Aquatic Ecology BIOR82

This course will give you a better understanding of the scientific process in general and a deeper knowledge base in aquatic ecology in particular. We focus on the scientific handicraft and essential skills needed to plan, execute, and disseminate scientific projects. We use examples from aquatic ecology, but the skills are transferable to other scientific fields. You learn how to read and analyse scientific text, handle large datasets in Excel and R, perform statistical analyses and create visualizations in R, and communicate scientific results in various ways (oral, written, poster, video, and on social media). You also get the opportunity to apply and practice your new skills in a hands-on research project. Finally, you will write a short review on a topic of your choice. 

The course includes lectures, literature seminars, computer exercises (mainly in R), and practical exercises. The set topics include phenotypic plasticity, climate change, and reproductive strategies, all in the context of aquatic systems. When performing the experiments, you will work in close collaboration with researchers at the Aquatic Ecology Group, i.e. you get to work with the latest research issues under supervision of active, experienced researchers. In summary, this course prepares you ideally for your MSc thesis or PhD project as well as for many typical professional tasks both inside and outside academia.