WELCOME TO THE COURSE
Welcome to the course Terrestrial biogeochemistry held by the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science at Umeå University. My name is Ryan Sponseller and I will serve as course coordinator. If you have any questions regarding the course, please just send me an e-mail, ryan.sponseller@umu.se.
If you have been admitted to a course or programme, or been placed on a waiting list, you must reply to your first admissions notification to keep your place. If you don't wish to keep your place, you should decline your offer. In doing so, you free up your place to someone who is on the waiting list. You reply to your offer by logging in to your account at Universityadmissions.se by 16 December 2024.
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As a new student, you need to activate your user account (your Umu-id) approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester.
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If you are a new student, you will automatically receive a user account when you are admitted, but you will need to activate it for it to function properly. You will not be able to activate it until approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester.
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I want to activate my user account and install MFA
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When you have replied to the Notification of Selection you need to register for the course in the study documentation system, Ladok. This is to keep your place and have your results registered during the course. Online registration is open between 18 March and 1 April. If you do not register by 1 April at the latest, you risk losing your place.
Introduction to Ladok for students
To be able to sign in to register online, you need to have activated your Umu-id account.
If you cannot attend at the introduction you must inform the course organizer in advance, otherwise your course registration may expire.
Tuesday 25 March
Time: To be announced
Location: To be announced
The introduction day we meet and discuss the aims and expectations of the course and introduce you to the themes you will be working with over the following weeks.
The course addresses the major biogeochemical cycles in the terrestrial biosphere. This includes focus on the interactions between the atmosphere and plant -soil systems, on how natural processes influence the distribution and cycling of key elements, and on how these cycles are altered by a range of natural and human-induced perturbations, including land use and climate change. Finally, the course will provide an overview of these biogeochemical cycles from local to global scales.
The form of instruction includes lectures, student-led discussions of the primary literature, analysis of existing datasets, and in some case field excursions. This is an advanced-level (master’s) course and thus comes with the expectation that students can at times work independently and within small groups. The overall format of the course combines short lectures complemented by assigned readings that are focused on a series of key biogeochemical elements or topics. Some topics may also include work with data analysis and interpretation, and may even involve sample preparation and analysis. Individual project work may vary, but could include short individual experiments or deep literature searches to summarize and synthesis our understanding of different biogeochemical elements.
Read more in the course syllabus.
The course literature is based och scientific journal papers that you will recieve during the course. Additional material might also be given from the course teachers.
Information and course materials aimed directly at course participants are available in the Canvas learning platform. Students registered on a course have access to the course's Canvas page.
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Recommended arrival times
International students are recommended to arrive at least a few days before the start of the regular semester, preferably prior to the Orientation. If you fail to arrive on time, you have to contact the study counselor as soon as possible, but no later than one week ahead of the course start, or you may not be able to register for the programme or course.
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Orientation
Moving to a new country with an unfamiliar language, culture and customs can be a challenge. We would like to help you and ease that challenge so that you can focus on your studies. Therefore, we would like to offer you the possibility to take part in our Orientation, which begins a few days before the start of the semester (Autumn) or the same day as the semester starts (Spring).
Welcome Fair
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Learn more about Office 365 and how to install it on your computer