TIMOTHY KITTEL  —
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Courses List

Teaching Philosophy —
 
“A personal goal for me, as an instructor, is to foster familiarity with the nature of science.  There are many facets to understanding the world of science.  One is experiencing the process of accumulation and evaluation of scientific understanding – how do new ideas arise and how are they tested? 

Another is developing the ability for independent thought, to be able to generate innovative ideas and to critically assess the results of others.  And finally, gaining what is often called a ‘sense of place,’ which is to say in this context, to start on the road to develop an intuitive, personal sense of how natural systems work.”
                                                 
– In: Center for Environmental Research and Conservation Notes, Columbia University, Fall 2000



Rio Negro, Brazil - Photo: (c) Clarice Bassi		 I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.

                                              - Lord Tennyson (Ulysses, 1842)




 
Teaching Experience — 
      Ecological & Geophysical Sciences
College and University Teaching - by topic
    (current courses in Bold)
    Terrestrial Ecology & Ecosystem Geography -
  Winter Ecology - Field course - University of Colorado, Boulder
  Field Methods in Vegetation Ecology - Field course - University of Colorado, Boulder

   Field Methods in Ecology - Field course for Science & Non-Science Majors (SEE-U) - Columbia University of New York
            - Brazil, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, & Arizona
  Biogeography:
     - University of Colorado, Boulder
     - University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  Soils Geography - University of Colorado, Boulder
  World Ecosystems - Semester at Sea
  Plant Ecology - University of Colorado, Boulder
  Plant Ecology & Geography of the Western US - Sierra Nevada College

Geophysical Sciences -

  The Earth's Climate System - Semester at Sea
  Weather Analysis & Forecasting - University of California, Davis
Field Study Programs - For Adult Learners and High School Students
  Park Associations, EarthWatch, & Secondary Education Programs

Graduate Student Committees & Post-Doctoral Mentoring

Outreach Presentations

Emergency Training & Certifications
 
 
 


On-line Information for current students of
HOME PAGE   | CV  |  INTERNATIONAL FIELD EXPERIENCE

College and University Teaching
  
Faculty Director and Instructor. Conservation Biology and Practice in Brazil's Atlantic Forest program, Education Abroad (formerly Study Abroad), Univ of Colorado at Boulder.  Sept 2010-present.
Il faut aller voir –
We must go and see

                    –  Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Gs Brazil Cambury bridge
Brazil GS course in the Cambury Quilombo
- a subsistence community embedded  in an Atlantic Forest conservation area
(photo: (c)2011 T.Kittel)
Lecturer, University of Colorado, Mountain Research Station, Nederland, CO.  2005-present.
Winter Ecology (EBIO 4100-570), a field course on wintertime abiotic factors and biotic adaptations.  A 3-credit course in Upper Montane and Subalpine Forests to Timberline (9,000-11,000ft) in Colorado's Rocky Mountains Front Range.  Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Advanced Ecology course series, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.  Jan-Feb/Feb-Mar 2005-06, 2008-2019, 2023; forthcoming Spring 2024.
Field Methods in Vegetation Ecology (EBIO 4100-573), a field course on concepts and field methods in vegetation science -- surveying physical and biological processes that control the distribution and dynamics of vegetation.  A 3-week, 3-credit course exploring the ecology of Colorado's Front Range – from Great Plains grasslands to the Continental Divide, with an emphasis on dynamics of upper montane, subalpine, and alpine landscapes (9,000-11,000ft).  Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Advanced Ecology course series, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.  July 2013-2015, 2018, July-Aug 2019; July 2022; forthcoming June-July 2024.
WE
Winter Limnology
(photo: (c)S. Spaulding)
 
Lead Instructor, Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (formerly, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation).  Columbia University, NY.  Summers 2000-2005, 2007-2012, 2014, 2018.
 Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates (SEE-U) – Two simultaneous, integrated field courses: Conservation Biology (ENVB W2102) & Intro to Field Methods in Ecology (ENVB W2103) (6 semester credits total).  An intensive 5-week field course designed to give students an understanding of ecological principles and conservation biology and experience in implementing the scientific method.  Instruction is tailored to the needs of both non-science and science majors.  Students participate in both group and individual field research activities.
    • Sites (19 sessions, 4 sites)
      • Arizona – July-Aug 2000, June-July 2001. 
      • Dominican Republic – May-July 2005, Jun-Aug 2012. 
      • Puerto Rico – July-Aug 2010.
      • Brazil –  14 sessions 2002-2005, 2007-2011, 2014, 2018.  Syllabus
        • July-Aug 2002, June-July & July-Aug 2003, June-July 2004, July-Aug 2005
        • June-July 2007, May-July & July-Aug 2008 & 2009; May-June 2010 & 2011
        • May-July 2014, June-July 2018.
    • Implemented in following environments:
      • Sonoran Desert/Arizona Savana at Biosphere 2 Center, Oracle, AZ – 2000-2001.
      • Brazil's endangered Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) at Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPÊ), Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil – 2002-2005, 2007-2011, 2014.
      • Dominican Republic's Caribbean Coastal Reef & Terrestrial Ecosystems at the Puna Cana Biodiversity Laboratory.   2005, 2012.
      • Puerto Rico's Montane Tropical Rain Forest, El Verde Field Station, Luquillo Mountains.  2010.
SEE-U in the Atlantic Forest


