Please give the widest possible distribution to the following
announcement.

Cheers,

John Alroy
The Paleobiology Database
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
735 State Street, Suite 300
Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3351
phone: (805) 892-2519
FAX: (805) 892-2510
e-mail: alroy@...

PALEOBIOLOGY DATABASE INTENSIVE SUMMER COURSE IN ANALYTICAL
PALEOBIOLOGY

The Paleobiology Database (http://paleodb.org) is sponsoring an
intensive course in analytical paleobiology that will be held at the
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the
University of California, Santa Barbara. The course will take place
between Tuesday, June 27th and Monday, July 24th 2006.

Topics will include community paleoecology, quantitative
biostratigraphy, diversity curves, speciation and extinction,
morphometrics, and phylogenetics. Both simulation modelling and
data analysis methods will be explored. The course will combine
lectures and labs, and students will be given hands-on instruction
in programming and the use of analytical software, with an emphasis
on R. In addition to the course coordinator, each week a new
instructor will be present. Participating instructors are expected
to include John Alroy, Michael Foote, Nigel Hughes, Mark
Patzkowsky, Pete Wagner, and Mark Webster.

There is no fee for registration, and students will be housed for
free in apartments on the UCSB campus. Students are urged to apply
for travel funds from their home institutions. If such funds are
not available, all travel expenses beyond the first $400 will be
reimbursed completely, regardless of the country of origin.
Students are responsible for meal expenses. Additional funding for
students from outside of the United States, Canada, and Western
Europe may be provided. There are no other charges of any kind, and
no other major expenses are likely.

Participating students should be in the early stages of their own
research in paleontology. They should have a background in basic
statistics, and preferably also programming. The course is open to
all students, but first or second year graduate students are
particularly encouraged to apply, as are international students.
Applications from professionals who have completed their studies
will be considered, but strong preference will be given to
students.

Applications should be submitted in PDF form to John Alroy
(alroy@...) no later than March 1st. Applications should
consist of a one page statement, plus a recommendation letter
written by the student's academic advisor and e-mailed separately.
No form needs to be filled out. The statement should include a
description of current research plans, a list of relevant classes
taken and degrees earned, and an account of the student's
background in statistics and programming. Applicants are
encouraged to explain why the topics addressed by the course are of
special interest to them, and which of these subjects are taught at
their home institutions.