The
Northwest Environmental Training Center presents:
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Registration and Information Packet
Course
ID: STAT-401
June
28 - 29, 2006, 8:30 A.M. to 5 P.M. (2 Days)
Allied Business Systems, Computer
Lab B | 10604 NE 38th Place, Kirkland, WA
Instructor:
Lorraine Read, TerraStat Consulting Group
Description:
Unsure about arithmetic, geometric,
and harmonic means, and their applicability to your environmental data? Uncertain
about confidence and tolerance intervals for your site? Wondering how to go about
estimating background levels or deciding which distribution to use? This course
is intended to answer these questions and more through a mixture of informal mini-lectures,
example problems, and hands-on computer exercises. We'll begin with the basics
of descriptive statistics, then move on to illustrate different kinds of probability
distributions, hypothesis tests, and errors using environmental data. The material
is intended for environmental professionals who have not had formal training in
statistics and those seeking a review of the subject.
| Overview
of Environmental Statistics | Parametric
Tests and Nonparametric Tests |
| Introduction
to ProUCL, and R Software | Null
Hypothesis Tests |
| Probability
Distributions | Equivalence
Tests |
| Arithmetic,
Geometric, and Harmonic means | Statistical
Power |
| Median
and Percentiles | Bootstrapping
and Randomization Tests |
| Variance
Estimation | Sampling
Design |
| Confidence,
Tolerance, and Prediction Intervals | Hands-on
Exercises throughout the Class |
After
completing this course, participants will be able to:
-
Understand
how sample design the number of samples and how/where they are taken is dictated
by the study objectives. -
Use
spreadsheet software to calculate summary statistics (mean, median, standard deviation)
for environmental data sets. -
Explain
the advantages and disadvantages of parametric and Nonparametric statistical test
when evaluating environmental data. -
Formulate
hypotheses for environmental site data and conduct statistical tests of the hypotheses. -
Estimate
whether environmental data sets are likely to have been drawn from normally or
log-normally distributed populations. -
Calculate
cleanup standards based on background concentrations. -
Determine
whether a cleanup standard is above or below background levels. -
Explain the
basis for bootstrapping and randomization testing approaches, and when they are
appropriate. -
Express
some familiarity with free statistical software useful in environmental statistics
(e.g., ProUCL from the U.S. EPA, and R) |
Prerequisites:
Basic working knowledge of Microsoft Excel. Each participant will have their own
computer for making statistical calculations using Excel, ProUCL, and R software.
Education
Level: Introductory/Intermediate
Course
Materials: Each participant will receive a copy
of the course proceedings and reference material.
