NIMBioS-ESA Webinar: "Math, Computing, Undergraduate Ecology Education and Large Datasets: An Example from a Citizen Science Program"

Date: Sept. 8, 2010

Time:  1 - 1:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

Organizers: William Godsoe (NIMBioS) and Louis Gross (Univ. of Tennessee/NIMBioS)

Objectives:  The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) and the Ecological Society of America are co-organizing this 45-minute interactive webinar on math and computational education for ecology undergrads. The webinar illustrates how a large field dataset can be used to motivate hypothesis formulation and assessment by undergraduates. This includes a discussion of NIMBioS' Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program linking biology and math undergrads; discussion of a large citizen science project based in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Discovery Life in America's All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory - ATBI);  a description of one ATBI large biodiversity dataset and how a small group of undergrads chose what to analyze and how to do so; and interview comments from the REU students about their learning process. We emphasize how the data and analysis involved a multiplicity of concepts of biodiversity, the variety of questions raised by the students and the constraints on addressing them using the available data. The webinar is offered as one of several events prior to the Ecology and Education Summit, sponsored by ESA and the National Education Association, to be held Oct. 14-15, 2010, in Washington, 2010.

Participants will have the opportunity to interact with webinar organizers via computer. To participate, all you will need is your computer, a reliable internet connection, and a phone line.

The webinar is free but registration is required. Information about how to access the webinar will be sent to participants prior to the webinar.

For more information about the webinar and a link to register, go to http://www.nimbios.org/press/ecoed_webinar