Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Field Biology Quarter

Field Biology Quarter (FBQ) is a unique capstone experience that has a profound effect on our student’s lives. It enhances their future career success, and affects them on a deeply personal level.

During FBQ our students spend a full quarter conducting field research. Courses are taught both locally, in the deserts, mountains and coastal areas of California, and internationally, including the savannas of Africa, rainforests of Ecuador, and coral reefs of Australia. International courses are especially transformative for students, many of whom have never been immersed in a foreign culture, or exposed to the tremendous diversity of a tropical rainforest. The experiences these students carry away from these courses profoundly affect how they view the world, its people, and its fragile biota.

FBQ is unlike any other course the students have ever taken: it is an intense bout of learning that introduces students to the excitement of field-based research. Our professors strive to create an atmosphere in which students can learn to collaborate, help each other negotiate the challenges of research, and share in each other’s successes. Small classes of 15 or less allow for very personalized attention.

FBQ has been an essential part of our student’s education since the 1970’s. The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology subsidizes the course as much as possible so that students pay only a fraction of the costs

FBQ exemplifies what it should mean to be an undergraduate at one of the nation's top research universities.

Robert Walsh, Ecuador FBQ

...the FBQ was a period of personal growth for me. For me, it was the first time in a tropical rainforest without the luxuries of technology or heated water. I faced a lot of fears: my fear of insects in particular, of getting dirty, and of the dark. I came back to the U.S. with a sense of accomplishment and confidence, knowing that I had seen things that many people would never see in their lifetime.

Menemsha Alloush Nicaragua FBQ

Upcoming FBQs

Winter 2021 FBQ - Peru

Instructors: Dr. Greg Grether, Dr. Debra Shier
Winter 2021 Field BIology Quarter (FBQ)

Applications may be found here: 21W FBQ Google Doc

https://forms.gle/yHJe6M92wpdpoLpC7

The FIELD BIOLOGY QUARTER is a quarter-long, capstone program designed to give advanced undergraduates experience studying wild organisms in their natural environment. For most students, the FBQ is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that forever shapes how they view the biological world; for a few, it is the start of a rewarding career as a field biologist. Working in groups and individually, FBQ students design and carry out original research in the field, under the guidance of two instructors. Back on campus, students analyze their own data, review the relevant literature, write journal article-style reports, and give informal seminar presentations. Essentially, this is a crash course in the whole process of doing ecological field research.

In Winter 2021, the “field” will be the premier Amazonian rainforest site, Cocha Cashu Biological Station, in Manú National Park, Peru. Cocha Cashu was established in 1969 and has been under the management of the San Diego Zoo since 2011. The species list includes 15 species of monkeys, 17 mammalian carnivores, including 6 species of cats, over 500 species of birds, 82 species of amphibians, over 1000 species of plants, etc. In short, the site has incredible biological diversity. Cocha Cashu also has a well-designed but rustic infrastructure, with tent platforms, showers, dining facilities, library, water purification system, satellite-based communication system, etc. For more information on Concha Cashu, go to http://cochacashu.sandiegozooglobal.org/

Courses and Instructors:
EE Biol 132 – Field Behavioral Ecology (8 units) – Dr. Greg Grether
EE Biol 151B – Field Conservation Biology (8 units) – Dr. Debra Shier

The 16 upper division units of coursework fulfills the field quarter requirement for Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution (EBE) majors, 4 major courses for the Biology major, and fulfills 16 units of the Conservation Biology minor elective requirement. Qualified students in other majors and departments are welcome to apply.

Prerequisites and recommended courses: Prerequisites for the FBQ are Life Sciences 1, EE Biol 100, or an equivalent course in animal ecology and behavior. We also recommend that applicants take (1) one year of math and physics, (2) a course in statistics, and (3) one or more of following EE Biol courses: 129 (Animal Behavior); C126 (Behavioral Ecology); 122 (Ecology); 120 (Evolution); 116 (Conservation Biology); 114 (Ornithology); 113A/113AL (Herpetology; Herpetology Lab); 112 (Ichthyology); and 115 (Mammalogy). EE Biol C126, 129 and 116 are the most directly relevant courses for this FBQ.

Cost: Besides normal registration fees and tuition, there will be a mandatory student contribution to defray costs associated with the trip (travel, lodging, food, and supplies). The student contribution for of the Winter 2021 trip remains to be determined but is estimated at $2000. Scholarships are available for students with financial needs (inquire in the EEB Undergrad Office). All students are encouraged to apply.

Students will be expected to update their passports and immunizations, as needed, and to bring certain personal items along on the trip (suitable clothing, toiletries, compass, flashlight, etc.). If you are accepted, a non-refundable deposit of $500 will be due after the interview process is complete.

Application deadline and procedure: Applications will be accepted until Sunday, February 2, 2020. A subset of applicants will be invited for interviews during WEEK 7 of Winter Quarter 2020 (February 17-21, 2020). Enrollment is capped at 15 students.

Past FBQ Locations

Fowlers Gap research station in New South Wales, Australia
University of California Bodega Marine Laboratory, Bodega Bay, California
Sonoran Desert and the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab
Jervis Bay, Australia
Santa Cruz Island/Granite Mountains
Mpala Research Centre Ranch and Conservancy, Kenya
Mojave Desert / Nicaragua
Granite Mountains/Santa Cruz Island
Lameshur Bay, St John US Virgin Islands
Neotropical Rainforest – Central or South America
Lameshur Bay, St. John US Virgin Islands
Kibale, Uganda
Refugio Bartola, Nicaragua
Local – James Reserve in the San Jacinto Mountains and Santa Cruz Island
University of Belize – Calabash Caye Field/Marine Station
African Rainforest
Wrigley Marine Science Center – Catalina Island
Moorea, French Polynesia – UC Gump Field Station
Lowland Caribbean Rainforest, Nicaragua
Queensland, Australia
California Research Locations
Cocha Cashu Biological Station, Manú National Park, Peru
Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador
Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve

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Past FBQ Faculty

Dr. Greg Grether
Dr. Brenda Larison
Dr. Peter Nonacs
Dr. Bradley Shaffer
Dr. Debra Shier
Dr. Felipe Zapata
Dr. Thomas Smith

FBQ Procedures and Requirements:

Consists of 16 upper division units of coursework
Minimum GPA of 3.0 or above recommended
Requirement for Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution majors
Counts as upper division electives in categories 4 and/or 5 for Biology majors
Preference is given to Marine Biology Majors, EBE Majors and to other students in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department
Students in other departments are welcome to apply

Prerequisites:

Prerequisites for MBQ usually consist of Life Sciences 1, EE Biol 100, and Stats 13 (or its equivalent).

Application Process:

Applications are available a year in advance through the EEB Undergraduate CCLE Listserv and the department web site, www.eeb.ucla.edu. The selection process takes place at the end of the quarter of application.

Cost:

The typical cost of the FBQ includes normal UCLA tuition plus room and board at the same rate as UCLA dorms with a meal plan. If you will be living in the dorms the year you plan to participate in the FBQ, you will need to cancel your housing contract for the quarter in which the FBQ is offered (in writing to the Residence Hall’s Assignment Office) and request assignment for the quarter when you return. If you live in an apartment, you might consider subletting your room while you are gone, but be advised that you may not be gone the entire quarter. Please contact the Financial Aid Office, A129J Murphy Hall, 206-0400, to find out if your aid can cover these costs. Scholarship information is available at the Scholarship Resource Center, 233 Covel Commons, 206-2875.

Field Biology Quarter