Analysing Palaeolimnological Data with R
University Marine Biological Station Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland This course is now full for normal registration. Please email Steve Juggins if you want to be placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations. Places are still available for PAGES funding (see below).
Dr Steve Juggins,
School of Geography, Politics & Sociology, Newcastle University,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 4LP.
Stephen.Juggins@ncl.ac.uk Analysing Palaeoenvironmental Data with R is an intensive 4-day course that will provide participants with a training in the theory and practice of analysing palaeolimnological data using the free R software environment. The workshop has been timed to coincide with the 12th International Paleolimnology Symposium, 20-24th August 2012, which will be held in Glasgow, to reduce the expense of attendance for those who will be attending the symposium.
The R
statistical language and environment has become increasingly popular in
recent years, in part because it is a free, open source application and
because it is incredibly powerful and easily extended via add-on
packages. This course is aimed at those with little or no experience in
R and will address both the essential numerical understanding and the R
skills required to handle, process and analyse palaeolimnological data.
Course content
The couse will comprise lectures and computer
sessions with time available in the evenings for students to work on
their own data and for discussions with the course leaders.
The workshop will begin on the evening of the 16th
August with a welcome and an introduction to R to revise basic
understanding. Participants will be expected to bring their own laptops
with R installed and we will provide a self-led tutorial to help with
this before the course. The following day we will cover exploratory data
analysis and graphics in R. Next we discuss regression, including the
use of modern regression methods involving smoothers. We will consider
how the temporal nature of palaeo data can be accommodated by relaxation
of the assumption of independence. On day 3 we will focus on cluster
analysis and ordination, techniques widely used to summarise patterns in
stratigraphic data. Appropriate hypothesis testing using permutations
for temporal data will be emphasised. Next we consider
palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and developing age models for
stratigraphic sequences. Chronological clustering, smoothing, and
interpolating stratigraphic data and calculating rates of change will
also be covered. Each topic will be presented using a 45-minute lecture and 1-hour practical. The lecture will introduce the theory of each set of methods and models, discuss their assumptions, and give participants the knowledge to enable them to identify the type of model appropriate for a particular data analytical problem. The following practical will reinforce the understanding of the lecture material as you apply the techniques to datasets to adress real palaeolimnological questions. You are particularly encouraged to bring your own data to discuss and work on during the course. Logistics and cost The course will be held at the University Marine Biological Station Millport, on the Isle of Cumbrae in the Clyde Estuary (http://www.gla.ac.uk/centres/marinestation/). The station is an excellent location for the course with easy travel links to Glasgow and convenient for those also attending the 12th IPS. The course will be limited to c. 30 participants, with
accommodation in shared (twin rooms).
The total cost of the course is £300 + VAT, which includes food,
accommodation and course materials.
(Note: there may be limited accommodation in single rooms available at
extra cost. Please let us
know if you are interested in this option).
The course has generous financial support
from PAGES (http://www.pages.unibe.ch/)
to cover travel and course costs (up to £1100) for five young
researchers from developing countries. Although convenient for those attending the International Paleolimnology Symposium the course is open to people wanting an introduction to R and not attending the IPS. The deadline for registration is 31/06/2012 (15/05/2012 for those applying for PAGES financial support). To register please complete this form and return to Stephen.Juggins@ncl.ac.uk and submit payment using the Newcastle University online payment system to secure your place. Resources A
full reading list will be included with the course materials. In the
meantime we recommend the following two books:
Borcard, D., Gillet, F., & Legendre, P. (2011)
Numerical Ecology with R Springer. |
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