Lecturer, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  Spring semesters 2010-2012.
Biogeography (SCI 452) – Survey course on abiotic factors and biotic processes that determine the distribution of biota at global through landscape scales.  A 2-week, 3-credit university course for BLM, BIA, NPS, and USFS firefighters.  UNLV Wildland Firefighters Program, Division of Educational Outreach.  University of Nevada, Las Vegas.   Feb-March 2010, 2011, 2012
Ash Meadows NWR
Biogeography, UNLV
(photo: (c)2010 T.Kittel)
 

Lecturer, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. .  
  • Biogeography (GEOG 3351) – Dept of Geography.  Sept-Dec 2016.
    • Survey course on abiotic factors and biotic processes that determine the distribution of biota at global through landscape scales.
  • Plant Ecology (EBIO 4140) – Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Boulder, CO.  Sept-Dec 2005. 
    • Senior-level survey course in terrestrial plant ecology.
  • Soils Geography (GEOG 4401/5401) – Dept of Geography.  Sept-Dec 2007.
    • Senior & graduate-level survey course on the nature, processes, and global distribution of soils.


Lecturer, Semester at Sea, Institute for Shipboard Education, Charlottesville, VA.  Fall 2006 voyage.  (Visiting Lecturer, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.  Aug-Dec 2006).  (Environmental Sciences: SEMS 161, 163, 361)
  • World Ecosystems (syllabus - pdf, 145k)
  • The Earth's Climate System (syllabus- pdf, 145k)
  • The Ecology and Conservation of Biodiversity Hotspots (syllabus - pdf, 160k)
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do
than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover.”

                   - Mark Twain
Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam
(photo: (c)G. Kittel)

 

Instructor, Program for Ecological Studies, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins.  Aug-Dec 1989.
  • Global Change Graduate Seminar

Lecturer, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis.  Sept-Dec 1984.
  • Weather Analysis and Forecasting  — Upper-division lecture and laboratory course
Instructor-in-Charge, Division of Environmental Studies, University of California, Davis.  Sept-Dec 1982.
  • Ecology of Development in the Humid Tropics

Lecturer, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV.  Jan-Sept 1976.
  • Plant Ecology and Geography of the Western United States   — Lecture and field course
  • Limnology   — Lecture, lab, and field course
  • Plant Identification   —  Lecture, lab, and field course
Guest Lecturer
International Affairs Program, University of Colorado at Boulder.  Sept 2013.
Development, Conservation, and Social Movements in Latin America (IAFS 3000).  Lecture: “Linking Biodiversity Conservation & Socioeconomic Development – Examples from Brazil”
Semester at Sea, Institute for Shipboard Education, Charlottesville, VA.  Fall 2006 voyage.
Global Studies. Lecture: “Climate: Our Changing Stage”
Community College.  Lecture “Typhoons - Asia's Perfect Storm”
Department of Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder.  April 2000.
Global Ecology.   Lecture:  “Future Vegetation Change: Response of Ecosystem Structure and Distribution to Altered Forcing”
Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming.  March 1994.
GIS Applications in Ecological Modeling.  Lecture: “Development of Integrated Datasets for Regional Ecosystem Modeling”
Department of Range Science, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins.  May 1989.
Biogeochemistry. Lecture: “Atmosphere-Ecosystem Interactions”
Division of Environmental Studies, University of California, Davis:
Principles of Environmental Science.  Jan 1984.  Lecture: “Systems Modeling”
Field and Laboratory Methods in Ecology.  Oct 1983.  Lecture: “Methods in Plant Ecology”
Limnology Laboratory.  April 1980, 1981, 1983, and 1984.  Lecture: “Heat Budgets of Lakes”
Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Sacramento. March 1980.
General Ecology. Lecture: “Methods in Plant Ecology”
Teaching Assistant
Division of Environmental Studies, University of California, Davis. 1978-1983.
  • Principles of Environmental Science
  • General Ecology
  • Global Ecology
    • Dept. of Land, Air, & Water Resources, University of California, Davis. 1978-1983.
  • Atmospheric Thermodynamics
  • Weather Analysis and Forecasting
    • Field Study Programs
    Adult Learner Field Programs –

    Instructor, Rocky Mountain Conservancy's Conservation Corps, Estes Park, CO.

