ROLLAND LAB - Wildlife Ecology
Bluebird Trail
Lab
Courses taught since Fall 2011
Courses I have taught at Arkansas State University are at the interface of Wildlife Ecology and Statistics and serve undergraduate students majoring in Wildlife Ecology and Management as well as graduate students in Biology and Environmental Sciences.
Graduate Courses
BIO 6684 - Biological Data Analysis
Every Spring. 4 credit hours (2 lecture, 2 lab)
This course gives an overview of statistical tools that can be used in biology and ecology. I start with an introduction to the free statistical program R. We review some basics and classical tests. I then cover simple linear models, generalized linear models, and mixed effect models. The course concludes with one common multivariate analysis, the principal component analysis. The labs focuses on analyses of ecological data using R.
BIO 5444 - Wildlife Population Modeling
Fall of even years. 4 credit hours (2 lecture, 2 lab)
This course introduces various population models including matrix models for structured populations. Therefore, I cover the basics of matrix algebra. Also, because population models integrate demographic parameters (e.g., survival, breeding success), I teach techniques to accurately estimate and model demographic parameters. Ecological data will be analyzed using programs MARK and R.
BIO 6003 - Scientific Methods & Research Design
Every Fall. 3 credit hours.
Science involves developing research ideas, writing proposals, conducting experiments, analyzing and interpreting data, and communicating results through scientific papers, posters, and talks. This course will focus on the first (developing/writing) and last (communicating results) steps.
Mandatory for students enrolled in the Biology program, recommended for those in EVS or MBS.
ESCI 7121 - Ecological Responses of Climate Change
Seminar course.
Evidence of climate warming and consequences on many aspects of the biology of wildlife populations is increasing. This seminar course is designed to give students a background on climate processes and its ecological consequences, and to develop critical thinking through paper discussions. This course would complement the “global change biology” and “conservation biology” courses by screening and discussing ecological and conservation questions related to climate change, one of the global changes.
Undergraduate Courses
BIO 4663 - Wildlife Investigational Techniques
Every Spring. 3 credit hours (lecture) to be taken concurrently with lab BIO 4661.
Assessing wildlife status and management or conservation strategies are essential to conserve diversity and sustain natural resources. The first step in this process is to collect data This course is thus meant to introduce routine and recent techniques used in field research, e.g., to conduct habitat analyses, or estimate population abundance.
BIO 3673 - Human Dimensions of Natural Resources
Fall of odd years. 3 credit hours.
This course sheds light on the seemingly contradictory nature of humankind as it relates to natural resources, presents the social and political context in which decisions are made, and provides the tools to communicate with a wide range of people (from media to stakeholders). Foundations are laid early in the course to then discuss real case studies from around the world involving different ecosystems, human communities, and conservation issues.
BIO 4043/5043 - Biometry
Every Fall. 3 credit hours.
In science, we conduct experiments to test hypotheses and publish our results. In this introductory statistics course, we use Excel to store and manipulate data, perform calculations, create graphs, and run the most appropriate (basic) analysis (e.g., descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square test, correlation). Through applied examples from field biology, this course is meant to serve as the missing link between math/stat and biology classes.
BIOL 1001- Biological Sciences Lab
Every semester. 1 credit hour.
A general education course for non-Biology majors. It covers a broad range of subdisciplines of Biology from cellular biology to ecology, through genetic and evolution.