Joseph Novak

The course introduces the fundamentals of community garden design and practice. Responsibilities will center on developing and improving the Rice Community Garden. A strong emphasis will be on learning and applying ecological principles to the practice of community agriculture. Class has required meetings outside of regular class time. Students cannot receive credit for both BIOS 204 OR BIOS 207. Repeatable for Credit.

Introduction to the fundamentals of garden science with emphasis on organic gardening and ecosystem. Plant systematics, morphology, physiology, growth and development; and the plant’s environment will be discussed. Production practices will be covered for common food and ornamental crops. Lab activities include propagating, growing and using garden crops and managing soil and other environmental aspects affecting the garden. Students cannot receive credit for both BIOS 207 and BIOS 204

Independent research in Rice BioSciences faculty laboratories (sections 2 and above) or other Texas Medical Center laboratories (section 1). Students must have secured a research position prior to applying for BIOS 310. Students spend at least 42 hours in the laboratory for each semester hour of credit (>9h/week for 3 credits). A minimum of 3 credit hours is needed to count toward the BS in Biosciences or to replace one required 300+ level elective lab course for the BA in Biosciences (cannot replace major concentration core labs). Requires a proposal abstract, weekly reports, and a research paper (fall/spring/summer) or a poster presentation (spring/summer for advanced students). Students wishing to perform their research in an off-campus lab must apply online (biosugresearch.rice.edu) at least 3 weeks prior to the start of classes and may not register for fewer than 3 credit hours. Students taking BIOS 310 in the full summer semester must be available to do full-time research for a minimum of 6 weeks or part-time equivalent which should equal to a total of 126 hours working in the lab. It is recommended that summer students spread their hours over 8-10 weeks. Recommended Prerequisite(s): Students are strongly advised to secure research advisors and register for the class well in advance of the start of classes. Recommended Prerequisite(s): Students are strongly advised to secure research advisors and register for the class well in advance of the start of classes. Repeatable for Credit.