Resources

Teaching activities

Using the Neotoma database

• Vegetation Response to Climate Change, by Allan Ashworth. This exercise explores the response of vegetation to climate change during the transition from the Last Glacial to the Present Interglacial in North America, 15,000 – 8000 14C yr B.P.
• Climate Change - Dispersal (PowerPoint 12.7MB Sep18 15), from Russ Graham

Other examples of teaching activities that incorporate student exploration of data

• Investigating Earthquakes: GIS Mapping and Analysis
• In Search of GLOBE Data
• Climate History from Deep Sea Sediments
• Ice Core Exercise

Conference poster

• Neotoma Paleoecology Database (Acrobat (PDF) 8.9MB Sep14 15)

Statistical analyses using the database

From Simon Goring:

• Goring et al., neotoma: A Programmatic Interface to the Neotoma Paleoecological Database (Acrobat (PDF) 1.5MB Sep18 15)
• Paleoecoinformatics presentation (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 7.1MB Sep18 15)
• https://github.com/PalEON-Project/Camp2014/tree/master/Neotoma_Pollen contains the R code to download a set of records from Neotoma using R, and then run a Bayesian model that will smooth the regional curve of hemlock pollen over the last 6000 years. This code could use more commenting, but was presented largely in a lecture format. I don't have the notes but could probably re-construct it.
• https://gist.github.com/SimonGoring/718a654f304f2d16ce4b is a block of code that will plot the cumulative plot shown on the page.
• https://gist.github.com/SimonGoring/877dd71cc3ad6bf8531e is a relatively well commented example of using Neotoma and the software package Bacon to download a data record and re-build the age model for that record using Bacon.

Research on teaching and learning with data

• C. A. Manduca, D. W. Mogk, 2002 Using Data in the Undergraduate Science Classroom: Final Report of an Interdisciplinary Workshop held at Carleton College
• J. Bransford, A.L. Brown, R.R. Cocking 1999 How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school National Academy Press Washington, D.C.
• S. Laursen, A. Hunter, E. Seymour, H. Thiry, Ginger Melton, 2010 Undergraduate Research in the Sciences: Engaging Students in Real Science Jossey-Bass
• D. Edelson, 2001 Learning for Use: A Framework for the Design of Technology-Supported Inquiry Activities Journal of Research in Science Teaching 38 (3) 355-385
• Teaching with Data, N. Grawe, 2013
• A. Carpi, A. Egger, 2009 The Process of Science Visionlearning Vol. POS-2 (8)