Nat Hemstad, PhD, teaches course taken by Biology and Environmental Science majors

Inver Hills Community College offers BIOL 2306: General Ecology, a four-credit course completed by Environmental Science majors as a required course in the Environmental Science A.S. degree program curriculum. The course is also offered to biology majors as an alternative to Microbiology in the required curriculum of the Biology Transfer Pathway A.S. degree program. The course fulfills Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) Goal 02, Critical Thinking, and Goal 03, Natural Science.

“General Ecology is taught every other fall during even years,” reported Nat Hemstad, PhD, biology and environmental science faculty at Inver Hills. “Students taking this course will spend time sampling local lakes, streams, prairies, and forests. Each student also designs and conducts an ecological study of their choice.”

Nat added that General Ecology introduces his students to the fundamentals of ecology, focusing on the study of organisms in relation to their physical and biological environment. The course includes a survey of individual, population, community, and ecosystem level ecology. Theoretical, empirical, and applied ecology are discussed. Activities often include group activities, guest speakers, films, and field trips. Labs reinforce lecture content and empower students with research skills, including the use of primary literature and experimental design along with data analysis and interpretation.

Not unexpectedly, field trips are a favorite part the General Ecology course. Students in Nat’s class recently took a field trip to Marcott Lake, a small, but relatively deep lake (40 feet) located about a mile from the Inver Hills campus. The purpose of the field trip was to provide Nat’s students with the opportunity to collect temperature, dissolved oxygen, and zooplankton data throughout the water column.

“This information can then be used to assess the productivity level of the lake,” Nat said. “The physical and biological properties of lakes change with the seasons, so we sample in both the late summer and late fall. A local resident on the lake graciously allows the class to use their pontoon as a floating lab.”

After data are collected, Nat’s students spend the following week in the lab analyzing it. They graph changes in temperature and oxygen from summer to fall and calculate the ratio of different types of zooplankton.

“Using this information, the students determine what productivity classification the lake fits into,” Nat explained. “Additionally, students use winter lake data that I have been collecting with my Environmental Science courses since 2009 by drilling through the ice in February to look for any longterm patterns.”

Marcott Lake field trip gallery

View more event photos by opening the Inver Hills Flickr album:

General Ecology Field Trip to Marcott Lake Fall 2024

More about Nat…

Nat Hemstad, PhD, serves as biology and environmental science faculty at Inver Hills. Nat began teaching at the college in 2003. He earned his doctorate in Water Resources Science with Concentrations in Statistics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the University of Minnesota in 2006. He holds an M.A. in Biology with Emphasis in Ecology and Natural Resources and GIS certification from St. Cloud State University, graduating in 1998, and a B.A. in Biology with a Minor in Geology from Gustavus Adolphus College, graduating cum laude in 1996.

On his path to teaching full-time at Inver Hills, Nat worked as an adjunct biology instructor at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, and St. John’s University. Along with General Ecology, he routinely teaches Exploring Biology, Environmental Science and Critical Issues in Human Biology. He grew up in International Falls, Minnesota and spent countless hours in the north woods and on Rainy Lake. He loves being able to take his students out to the wetlands, forest plots and prairies on campus, and to lakes and streams that are nearby.

Nat has received a student-nominated Golden Apple Award at Inver Hills and was a semifinalist for the college’s Outstanding Educator Award in 2021–2022. He designed and implemented an online environmental science course and regularly holds a session on how to succeed in Exploring Biology during Student Success Days (SSD). In 2006, he was awarded a $5,000 College Faculty Award for Excellence for creating an outdoor biodiversity/exotic species living laboratory at the college.

“I am at a community college because I love teaching and interacting with students,” Nat said. “Most of this learning takes place in the classroom, but as often as possible I try to get them out of the classroom for both learning and applying what they’ve learned. I’ve partnered with numerous institutions, e.g., Friends of the Mississippi River, Great River Greening, and Pine Bend Elementary School, for hands-on learning opportunities.

