Registration

For spring 2025, the Marine Lab will offer courses in a block schedule format. The block schedule will be available the first week of October. Students register for one course per block.

Travel Courses: See the schedule below for travel course offerings as they are confirmed. Visit our Travel page for course details and registration information. 

Dates

To view the upcoming spring semester dates, please visit the Academic Calendar.

Tentative 2025 Block Dates: 
Block A: January 8 - February 6 (no class on January 20, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day)
Block B: February 7 - March 7
Spring Break: March 7 (7 pm) - March 16
Block C: March 17 - April 8
Block D:  April 9 - May 2

Spring 2025 Courses

Download a copy of the Spring 2025 Block Schedule here >

ENVIRON 504A MARINE PROTECTED AREAS 

  • Instructor: David Gill
  • Credit: 3 units (3 semester/credit hours) 
  • Course Travel: No

An interdisciplinary course that addresses concepts, issues, and approaches relevant to marine protected area (MPA) management and their impacts on marine ecosystems and coastal people. Course will address key topics in MPA design, management, and how context and management shapes MPA design and outcomes. This course will focus on sensitive marine ecosystems (e.g. coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses) and resource-dependent communities involved in fishing and tourism. Using real world case studies, students will apply introduced concepts and quantitative approaches to questions on MPA design and evaluating MPA social and ecological impacts. Students will engage with the course material primarily through group discussions, problem sets and lectures. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 533A. MARINE FISHERIES POLICY

Principles, structure, and process of public policy-making for marine fisheries. Topics include local, regional, national, and international approaches to the management of marine fisheries. A social systems approach is used to analyze the biological, ecological, social, and economic aspects of the policy and management process. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 551DA INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT

  • Instructor: Lisa Campbell
  • Credit: 1.0 course (3 credit/semester hours)
  • Course Travel: No

Interrelated issues of conservation and development. Topics include the evolution of the two concepts and of theories regarding the relationship between them, the role of science, values, ethics, politics and other issues in informing beliefs about them, and strategies for resolving conflicts between them. While attention will be given to all scales of interaction (i.e. local, regional, national, international), the focus will be on international issues and the `north-south’ dimensions of the conservation and development dilemma. Examples from marine and coastal environments will be highlighted. Consent of instructor required. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 571A. URBAN TROPICAL ECOLOGY -   TRAVEL COURSE TO SINGAPORE

The mix of human ecology, tropical diversity, disturbed habitats and invasive species in Singapore. How Singapore maintains and enhances the quality of life of its citizens while radically modifying its environment. Research on politics, management or biology. Consent of instructor required.

ENVIRON 590A. OCEAN ENGINEERING

  • Instructors: Martin Brooke, Doug Nowacek

  • Credit: 1.0 course (3 credit/semester hours)

  • Course Travel: No

  • DukeHub Listing: ENVIRON, ECE 590A, ME 555A

A challenging Ocean Engineering project will be undertaken in this class. Past examples include participation in a national XPRIZE contest to build an Ocean Sensor. Students define project scope and form task-oriented sub-teams to make significant progress toward overall class project goal. Students are expected to spend several hours per week outside of class working on the team projects. Students will need to be in teams that can all meet for at least couple of hours at the same time each week. Taught at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC for the Spring 2025 semester. 

ENVIRON 704LA. BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY - TRAVEL COURSE ON R/V SHEARWATER

  • Instructor: Zackary Johnson

  • Credit: 1.0 course (4 credit/semester hours)

  • View linked Travel Course Page for Costs and Policies: (will be updated for 2025 in October)

Discusses patterns of abundance, diversity and activity of organisms in major ocean ecosystems. Identifies major physical, chemical and ecological processes that affect these patterns, and analyzes impact of biology on ecosystems. Uses a 'flipped' classroom for enhanced development of quantitative skills to measure these patterns, emphasizing hands-on data collection and analyses, multiple field trips aboard DUML research vessels, and participatory activities to demonstrate core concepts in biological oceanography. Taught at Duke Marine Lab. Spring section requires travel. Graduate section includes experimental design component and research paper on final project.

ENVIRON 705A. SOCIAL IMPACT ANALYSIS 

  • Instructor: Grant Murray
  • Credit: 3 units
  • Course Travel: No

This course will explore theoretical, methodological and applied aspects of social impact analysis (SIA).  Many environmental professionals become involved in social impact analysis during their careers on a recurring basis.  Forms of SIA are a mandated component of key oceans and environmental policies, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (National Standard 8).  Moreover, sound social impact analysis is an important and powerful tool for good environmental planning in marine and coastal systems whether or not it is required by law, relates to government action, or is focused on the United States.

