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Nature, Biodiversity and Health (2025/2026: Semester 2 – Spring)
Course aim
After completing this course successfully, students are able to:
- demonstrate a broad knowledge of key concepts of biology, chemistry, earth- and medical sciences in relation to nature, biodiversity and health
- elaborate on how their discipline of interest (BIO/CHE/EAR/MED) relates to the nexus of nature, biodiversity and health; and connects to the approaches of other disciplines
- collect, organize, and analyse data; and interpret the results
- work in collaboration with disciplines other than their own to make a synthesis of their cumulative knowledge and present it in a coherent manner
| Description of assignment | Assesses which learning goals? |
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Course content
We are living In an era marked by unprecedented environmental challenges and growing concerns on sustainability of Earth’s biodiversity. Rapid loss of species, habitat destruction, and a shift in latitude of climatic zones are pushing ecosystems to the brink of collapse. Bankrupting natural resources at such rapid rate inevitably has negative outcomes not only for the biosphere but also human well-being.
Having evolved alongside flourishing ecosystems, humans depend on nature for physical and psychological health. In an increasingly urbanized and industrialized world the loss of biodiversity poses a threat to our wellbeing via complex mechanisms that can best be understood when approached from multiple disciplines.
Increasing attention to and effort into interdisciplinary research is born from this need to create more collaboration and crosstalk between historically divergent disciplines. Particularly in face of global challenges such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and habitat loss it has become more urgent to combine our disciplinary expertise for adequate solutions. However, connecting the knowledge from various disciplines comes with unique challenges and skill sets necessary for effective interdisciplinary work. which will be discussed and developed, respectively, in this course.
Having evolved alongside flourishing ecosystems, humans depend on nature for physical and psychological health. In an increasingly urbanized and industrialized world the loss of biodiversity poses a threat to our wellbeing via complex mechanisms that can best be understood when approached from multiple disciplines.
Increasing attention to and effort into interdisciplinary research is born from this need to create more collaboration and crosstalk between historically divergent disciplines. Particularly in face of global challenges such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and habitat loss it has become more urgent to combine our disciplinary expertise for adequate solutions. However, connecting the knowledge from various disciplines comes with unique challenges and skill sets necessary for effective interdisciplinary work. which will be discussed and developed, respectively, in this course.
Format
Students mainly from four science disciplines/tracks (BIO, CHE, MED, and EAR) will learn about main topics in biodiversity with a focus on interconnectedness of well-being of ecosystems and that of humans. Throughout the course, students will reflect on their own disciplinary grounding, use their expertise to collect data, and integrate the disciplinary knowledge to generate interdisciplinary insights on a research question involving human health and biodiversity.
First part of the course is organized around class sessions involving both the subject matter (i.e. biodiversity and health) and initial interdisciplinary skills such as disciplinary grounding and perspective taking. This will be achieved through both interactive activities in class and specific assignments students will complete individually or in groups.
In the second part, students in disciplinary groups will engage in research to tackle one ‘big’ question or problem involving biodiversity and human health under supervision of disciplinary experts where each group will focus on a specific aspect of the problem. During this practical, students will design and carry out experiments, collect and analyse data, and interpret their findings. Where appropriate, students will also access publicly available data in academic publications and field specific repositories.
Following data collection and analysis, students will work in interdisciplinary groups to synthesize the knowledge gained by each discipline and report in a tangible final product.
Students mainly from four science disciplines/tracks (BIO, CHE, MED, and EAR) will learn about main topics in biodiversity with a focus on interconnectedness of well-being of ecosystems and that of humans. Throughout the course, students will reflect on their own disciplinary grounding, use their expertise to collect data, and integrate the disciplinary knowledge to generate interdisciplinary insights on a research question involving human health and biodiversity.
First part of the course is organized around class sessions involving both the subject matter (i.e. biodiversity and health) and initial interdisciplinary skills such as disciplinary grounding and perspective taking. This will be achieved through both interactive activities in class and specific assignments students will complete individually or in groups.
In the second part, students in disciplinary groups will engage in research to tackle one ‘big’ question or problem involving biodiversity and human health under supervision of disciplinary experts where each group will focus on a specific aspect of the problem. During this practical, students will design and carry out experiments, collect and analyse data, and interpret their findings. Where appropriate, students will also access publicly available data in academic publications and field specific repositories.
Following data collection and analysis, students will work in interdisciplinary groups to synthesize the knowledge gained by each discipline and report in a tangible final product.
Instructional formats
UCU sci 3 course
Examination
Active participation and academic attitude
Required | Weight 10% | ECTS 0.75
Experimental design and implementation
Required | Weight 25% | ECTS 1.88
Paper on interdisciplinarity
Required | Weight 10% | ECTS 0.75
*midterm FEEDBACK*
Not required
Final report
Required | Weight 30% | ECTS 2.25
Written mid-term exam
Required | Weight 25% | ECTS 1.88
Entry requirements and preknowledge
Entry Requirements
At least one of the following course modules must be completed:
- [UCSCIBIO21] Molecular Cell Biology II
- [UCSCIBIO23] Human and Animal Physiology
- [UCSCICHE21] Inorganic and Organic Chemistry
- [UCSCICHE22] Physical Chemistry
- [UCSCICHE23] Biochemistry
- [UCSCICHE24] Biophysical Chemistry
- [UCSCIEAR21] Ecosystem Change in the Anthropocene
- [UCSCIEAR22] Atmosphere and Climate
- [UCSCIEAR23] Earth System Processes and Geology
- [UCSCIEES21] Ecosystem Change in the Anthropocene
- [UCSCIEES23] Earth System Processes and Geology
- [UCSCIEES24] Sustainability Science and Society
- [UCSCIMED21] Mechanisms of Diseases
Preknowledge
No data about preknowledge is available.
Languages
- English
Competences
-
Academic writing
-
Interdisciplinarity
-
Research skills
-
Collaboration
Course Iterations
Related studies
Exams
There is no timetable available of the exams
Required Materials
-
DIVERSEThis course will mostly rely on open access interdisciplinary reports and articles, book chapters, online videos, as well as primary and secondary articles from the different disciplines.
Recommended Materials
No information available on the recommended literature
Remarks
Counts towards SCI major; not a track finisher. Alternates with UCINTEVO31.
Coördinator
| dr. M.A. Döke PhD | m.a.doke@uu.nl |
Lecturers
| dr. M.A. Döke PhD | m.a.doke@uu.nl |
| dr. ing. J. Zandveld | j.zandveld@uu.nl |
Enrolment
Attention: this course is not open to students from other faculties, so subsidiary students can't enroll for this course.
Go to OSIRIS-enrolments
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