Continuing Education Courses

Saturday, August 18

8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Bayesian I: Intro to Bayesian Inference Using Gibbs Sampling (BUGS) for Fish Biologists

[su_spoiler title=”Click for description”]There has been a large increase in the use of Bayesian methods to analyze ecological and fisheries data over the last decade. This increase is in part due to availability of Markov chain Monte Carlo methods in a variety of free software packages. Advantages of Bayesian methods include a formal approach to incorporating previous information into the analysis and parameter estimation of complex problems. This course will meet a growing need among fisheries biologists and researchers to apply Bayesian statistical methods to analyze fisheries data. A brief overview of Bayesian statistics will be provided, but the course will focus on practical application of the BUGS language for Bayesian inference using basic fisheries sampling data.

• Student Member: $125
• Student Non-Member or Young Professional Member: $150
• Member: $175
• Non-Member: $250

AFS members registering for both the Bayesian I & II courses will receive a discounted price that will cover the registration of both courses.

• Student Member: $225
• Young Professional Member: $275
• Member: $325

Instructors:
Benjamin Staton and Henry Hershey, Auburn University

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Beginning GIS for Fisheries Scientists 

[su_spoiler title=”Click for description”]This course will provide an overview of beginning GIS skills for fisheries biologists using ArcGIS, including use of existing data, creating your own data, and review of fundamental concepts for GIS.

• Student Member: $125
• Student Non-Member or Young Professional Member: $150
• Member: $175
• Non-Member: $250

AFS members registering for both the Beginning/Intermediate GIS and Advanced GIS courses will receive a discounted price that will cover the registration of both courses.

• Student Member: $225
• Young Professional Member: $275
• Member: $325

Instructors:
Kayla Key, USGS and Tennessee Tech University
Michael Moore, University of Missouri

[/su_spoiler]Intro to R for Fisheries Biologists

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This course will begin with an examination of the R and R Studio software including documentation and external packages. The course will cover the basics of programming and syntax in R and the basic principles of object-oriented programming. Using a real data set, participants will learn to read, manipulate, and export data. The course will also demonstrate basic statistical tests and analytic tools in practical situations. Lastly, the course will show how to create figures of several types as well as customize their appearance. The general format of the course will be in the form of digital worksheets.

• Student Member: $125
• Student Non-Member or Young Professional Member: $150
• Member: $175
• Non-Member: $250

Instructors:
Joe Caracappa and Chris Free, Rutgers University

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Sunday, August 19

8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Advanced GIS for Fisheries Scientists

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Building on the “Beginner GIS for Fisheries Biologists’” course, this course will focus on geoprocessing, interpolation, and spatial analysis methods to aid in habitat assessments for fisheries monitoring and research. The lectures will be designed to prompt questions and discussions from the participants to keep them engaged and thinking about how they can apply the information to their job. The hands-on exercises will primarily be self-paced with assistance from the instructors and will provide examples for both freshwater and marine applications. Course exercises will be designed to introduce the participants to ArcGIS by guiding them through increasingly complex tasks for practical application.

• Student Member: $125
• Student Non-Member or Young Professional Member: $150
• Member: $175
• Non-Member: $250

AFS members registering for both the Beginning GIS and Advanced GIS courses will receive a discounted price that will cover the registration of both courses.

• Student Member: $225
• Young Professional Member: $275
• Member: $325

Instructors:
Kayla Key, USGS and Tennessee Tech University
Michael Moore, University of Missouri

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Bayesian II: Intermediate Bayesian Inference Using Gibbs Sampling (BUGS) for Fish Biologists

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There has been a large increase in the use of Bayesian methods to analyze ecological and fisheries data over the last decade. This increase is in part due to availability of Markov chain Monte Carlo methods in a variety of free software packages. Advantages of Bayesian methods include a formal approach to incorporating previous information into the analysis and parameter estimation of complex problems. By focusing on the practical application of BUGS language for the intermediate topics covered, this course will meet a growing need among fisheries biologists and researchers to apply Bayesian methods to the analysis of fisheries data.

• Student Member: $125
• Student Non-Member or Young Professional Member: $150
• Member: $175
• Non-Member: $250

AFS members registering for both the Bayesian I & II courses will receive a discounted price that will cover the registration of both courses.

• Student Member: $225
• Young Professional Member: $275
• Member: $325

Instructors:
Benjamin Staton and Henry Hershey, Auburn University

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9:00 am – 5:00 pm

A Crash Course in Ageing and Age Validation of Finfish and Shellfish

[su_spoiler title=”Click for description”]Age data are integral to studying fish and shellfish populations, and they are used to inform growth curves, determine the age structure of populations, estimate mortality rates, and understand recruitment dynamics. The data are also an important component of stock assessments. Ageing and age validation techniques undergo constant improvement and innovation, with the ability to age a greater number of species each year. This course will cover ageing a range of different species, from those with fins to shells, using a number of ageing techniques. This course will target a wide range of personnel, ranging from students to early career professionals interested in incorporating age data into their work.

• Student Member: $125
• Student Non-Member or Young Professional Member: $150
• Member: $175
• Non-Member: $250

Instructors:
Sarah Borsetti and Anthony Vastano, Rutgers University

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