2026 Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms - Iowa Lakeside Laboratory
Dates: 18 May – 12 June 2026
Instructors: David Burge, david-burge@uiowa.edu (University of Minnesota, Science Museum of Minnesota); Sarah Spaulding, sarah.spaulding@colorado.edu (University of Colorado)
This intensive, field-based course provides advanced training in diatom biology, taxonomy, and applied ecological analysis. Designed for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, post-graduates, and natural resource professionals, the course integrates field sampling, laboratory preparation, microscopy, taxonomic identification, and data interpretation within a research-focused framework.
Students will conduct field investigations across a diverse set of aquatic environments, including fens, wetlands, lakes, rivers, and fossil deposits in the Upper Midwest. Laboratory work emphasizes diatom preparation techniques, light microscopy, digital imaging, and taxonomic verification. Lectures and discussions integrate diatom evolution, systematics, ecology, paleolimnology, biogeography, and environmental assessment, highlighting how taxonomic resolution underpins ecological inference and environmental decision-making.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Design and implement a field study of diatom communities across contrasting aquatic habitats.
- Apply standardized laboratory protocols for diatom preparation, microscopy, and digital imaging.
- Assemble a voucher flora to document and verify taxonomic identifications.
- Critically evaluate primary literature in diatom ecology and systematics.
- Explain the role of nomenclatural types and taxonomic standards in biological classification.
- Prepare and submit a draft species treatment for review in the Diatoms of North America (diatoms.org) project.
Students are encouraged to integrate their own research materials or datasets and will receive individualized mentoring on research design, methodological challenges, and best practices in diatom-based ecological and paleolimnological investigations. The course emphasizes professional skills in taxonomy, data analysis, and scientific communication that are directly applicable to academic research, environmental monitoring, and resource management careers.
Pre-requisites: none
Credit hours: 4
Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday
Tuition:
Undergraduate: $ 1,600
Graduate: $ 2,668
Range of room/board costs per week at Lakeside:
Cabin, room w/o bathroom, meals included, $ 250 per week
Room with bathroom, double occupancy, meals included, ~$ 300 per week
Single room with bathroom, meals included, $ 450 per week
Optional Workshop
Students may also choose to attend the on-site workshop, “Advancing the global diatom DNA reference library”, held 22-24 May, for no additional fee.
Scholarships
In addition to the relatively low tuition rates, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Friends of Lakeside Lab, and scientific societies offer many scholarship opportunities. The course instructors are actively recruiting students from institutions with limited access to field-based training and provide mentoring to broaden participation in taxonomy and aquatic science. We strongly encourage students to register early and apply for one or more scholarships. Any student within the US who would like to attend, but is limited by funding should contact the instructors.
General Scholarships - a limited number of $250/week (4 week max.) room and board scholarships to qualified students who register for a Lakeside Lab course and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above (students may request a waiver for special circumstances). In exchange, students provide 3 hours of service each week at the campus.
Endowed Scholarships – Students may apply for the Charles Reimer Scholarship, E.F. Stoermer Scholarship, G. Dennis Cooke Scholarship, Craven Family Undergraduate Scholarship, Becker Family Graduate Fellowship.