Estimating Population Vital Rates for Management and ConservationPenn State Course: WFS 497 (Spring 2019)
Course Instructor: Courtney Davis |
I developed and taught this course in 2018/2019 as a Harrar Scholar of Teaching Excellence at Penn State University. This course explores the theory and application of statistical methods used in the conservation and management of wildlife and fish populations, including capture-mark-recapture and occupancy modeling. This course focuses on estimating population parameters, such as survival, recruitment, movement and abundance, as well as the dynamics associated with temporal changes in these parameters. Individual modules integrate hypothesis development, data collection in the field, and analysis in a computer lab to reinforce concepts discussed throughout the course. The target audience for this class is upper-level undergraduate students (though this course relies on R, no previous experience is expected or necessary). More information on this course will be posted here shortly; my course materials can be found here.
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Wildlife and Fisheries Population DynamicsPenn State Course: WFS 446
Course Instructor: David AW Miller |
This course covers the theoretical concepts and statistical estimation of mammalian, avian, and fish populations such as processes of mortality, natality, growth, and regulation. In 2017, I redesigned all laboratory exercises and reading materials for WFS 446 with the goal of increasing student engagement and providing students with basic coding experience in R. I also served as the informal lab instructor for this course in 2017, though the course materials I developed are being used to this day. The target audience for this class is upper-level undergraduate students (though this course relies on R, no previous experience is expected or necessary). More information on this course and all of my course materials will be posted here shortly.
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Climate Change and Climate JusticeCourse Instructors: David Muñoz and Courtney Davis
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This course was developed and taught in 2019 by David Muñoz and myself for the Upward Bound Summery Academy, a college access program for high school students held annually at Penn State. The target audience for this class is high school students; our goal was to increase awareness of this issue, but also empower students to feel as though they can make a difference. We focused on the causes of climate change, the observed influence of climate change on biotic communities across the world and the environmental justice components associated with climate change. More information on this course will be posted here shortly; all course materials can be found here.
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