LATEST NEWS – Page 3

Introductory workshop to Python

Posted by Gracielle Higinoon 24 April 202330 April 2023in Intensive classe, Training Session

The BIOS² training program offers an Introductory workshop to Python for R users. The workshop will be presented on May 15 and 16, 2023 by Vincent Beauregard, data specialist at Biodiversité Québec.

The course aims to provide the basics of Python and to familiarize participants with the tools and libraries relevant to computational ecology. Sessions will build on participants’ prior knowledge of the R language to facilitate learning. Topics will include data manipulation with Pandas, data visualization with Matplotlib, and data analysis with Numpy and Scipy. Students will also learn how to break their code into functions and work with classes in Python.

The workshop is offered in preparation for the Advanced Field School in Computational Ecology, but is open to all members of the BIOS² program and any other interested individuals.

Instructor

Vincent Beauregard is a technical coordinator, and a specialist in infrastructure, biodiversity data interfaces and spatial data from remote sensing at Biodiversité Québec. He is interested in the automation of data processing schemes.

What: Introductory workshop to Python
When: May 15 and 16, 2023 @ 1 pm – 4 pm (your time here)
Where: Online and at Université Laval
Language: English (bilingual Q&A and discussion)
Fees: free – offered only for participants of the Advanced Field School in Computational Ecology.
Registration deadline: May 11, 2023
Registration link: https://forms.office.com/r/kWvCrdpbus

Environmental Impact Assessment workshop with Hydro-Québec

Posted by Gracielle Higinoon 23 April 20231 May 2023in Training Session

The BIOS² and Hydro-Québec have partnered up to offer a workshop on environmental impact assessment on May 4, 2023 at 1 pm EDT. This workshop is free and open to all and is part of the training offered to BIOS² fellows.

This session will be a guided tour of Hydro-Québec’s perspective on biologists’ involvement in major hydroelectric projects. The main milestones of the environmental impact assessment process will be illustrated using multiple examples of projects that favoured biodiversity and were inspired by the field of applied ecology.

This workshop is the first activity of a series that will be done in collaboration with Hydro-Québec. In the fall, BIOS2 will be organizing a working group whose objective will be to propose solutions for better integration of ecological knowledge and biodiversity data into Hydro-Quebec’s environmental impact studies. The working group will be carried out in consultation with relevant stakeholders and in collaboration with biologists working at Hydro-Quebec. Trainees who are interested in participating in this working group are strongly encouraged to attend the proposed workshop on May 4.

About the trainers

Alexandre Beauchemin has been working for Hydro-Québec since 2004. He studied biology at McGill University and obtained his Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from Université du Québec à Montréal.
Amélie Drolet studied wildlife biology at McGill University and obtained her Master’s degree in Biology from Université Laval. After graduating she worked for several years in consulting before joining Hydro-Québec in 2021.

What: Environmental Impact Assessment workshop
When: May 4, 2023 – 1pm – 3:30pm EDT (your time here)
Where: Online
Language: English (bilingual Q&A and discussion)
Fees: free (places are limited).
Registration deadline: May 3, 2023
Registration link: https://forms.office.com/r/MpYunysQLw

Indigenous awareness and Collaborative research

Posted by KimGSon 10 April 202310 April 2023in Training Session

BIOS² is proposing a series of two workshops on Indigenous Awareness and Collaborative Research in an indigenous context. These trainings aim to provide an understanding of the historical context that has shaped the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada, in order to develop an environment of respect and collaboration. The workshops will be offered online by Catherine-Alexandra Gagnon (Érébia) on April 18th and 19th (2023).

Introduction to Programming for Research Workshop

Posted by KimGSon 21 December 202221 December 2022in Led by fellows, Training events, Training Session

As a great start to 2023, BIOS² will present an Introduction to Programming workshop on January 17 and 19, 2023 to introduce new BIOS² Fellows and everyone else interested to the basics of computer programming, working with data and the skills needed to be productive in collaborative research projects.

Some activities that took place this summer!

Posted by KimGSon 27 October 202225 January 2023in Blog

This summer has been busy with the return of in-person events. This blog post is a look back at a few notable events for several members of the BIOS² community. Indeed, we met (and/or met for the first time) at the Ecological Society of America 2022 annual meeting held in Montreal in August, as well as at the annual BIOS² summer school in biodiversity modeling, which had as its theme Biodiversity Change and Data Visualization. In addition, two working groups organized by members of the BIOS² program were held in Sherbrooke in May and in Montreal in August.

Computing biology or biology computing?

Posted by KimGSon 26 October 202226 October 2022in Blog

Text written by William Ou, PhD candidate at UBC and BIOS² Fellow since 2021.

Just before the start of the spring term, my supervisor asked if I would be interested in giving a guest lecture on computational ecology at her Ecological Methodology class. She knew I was interested in teaching and that simulation-based research methods are becoming popular but lacking in the course syllabus, so she figured it would be a great opportunity for everyone.