Instructor: E. David Ford
edford@u.washington.edu
Telephone 5-9995
Room 202 Winkenwerder
1. To provide instruction in techniques of constructing, calibrating and evaluating ecological models with special emphasis on modeling spatial organization in ecological systems.
2. Provide appreciation of the current state of ecological modeling: its objectives, successes and difficulties.
3. Discuss alternative modeling approaches and debate their value.
4. Learn about model uncertainty and how to assess it.
5. Develop a model of your own as a practical exercise for the course.
At the end of the course you should know how to go about a modeling exercise, particularly one where a process must be represented in a spatially explicit form.
Instruction periods are based on readings that I assume will have been read BEFORE the period and many periods will be entirely in the form of discussion. When there are lectures then notes will be available on the web and will provide a commentary for the points to be discussed in class.
There is one textbook for the course:
Individual-based Modeling and Ecology by Volker Grimm and Steven F. Railsback Princeton University Press
A number of chapters will be used for discussions about modeling. Some of the chapters will be referred to to in lecture periods others will be the basis of sheduled discussion periods.
There will be two practicals a week in R and practical homeworks.
There will be four graded practical homeworks, an essay homework and a presentation and writen report of a modeling project.
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The four practical exercises will each be worth 15%. |
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The essay homework. |
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Project, written and presentation. |