Generally speaking, SIA addresses the social impacts of events or actions.  The events or actions that precipitate an SIA include such things as planned physical or environmental changes, the implementation of policies or regulations, or conservation interventions.  SIAs can be post hoc, where SIA seeks to understand the impacts of a past event, or ex ante, where SIA seeks to predict the impacts of an event.  SIA can also be used to monitor and adapt to ongoing events and actions.   In all cases, however, good SIA should involve all potentially affected groups, should consider impact equity and differences by location and socio-economic status, and should consider a holistic and contextually grounded range of impacts, from the socio-cultural to the economic.

This course will first develop an understanding of some of the core concepts and applicable sociological theory upon which the design of social impact analysis is built.  The first part of the course will develop the capacity to ‘think sociologically’ about environmental problems and the impacts that they create.  Next, we will review some of the key US policies and guidelines that require and inform SIA.  The third part will provide an overview of some of the key methods and approaches that are used in SIA to generate more inclusive decisions that protect the environment and integrity of the communities that share its abundance and meaning.  Throughout we will review and critique a range of US and international SIA examples.

ENVIRON 726DA. MARINE MAMMAL GENOMICS 

Current sequencing technologies have revolutionized the fields of molecular, evolutionary, and ecological genetics. The ability to generate an entire genome worth of sequence data in a single instrument run allows us to study whole genomes in a variety of non-model organisms. In this course, we will use the genomes of marine mammals to explore the field of genomics.  The course will start out with basic genomics (ie. Genome-101), move on to sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, and then explore conservation, ecological and evolutionary genetics of marine mammals using the literature and publicly available datasets.

Graduate section of MARSCI 304LA. Graduate section will be offered as seminar and discussion. Students will participate in weekly seminar, literature review and discussion, quizzes, exercises, and will complete a research paper with a focus on how genomic tools can be used for conservation of marine mammals. Offered at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort.

ENVIRON 735A. DRONES IN MARINE BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION

Includes a full overview of past and emerging applications for ecology and biology of marine species and coastal habitats, with in depth discussion on future of drone applications in coastal biological and ecological research. Comprehensive exploration of current drone technologies, including detection of target species, payloads, aeronautical concepts, rules and regulations, mission planning, aircraft design, maintenance, data collection, management and analysis. Lab components tailored to student interests: active participation in megafaunal or environmental research and data analysis; building, operating and maintaining aircraft, programming for manual and autonomous flight. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 737A ECOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF EXTREME ECOSYSTEMS

  • Instructor: Josh Osterberg
  • Credit: 3 units 
  • Course Travel: No

An exploration of the ecology of extreme marine ecosystems and the physiology behind the adaptations that allow inhabitants to survive and often thrive there. Marine ecosystems with extreme temperature, pressure, salinity, oxygenation, light, nutrient load, natural chemicals, and anthropogenic pollution will be discussed including polar seas, multiple deep sea and chemosynthetic ecosystems, oligotrophic gyres, oil spills, and superfund sites. Students will gain an understanding how these organisms and ecosystems function, their ecosystem services, threats by a changing ocean, and conservation challenges. Graduate students will join daily lectures on extreme marine ecosystems, present a recent primary literature paper on their extreme ecosystem of choice, and lead the class discussion of one of the assigned research papers. Each student will produce a final project (research paper, policy brief, case study, podcast, etc.) and give a presentation on an extreme ecosystem, threat, or conservation challenge of their choosing.

ENVIRON 772LA. COASTAL RESTORATION ECOLOGY  

  • Instructor: Joe Morton
  • Credit: 4 units 
  • Course Travel: No

Restoration ecology and ecological restoration. Major ecological theories that guide restoration ecology as well as the unique considerations and techniques needed to restore the world's dominant coastal ecosystems (e.g., saltmarshes, seagrass beds, coral reefs, etc.). Graduate students will complete a restoration case study, and will be responsible for identifying new restoration literature topic to present to the class. Graduate section offered in conjunction with undergraduate course MARSCI 301LA. Students will participate in lectures, discussions, and local field trips around the Marine Lab. Taught at the Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 773LA. MARINE ECOLOGY

Factors that influence the distribution, abundance, and diversity of marine organisms. Course structure integrates lectures, field excursions, lab exercises and an independent project. Lecture topics include physical characteristics of marine systems, adaptation to environment, species interactions, biogeography, larval recruitment, and biodiversity and conservation of communities found in rocky shores, tidal flats, beaches, marshes, mangrove, coral reefs, and subtidal areas. Not open to students who have taken Biology 273LA. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab. Grad students submit literature review. Prerequisite: introductory biology.

ENVIRON 777A. BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF SEA TURTLES - TRAVEL COURSE TO ST. CROIX & PUERTO RICO

Essential biology of sea turtles (evolution, anatomy, physiology, behavior, life history, population dynamics) and their conservation needs, emphasizing their role in marine ecosystem structure and function. Will integrate basic ecological concepts with related topics including conservation and management of endangered species, contributions of technology to management of migratory marine species, role of research in national and international law and policy, and veterinary aspects of conservation. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab. Field trip to Puerto Rico is required. Instructor permission is required. Prerequisite: introductory biology.

