Reminder of today's seminar
As part of our Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG) seminars, Wednesday (19th October, 5.30pm ) we have Professor Vernon Gayle, University of Edinburgh giving a short presentation on:
Reproducible Research is 'Show Me' not 'Trust Me'
Psychology Common Room, 3A94, Cottrell building, with usual drinks and nibbles.
I think this topic is really important to consider in terms of our research process and workflow.
Hope to see some of you there.
Best, Hannah
Abstract
Despite the explosion in the number of research publications it is impossible to 'reproduce' the results of most analyses that are published. This is because information on how the work is undertaken in seldom made available. Most researchers will have a happy, or possibly even a terrifying, early educational memory of being told to "show their working out". Somewhere between primary school and graduate school this requirement has evaporated. Currently published research is far from transparent and a culture of 'trust me' rather than a culture of 'show me' exists.
In this presentation I make an appeal for researchers to routinely provide enough information so that others can check that results are accurate, and that correct inferences and conclusions are reported in published work. This transparency will also allow others to test the robustness of the original piece of research, for example by employing new or additional data and alternative methods. I highlight the obstacles that are commonly encountered and provide some practicable steps for rendering research 'reproducible'.
I argue that conventional research publications should, at best, be regarded as a palimpsest of the 'real work' undertaken within the data analytical process. Drawing on insights from computer science and other disciplines that have been engaged in e-Research I illustrate how contemporary digital resources could provide a useful and effective aid to making social science research more easily reproducible. I propose a set of guidelines which researchers should follow in order to enhance the reproducibility of their research. I conclude by suggesting a set of benchmarks against which the reproducibility can be assessed.
Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith
Professor, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG)
Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling, FK9 4LA
Scotland
Tel: 01786 467674
Fax: 01786 467641
E-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk>
Home page: https://rms.stir.ac.uk/converis-stirling/person/11925http://marmosetcare.com/http://www.247animalwelfare.eu/index.html
Just launched: http://refiningdogcare.com/http://www.refiningdogcare.com/images/RDC%20Flyer.pdf
Posting from Mark Kingston Jones – he runs really great courses!
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In a collaboration between The Shape of Enrichment and AnimalConcepts we are pleased to announce that we will be running the 2nd Student Animal Presentation Skills (SAPS) Course at RZSS - Edinburgh Zoo, from the 3rd-5th March 2017. The course will be lead by Mark Kingston Jones and Sabrina Brando, and is aimed at students wishing to explore the subject of presenting about and with animals in captive facilities. The final practical will entail each participate having the opportunity to give a presentation outside an animal enclosure at the Zoo. Please see the attached poster for more details and for a registration form please email mkjones(a)enrichment.org<mailto:mkjones@enrichment.org>.
Feedback from a previous attendee:
'Another great course run by The Shape of Enrichment. The thought of doing a public presentation may put you off this course but it really shouldn't. This course went through the reasoning behind education in zoos and I actually ended up enjoying teaching people about my chosen species!'
Many thanks and best wishes, Mark
--
Mark Kingston Jones,
The Shape of Enrichment
WE HAVE A NEW WEBSITE:
www.teambuildingwithbite.co.uk<http://www.teambuildingwithbite.co.uk>
Second highest rated provider on Coursecheck for 2015! See our latest reviews from our course and workshop participants at: http://www.coursecheck.com/provider/39/the-shape-of-enrichment
Dear BERGers,
The below email from Alaina in the Education Centre at Edinburgh Zoo may be of interest to you.
All the best,
Hayley
________________________________
?---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Alaina Macri <AMacri(a)rzss.org.uk<mailto:AMacri@rzss.org.uk>>
Date: Tue, Nov 15, 2016 at 10:24 AM
Subject: FW: Famelab judging
To: Blake Morton <morton.blake(a)gmail.com<mailto:morton.blake@gmail.com>>, Jennifer Kaden <jkaden(a)rzss.org.uk<mailto:jkaden@rzss.org.uk>>
From: Engage, HW [mailto:hwengage@hw.ac.uk<mailto:hwengage@hw.ac.uk>]
Sent: 15 November 2016 09:56
To: Alaina Macri <AMacri(a)rzss.org.uk<mailto:AMacri@rzss.org.uk>>
Subject: Famelab judging
Hi Alaina
Hope you are well, and looking forward to catching up at the RZSS event. I am actually emailing regarding another event which Heriot-Watt are hosting - Famelab!
