Statisticians interpret data and use it to inform decisions about healthcare, policy, business, and more. This course will explore basic probability theory behind parameter estimation, hypothesis testing, and experimental design. Because data is the heart of statistics, we will also emphasize practical applications and the use of real datasets from biology, government and finance to visualize data and explore different hypotheses. If you are at least 95% confident about being interested in this course, you are welcome to join!

Whether you’re a naked mole rat or a snapping shrimp (or a human), your behavior is ultimately shaped by evolution and encoded in your genes. Topics in this class include evolutionary theories of behavior, behavioral genetics, social behavior, game theory, and communication. In addition, you will learn to critically read papers in animal behavior and genetics.

Whether you're a naked mole rat or a snapping shrimp, associating with other members of your species comes with its benefits and costs. We'll explore evolutionary theories on cooperation, competition, and of course, kin selection. Come prepared to ask questions and participate!

Data science and its mysterious ability to wrangle huge datasets has been touted as the sexiest job of the 21st century, and has updated how people use data to make decisions. But where does “big data” come from, and how is it used to budget money, diagnose patients, and schedule Uber pickups? What the heck is machine learning? This class will conceptually explore some of the big ideas in data science, outlining the steps in data exploration and analysis through examples (and failures) from different fields. Come prepared to ask questions and participate! No programming experience (or computer) needed, as this is a conceptual class.

What's in your genes? What makes you different from a worm or a mouse? Why do we care about RNAs? Though we often think about proteins as the machinery of our cells, the sections of our DNA that do not code for proteins play key roles in keeping us alive. 80% of the nucleotide changes that separate us from apes and mice are in non-coding, rather than coding regions, suggesting that evolution acts on regulatory sequences rather than modifying the machinery themselves. Likewise, mutations in small RNAs such as miRNAS can lead to cancer. How can we begin to understand these mysterious mechanisms to better answer the questions of what we are and how to treat disease? This class will elucidate the great abyss of the non-coding elements of the genome, how they contribute to development, and how they might help us understand genetic diseases and cancer.

Whether you're a naked mole rat or a snapping shrimp, associating with other members of your species comes with its benefits and costs. We'll explore evolutionary theories on cooperation, competition, and of course, kin selection. Come prepared to ask questions and participate!