areas of strength:</p>
<p>(1) Marine biology and ecology
(2) Primate ecology
(3) Plant biology, ecology, and systematics
(4) Environmental biology, forestry, and limnology</p>
<p>In addition to those four areas, Duke offers courses in many other areas of ecology, including entomology, herpetology, invertebrate zoology, savanna ecology, animal physiology, mammalogy, etc. </p>
<p>Professors’ research interests include elephant behavior, bird songs and communication, hyena social behavior, manatee foraging behavior, and many other topics. </p>
<p>To address each of the main strengths in detail…</p>
<p>Marine Biology</p>
<p>Marine biology at Duke is primarily based at the [Duke</a> marine lab](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/]Duke”>Duke University Marine Lab | Nicholas School of the Environment) in Beaufort, NC. It attracts about 30 students in the fall and spring semesters and about 80 in the summer. It has a great location, and students even have the opportunity to work with the conservation of wild horses on a nearby island. Beaufort and coastal NC are virtually unique in their marine animal populations because NC is often the boundary for animal ranges; the lab gets both sub-tropical and temperate fauna. The chef has been with the marine lab for ages, and the food is quite tasty. The dorms, library, and research and teaching facilities are very much up to date, both in quality and environmental impact. </p>
<p>All oceanography courses at the marine lab require field research. For example, the Biological Oceanography class culminates in a research cruise where you collect data for your project. The other courses are equally fascinating. Want to study [sea</a> turtle conservation in Puerto Rico](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/courses/biology375a]sea”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/courses/biology375a) or [urban</a> tropical ecology in Singapore](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/courses/biology571a]urban”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/courses/biology571a)? Easily done. For a taste of life at the marine lab, read [this</a> article in Duke Magazine](<a href=“Duke Mag”>Duke Mag).</p>
<p>A few years ago Duke implemented the [Rachel</a> Carson Scholars program](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/undergraduate/scholars]Rachel”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/undergraduate/scholars), named after the marine biologist who spent a lot of her time down at Beaufort and has a reserve named after her there. The program has resulted in the university absolutely bending over backwards in an effort to provide research opportunities and funding to interested students. In addition to faculty mentors and guided research, students are given money to present their research at conferences.</p>
<p>UNC also offers an excellent marine science program, and if you want to take marine biology courses while still at the main Duke campus, it’s very easy to cross-enroll. Marine biology is one of the concentrations within the biology program at Duke, and courses are offered in marine megafauna, marine vertebrate zoology, biological oceanography, sea turtle ecology, invertebrate zoology, and lots more. Duke also offers a certificate in [marine</a> conservation](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/certificate.html]marine”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/certificate.html).</p>
<p>For summer research, the marine lab offers [scholarships[/url</a>] and an [url=<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/undergraduate/reu.html]REU”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/undergraduate/reu.html]REU</a> program](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/summeraid]scholarships[/url”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/summeraid). </p>
<p>Primate Ecology</p>
<p>Although several other universities offer biological anthropology, nearly all focus primarily on hominids. Duke, however, has traditionally placed a lot of emphasis on primate ecology and behavior. Evolutionary (formerly biological) anthropology offers courses in primate anatomy, sexuality, behavior, ecology, etc. </p>
<p>Duke’s [primate</a> center](<a href=“http://lemur.duke.edu/]primate”>http://lemur.duke.edu/) consists of 250 animals, including over 200 lemurs. The center contains several species that are otherwise found only in Madagascar, including the extremely rare aye aye. Duke’s primate center is virtually unique among American universities; while other universities such as Emory and Wisconsin also have primate centers, they are very different in their research aims and focus on primates as tools for medical research. </p>