The event is taking place in the postgraduate auditorium @ HWU on the 8th December from 2-4pm (further details on our webpage,<https://www.hw.ac.uk/research/engage/famelab.htm> and via Cheltenham Festival<http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/about/famelab/>).
As you may know, Famelab is a National and International competition aiming to find the best science communicator in the country and around the world! The competition is organised by Cheltenham Festival and the British Council, and has already seen more than 5000 young scientists and engineers participating in over 25 different countries
Heriot-Watt will be hosting the Edinburgh Heat, as well as coordinating the Scottish Final. The Edinburgh heat is open to anyone age over 21 who works in STEM (so do share with good science communicators you know, I'm sure there must be loads at the zoo!).
We would like to invite you to be on our judging panel for the competition, joining representatives from Universities and STEM areas. I attach the rules and judging guide from Famelab, and there will be further guidance on the day. It would be really great if you could make it, as your experience in science communication would be really useful for the contestants. Can you please let me know asap! If you can't, and have any other suggestions from the zoo please let me know!
Many thanks
Laura
Heriot-Watt Engage, Centre for Academic Leadership & Development
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Postgraduate Centre 3.02, Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
T: +44 (0) 131 451 3446<tel:%2B44%20%280%29%20131%20451%203446>/3806, E: HWEngage(a)hw.ac.uk<mailto:HWEngage@hw.ac.uk>
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Dear BERGers,
You are invited to the annual UFAW Animal Welfare Student Scholars’ Meeting that will take place here at the University of Stirling on the 25th of January 2017. At this meeting, students who received UFAW animal welfare scholarships in 2016 will discuss their findings and there is a great series of talks planned (see attached poster for topics). This is a great opportunity for BERG members to learn about a wide range of research that is funded by the wonderful UFAW (who also happen to fund our BERG meetings).
Attendance is free, but you must register your intention to attend by emailing Dr. Stephen Wickens (wickens(a)ufaw.org.uk). For more information please see the attached poster or this website:
http://www.ufaw.org.uk/ufaw-events/animal-welfare-student-scholarsa-meeting…
I look forward to seeing you there. Please let me know if you have any questions.
All the best,
Eoin
?
Eoin O'Sullivan, PhD
Early Career Fellow
Psychology, School of Natural Sciences
Behaviour and Evolution Research Group
University of Stirling
FK9 4LA
An interesting talk at 12 noon on Monday 14th November in LT A6
Circulated on behalf of Adam Hayward
How studying post-copulatory sexual selection can save endangered birds.
Nicola Hemmings, University of Sheffield (https://nicolahemmings.wordpress.com/)
In many endangered birds, more than half of all eggs never hatch. Identifying the cause(s) of this failure is a crucial goal for conservation science, with the potential to invigorate captive breeding and reintroduction programmes. My research has taken an evolutionary approach to the problem of hatching failure, applying basic research on post-copulatory sexual selection to identify the features of reproduction's winners and losers. In this talk, I will describe the formidable path to fertilisation in birds, and explain why a thorough understanding of post-copulatory processes is essential for the successful management of threatened populations.
Nicola's research focuses on sexual selection in birds, in particular on sperm competition in males and the reasons for reproductive failure in female birds. As well as exploring the implications for the evolution of sexual traits, Nicola has applied her work to the conservation of endangered bird species, in the context of breeding success in both the wild and captivity. She's a fantastic speaker with a passion for communicating science to both academic and non-academic audiences, so it should be a great talk- please let any relevant groups of undergrads know and encourage them to attend (LT A6, 12pm).
Nicola will be in the department until around 3pm on Monday. If anyone would like to chat to her during her visit, or come for lunch after her talk, please let me know.
Cheers,
Adam
Adam Hayward
Impact Research Fellow
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling
FK9 4LA
Website: http://adhayward.wordpress.com<http://adhayward.wordpress.com/>
Tel: +44(0)1786 467757