Scientific Presentation

Basic knowledge of experimental planning and statistical methods; ideally a small set of data from own PhD project that can be presented on a scientific poster (confidential); no prior programming experience needed
Description:
The goal of this course is to introduce the students to scientific presentation using both drawings, pictures and graphs. During the course they are introduced to different (mostly freely available software for preparation of vector graphics (Inkscape, Biorender, Power point), image manipulation (Image J, Adobe PhotoShop) and graphical and statistical analysis (R). The students are welcome to work with their own data sets, but if necessary example data sets can be requested from the organizer.
The format of this course is a mix of lectures and student exercises within a ZOOM session. During the course, the students will create their own scientific poster and populate it with abstract, summary and at least 1 vector graphic, 1 pixel image, 1 graph and 1 statistical test. The guided exercises during the course on a sample data set will allow the students to complete their homework using their own data. For some weeks (R data import, R statistics) additional homework for a separate example data set will be analyzed and checked through an online quiz in Moodle.
Contents: Vector drawings, raster images, global vs. local image manipulation, descriptive statistics, linear regression, non-parametrical statistical methods, ANOVA
Learning Objectives:
Goal 1a: Understand the requirements of resolution and differences in graphic types
 Objective 1: Identify and edit raster, bit-map, pixel-based & vector objects.
 Objective 2: Determine correct file compression, color mode and bit-depth options.
 Objective 3: Identify improper image manipulation
 Objective 4: Identify and use appropriate software to draw or prepare figures
 Objective 5: Perform image preparation and annotation for presentation or
Goal 1b: Apply statistics to biological phenomena.
 Objective 1: Choose appropriate statistics to interpret experimental findings.
 Objective 2: Use Excel and R to import and clean up data.
 Objective 3: Visualize data using the ggplot2 library
 Objective 4: Calculate statistic measurements
Goal 1c: Be able to communicate the fundamentals of biology effectively to peers and members of the public.
 Objective 1: Present an oral explanation of a biological principle and experimental data
 Objective 2: Create and interpret graphs or other visual representation of information.
 Objective 3: Design a scientific poster including vector graphics, pixel images and statistical analysis
 Objective 4: Evaluate arguments supporting different points of view

Exam:
35% attendance, homework + participation
 45% Poster presentation, must contain abstract, summary and at least 1 vector graphic, 1 pixel image, 1 graph, 1 statistical test
 10% Quiz 1
 10% Quiz 2