Attendance is optional and expenses are partially subsidized by the Biology Department. Most seminar meetings begin with a discussion of about 1 hour, led by the previous week's presenters, on papers from the primary literature assigned by the discussion leaders at the end of their presentation one week earlier. This is followed by an hour or more of instruction in a new subject area by two new presenters, who then assign a new set of papers for discussion the following week. Each student gives two presentations during the course of the semester. Students work in pairs on organizing and preparing presentations, working with a different partner for each presentation.
Students select from a list of assigned topics for the first round of presentations.
Presenters teach other seminar participants about a particular topic in the ecology of biodiversity, presenting background information needed to understand the papers assigned for later discussion. Presenters are encouraged to consult with the professor as they prepare. Each pair of presenters chooses two or three papers and assigns them for discussion in the week following the presentation. Discussion papers are from the primary literature, i.e., peer-reviewed journals or compendia of contributed articles. Assigned papers present data and analyses pertinent to the presentation topic.