Meta-Analysis of
Biological/Ecological Data
Organizing Institute
University of Bologna. The course is
organised in conjunction between the Master Degree in Marine Biology, the PhD
Course in Biodiversity and Evolution and the Erasmus Mundus Doctoral Programme
on Marine Ecosystem Health and Conservation (MARES) with the Administrative
support of Fondazione Flaminia
Location of the Course
Laboratori di Scienze Ambientali – Aula
informatica, Università di Bologna, Via S. Alberto 163, Ravenna, Italy
Course Organizer Name
Prof. Laura Airoldi
Course Organizer Email and
contacts
Phone +39 0544 937311
Fax: +39 0544 937303
Mobile: ++39 320 4386506
Course Teachers Names, CVs and
Emails
Dr. Russell Thomson (Institute of Marine
and Antarctic Studies and Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, russell.thomson@utas.edu.au)
Dr.
Russell Thomson completed a Bsc (Hons) and PhD in mathematical statistics from
1990-1998. His PhD thesis topic was in population genetics and he completed post
doctorates at Berkeley and Stanford Universities on this topic. He is currently
working as a biostatistician and has a dual appointment at the Institute of
Marine and Antarctic Studies and the Menzies Research Institute Tasmania. He has
conducted numerous lectures and tutorials on statistical methods; including
organising and presenting a statistical genetics course at the Mahidol
University in Bangkok, Thailand; co-lecturing a course on Human Genetics at
University of Tasmania; presenting a Workshop on statistical methods in R at the
Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies and presenting a course in Advanced
Biostatistics at the University of Ferrara, Italy.
Dr. Joachim Claudet (National Center for
Scientific Research, University of Perpignan, joachim.claudet@gmail.com)
Joachim Claudet is a Researcher at the National Center for Scientific
Research (CNRS) in the CRIOBE lab, Perpignan, France. An ecologist, he
specializes in marine protected areas, environmental impact assessment studies,
coastal management and socio-ecological resilience of coastal systems. He also
teaches international workshops on marine protected areas and meta-analysis in
ecology.
Keywords
Biostatistics, Meta-Analysis, Marine
Ecology and Biology.
Starting Date
9th October 2012, for
Basic Instruction in R.
10th October 2012, for
Meta Analysis Course.
Ending Date
12th October 2012.
Total Course Duration (in hours)
24 hours (or 32 hours with Basic
Instruction in R).
Cost per Participant (in Euros)
270 Euros
for meta analysis course or 360 Euros with additional day on Basic
Instruction in R
The course will also be open to post-docs
or researchers. In this case the cost will be 360 Euros or 480 Euros.
The fees include tuition, course material
and coffee breaks.
Number of students
Minimum 15, maximum 30
Language
English
Course Content Description
The course will
give instruction on how to conduct a meta-analysis, where information is
combined from multiple studies. The topics covered will include (1) why/why not
conduct a meta analysis, (2) the power of a meta-analysis, (3) techniques for
searching the literature, (4) comparing methodologies of studies, (5)
calculating effect sizes and confidence intervals, (6) looking at publication
bias, and (7) how to make your paper accessible to a meta-analysis.
The course will
include both lectures and tutorials. In the tutorials, the participants will
conduct a meta-analysis themselves. Instruction will be given in the best way to
display the results of meta-analyses. There will also be an opportunity for the
participants to bring their own analyses to the course, for instruction.
The statistical
analyses will be conducted in the free Statistical Software, R.
Participants can choose to attend an extra day, prior to the beginning of
the meta analysis course, for instruction in the basics of R.
The course will
also include the critical appraisal on a number of publications that conduct
meta-analyses. The course participants will contribute to a round table
discussion on the methodology and presentation of meta-analyses.
Course Methodology
Group training.
Mornings (9.00 – 13.00) will be occupied with theoretical presentations and
discussions of papers. Afternoons (14.00 – 18.00) will be occupied with
tutorial classes, where the class participants can also work on their own data.
Number of Credits
3 for the meta analysis only, 4 including
the basic R training
Audience
The
course will be limited to a maximum of 30 students and will target PhD students,
post-docs and researchers interested in developing skills in the design and
analysis of meta-analysis. A general familiarity with univariate statistics is
expected and a good knowledge of the English language. A general familiarity
with R is also expected, or participants can attend an
extra day, prior to the beginning of the meta analysis course, for instruction
in the basics of R.
Enrolment Deadline and details
Applications
must arrive by e-mail to the e-mail address dipbes.winterschool@unibo.it
not later than 25 August, together with a short CV (max 1 page). Confirmation of
acceptance, details for payment and logistics info will be given by 7 of
September