Applied Biostatistics, Biology 175

Applied Biostatistics, Biology 175

Fall 2007

Course Overview

MWF 9:00, , W 6:30-8:30 BC 22

Instructor: Dr. Diane Thomson

Office: Keck 103

Email:

Office phone: 607-0029

Office hours: M 1- 3 pm, Tues 3-5 pm, or by appointment.

Quick emails are often a good way to get clarification on a question. I try hard to answer promptly, but be aware that I do not check my messages after about 6-7 pm.

Book: Zar, Biostatistical Analysis, 4th edition.

Course description: This course is an introduction to probability, experimental design and statistical analysis for addressing problems in biology. Statistics is all about how we decide what to believe in a world that is uncertain and where we often have limited information. Whether or not you end up in a career that requires the use of statistics, the ability to critically evaluate how other people collect, analyze and interpret scientific information is incredibly important. The main goals of this course are practical: 1) to help you learn and practice basic experimental design, statistical methods, and tools for analyzing data, and 2) to help you better critically interpret the primary biological literature. We work as much as possible with real biological problems and data sets, rather than "canned" exercises.

Format: The course will combine lectures with computer labs. In most weeks, we will have a Wednesday evening tutorial session to work on the computers. Please note that our actual starting time for lab will be 6:30 rather than 6 pm, to help avoid conflicts with the JSD seminar series. I anticipate that most of you will finish lab assignments within two hours, but the lab will be open for you until 9 pm to continue working on homework problems if you wish. During weeks that we have lab, class will not meet on Friday. The Friday lecture slots will be open help sessions for those who have questions or want assistance with homework. We will sometimes have lecture on Friday during weeks without labs, so pay careful attention to the course schedule and announcements in class about the schedule.

Lecture notes and handouts: I will hand out outlines of lecture notes at the beginning of each class period. These have copies of figures, headings and large blocks of text already printed, with big blank spaces to fill in the work we do on the board and overhead during class. In case you have trouble keeping up or miss some key notes during class, I will make a more complete set of notes available on WebCT for you to reference.

WebCT and computing: We will use WebCT as a way to exchange data sets throughout the semester, so make sure that you have an account. Also note that you will need a CMC computer account to access the machines in Bauer 22. Even if you are not a CMC student, you can get an account by taking your picture ID to the Poppa lab on CMC campus.

Exams: There will be two take-home midterm exams and a take-home final. You will have one week to complete each exam. You may use your book and/or notes, but will be on your honor not to work with or discuss the questions with anyone else. Exams will only cover material we have already been over in lab as well as lecture. Midterms will include only material covered in the previous section of the course, but the final is comprehensive.

Assignments: You will hand in lab assignments and some additional homework problems almost every week. I strongly encourage you to study and work on the homework in groups, but you must all turn in your own version of the assignment. Assignments will be handed out on Wednesday in lab and are due the following week at the beginning of lab, unless otherwise specified in class. Note that labs are never due during the same week as a take-home exam.

Term projects: Each of you will carry out an analysis project on a data set and question of your own choosing. I have several large data sets that you can work with, or you can look for your own data set (there are a number of publicly available databases, for example). You will summarize and hand in your work in the format of a short scientific paper. We will discuss the projects during class in a few weeks, and I will give more details on the format and suggestions about topics and how to get started. For those of you doing senior theses involving data analysis, I recommend that you use this assignment as an opportunity to explore the methods you will be using in your thesis.

Project presentations: Each of you will give a short (10 min) presentation on your term project during the last week of classes.

Grading: I do not curve individual assignments or exams, but I will curve final grades at the end of the semester if this seems fair and necessary. Grades will be given based on the following scale: >97% = A+, 93%-97% = A, 90%-93% = A-, 87%-90% = B+, 83%-87% = B, 80%-83% = B-, 77%-80% = C+, 73%-77% = C, 70%-73% = C-.

Assignments will count towards your final grade as follows:

Midterm exams and final: 100 points each.

Assignments: 150 points total.

Term project: 100 points.

Late work: Late exams will not be accepted. There is a penalty of 10% of the total points for any late homework assignment. I will also further deduct 5% for every additional day until the work is turned in.

Rewrite policy: I will allow you to rewrite your exams for additional credit. If you

1) come in to go through the exam with me, and 2) redo the problems you missed and write up correct responses, I will add back 33% of the points lost. This policy only applies to the midterm exams, not to homework/lab assignments, the final exam or the term project.