dss_2024

Data, Science, Scientists

Spring 2024

(Unofficial) course website
Syllabus
Blackboard

Course Description

The purpose of this course is three-fold:

to introduce new Biology students to a broad range of faculty who span the diversity of research areas in the field
use exploration and experiential problem-solving to become familiar with how scientists ask questions, collect data, and analyze it to further knowledge, and
develop core technological skills in Microsoft Excel and the statistical programming language R to kick-start their success in future science courses and labs and research endeavors.

Each week, a scientist will come to the class and introduce themselves and their study system. Emphases will be on career path, research system, and human/community elements of conducting research. In the second class meeting, students will work with real data, developing their understanding of posing research questions, formulating hypotheses, collecting, entering, and organizing data, analyzing data and interpreting the results. The class will use Excel and R, building on core skill elements to use each program.

The syllabus, with contact details for the course instructors Dr. David Lohman and Connor French, is available on Blackboard.

Weekly Lab worksheets and slides

Note:

Worksheets are formatted for Word file output, so formatting may be a bit wonky in the Markdown versions.
Slides are HTML, so you will be able to view the slides without downloading them
For whatever reason, the slide decks where I include a title background image only render locally- you’ll get a blank first slide for these

dss_2024

Data, Science, Scientists

Spring 2024

Course Description

Weekly Lab worksheets and slides

Week 1. Lab Introduction

Week 2. Dr. Susan Perkins: Blood parasites in New World vultures

Week 3. Excel functions and project overview

Week 4. Dr. Shubha Govind: Fruit flies in space

Week 6. Dr. David Lohman: Butterflies in the rainforest

Week 7. Dr. Mark Emerson: Regulation of cone photoreceptor development

Week 8. Dr. Bao Vuong: Mechanisms of antibody production

Week 9. Dr. David Jeruzalmi: Secondary chromosome duplication in bacteria

Week 10. Dr. Michael Hickerson: Insect genetic diversity across the globe

Week 11. Dr. Mark Hauber: Referential alarm calls in yellow warblers

Week 12. Dr. Robert Anderson: Modeling the distribution of the spiny pocket mouse

Week 13. Dr. Jay Edelman: Composing the Introduction for your presentations

Week 15. Dr. Karin Block: Methods, Results, and Discussion