A message to USC undergraduates interested in Biology.
The Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics is best thought of as a large umbrella that unites faculty, postdocs, graduate students, undergraduate students, staff, and volunteers sharing a common goal of learning the rules that result in the diversity of life processes on our planet. Our interests span multiple scales – from a piece of DNA, to a protein that DNA may code for, to a metabolic process that might require that protein, to an individual whose fitness is determined by that metabolism, to a population where individuals show variation in that biological process, to species that have diverged over countless generations and individuals. While we may specialize in one or more of these scales, we are are all driven to learn the the rules that underlie biological diversity.
A brief history: CEED began in the 2021-2022 academic year (although the name CEED would come later in our history). It began as a bi-weekly seminar series where faculty from across USC – including the Health Science campus – would present their research, and we would all interact over those questions in a social hour that followed. In 2022-2023, we applied for and received formal funding as a “Dornsife Faculty-Led Research Initiative”. We received “Phase 1 funding”, which gave us roughly 10K to begin growing our program past seminar series, including inviting speakers from outside of USC. In the summer of 2024, we learned that we received “Phase 2 funding” to allow us to continue building our program, with a major goal being to provide seed funding between collaborating faculty from diverse research backgrounds. In the longer term, we are thinking of creating a new Ph.D. program. Our future is bright, and we are excited.
Undergraduates at USC who are interested in Biology are overwhelmingly drawn to the Pre-Med track. CEED aims to also include undergraduates who are driven to learn the rules of biodiversity through research, teaching, and learning. Career paths include academia, education, government, and industry.
CEED is all-inclusive. The best way to get involved is to just show up to our biweekly seminar (see link above). We are a super friendly group. If you have any questions, contact Matt Dean (matthew.dean@usc.edu).
For USC undergraduates, the BISC major offers four different emphases, two of which allow students to receive specialized training in CEED-type themes, and which is reflected on your diploma.
Ecology, Evolution, and Environment
USC undergraduates looking for CEED-type courses can find some here:
BISC313 Evolution and Population Genetics. Spring. Learn about the history of evolutionary thought; molecular basis for evolution; dynamics of genes in populations; specialization and macroevolution; patterns of evolution.
BISC315L: Introduction to Ecology. Fall. An introduction to the different disciplines within the field of ecology. Topics include the ecology of individuals, physiological and behavioral ecology, population ecology, community ecology and ecosystem ecology. Students will attend a three-hour lab each week to get hands-on experience designing ecological studies, along with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of real-world ecological data.
BISC363 Mammalogy. Spring. This is a classic “organismal biology” course where students learn the amazing ecology and evolution of mammals, with a huge emphasis on the evolution of mating and reproduction. Includes a field trip to the desert! PS – the lab takes place behind-the-scenes at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, across the street from USC.
BISC364L Advanced Techniques in Field Mammalogy. Spring. This is a Maymester – over the course of four weeks we camp at four different biological reserve systems in California, trap (and release) mammals, and learn the tools to document biodiversity. We also learn a little bit about spatial sciences.
BISC404L Ecology and Biodiversity. Spring. Introduction to community ecology, macroecology, biodiversity and ecosystem functions, and current debates on trends in biodiversity; concepts include ecological theory, modeling, data management and analysis.
BISC460 Seminar in Marine and Environmental Biology. Fall. This is a seminar-based course centered on CEED seminars. This is a capstone course where students examine contemporary research, both in writing and verbally. These are critical skills in a career in ecology and evolutionary biology (or really any career).
BISC490: Independent Student Research. This course number is a generic number given to student research projects. For those interested in earning credits while doing real research, the best approach is to contact labs that you find are doing interesting research. If you need help, please feel free to contact Matt Dean: matthew.dean@usc.edu.