Workshops
Tickets can be purchased here.
All workshops at VicBioCon24 will be held on Wednesday 7th February 2024.
Please note: Workshops are optional extras and are not included in conference registration. You must register for workshops separately to purchasing a conference ticket.
This year, we are offering two workshops on the following topics:
Visualise Your Project - Bringing impact to science through engaging visuals
Date: Wednesday 7th February 2024
Time: 9.00am - 12.30pm
Location: Deakin University Burwood Campus
Max participants: 40 people
Tickets: $40 per person
Facilitator: Alysha Huxley, Scientell
Alysha is a science communicator with Scientell. She has been with Scientell for about 4 years and has a background in environmental science and journalism. Scientell is a science communication company specialising in synthesising scientific and technical information into clear and usable knowledge. Through their work, Scientell aims to increase the accessibility, enjoyment and impact of science. Scientell has extensive experience planning, writing and developing content for communications products including brochures, reports, education material, presentations, websites, videos, animations, and infographics. Scientell is also well qualified to facilitate workshops and develop and run training sessions about science communication.
Objective:
Learn to develop science communication visuals, as these are essential to communicating science in a modern world. In this workshop, you will learn why visual communication is essential and more about the various options available, including infographics, animations and videos. If you are not a design specialist, this workshop is for you, as Scientell will help you learn how best to use your skills to work effectively with designers, animators and videographers. Scientell will also use a free design platform (Canva) to teach you how to make your own infographics.
By the end of this workshop, you will better understand how to tailor engaging and impactful visuals to your work.
Format: This workshop will run for 3.5 hours and will be split into two parts with a short break 15 min in between. This workshop will be theory-based and interspersed with activities, including sketching visual ideas and using Canva to mock up an infographic.
Prerequisites: No previous experience or technical ability required. Please have a free Canva account set up and available to you on the day. Please have paper and pens.
A Crash Course in Spatial Analysis and Visualisation using R for Ecologists
Date: Wednesday 7th February 2024
Time: 1.00pm - 4.00pm
Location: Deakin University Burwood Campus
Max participants: 40 people
Tickets: $40
Facilitators: Michael Traurig, Amanda Lo Cascio, and Carla Archibald (Deakin University)
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Michael Traurig: Michael is a PhD student attending Deakin and Melbourne Universities working on finding links between changes of ecosystems and how those changes impact human well-being through ecosystem services. Michael’s skills and interests are centered around data analysis, modelling and spatial analysis.
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Amanda Lo Cascio: Amanda is a Research Fellow in the Applied Ecology and Conservation Lab at Deakin University. Her research focuses on understanding the ecology of Australian wildlife using a combination of field surveys, spatial data analysis and genomic techniques to explore the responses of species to landscape connectivity, fire regimes and other environmental gradients.
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Carla Archibald: Carla is an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Deakin University. Carla's research uses interdisciplinary approaches and spatial analysis to understand the interactions between humans and the environment, with a specific focus on conservation and the promotion of sustainable food and environmental futures for biodiversity in Australia.
Objective: Spatial data like telemetry, site, satellite and GIS data are essential types of data which ecologists can use to understand species and the natural world. This dynamic workshop, supported by VicBioCon, offers attendees an introduction to the essentials of spatial data handling, basic analysis and visualisation using R. While conducting spatial analysis in R can be challenging, it is already a powerful tool among ecologists, and there are clear practical advantages in maintaining both data and spatial analysis in a reproducible workflow.
This workshop offers ecologists an introduction to handling, analysing, and visualising essential spatial data types using R. This workshop is geared towards R users and will cover accessing diverse spatial data sources, addressing common issues, conducting spatial analysis, and creating maps, providing both theoretical knowledge and practical skills for ecologists seeking to enhance their data analysis capabilities.
Format: The workshop is designed for applied users of R, showing participants how to access spatial data from a variety of sources, check and understand projections, and troubleshoot common problems, analyse spatial patterns, and create interactive maps to highlight findings. Attendees will be provided with datasets, and work through basic GIS operations like intersections, merges, raster calculations as well as touch on advanced ecological analysis techniques. The workshop concludes with a discussion on how these techniques can be used to enhance your own analysis. This format ensures a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application, ideal for ecologists looking to enhance their data analysis skills.
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of R is required.