The Biodiversity Studies Program at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History

In light of population growth and the reduction of available land for agricultural cultivation, there is an increasing need for aquatic food production in inland and marine environments. Therefore, it is important to understand how to minimize the footprint of these industries. The course will focus on aquaculture in terrestrial and marine systems, emphasizing the importance and integration of environmental considerations for the development of sustainable aquaculture.

The course will include guest lecturers from various fields of knowledge as well as field trips to different cultivation systems.

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Effective communication is key to making complex scientific knowledge accessible, engaging, and relevant to the public. In this Science Communication course, we’ll explore how to turn science into news, transform data into compelling stories, and tailor messages for diverse audiences. We’ll tackle important questions: Why does science need to be accessible? What scientific information does the public need to know? Is scientific knowledge power? And how do we communicate science on controversial topics?

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The aim of the course is to introduce students to the importance and diverse uses of Natural History collections. It will present the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History and its collections as a model, while exposing the students to various practices that are common in museums all over the world. The course will provide them with knowledge and tools to understand how to use scientific museum collections for future research, their potential and limitations.

The course will combine both class presentations as well as tours to the museum’s collections.

The main part of the course will include presentations of selected collection managers and tours to their collections.

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This course aims at covering evolution, biology, ecology, structure and physiology, life history, systematics and taxonomy of fishes. Emphasis will be placed on local fauna, regional threats and conservation challenges.

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When did you last see a mammoth? What happened to the Tasmanian “wolf” in Tasmania, and on the Australian mainland? Where and what is “Beringia” and will we ever be able to see dodos roaming the island of Mauritius again?

We are in the midst of a mass extinction that has already caused the extinction of myriad species – and is only accelerating.  But it is not the first mass extinction in Earth’s history. In this course we will identify and characterize the late Quaternary extinctions, learn about the ice ages, their faunas, and human impacts on them. We will learn which animals went extinct, where and why, which ones are threatened with extinction and how we quantify this. We will discuss methods of reconstructing past communities, and the biology of extinct species, such as traditional morphology, radiocarbon and other dating methods, ancient DNA and protein reconstruction, stable isotope analyses and others.

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The course explores one of the most sensitive, degraded, and critically important ecosystems for human survival. Streams and flowing water bodies, as dynamic systems evolving across space and time, sustain a rich and unique biodiversity of species intrinsically dependent on their existence.

This course provides an in-depth examination of the fundamental characteristics of these ecosystems, including hydrodynamics, water quality, biotic communities (flora and fauna), and the environmental forces shaping them. The second part of the course focuses on the impacts of anthropogenic activities on streams and introduces methodologies for their monitoring, management, and ecological restoration. Delivered as an intensive program, the course integrates thematic lectures with applied ecological practices, including hands-on laboratory work and field-based research, offering both theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

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Winter ponds are unique habitats which change dramatically throughout the year. With very rapid abiotic changes, they accommodate highly adapted fauna and flora. As sensitive ecosystems, winter ponds face great threats due to anthropogenic development, and their conservation challenges both scientists and practitioners.

The course combines lectures, field trips, and lab sessions in order to gain close familiarity with winter ponds ecological features. Its main goals are to (a) learn the ecological theory of winter ponds ecosystems; (b) gain ecological survey skills; and (c) practice aquatic invertebrates sorting and identification. Guest lecturers will focus on various aspects of winter ponds.

Due to dependence on the rain, the presented dates are subject to short-notice changes. Participation on all sessions is mandatory, except for justified reasons such as parental leave, sickness, reserve duty etc.

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Citizen science is a rapidly growing field, actively involving volunteers in various stages of scientific research. This course offers an introduction to citizen science, exploring its role in research and its impact on participants. Through a mix of lectures, hands-on experiences, participant reflections, and group work, students will gain both theoretical and practical insights.

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The Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) are one of the largest and most diverse insect orders, and include several groups of immense economic importance for human wellbeing. The course will give a thorough overview of the order, and will delve into specific groups of Hymenoptera, their life histories, the evolutionary background for their emergence and diversification, and their importance in our everyday life.

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The course aims to expose students to the fascinating world of medusozoa (will also be called ‘jellyfish’ in the text), which includes members from Scyphozoa, Hydrozoa and Cubozoa classes (Cnidaria). An emphasis will be given to scyphomedusae, the most prominent group, at least in the Israeli marine environment.

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Biodiversity is in an unprecedented crisis. Recognizing this fact puts issues on the global agenda that previously only concerned scientists. The deterioration of genetic diversity, the extinction of species and the degradation of ecosystems are directly linked to human health, quality of life (well-being and economic growth). Politicians, governments and international organizations are striving to find regulatory solutions. The international arena is characterized by different interests, power struggles and surprising collaborations, which the course will deal with.

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Biological invasions are an emerging threat to biodiversity, human health, and the economy. The human-mediated intentional or accidental transfer of organisms across the globe becomes more and more common, and requires deep understanding of its mechanisms, implications, and solutions. Assisted by various study cases, the students will gain strong background and familiarity with this topical conservation threat.

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Taxonomy and Systematics are two fields of science, which together provide the framework for understanding and organizing the incredible diversity of life on Earth.

This course will combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills to provide a comprehensive exploration of the principles and practices of taxonomy and systematics as they are applied today to all groups of organisms. The focus in taxonomy and systematics is designed to introduce students to the science of grouping biodiversity into species and describing the species while getting familiar with the main concepts, goals, challenges, and the qualitative and quantitative techniques that are today used in taxonomy and systematics. Because hands-on familiarity with organisms is an essential part of both taxonomy and systematics, the course includes lab exercises and projects focusing on several selected taxonomic groups.

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The study of fish remains from lacustrine and archaeological deposits plays a crucial role in paleoenvironmental and ecological reconstruction. By analyzing fish skeletal remains, scientists can reconstruct ancient biodiversity, past water temperatures, salinity levels, and aquatic habitat conditions, offering insights into historical climate patterns

This course aims to introduce students to major themes and methods of analysis in aquatic zooarchaeology and to teach the principles of fish bone identification, lacustrine taphonomy, zooarchaeological methods, and to explore issues of calculations and interpretation

The course will be given in English

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Paleoecology is the study of past interactions between organisms and their environment over a broad timescale. Stable isotope analysis has become an increasingly important tool for quantitatively testing questions concerning these interactions in the past. This class will focus on the Cenozoic Era (past 65 Myrs) and provide an introduction to stable isotope methods, an overview of the major events that have shaped the diversity and history of life on earth during this time interval, and how stable isotope analysis has provided greater insight into these events.

The course will be given in English

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תחום האקולוגיה היישומית כולל פיתוח ושימוש בתיאוריה וכלים מדעיים להתמודדות עם אתגרים בשימור וניהול בר-קיימא של מערכות אקולוגיות והמגוון הביולוגי. הקורס יתמקד בהענקת כלים יישומיים לניהול ושימור בתי גידול יבשתיים, אקווטיים ועירוניים: ניטור, סקרים, מדיניות, הערכת ערכיות ושיקום, תוך הבנת אתגרי העל עמם מתמודדת שמירת הטבע בישראל.

את ההרצאות, הסיורים והדיונים יובילו מגוון מדענים ואנשי מקצוע הפועלים בתחום

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Although it is amongst the most ancient animals, starring in the Greek mythology where it earned its bad reputation as a monster, researchers agree that there is far more to a jellyfish than meets the eye.

This class will focus on the taxonomy, biology and ecology of scyphomedusae and cubomedusae, with an emphasis on the early developmental stages of their life cycle.

The course will be given in English

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