Holy Cross Mathematics and Computer Science

MONT 105N -- Analyzing Environmental Data

Syllabus and Schedule

Natural World Cluster syllabus cover page
Course syllabus (.pdf)
Detailed course schedule
Natural World Cluster Common Events will be listed in the course syllabus (see above)

Readings, Examples, Class Notes, Etc.

A Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model, class 1/23.
First compartment model, class 1/25.
Lead level model, class 1/28 (see also for Problem Set 1 below)
Information about how ice core data is used to measure atmospheric CO₂ levels in the past.
Boxplots in Excel
Fir tree data, class 2/11.
Extract from Sherry Turkle, Alone Together
A more humorous take -- Bumping into Mr. Ravioli by Adam Gopnik (from the New Yorker)
Research on cognitive effects of "multitasking" and media immersion (Ophir, Nass, Wagner)
Extract from Gotelli and Ellison, A Primer of Ecological Statistics
Boxplots in Excel (instructions for various versions)
Demo of Galton's ``quincunx''
Lecture Notes and practice problems on statistical hypothesis testing
A provocative opinion piece about environmentalism from NY Times, September 7, 2011.
Study/discussion questions on "The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars"
The "hockey stick" graph
Log transform example, class 3/25.
Solutions for midterm exam, given April 12

Assignments

Notes: In the following assignments,

``LH'' means our main mathematical text, Quantitative Reasoning and the Environment by Langkamp and Hull.
``M'' means The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars by Mann.

Problem set 1 due: Friday, February 1.
- LH Chapter 10: 3,8,10,12,19,20.
Group Project 1, and model spreadsheet for Project 1, due: Friday, February 8.
Problem Set 2 -- due: in class, Friday, February 15.
- LH Chapter 11: 2,5,9,13,18.
Paper 1 assignment -- follow-up to Worcester Art Museum visit on February 21.
Problem Set 3 -- due: in class, Friday, March 22.
- LH Chapter 12: 4,6,7,10,12,22.
Group Project 2, writeups due: Monday, March 25.
Problem Set 4 -- due: in class, Friday April 5.
- LH Chapter 13: 6,7,12,13,17,21,23,26.
Group Project 3, writeups due: Monday, April 8.
Problem Set 5 -- Note: I have decided to make this an optional, extra credit assignment. You may submit solutions for some or all of these questions and get some extra credit points on the problem set component of the course grade.

Information and Announcements

Information on Final Projects

Academic Support for Students at Holy Cross

Overall information: Academic Services and Learning Resources
Support Services for Students Contact: Tina Chen (Director) x2713.
Academic workshop schedule for Fall 2009
The Writer's Workshop (In addition to the locations in Dinand Library, Stein, and Smith, check the Montserrat Moodle page to see when Writer's Workshop tutors will be offering sessions in Wheeler, Hanselman, and Mulledy. Contact: Elaine Hayes (Director) x3648.
Holy Cross Libraries -- Contact: Patty Porcaro (Head of Reader Services), x3533.
Counseling Center -- Office: Hogan 207, x3363.
Career Planning Center -- Office: Hogan 203, x3880.

Downloading Information

The links for assignments and other handouts shown above with the notation (.pdf file) lead to documents in PDF format. To read and print these, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This is available at no cost from Adobe.

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Last modified: April 18, 2013