TEACHING

Members of the group really enjoy contributing to all levels of teaching in the Department. Nick and Martin lecture on several of the taught courses, and in particular Martin teaches part of the Advanced Practical Skills and Nick is the course director of the Third Year BIOL31132 Sensory Ecology.  We also run the second year Sensory Biology Field Course down at the Slapton Ley FSC field centre. 

First Year - Level 1

In the First Year, Nick helps introduce Sensory Biology as part of the BIOL12000 Life Processes Course.

Second Year - Level 2

NIck and Martin are both responsible for the Level 2 Sensory Biology Field Course. This is a fantastic 5-day field course down at the Field Studies Council centre at Slapton Ley. Here students get a variety of small group learning sessions with experts in each field, get to do some small group lead experiments to learn more about experimental design, and then plan and undertake their own experiment for three days. 

Nick teaches half of the BIOL20016 Sensory Biology course. We've introduced this course in 2017/2018 to provide a coordinated progression from year 1 through to year 3; from learning the fundamental principles through to cutting edge research in Sensory Biology and Visual Ecology. 

Third Year - Level 3

In the third year we teach a variety of different things. Martin teaches part of the Advanced Practical Skills course, for those undergraduates who will be going onto a fourth year.  Nick is course director for the popular BIOL31132 Sensory Ecology course - co-taught with Daniel Robert.  Both Nick and Martin also have several L3 project pairs working in our lab. See the lists below to give to an idea of some of the projects that are undertaken. Something we are particularly proud of is the number of papers we get published from these projects. 

Daly, I.M., Tetley, A.E., Jared, S.L., How, M.J. and Roberts, N.W. 2017 Colour preference in Odontodactylus scyllarus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Stomatopoda). Journal of Crustacean Biology rux038. doi: 10.1093/jcbiol/rux038   is the most recent example.

Every year Martin and Nick offer a variety of MSci projects. From working on polarization vision in crustaceans, to investigating animal colouration or measuring the effects of anthropogenic light pollution, we use a range of different techniques including microscopy, image processing and controlled lab based behavioural experiments.

CURRENT UNDERGRADUATES WORKING IN THE LAB

2017 / 2018

Rosie Pittwood - 4th Year - Polarization Imaging Underwater. Working with Dr. Martin How.

Jai Lake - 4th Year - The effects of anthropogenic light pollution on visual navigational cues. Working with Prof. Nicholas Roberts.

Katie Hollingworth & Joanna Field - 3rd Year - Polarization vision in shore crabs. Working with Dr. Martin How.

Amy Joint & Rosie Brooks - 3rd Year - Polarized light pollution. Working with Prof. Nicholas Roberts.

Jack Atkin-Willoughby & Oliver Aucamp - 3rd Year - Habitat selection in shore crabs. Working with Prof. Nicholas Roberts.

Peter Lytle & Alex Rhodes - 3rd Year - Polarization navigation in ants. Working with Prof. Nicholas Roberts.

PREVIOUS UNDERGRADUATES WORKING IN THE LAB

2016 / 2017

Jack Vaughan - 4th Year MSci - Visual ecology of hermit crabs. Working with Dr Martin How & Dr David Wilby

Benito Wainwright & Amy Ockenden - 3rd Year - Polarization for breaking camouflage. Working with Dr Nicholas Roberts.

Katarina Kovijanic & Daniel Altman - 3rd Year -  Asymmetry in contrast detection above and below water . Working with Dr Nicholas Roberts.

Sam South & Jacob Povey - 3rd Year - Polarization vision in praying mantis. Working with Dr Nicholas Roberts.

Nelson Butterfield and Ryan Mayes - 3rd Year - Contrast detection in hermit crabs. Working with Dr Martin How.

2015 / 2016

Samuel Riches (MSci) - Colour vision and behavioural crypsis in hermit crabs. Working with Dr Nicholas Roberts & Dr David Wilby

Leah Fowles & Georgina Richman (BSc) - Polarization vision in shore crabs. Working with Dr Nicholas Roberts & Dr Martin How

Sheryl Jared & Anna Tetley (BSc) - Colour vision in stomatopods. Working with Dr Nicholas Roberts, Ilse Daly & Dr Martin How