Taught by Assistant Professor of Biology Sydne Record, offered Fall 2019.
What's Cool?: Ever wanted to travel in a time machine? In a world confronted with global change, time machines would be very helpful in making decisions about the management of biodiversity and sustainability. Like time machines, ecological models enable forecasts of uncertain futures. This course provides the fundamental tools and knowledge for ecological modeling.
Course Description: The survival of humanity depends upon natural resources and ecosystem services. To make important decisions about environmental problems, society needs to understand ecological systems. However, ecological systems are inherently complex. Statistical models coupled with empirical data and simulations provide a means of exploring the complexity of ecological systems to better inform environmental decisions. This class will introduce students to a variety of ecological models while instilling an appreciation for the types of uncertainties that may shroud models to better understand inferences made from them. The course will be taught as a hands-on integrated lab/lecture where students will be expected to program regularly in R.
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Articles about Professor Record's Research
Why Warm-Blooded Mammals and Birds Thrive in Colder Seas and the Possible Impact of Global Warming