New course: Primer in Methods and Ecological Research (PRiMER)

[Melanie Colón]

Dear all,

Greeting from Gubbi Labs, India. We are pleased to share with you that we
are conducting a certificate course (2 credits) called "Primer in Methods
and Ecological Research" (PRiMER) from December 7th till December 11th
2015. More details below. Please help us with wide circulation of the event
in your network.

With warm regards
Gururaja

PRiMER: Primer in Methods and Ecological Research








Event date:

Monday, December 7, 2015 - 9:30 am to Friday, December 11, 2015 - 5:30 pm

*Primer in Methods and Ecological Research (PRiMER) *is a certificate
course designed and offered by Gubbi Labs to provide experiential learning
on how to appreciate and pursue research in Ecology. This first of a kind
intensive programme is aimed at inspiring participants and impart essential
skills to be an ecologist.

Ecology is a unified field in biology, which over the years has transcended
boundaries of subjects like physics, chemistry, mathematics and social
sciences. From being a mere observational and natural history based domain,
ecology has progressed to enable the understanding of complex ecological
processes and behaviour. This course will enable the participants to
venture into fields of natural history, environmental biology and
theoretical ecology. This course is specifically designed for students and
professionals alike.

The training we impart during this course will be helpful in carrying out
objective research across various disciplines as well.

PRiMER exposes participants to the basic skills such as the art of asking
research questions, project planning and management, hands-on training in
census, sampling and monitoring techniques, ecological statistics, remote
sensing, mapping (GIS, spatial analysis and modelling), science
communication (presentations, writing scientific papers and popular
articles) and writing grant proposals. It will also expose participants to
soft skills such as effective leadership, adaptive management and highlight
the importance of working in teams.

PRiMER is a two credit course with over 40 hours of contact teaching. It
will be facilitated by faculty members comprising an expert panel of
ecologists and research scientists, with extensive experience in the field
ecology. Core faculty members include Drs. Gururaja KV and Sudhira HS. We
will also draw upon insights and relevant skills from other subject experts.

*Broad themes in dealt in PRiMER:*

1. Introduction to Ecological Research: Fundamentals of research;
planning and management of independent research; literature review; seeing
the big picture and framing objective. The course will provide hands-on
exposure to mind-mapping tool (Freemind) and reference manager (Mendeley®).
2. Ecological Statistics: Fundamentals of data collection, database
management and exploratory analysis; nature of data and data types
(parametrics and non-parametric); data visualization; descriptive
statistics; diversity indices; probability distributions; statistical
hypothesis testing; choosing and using appropriate statistical tests.
Introduction to tools for statistical analysis viz., Biodiversity Pro®,
PAST®, R, RStudio™ and JASP.
3. Mapping and Modelling: Fundamentals of mapping and remote sensing;
use of navigation gadgets (Garmin eTrex 30; Smartphone based tools);
geo-spatial analysis; species distribution modelling; geo-visualization;
hands-on training in making maps. Tools exposed: QGIS®, MaxEnt®, Google
Earth®
4. Ecological Census and Monitoring techniques: Fundamentals of field
data collection techniques; hands-on training in sampling techniques such
as line and belt transects, point, quadrat, time-constrained, audio-visual
encounter surveys; mark–re-capture techniques and camera trapping. Usage of
automated data collecting devices (acoustics and weather monitoring).
5. Communicating Research: Fundamentals of science communication; art of
storytelling; the nuances of presentation skills and techniques, writing
scientific and popular articles, and research grant proposals. Basics of
science journalism; developing a communication message; writing a press
release; pitching to reporters and giving effective sound and video bytes.

PRiMER provides you the tools necessary to synthesise field observations,
analyse data, interpret, visualize and report findings in a succinct
scientific framework. This intense field course will be beneficial to
aspiring students of biology, researchers, forest managers, teachers,
environmental management consultants, nature enthusiasts and photographers.
The training and skill sets inculcated in PRiMER are necessary tenets for a
career in ecology and helpful in trans-disciplinary research.

Certificates will be awarded to all participants upon course completion.
Credits are subject to successful completion of the course and evaluation.

*Venue: Gubbi Labs Eco-Station, Gubbi, Tumakuru District, Karnataka, India.*

*Date: 7th December to 11th December 2015.*

*Day-wise Plan:*

Day 1: Introduction to Methods and Ecological Research

Day 2: Ecological Statistics

Day 3: Remote Sensing and GIS

Day 4: Field Methods

Day 5: Communicating Research and Presentations by participants

*Course Fees: *

- Students (Undergraduate, post-graduate and PhD students and Postdocs;
independent researchers): Rs. 10000
- Professionals: Rs. 20000
- Foreign nationals: US $ 500

Course fees includes vegetarian food and a basic accommodation on sharing
basis.

Total number of participants: 25

*Fellowships:*

*Gubbi Labs Fellowship for Research *available for deserving candidates. 5
Fellowships will be offered for whom the course fees will be waived off by
50 to 75%. Those aspiring for this are encouraged to apply online.

Participants have to bring their own laptop.

*Application:*

Interested participants are encouraged to apply here
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ldSP0Adf-7dZnfR6hoWlg5TneSJYQTQ5Gm2NNngZlbI/viewform>
.

*Dates:*

Apply from 1st Oct until 31st October

First list will be announced on 2nd November

Second list will be announced on 6th November 2015

*Course webpage: *http://courses.gubbilabs.in/content/primer

*Contact: *courses@gubbilabs.in

--
Gururaja KV, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist
Gubbi Labs LLP http://www.gubbilabs.in/>
M. +91 94801 87502
www.gururajakv.net