2 Credit Hours May 25–29, 2026 Instructors: Dr. Joey Shaw, UT-Chattanooga This course is designed for anyone wishing to strengthen their skills in observing, collecting, identifying, and assessing the ecological “quality” of wetland plant species. Accurate identification is essential not only for understanding wetland integrity and ecological condition, but also for conducting professional wetland delineations. Whether you are new to wetland flora or looking to sharpen existing skills, this course offers a supportive environment for learners at multiple levels. Students should have a basic understanding of botanical terminology and plant structures, but there is no expectation that everyone enters with the same experience. Participants may focus on different plant groups—woody species, graminoids, or others—collecting specimens that align with their individual interests. Each day features a field excursion to a local wetland within roughly an hour of the Station. Students will collect plant specimens of interest, then return to the lab for hands-on identification work using dichotomous keys, online herbarium resources, and other reference materials. Together, we will use tools such as coefficients of conservatism to better understand the ecological integrity of the wetlands we explore. While the range of wetland types will be limited to what is found regionally, the focus of the course is on building practical, adaptable identification skills. Throughout the week, Dr. Shaw will serve as a guide in interpreting key couplets, terminology, and diagnostic features. Students will also be encouraged to develop their own reference collections; the final portion of the course will be devoted to assembling and refining these materials. A working draft of the instructor’s forthcoming Second Edition of the Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee will serve as the primary key for species identification, and copies will be provided.

4 Credit Hours May 25 – June 5, 2026 Instructors: Kenneth H. Kozak, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota) & Joseph H. K. Pechmann, Ph.D. (Western Carolina University) The Southern Appalachians are home to one of the richest and most ecologically significant salamander assemblages on Earth. This immersive field- and lab-based course introduces students to the extraordinary diversity, biology, and evolutionary history of these remarkable amphibians. Through a blend of lectures, guided discussions, hands-on laboratory work, and targeted field excursions across multiple Appalachian mountain ranges, students will explore foundational and advanced concepts in evolutionary biology and ecology. Topics include reconstructing evolutionary histories, species concepts and delimitation, life-history variation, population and community dynamics, and the role of salamanders in forest ecosystems. Readings from primary literature will deepen understanding of current research and methodologies. Students will gain experience identifying regional taxa, conducting field and laboratory analyses, and interpreting evolutionary and ecological data—while engaging directly with the landscapes that make the Southern Appalachians a global hotspot for salamander diversity. Prerequisites: Introductory biology, ecology, or evolution, or permission of the instructors.