Ants of the Southwest Class 2017

Want to learn more about ants?  Sign up for the American Museum of Natural History’s Ants of the Southwest class to be held August 9 through 18, 2017 at the Southwestern Research Station in Portal, Arizona.

This class is a golden opportunity because Arizona is a fantastic place to study ants, largely due to the unique and diverse habitats found here. In addition honeypot ants like the one in the photograph, we have more than 350 different species.

What does the course cover? Among other things, students will be given the opportunity to study behavior and communication in ants, learn how to keep ant colonies in the laboratory, make an ant reference collection, and learn some photography techniques.

Cost:  Tuition is $1206 (includes room and board).

If you are interested, you will need to fill out the application form at the course website by July 1, 2017.

Note:  Another ant class, the California Academy of Sciences Ant Course, is not being held this year.

Have you taken this course? Leave us a comment to let us know about your experiences.

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.

 Pogonomyrmex-californicus-alarc-3

An ant’s eye view of Arizona.

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!