<p>Primate and hominid paleontology and evolution is also a strength at Duke, and the fossil collection consists of roughly 25,000 fossils. The collection includes rare fossils that Duke scholars have personally excavated, and it has perhaps the world’s best collection of early primate fossils. </p>
<p>Plant Biology</p>
<p>Plant biology is one of the concentrations within the biology major, and courses are offered in plant systematics, field botany, bryophyte biology, plant physiology, etc. </p>
<p>Duke has the 12th largest collection of plant samples in the US in its [herbarium[/url</a>] and the second largest among private universities (Harvard is #1). The herbarium is particularly strong in southeastern plants, but it also has very significant algae and bryophyte collections. </p>
<p>The [url=<a href=“http://biology.duke.edu/research/facilities/phytotron/]phytotron[/url”>http://biology.duke.edu/research/facilities/phytotron/]phytotron[/url</a>] contains multiple greenhouses used for plant research, and the [url=<a href=“http://liveplantcollections.biology.duke.edu/]live”>http://liveplantcollections.biology.duke.edu/]live</a> plant collections](<a href=“http://herbarium.duke.edu/]herbarium[/url”>http://herbarium.duke.edu/) are used in undergraduate courses. </p>
<p>The beautiful 55 acre [Sarah</a> Duke gardens](<a href=“http://www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens/]Sarah”>Duke Gardens | Learning, inspiration and enjoyment) is also a great resource and also a good place to chill and relax. Recently students have started a beekeeping club that raises bees in the gardens. Duke Forest (more on that below) is another invaluable resource.</p>
<p>Environmental biology, forestry, and limnology</p>
<p>Environmental biology at Duke is based in the [Nicholas</a> School of the Environment](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu%5DNicholas”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu). The school is one of the largest and best programs in environmental science in the country, as well as the oldest. Undergraduates have the option of studying three tracks within the school: (1) earth & ocean sciences (geology and oceanography), (2) environmental science, and (3) environmental policy in conjunction with Duke’s excellent Sanford Institute of Public Policy. </p>
<p>Courses in the Nicholas School tend to be very small. Faculty actually outnumber EOS and EVSI majors, which leads to lots of personal attention and research opportunities. Courses include subjects like stream ecology, forestry, environmental chemistry and toxicology, conservation biology, and forest ecosystems. </p>
<p>Duke’s offerings in environmental biology are bolstered by its 7000 acres of forest, the [Duke</a> Forest](<a href=“http://www.dukeforest.duke.edu/]Duke”>http://www.dukeforest.duke.edu/). It is a terrific resource both for classes and fun, and through [Duke</a> Bikes](<a href=“http://parking.duke.edu/alternative_transportation/bicycling/duke_bikes/]Duke”>http://parking.duke.edu/alternative_transportation/bicycling/duke_bikes/) and [Duke</a> Outpost](<a href=“http://recreation.duke.edu/recreation/outdoor-adventures/trips-and-clinics/the-outpost-gear-rentals/]Duke”>http://recreation.duke.edu/recreation/outdoor-adventures/trips-and-clinics/the-outpost-gear-rentals/), students can borrow bikes and camping equipment. </p>
<p>Research Opportunities</p>
<p>In addition to the funding and undergraduate research programs I mentioned above, Duke offers the [Stanback</a> Internships](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/career/stanback]Stanback”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/career/stanback), paid internships available specifically to Duke students in the field of earth/environmental science. I’ve had friends study turtle ecology in Florida, tornado chasing in Oklahoma, and water resources in Tanzania. Every year there are so many internships that most go unfilled. </p>
<p>Duke strongly encourages students to start research their freshman year, and the Dannenberg Award is intended specifically for pre-major students (freshmen and first semester sophomores). This pairs you with a faculty mentor and provides grant money for a research project.</p>
<p>Duke also offers up to $3000 for summer research through the [summer</a> research fellowships](<a href=“http://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/programs/dsrf]summer”>http://undergraduateresearch.duke.edu/programs/dsrf) program, and students can get up to $400 for research and/or travel during a semester for research. Research can count for course credit through independent studies, and senior theses/projects are encouraged.</p>