Ants of the Southwest Class 2014

Shh! We have a little secret in Arizona, which is we have more than 300 different species of ants. When you realize there are roughly 1000 species in North America, that becomes pretty impressive. Want to find out more about them?  Check out the Ants of the Southwest class to be held this summer at the Southwestern Research Station in Portal, Arizona.

Course description (from the announcement):

“Although we will cover basic taxonomy and systematics, the major focus of this course will be on the ecology and behavior of ants. Specifically…:

  • Assessing ant biodiversity, including collection and data analysis
  • Field ecology of southwestern ants
  • Methods for keeping and studying ant colonies in the lab
  • Collective behavior and communication in ants
  • Taxonomy and systematics, with the creation of a collection by each student
  • Techniques for photographing ants and other small subjects”

When:   July 27 to August 5, 2014

Cost:  You cover your own transportation costs. Tuition is $ 1300 (includes room and board).

If you are interested, you will need to fill out the application form at the course website by
May 26, 2014. If accepted, a letter will be sent out within two weeks of application. Fees are due by June 16, 2014.

If you chose to, leave a comment if you decide to go.

 Pogonomyrmex-californicus-alarc-3

An ant’s eye view of Arizona.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.