The University of Venda’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture – DSI-NRF South African Research Chair in Biodiversity Value and Change (SARChI), in collaboration with the Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM) at the University of St Andrews, recently hosted a six-day workshop series at the Lajuma Research Centre in the Soutpansberg Mountains.
L-R: Prof Lourens Swanepoel (SARChi Chair), Ms Amber Cowans (PhD Candidate; Dept Mathematics; St Andrews), Dr Sanet Hugo (Biological Sciences) Prof Chris Sutherland (Dept of Mathematics; St Andrews)
Led by Prof Lourens Swanepoel (SARChI Chair, UNIVEN), Dr Sanet Hugo (Department of Biolog-ical Sciences, UNIVEN), Dr Chris Sutherland (University of St Andrews), and Ms Amber Cowans (University of St Andrews), the workshops aimed to strengthen statistical and programming ca-pabilities among postgraduate students and professionals engaged in ecological research.
This initiative builds on a longstanding collaboration between Prof Swanepoel and Dr Suther-land, which began during their postgraduate studies in 2008. Funding support from the SAR-ChI Chair (NRF), the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture (FSEA), and a NERC trav-el grant awarded to Ms Cowans allowed the workshops to be offered at no cost to students.
A two-part training series was conducted to support ecological data analysis skills across experi-ence levels:
Introductory R and Statistical Methods (3 Days), aimed at beginners, this workshop covered R programming basics, data visualisation, and foundational statistical techniques, including linear models, GLMs, and model validation.
Advanced Hierarchical Models in Ecology (3 Days), designed for advanced users, this session focused on analysing imperfect ecological data using hierarchical models, including occupancy, abundance, and spatial capture-recapture techniques.
These workshops provided technical skills and fostered collaboration and knowledge exchange between South African and international researchers, reinforcing the value of interdisciplinary and global partnerships in ecological science.
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University of Venda
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