Graduate and Professional Course
Non-Invasive Genetic Techniques in Wildlife Conservation
May 22-27, 2011
Smithsonian-Mason Global Conservation Studies Program
At the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
This course is an introduction for graduate
students and professionals to the applications,
benefits, and drawbacks of non-invasive genetic
techniques to wildlife conservation. The course
will concentrate on the use of non-invasive
techniques to answer questions in animal
behavior, population biology, and population
management, with a particular focus on the
conservation of mammalian
populations. Participants gain hands-on
experience relating to all stages of a research
project utilizing modern non-invasive methods by
working with expert researchers through a
combination of field, laboratory and computer-based modules.
Throughout the course participants work through
directed research projects, progressing from
study design through field data collection,
sampling protocols, and DNA extraction and
amplification, to analysis of microsatellite and
sequence data using the most effective and
accessible software packages. The course focuses
on relatedness, population size estimation and
population dynamics; additional lectures address
genotype reliability, research applications for
ancient DNA, and techniques for assessing disease
prevalence in wild populations.
Many of these groundbreaking non-invasive genetic
techniques were initially developed at the
Smithsonians National Zoo and its Center for
Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics (CCEG).
Course instructors include scientists from CCEG
(Drs. Jesus Maldonado and Rob Fleischer) and
George Mason University (Dr. Christine Bozarth)
and several expert visiting instructors including
Drs. Mike Schwartz, Elizabeth Archie, and Lori
Eggert. While most instruction takes place in
Front Royal, the course also includes laboratory
work at the National Zoos new state-of-the-art
genetics lab in Washington, DC.
The course fee is $1,500, which includes
instruction and course materials as well as all
meals, lodging, and transport to/from
Washington-Dulles International Airport
(IAD). All other travel costs and incidental
expenses are the participants responsibility.
Participants earn Continuing Education Units;
graduate course credit (1) is available for
qualified applicants through George Mason
University (total fee: $1600 in-state (VA), $1850
out-of-state). Participants should have
previously completed a college-level genetics and
basic ecology/evolution course.
Visit
<http://conservationtraining.si.edu>http://conservationtraining.si.edu
to apply or contact
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
for more course information. Visit
<http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/CCEG>http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/CCEG
to learn more about the National Zoos Center for
Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics.
The application deadline for this course is April 8th.
Additional Upcoming Courses
May 3-13, 2011: Effective Conservation
Leadership (Application deadline March 25th!)
Cultivating leadership, communication, and
teamwork approaches and applying them to diverse conservation situations.
June 6-17, 2011: Adaptive Management for Conservation Success (New Course!)
Build your capacity in team-based design,
planning, implementation, and monitoring of real conservation projects.
Smithsonian-Mason Global Conservation Studies
Program course participants engage in dynamic
learning communities, build lifelong professional
networks, and connect with valuable conservation resources.
