In this video NASA associate International Space Station program scientist,Tara Ruttley, tells Josh Bylerly, also of NASA, about the Ants in Space experiment.
See more at Space.com and our previous post about the project.
Ants of the Southwest Class 2014
Shh! We have a little secret in Arizona, which is we have more than 300 different species of ants. When you realize there are roughly 1000 species in North America, that becomes pretty impressive. Want to find out more about them? Check out the Ants of the Southwest class to be held this summer at the Southwestern Research Station in Portal, Arizona.
Course description (from the announcement):
“Although we will cover basic taxonomy and systematics, the major focus of this course will be on the ecology and behavior of ants. Specifically…:
- Assessing ant biodiversity, including collection and data analysis
- Field ecology of southwestern ants
- Methods for keeping and studying ant colonies in the lab
- Collective behavior and communication in ants
- Taxonomy and systematics, with the creation of a collection by each student
- Techniques for photographing ants and other small subjects”
When: July 27 to August 5, 2014
Cost: You cover your own transportation costs. Tuition is $ 1300 (includes room and board).
If you are interested, you will need to fill out the application form at the course website by
May 26, 2014. If accepted, a letter will be sent out within two weeks of application. Fees are due by June 16, 2014.
If you chose to, leave a comment if you decide to go.
An ant’s eye view of Arizona.
Ant Course 2014: Borneo
Want to learn more about ants? A lot more? Check out Ant Course 2014!
The next ant course is going to be held July 21-31, 2014 in Borneo’s Maliau Basin, which is located on Sabah.
Yes, this would be a tough place to visit. (Cool invertebrate footage starts about 2:23).
What kinds of ants might you encounter? Brian L. Fisher has complied a key entitled The Ants of Borneo, which is available on Blurb. (See the free preview, available full screen).
He covers 96 genera, from Aenictus to Tetraponera. Can you say biodiversity?
Ready to go?
Although the course is open to everyone, priority will be given to students. Check the Ant Course website for details.
Deadline: April 1, 2014
Be sure to let me know if you take the course.
Ants of the Southwest Class
Are you looking for a way to learn more about ants? Check out the upcoming Ants of the Southwest class to be held this summer at the Southwestern Research Station in Portal, Arizona.
When: July 17-26, 2013
Wouldn’t it be great to hang out with ant researchers like Gordon Snelling, Michele Lanan, Terry McGlynn, Anna Dornhaus, Kimberly Franklin, Howard Topoff and others?
The class is meant to complement the California Academy Ant Class, which is going to be in Peru this year. Topics covered will include ways to assess ant biodiversity, methods for keeping ant colonies in the lab, collective behavior, communication and field ecology of ants, as well as photography techniques (I could really use that!) Students will also be making their own ant collection to learn taxonomy and systematics.
You cover your own transportation costs and $1300 for tuition (includes room and board).
If you are interested in this class, you will need to fill out the application form at the course website by May 3, 2013.
Let us know if you decide to go.
And a big thank you to Ann for bringing this class to my attention!
