Summer short courses
2019 Course Dates!
2019 SPATIAL and IsoCamp courses will be held from June 10-21 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The ITCE program offers two, concurrent, 2-week, summer short courses to graduate students, postdocs, and interested faculty and researchers. Read More
Each course offers a full immersion training experience built around field-leading faculty representing a broad spectrum of disciplines and institutions. The courses provide foundational knowledge and hands-on experience, preparing students to apply stable isotope and biogeochemical tracers to research in continental-scale ecology. The systematics and use of stable isotopes are emphasized, and provide a framework for case studies and hands-on research. Through these activities we provide coverage of a broad range of systems and techniques applicable to problems of cross-scale observation, scaling, spatial analysis, and modeling of Earth system processes.
Course 1, Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry and Ecology (aka Iso-Camp), emphasizes fundamental environmental and biological theory underlying isotope fractionation processes and a broad spectrum of ecological and environmental applications.
Course 2, Isotopes in Spatial Ecology and Biogeochemistry (aka the SPATIAL Short Course), extends on the fundamentals covered in course 1 to develop theory and techniques for applying isotope and biogeochemical tracer data to spatial problems at a range of scales.
Application Process
We will be accepting applications for the 2019 ITCE short courses from December 10th, 2018- February 8th, 2019. Read More
Enrollment for each course is competitive, with class size limited to ensure an interactive, personal learning environment. Applications consist of personal and educational information and upload of a CV and letter of support from your major advisor (for graduate students and postdocs). Applications for course 1 and course 2 are submitted and evaluated separately. Courses are offered concurrently. Although there are no formal prerequisites for either course, for course 2 we will give preference to students with a solid background in stable isotope biogeochemistry (e.g., course 1 or equivalent) or exposure to stable isotopes complimented by a strong background in geospatial analysis or spatial modeling.
Both courses are available in either lecture-lab (full day) or lecture-only (half-day) format. In general, enrollment in the full lecture-lab course is limited to graduate students and postdocs, but we welcome interested parties at all career stages to consider the lecture-only option.
Participant Support
A limited amount of financial support is available to assist students who are otherwise unable to cover the costs of attending the SPATIAL or IsoCamp short courses. Support will be awarded competitively and is available only to applicants who are graduate students. Applications for participant support can be submitted as part of the course application process, and require an additional short essay and second letter of support.
Post-course Opportunities
Student participants may be eligible for project-supported, post-course exchange visits to conduct research in residence at with one or more ITCE instructors.
ITCE News!
2020 SPATIAL short course will be held July 6-17
IsoMAP is a dynamic, online workspace for spatial analysis, modeling and prediction of stable isotope ratio variation in the natural environment. Visit IsoMAP to learn more or to start making isoscapes today!
