HOW ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE GRADUATE STUDENTS ACQUIRE STATISTICAL COMPUTING SKILLS

Modern environmental science research increasingly requires computational ability to apply statistics to environmental science problems, but graduate students in these scientific fields typically lack these integral skills. Many scientific graduate degree programs expect students toacquire these computational skills in an applied statistics course. Agap remains, however, between the computational skills required for the implementation of statistics in scientific research and those taught in statistics courses. This qualitative study examines how five environmental science graduate students at one institution experience the phenomenon of acquiring the computational skills necessary to implement statistics in their research and the factors that foster or inhibit learning. In-depth interviews revealed three themes in these students’ paths towards computational knowledge acquisition: use of peer support, seeking out a singular “consultant,” and learning through independent research experiences. These themes provide rich descriptions of graduate student experiences and strategies used while developing computational skillsto apply statistics in their own research, thus informing how to improve instruction, both in and out of the formal classroom. First published November 2019 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives

A new methodological protocol for the use of dendrogeomorphological data in flood risk analysis

Dendrogeomorphology uses information sources recorded in the roots, trunks and branches of trees and bushes located in the fluvial system to complement (or sometimes even replace) systematic and palaeohydrological records of past floods. The application of dendrogeomorphic data sources and methods to palaeoflood analysis over nearly 40 years has allowed improvements to be made in frequency and magnitude estimations of past floods. Nevertheless, research carried out so far has shown that the dendrogeomorphic indicators traditionally used (mainly scar evidence), and their use to infer frequency and magnitude, have been restricted to a small, limited set of applications. New possibilities with enormous potential remain unexplored. New insights in future research of palaeoflood frequency and magnitude using dendrogeomorphic data sources should: (1) test the application of isotopic indicators (16O/18O ratio) to discover the meteorological origin of past floods; (2) use different dendrogeomorphic indicators to estimate peak flows with 2D (and 3D) hydraulic models and study how they relate to other palaeostage indicators; (3) investigate improved calibration of 2D hydraulic model parameters (roughness); and (4) apply statistics-based cost–benefit analysis to select optimal mitigation measures. This paper presents an overview of these innovative methodologies, with a focus on their capabilities and limitations in the reconstruction of recent floods and palaeofloods.

Statistical Literacy: Performance And Per-ceptions Of Accounting Students

Statistical literacy is critical for business professionals in terms of their research consumption role and their ability to interpret and apply statistics. Students enrolled in five sections of Intermediate Accounting (n = 132) completed a 17-item survey that included statistics calculation items, identification of appropriate statistical tests, interpretation of statistical outcomes, and perception items. There were no statistically significant gender differences in performance on any of the items. Overall, the statistical literacy of accounting students was poor as measured by their performance on the various items.