New Fall Course taught by Sea Grant: Ecology and Sustainability of Coastal Ecosystems

2.982, Ecology and Sustainability of Coastal Ecosystems9 units (3-2-4)Tuesday/Thursday: 11 – 12:30Lab/Field trips: Thursday 2:30 – 4:30For information contact:Carolina Bastidas (bastidas@mit.edu)Juliet Simpson (simpsonj@mit.edu)Description:Combining lectures, field trips, and project-based learning, this course offers a hands-on introduction to the ecology of the coastal ocean and the communities that depend on it. With climate change, sea level rise, and the continued growth of human populations and infrastructure in coastal zones, there is an increasing need for practitioners with an interdisciplinary knowledge of the complex and changing conditions at the land-ocean interface.Participants in this course will recognize coastal ecosystems, their major environmental drivers, and common impacts that human growth and climate change are having on them. Students will engage in a semester-long project to address and seek solutions to current challenges in sustainability of human activities on the coast, and to promote resilience of natural communities.MIT Course Link