    • Climate Change in the Rockies, Rocky Mountain National Park  – One-day field course.  July 2017

    Instructor, Rocky Mountain Conservancy Field Institute (formerly Rocky Mountain Nature Association), Estes Park, CO.

    • Climate Change in the Rockies, Rocky Mountain National Park  – One-day field course, accredited through Colorado School of Mines.  Aug 2013, 2014, Sept 2015.
    • Spring Ecology, Rocky Mountain National Park – Two-day field course, accredited through Colorado State Univ.  Apr 2007, 2008, & 2011.
      • example Syllabus
      • Press release: The Trail-Gazette (Estes Park), 11 Apr 07 (pdf, 180k)
    Volunteer Scientist, EarthWatch Expeditions.  Dec 1977-Jan 1978.
    • Guanacos of Patagonia Research Expedition, Chile – Instruction (Plant Ecology) and field logistics.
    Associate Scientist, Educational Expeditions International (EarthWatch).  April 1973.
    • Guanaco Behavioral Ecology Expedition, Peru  – Instruction (Plant Ecology) and field logistics.

    Investigating Holly Grape (Mahonia repens) in blossom. 
    Spring Ecology 2007, Rocky Mountain National Park 
    (photo - T Kittel)

    Secondary Education Field Programs –

    Assistant Field Director, Foresta Institute for Ocean and Mountain Studies, Carson City, NV.  July-Aug 1972.

    • Washoe Pines Ecology Program.  – Instruction and logistics: Experiential environmental education for junior high school students.
    Mountaineering Program Leader, Foresta Institute for Ocean and Mountain Studies, Carson City, NV.  July-Aug 1970, 1971, Jun-July 1975.
    • Washoe Pines Ecology Program.  – Instruction: Backpacking skills, experiential environmental education for junior high school students.
    Field Ecology Instructor, Foresta Institute for Ocean and Mountain Studies, Carson City, NV:
  • NSF-High School Student Science Training Program (SSTP).  June-July 1971, 1972. – Instruction: Plant ecology and microclimatology.
  • NSF-Teachers' In-Service Institute (TISI). Oct-Dec 1971. –  Environmental education training for high school teachers.
  • IUCN-UNESCO Joint International Environmental Education Conference.  June-July 1970.  –  Course concurrent with conference demonstrating high school-level residential environmental education curriculum.
    • Visiting Lecturer, Foresta Institute for Ocean and Mountain Studies, Carson City, NV.
    • NSF-High School Student Science Training Program (SSTP).  June-July 1974
    Instructor, Agora Alternative Education Program, Davis Senior High School. Apr-June 1975.
    The Study of Natural Areas – Developed and taught: classroom and field ecology class for academically at-risk students.
    Graduate/Undergraduate Student Committees and Postdoctoral Mentoring
    Senior Thesis Committee, Environment Studies Program.  2011-2012.

    Postdoctoral Fellow mentoring, Advanced Study Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research – D. Yates. 1997-1998.

    Postdoctoral Fellow Research Planning Committee, Advanced Study Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research – R.F. Cannon. 1997-1998.

    Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Committee, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder.  1994.

    Outreach Presentations
    Hidden Corners, Inc., Mongolian Magic Expedition.  Presentation: “Ecology of Lake Khövsgöl.”  July 1998.

    National Park Service, Natural Resources Management Trainee Program, Denver, CO.  Presentation: “Global Change: Causes and Impacts.” March 1991.

    EarthWatch Expeditions, Ecology of Great Plains Grasslands Project, Pawnee National Grassland, CO.  Presentation: “Climate of Arid Lands: Global Distribution and Causes.” July 1990.

    Emergency Training and Certifications
    Adult CPR/AED & Infant CPR.  American Heart Association.  2016 (2-year certification).
    First Aid.  American     Heart Association.  2017 (2-year certification).
    Wilderness First Aid.  American Red Cross.  2005.
    Avalanche Rescue, Level I.
    Larimer County (Colorado) Search and Rescue Team.  1996-1997.
    COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY TEACHING
    FIELD STUDY PROGRAMS
    GRADUATE STUDENT COMMITTEES and POST-DOCTORAL MENTORING
    OUTREACH PRESENTATIONS
    HIGH SCHOOL TEACHING
    EMERGENCY TRAINING and CERTIFICATIONS

    HOME PAGE   | CV   |  INTERNATIONAL FIELD EXPERIENCE

    rev. 16 Jy 23