Featured Courses

Pre-Session 2024

Barta Brothers Burn
Burn Training

NRES299-PP1 – Wildland Firefighter Training

1 credit hour

When: January 8-12, 2024

Time: 8:00 am- 4:00 pm

Where: Hardin Hall

Course Description

Do you want a summer job or career with local, state or federal natural resource agencies?

Will you use prescribed burning for habitat and conservation management?

The Nebraska Forest Service is offering basic RedCard certification during the Spring 2024 Pre-session. The class is open to students and other UNL personnel needing Red Card certification.

UNL staff, recent graduates and graduate students should contact Dave Wedin about seat availability (registration for NRES299 not required).

What’s a "Red Card"? The Red Card is part of the fire qualifications system (NWCG) used by all federal wildland fire management agencies, as well as many state and private agencies. All firefighters assigned to a fire being managed by a federal agency, such as the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, or US Fish & Wildlife are required to have a Red Card. The Red Card functions similar to a drivers' license, showing the holder of the card has completed all the course work and training required to hold a particular position. This basic course, together with the "pack"fitness test, will get you into the Red Card system. (Covers S-190, S-130, L-180).

More information

Instructor

Swimming with rays

Marine Ecology in the Bahamas

1-3 credit hours

When: January 11-18, 2024

Course Description

Explore tropical marine ecosystems and gain hands-on field experience at the Bimini Biological Field Station in South Bimini, the Bahamas.

Sign up for more information

Instructor

drone and robot

NRES 498/898 Computer Vision and Machine Learning with Real-Life Case Studies: Matlab & Python Programming with Ultimate ChatGPT Guide

3 credit hours

When: January 2-20, 2024

Time: Wednesday 9.30 - 11.30 am and Friday 9.30 - 11.30 am (online); Two 1 hour bonus lectures on Tuesdays

Course Description

CV and AI Techniques: From Beginner to Pro Apply in your own projects in any discipline!!

  • CV techniques with hands-on practices in Matlab to analyze RGB,hyperspectral,fluorescent images.
  • A detailed guide on implementing various segmentation techniques.
  • Familiarity with iPantSeg+ tool: an interactive GUI-based segmentation tool to segment images and compute shape based properties.
  • Introduction to supervised and unsupervised machine learning in Python.
  • AI techniques to characterize stresses and detection of important events in a plant’s life.
  • 3D model reconstruction of plants for trait extraction and sustainable agriculture.
  • Introduction to data visualization and statistical analysis tools: Tableau and Gretl.
  • Deep learning for growing object detection and counting.
  • Academic writing using Latex software tool.
  • Introducing AI tools: Midjourney and Tome.
  • Building a custom chatbot according to the students’ needs.

Prerequistites: Beginner friendly, no background knowledge required

Instructor

Rangeland Horizon

NRES 398R - Research Experiences in Grasslands

Cross Listing: GRAS/PLAS 398R

1 credit hour

When: Pre-Session 2024

Format: Online

Course Description

Develop research skills for amazing ecosystems

  • Ideal for those with interests in grassland ecology, rangeland management, or any science degree
  • Satisfies UNL’s experiential learning and SNR’s career experience requirement
  • Learn to apply the scientific method
  • Get training in soft skills
  • Prepare to lead your own research

Prerequistites: None

Instructor

Spring 2024

Animals in Landfill
traffic jam
glass of water
heron in polluted water

NRES 330 - Environmental Health

Cross Listing: NUTR 330

3 credit hour

Satisfies ACE 8

When: M, W ,F >> 10:00 - 10:50 am

Where: 163 North Hardin Hall

Course Description

This course will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of environmental exposures to physical, chemical and biological hazards influence human health.

We aim to instill a permanent awareness of environmental influences on health.

This course will engage students interested in public health to environmental health and students of the natural environment to the public health aspects of environmental issues.

Using a One Health approach, the course will offer students basic knowledge in the core concepts of toxicology, exposure and risk, vulnerable populations and the interrelationship between human health and ecosystem health.

Instructor

Rangeland Horizon
Cranes at Sunset

NRES 440/840 - Great Plains Ecosystems

Cross Listing: PLAS/RNGE 440 & AGRO 840-700

3 credit hour

When: T/R 9:30 - 10:45 am

Where: Keim Hall 264

Format: in person (AGRO 840-700:online)

Course Description

The ecological past, present, and future of the heart of North America

  • Recognize the importance of landscapes
  • Discuss challenges and opportunities
  • Practice systems thinking
  • Discover your role

Prerequistites: None

Instructor

Earth from Space

NRES 443/843 - Global Change and Ecosystems

Exploring our Mysterious Planet

3 credit hour

When: T/R 11:00 am - 12:15 pm

Where: Hardin Hall

Course Description

  • Can you describe the Earth system processes that support life?
  • How are they changing due to human activity?
  • What are the implications for life as we know it?
  • What can we do about it?

Instructor

Spring Break 2024

Sandhills Cranes
Students in Blink
Sandhill Cranes
Students in Bus Blind
Prairie Chickes
2022 Group Photo

NRES 493 - Prairie Chickens & Sandhill Cranes

1 credit hour

Limted to 8 students

When: Spring Break 2024

Course Description

Michael Forsberg and John Carroll will be leading a for-credit study tour to the Platte River and Sandhills regions during Spring Break 2023, "Prairie Cranes and Sandhill Chickens." The 1-credit NRES 493 course will provide experiences in blinds with sandhill cranes and greater prairie-chickens, with a focus on how conservation organizations and private individuals work to conserve these critical species and their landscapes in Nebraska. Students will network with stakeholders and develop an awareness for influence of culture, politics, economics, and history in natural resource management and use.

Course Description

This experience is approximately $650 (charged to student account), which covers all food (except for one <$10 meal during travel), lodging, transportation, and site access during the trip.

Interested?

Students should submit an essay as Word or PDF file to jcarroll2@unl.edu describing in one page why they want to participate in the trip and how they hope to benefit from the experience by 11:59 pm December 3, 2023.