A new course "Field, Survey, and Analysis Techniques in Environmental Biology" is being developed. This new course is introducing the students to new concepts and techniques in ways designed to stimulate interest in investigative studies and in research projects. Using the equipment procured through this award, Biology majors are gaining experience in the description and analysis of ecological systems, as well as in hypothesis structuring, field sampling, literature retrieval and use, descriptive and analytical statistical techniques, field surveys and experimental design methods. Methods and techniques involved in field studies of aquatic and terrestrial habitats are being introduced through studies of aquatic and terrestrial components of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Students are becoming better prepared for future graduate or lab/research positions by using the newly available fluorescent and phase microscopes, fluorometer, ion analyzer, spectrophotometer, sieve shaker, incubator, colony counter, furnace, and BOD and pH meters. Like all other parts of the Gallaudet curriculum, this program is designed especially to meet the needs of students with severely impaired hearing.