ENVIRON 778LA. COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR OF MARINE ANIMALS 

  • Instructors:  Josh Osterberg
  • Credit: 4 credit hours
  • Course Travel: No
  • Prerequisites: Introductory Biology and Chemistry

Physiology of marine animals with emphasis on comparisons between marine vertebrates and humans. Focus on physiological processes including gas exchange, circulation, osmoregulation, metabolism, thermoregulation, endocrine, neural control and sensory systems. Lectures and laboratories illustrate the methodology, analysis techniques, and written reporting of physiological research. Open to undergraduates only under Biology or Environment 278LA. Four units (fall, spring); six units (summer). Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 784LA. MARINE BIOACOUSTICS

Instructor: Doug Nowacek

Credit: 4 units 

Course Travel: No

Fundamentals marine bioacoustics with focus on current literature and conservation issues. Topics include: intro acoustics; acoustic analysis methods and quantitative tools; production/recording of sound; ocean noise; propagation theory; active/passive acoustics; hearing, sound production and communication in marine organisms, potential impacts of anthropogenic noise; and regulation of marine sound. Lab focus on methodologies for generating, recording and analyzing marine sounds. Grad students responsible for additional acoustic analyses and results prep for student projects plus preparation additional lit review/critique. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab. Prerequisite: AP or introductory biology or consent; Physics 41L or 161L (or equivalent) or consent.

ENVIRON 788LA. BIODIVERSITY OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES

  • Instructor: Juliet Wong
  • Credit: 4 units
  • Course Travel: No

An introduction to the biodiversity represented by major marine invertebrate groups, with emphasis on the diversity of body forms and behaviors and on anatomical structures and functions. Field trips primarily by boat allow students to explore invertebrates characteristic of a variety of coastal habitats in North Carolina, including mud flats, sandy beaches, salt marshes, oyster reefs, piers and docks, and the water column. Live invertebrates maintained in the laboratory serve as models for detailed study of form and function. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 790A. ANIMAL MOVEMENT ECOLOGY

  • Instructor: Autumn-Lynn Harrison
  • Credit: 1.0 course (3 credit/semester hours)
  • Course Travel: No
  • Note about pre-requisites: Students should have experience knowing how to import and clean data and handle date-time and time zone formatting. R visualization experience, and experience with use of mapping packages and ggplot is helpful.

This course will introduce the theory of movement ecology, the technologies used to observe animal movements, quantitative techniques for analyzing movement data, and conservation applications. Movement ecology has developed rapidly particularly in marine and coastal environments. This course will make students feel like they were there from the beginning, structured along a backbone of key papers, technologies, and quantitative methods as they have advanced from the 1960s to today. Graduate students will lead paper discussions, observe their own movements using a range of tracking technologies; collectively write a literature review; and complete an analysis of either their own animal movement dataset, or data provided to them using R.

ENVIRON 790A. SCIENCE JOURNALISM

  • Instructor: Jennifer Adler
  • Credit: 1.0 course (3 semester hours)
  • Course Travel: No

At the Marine Lab, students will attend in-person lectures and immerse themselves in reporting a local science or environmental story. Lectures will focus on the nuts and bolts of reporting, from researching and pitching to interviewing, writing, fact checking, and editing. Assigned readings will include books and digital examples of compelling science journalism, both historic and current. By the end of the course, students will produce their own local stories about sea level rise, together creating an in-depth project published in collaboration with a local news outlet. Taught at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort.

ENVIRON 822A. COASTAL WATERSHED MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION

  • Instructor: Dana Hunt
  • Credit: 1.0 course (3 credit/semester hours)
  • Course Travel: No

This course will examine management of coastal watersheds and their biological function, focusing on the positive (restoration) and negative (degradation, eutrophication) ways that humans alter ecosystems. Local field trips are an integral part of this class to examine anthropogenic modifications to coastal ecosystems (e.g. farms, wetland restoration) as well as discussing these issues with stakeholders at NGOs, businesses and government. Graduate section offered in conjunction with undergraduate course MARSCI 321A. Graduate students will analyze watershed management plans and propose science and policy solutions. Taught in Beaufort at the Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 876A. DATA & TIME SERIES ANALYSIS 

  • Instructor: Jim Hench
  • Credit: 4 units
  • Course Travel: No

Analysis of environmental time-series and other data sets. Topics include discrete sampling issues, data rejection and interpolation, coordinate rotations and principal axes, curve fits, regression, error and propagation of uncertainty, bootstrapping, filtering, spectral analysis, harmonic analysis, EOFs, wavelets. Lectures, workshops and homework assignments will apply these methods to environmental data sets. Each student will complete a final project, applying methods covered in class to data sets they choose, as part of or related to their research. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab. Consent of instructor required.

 

Questions?

For help with graduate course registration, email Katie Wood (katie.wood@duke.edu).