“My students have restored stream banks, removed invasive buckthorn, built a nature trail for an elementary school, collected native prairie seeds, restored wetland vegetation, and created permanent biodiversity study plots on our campus. Experiences like these are where learning and understanding really set in—and as a bonus, most resulted in some sort of service-learning component that goes on student transcripts.”

Student perspective: Lydia DeGross

Age: 19
Hometown: Minneapolis
High school and year graduated: DeLaSalle, Class of 2023
Inver Hills major or award: A.A. degree
Inver Hills scheduled graduation date: May 2025
Inver Hills extracurricular activities: Environmental Club, Volunteer Club, The Bee’s Knees Committee
Transfer plans: Undecided
Career plans: Sustainability or conservation

Three words that describe you as a college student:
PASSIONATE. HAPPY. ENGAGED.

Lydia DeGross • Q & A

What have you enjoyed most the General Ecology course?
Outdoor labs—my favorite was going in the stream at Battle Creek Regional Park.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned in the course about the relationship between human beings and their physical environment?
How much humans have changed the environment by introducing exotic species.

What advice would you give students thinking about taking the General Ecology course?
Do it! It is a fun class and you get to choose your own research project.

If you could make one thing happen on Earth right now, what would it be?
Stop the use of fossil fuels.

One word that best describes your experience at Inver Hills:

FULFILLING

Student perspective: Brandon Schaaf

Age: 21
Hometown: Apple Valley, Minnesota
High school and year graduated: School of Environmental Studies, Class of 2022
Inver Hills major or award:Environmental Science A.S. and Climate Change certificate
Inver Hills scheduled graduation date: Spring 2025
Inver Hills extracurricular activities: None currently
Transfer plans:University of Minnesota to study environmental policy and management
Career plans:Work for our parks system and help make and execute management plans

Three words that describe you as a college student:
MOTIVATED. ADAPTABLE. CREATIVE.

Brandon Schaaf • Q & A

What have you enjoyed most the General Ecology course?
I have enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the labs because it helps me gain a deep understanding of the content beyond looking at data.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned in the course about the relationship between human beings and their physical environment?
One insight I’ve gained from studying ecology is the intricate consequences of human activity. For instance, cowbirds are a species that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. Preferring open habitats, they typically avoid deep, dense forests.

However, as humans log and fragment these forests, the cowbirds’ range has expanded due to the newly created open spaces between forested areas. This lowers the population of native songbirds even more than just logging does.

What advice would you give students thinking about taking the General Ecology course?
If they are considering taking the course, I would say go for it. It is very hands-on, and you get to learn about things that apply to the world around us.

If you could make one thing happen on Earth right now, what would it be?
I firmly believe that the production and use of all PFAS should be stopped due to their detrimental effects on both our ecosystems and our own health. Research has established links between PFAS and serious health issues, including cancers, liver disorders, birth defects, reproductive complications, and thyroid diseases.

Despite this, they continue to be incorporated into our clothing, cookware, and they are improperly disposed of, leading to contamination of our drinking water.

One word that best describes your experience at Inver Hills:

INSIGHTFUL

More about BIOL 2306: General Ecology

MAJOR CONTENT AREAS

• History and background of ecology.
• Organisms and their environments.
• Energy and matter transfers.
• Population ecology and interactions.
• Evolutionary, community, and applied ecology.

LEARNING OUTCOMES (General)

• Explain ecological principles.
• Apply ecological principles to diverse fields (such as conservation biology, biogeography, environmental science, public health, medicine).
• Demonstrate problem solving skills through application of the scientific method.
• Communicate ecological principles through writing and oral presentation.
• Interpret primary literature.
• Demonstrate current standard lab/ field safety practices and procedures.

Prerequisites:

BIOL 1154: Principles of Biology I
BIOL 1154: General Biology: From Cell to Organism
MATH 1103: Introduction to Statistics (recommended)

Learn more about Biology and Environmental Science at Inver Hills by contacting:

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admissions@inverhills.edu
651-450-3902
866-576-0689
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