In this seminar we discuss current topics in aquatic ecology.

The students will be able to integrate knowledge from various disciplines such as biology, chemistry and physics to deal with the complexity of aquatic systems and their various ecosystem functions and services. Based on this, students will be able to apply these capabilities to estimate how anthropogenic disturbances (global change, eutrophication) affect aquatic ecosystems services considering scientific evidence.

The students will learn to interpret new research findings in the field of ecology by extracting main outcomes of scientific publications and present it to an audience. They will be able to lead discussions about experiments/analysis of a wide field of ecological topics and exchange their ideas.

 


The goal of the seminar is to prepare each student for writing scientific grant applications. Students find and read relevant literature; write a research plan and discuss this plan with various people; preliminary data or preliminary analysis needed for the proposal can be collected by IRT3 or other reserach internships/courses. They write a grant proposal in the format of large funding agencies (e.g., DFG or DAAD). Finally, students present their proposals with a talk at the IRT3 Conference.

You have to give a scientific presentation and want to ...

  • know how to start
  • where do you find reliable background information
  • improve your slides
  • connect with your audience
  • find a good finish
  • know what is constructive feedback

This e-learning course will help you.

You have to work step by step to see the next learning chapter. The spending time is depending on your background and insensitivity working with the exercises (approximately 2-3 hours).

The course is originally developed for a group of students to work through the course together to share their ideas and to give peer-to-peer feedback.

 Nevertheless you can go through the exercises also on your own to improve your presentation skill.

 Good luck!






Students will have to transform tests of basic ecological concepts into experimental designs and experiments. Students will be able to work in teams and coordinate various tasks such as constructing experimental microcosms, making culture media, cultivate plankton organism, measure responses of experimental manipulations on various levels and share and analyse data. Students will be able to evaluate and confront their results with the experimental hypotheses and defend their arguments in scientific discussions