The goal of this course is to learn the foundations of ecological modeling with a specific (but not exclusive) focus on marine conservation and sustainable exploitation of renewable resources. Students will be introduced to a range of methods - from basic to advanced - to characterize population structure, conduct demographic analyses, estimate extinction risk, identify temporal trends and spatial patterns, quantify the effect of environmental determinants and anthropogenic pressures on the dynamics of marine populations, describe the potential for adaptation to climate change. This course will emphasize learning by doing, and will rely heavily on practical computer laboratories, in R and/or Phyton, based on data from our own research activities or peer reviewed publications. Students with a background knowledge of statistics, programming and calculus will be most welcome. Note: The course will be taught in-person at the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University in Pacific Grove, Monterey Bay. Occasionally students my attend a few classes via Zoom. Depending on enrollment numbers, a weekly shuttle to Hopkins or mileage reimbursements for qualifying carpools will be provided; terms and conditions apply.
4 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
The goal of this course is to learn the foundations of ecological modeling with a specific (but not exclusive) focus on marine conservation and sustainable exploitation of renewable resources. Students will be introduced to a range of methods - from basic to advanced - to characterize population structure, conduct demographic analyses, estimate extinction risk, identify temporal trends and spatial patterns, quantify the effect of environmental determinants and anthropogenic pressures on the dynamics of marine populations, describe the potential for adaptation to climate change. This course will emphasize learning by doing, and will rely heavily on practical computer laboratories, in R and/or Phyton, based on data from our own research activities or peer reviewed publications. Students with a background knowledge of statistics, programming and calculus will be most welcome. Note: The course will be taught in-person at the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University in Pacific Grove, Monterey Bay. Occasionally students my attend a few classes via Zoom. Depending on enrollment numbers, a weekly shuttle to Hopkins or mileage reimbursements for qualifying carpools will be provided; terms and conditions apply.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.