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Admission Membership
Admission Membership

Detroit Zoological Society as Your AIP Site

DZS AIP Homepage

Degrees and Delivery

Applicants elect to enroll in either a Master of Arts (MA) in Biology or a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Biological Sciences from Miami University. MA and MAT candidates go through the AIP together. Note: The MAT program does not confer a teaching license or certification.

All AIP courses (35 credit hours total) are delivered online by a Miami University instructor. Fourteen credit hours of AIP Core Courses occur on the web. Students take up to 21 credit hours of AIP Web+ courses that combine web-based instruction with up to 5 days (or equivalent) of experiential learning and field study opportunities on-site at Detroit Zoological Society facilities or at sites across the Great Lakes region.

Degree Path and Curriculum

Miami University’s Detroit Zoological Society-affiliated Web+ curriculum includes seven credits of required AIP W+ courses: Foundations of Inquiry, Conservation Research in Living Collections Institutions, and Master Plan in Action. For the remaining 14 AIP Web+ credits, students can choose from a suite of elective courses that meet their interests and Master Plan goals, including Internship and Independent Study, or via participation in a 7-credit Earth Expeditions. For more information, visit Earth Expeditions.

Web+ Classes at the Detroit Zoo – 2025 Cohort

AIP W+ Courses combine online course instruction from Miami University with the excitement of internships, field study, and experiential learning in person at the Detroit Zoo. Through these courses, students receive online support from Miami University instructors and in-person guidance from Detroit Zoo facilitators. Miami instructors manage university requirements and grading, while AIP site facilitators help students with experiential learning and community engagement on-site.

The Web+ courses offered at the Detroit Zoo include:

Year One

BIO 654 Foundations of Inquiry (3 credits)
This course engages students in exploring the scientific method and inquiry-based learning and teaching. Through designing investigations to answer questions and communicating results, participants experience the full process of inquiry and learn how to guide this process with their own students and in their own communities.
BIO 623 Human Dimensions of Conservation (3 credits)
Conserving wildlife is a complex endeavor that requires the integration of sound science from both the social and natural sciences. This course explores how social sciences can inform conservation. Students consider how current conservation issues can be addressed through an understanding of human thought and action.
BIO 655 Master Plan in Action (3 credits)
This course focuses on developing a Master Plan for future courses and assignments to strengthen the AIP experience and enhance community involvement.

Year Two

BIO 657 Regional Ecology (3 credits)
Through both Zoo-based and field-based experiences, this course explores regional wildlife conservation issues, as well as field investigation techniques that scientists and citizens can use to study and conserve local ecoregions and wildlife.
BIO 663 Project Design & Assessment (3 credits)
This course addresses one of the most important scientific endeavors: evaluation to indicate whether their own work or the work of others is showing a trend and, thus, having an impact. The course is focused on two main sets of evaluation, natural science and social science studies. The course will review statistical thinking and discuss how to construct successful studies that will open students to accurate and effective evaluation.
BIO 638 Climate Change
In this course, participants study the science of climate change, the diverse causes of climate change, and the impact of climate change at local, regional, and global scales. Topics include global warming's effect on the Great Lakes, weather and climate, ice caps, deforestation, and species conservation.

Year Three

BIO 667 Conservation Research (3 credits)
This course provides students with an overview of conservation research conducted in zoological, reserve, aquaria and other ex situ settings. Students will explore key science concepts within the contexts of wildlife conservation, the imperative of in-situ conservation, the multi-disciplinary nature of science, and hands-on conservation research.
*All Web+ courses and time of offering may be subject to change.

Meet the AIP Team

All courses are delivered online by a Miami University instructor. Two-thirds of AIP courses also include experiential learning on grounds at the Detroit Zoological Society sites and in and around the Great Lakes region. 

Cameron Kniffen-Frost, M.A.

Curator of Education

Cameron is the Curator of Education at the Detroit Zoological Society, where she manages youth and family programming, the Detroit Zoo site of Project Dragonfly through Miami University’s Master of Arts in Biology Advanced Inquiry Program, and volunteer training initiatives.

Cameron manages, advises, and facilitates the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP), an innovative online master’s degree offered in collaboration with Miami University. The program blends web-based graduate coursework with immersive, face-to-face experiential learning and field study at Detroit Zoological Society sites and across the Great Lakes region. Grounded in a strong commitment to experiential learning and environmental stewardship, AIP engages students in collaborative inquiry and action as they work to create meaningful change. Designed for learners from diverse backgrounds and career stages, the program offers professional and academic mentoring alongside self-designed Master Plans, allowing students to tailor their studies to interests such as community-engaged conservation, inquiry-driven education, environmental justice, K–12 and informal learning, animal care and welfare, green business innovation, climate change, urban ecology, human–nature relationships, environmental restoration, and public engagement in science.

Cameron holds a Master of Arts in Biology, focusing on promoting aquaculture and water resource management through the conservation of aquatic ecosystems in rapidly developing urban environments, and a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Education and a Master of Arts in Biology. Cameron is a Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) and a Leave No Trace Master Educator (Level 2), bringing a strong commitment to experiential learning and environmental stewardship to her work. Passionate about connecting people with nature, she enjoys spending time outdoors, scuba diving, and exploring aquatic ecosystems—especially in search of their favorite animal, the spotted eagle ray.

Taylor Mock, M.A.

Senior Humane Education Specialist

Taylor Mock brings extensive leadership experience in environmental education, developing impactful programs that empower communities to become environmental stewards. At the Detroit Zoological Society as a Senior Humane Education Specialist, her work focuses on strengthening human–nature connections in Southeast Michigan. Through an empathy-driven approach, Taylor supports educational initiatives such as the Advanced Inquiry Program through Miami University’s Project Dragonfly, a restorative horticulture program, and various teen professional development programs.

Through interconnected projects in socio-ecological research, interpretive design, contemplative pedagogy, and youth-centered conservation programming, she has developed frameworks that empower students of all ages to build ecological identity and agency. Collectively, her work demonstrates how immersive, culturally responsive educational approaches can cultivate stewardship, deepen environmental understanding, and support more equitable, community-rooted pathways to conservation.

Taylor earned her Master of Arts in Biology from Miami University and Project Dragonfly in 2025 and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Westmont College in 2015. Through her academic work, Taylor integrated ecological conservation research with inquiry-based learning to connect urban residents with the natural world. Her commitment to inclusive education and public engagement has earned regional recognition, including distinction as an Outstanding Interpreter by the National Association for Interpretation and the 2023 Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award from the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education. A former educational fellow with both the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies and the National Science Foundation’s Joint Science Education Project, Taylor continues to bridge research and practice through empathy-driven pedagogy. She believes that deep listening creates space for authentic understanding and works to remove barriers that limit historically excluded audiences from accessing nature-based experiences.

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