Courses - Aerobiology Research Laboratory

Note: This course is designed for in-house training. Correspondence course (check below for information)

The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a comprehensive knowledge of airborne pollen and spores, including identification and counting procedures. In addition to identification and counting the course includes discussion of biological and weather factors influencing pollen production and distribution. The course also provides a general understanding of the statistical methods used to establish the relationship between weather patterns and local pollination seasons. A general overview of computer technology is also covered as it applies to simplifying counting procedures and manupulating data. The course is intensive and highly technical and of interest to persons interested in establishing a career in aerobiology. The comprehensive section requires two to three weeks residency depending upon the preference and aptitude of the student. Tuition for the course is $1300.00. Additionally the student is required to purchase their own texts and cover their own living expenses if from outside the Ottawa area.

Course Outline

Introduction - Pollen and Spore Studies

The course for aeroallergen identification is comprised of three sections. The student should expect to spend 50 to 100 hours of study time per section. At the conclusion of each section there is an oral and/or written examination. Upon successful completion of all three sections there is a comprehensive and practical examination. The pass mark for all examinations is 80%, exams last 2 to 4 hours. Wherever visual identifications are required the species are limited to the listings found in bold with our counting procedures. The fungi would be limited in Genera covered due to difficulty in identification and length of time it takes to get competent in differentiation of spores.

Textbooks For The Course. These books are also available for sale.

An Atlas of Airborne Pollen Grains and Common Fungus Spores of Canada, I.J. Bassett, C.W. Crompton, & J.A. Parmelee, Canada Department of Agriculture 1978

Sampling and Identifying Allergenic Pollens and Molds, E. Grant Smith, Blewstone Press, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A. 1990

Airborne and Allergenic Pollen of North America, Walter H. Lewis, Prathibha Vinay, Vincent E. Zenger, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. 1983(no longer in print, replacement is being located)

Manual for Sampling Airborne Pollen, E.C. Ogden, G.S. Raynor, J.V. Hayes D.M. Lewis, J. H. Haines, Hafner Press, New York, U.S.A. 1974 (no longer in print, photocopies of original book are available)

A certificate of competency is issued upon successful completion of all sections. This certificate is awarded when the course is completed and 100 practice counts have been performed. All training is to been done by qualified staff of Aerobiology Research Laboratories.

Correspondence Course:

This course is designed for out of town students who want to learn some of the basics of aeroallergen identification. Competency level will depend on educational background, amount of time and ability to travel to obtain hands-on training in our laboratory.

Reference slides of certain pollen and spores are available to the students allowing them to obtain a good basic knowledge on learning how to identify many of the airborne particles found. The major pollen and fungal genera will be covered and sent to the participant and exams will be provided by mail or by the internet. Exams must be received and supervised by a proctor. All exams will be sent back to the laboratory and marked. The same pass mark will apply as above. The same course of study as outlined above will apply. Identifications will be part of the exam and can be done electronically or slides sent to a proctor and done at a site with proper facilities. A certificate will be given to the partcipant based on the level of training and competency. This certificate does not preclude that a person should be allowed to do any aeroallergen identification on their own unless further hands-on training is obtained in our laboratory. It is well to note that identification of aeroallergens is complex and takes many hours of training and learning for competency. The certificate issued will state what level of training the student obtained.

Books will be supplied and reference slides are available for sale. Aerobiolgy Research Laboratory provides all of the books necessary, the course materials and the exams. The course has to be adapted to each individual's needs. The cost of the course is $1300.00 (also the cost of per week, one on one training, in our laboratory)


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	Correspondence Courses \| Other Educational Resources
	Pollen and Spore Studies Note: This course is designed for in-house training. Correspondence course (check below for information) The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a comprehensive knowledge of airborne pollen and spores, including identification and counting procedures. In addition to identification and counting the course includes discussion of biological and weather factors influencing pollen production and distribution. The course also provides a general understanding of the statistical methods used to establish the relationship between weather patterns and local pollination seasons. A general overview of computer technology is also covered as it applies to simplifying counting procedures and manupulating data. The course is intensive and highly technical and of interest to persons interested in establishing a career in aerobiology. The comprehensive section requires two to three weeks residency depending upon the preference and aptitude of the student. Tuition for the course is $1300.00. Additionally the student is required to purchase their own texts and cover their own living expenses if from outside the Ottawa area. Course Outline Introduction - Pollen and Spore Studies The course for aeroallergen identification is comprised of three sections. The student should expect to spend 50 to 100 hours of study time per section. At the conclusion of each section there is an oral and/or written examination. Upon successful completion of all three sections there is a comprehensive and practical examination. The pass mark for all examinations is 80%, exams last 2 to 4 hours. Wherever visual identifications are required the species are limited to the listings found in bold with our counting procedures. The fungi would be limited in Genera covered due to difficulty in identification and length of time it takes to get competent in differentiation of spores. Textbooks For The Course. These books are also available for sale. An Atlas of Airborne Pollen Grains and Common Fungus Spores of Canada, I.J. Bassett, C.W. Crompton, & J.A. Parmelee, Canada Department of Agriculture 1978 Sampling and Identifying Allergenic Pollens and Molds, E. Grant Smith, Blewstone Press, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A. 1990 Airborne and Allergenic Pollen of North America, Walter H. Lewis, Prathibha Vinay, Vincent E. Zenger, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. 1983(no longer in print, replacement is being located) Manual for Sampling Airborne Pollen, E.C. Ogden, G.S. Raynor, J.V. Hayes D.M. Lewis, J. H. Haines, Hafner Press, New York, U.S.A. 1974 (no longer in print, photocopies of original book are available) Certificate A certificate of competency is issued upon successful completion of all sections. This certificate is awarded when the course is completed and 100 practice counts have been performed. All training is to been done by qualified staff of Aerobiology Research Laboratories. Correspondence Course: This course is designed for out of town students who want to learn some of the basics of aeroallergen identification. Competency level will depend on educational background, amount of time and ability to travel to obtain hands-on training in our laboratory. Reference slides of certain pollen and spores are available to the students allowing them to obtain a good basic knowledge on learning how to identify many of the airborne particles found. The major pollen and fungal genera will be covered and sent to the participant and exams will be provided by mail or by the internet. Exams must be received and supervised by a proctor. All exams will be sent back to the laboratory and marked. The same pass mark will apply as above. The same course of study as outlined above will apply. Identifications will be part of the exam and can be done electronically or slides sent to a proctor and done at a site with proper facilities. A certificate will be given to the partcipant based on the level of training and competency. This certificate does not preclude that a person should be allowed to do any aeroallergen identification on their own unless further hands-on training is obtained in our laboratory. It is well to note that identification of aeroallergens is complex and takes many hours of training and learning for competency. The certificate issued will state what level of training the student obtained. Books will be supplied and reference slides are available for sale. Aerobiolgy Research Laboratory provides all of the books necessary, the course materials and the exams. The course has to be adapted to each individual's needs. The cost of the course is $1300.00 (also the cost of per week, one on one training, in our laboratory) Please contact us for more specific information. Check out other educational resources dealing with aeroallergens Enquire about course availability

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