Seminar

Fri, June 30, 4:00 – 5:30 pm: "Introduction to Stochastic Modeling"
Stochastic processes are those in which a certain level of unavoidable randomness prevents the outcome from being predicted with 100% certainty.  Such stochasticity is not just intrinsic within all physical processes, but in many cases directly motivates specific practices in scientific research.  Unfortunately, life science undergraduates across different levels of academic achievement and class standing often struggle to understand this core concept.  Developing an appreciation for the interplay between deterministic and stochastic processes often requires either a solid grasp of statistical theory and/or years of practical research experience, neither of which forms a key part of a typical biology curriculum.
In this session, we will contrast novice and experienced learners’ understanding of randomness; introduce simple, scalable Excel models that explore the effect of stochasticity in representative biological systems (Mendelian genetics and predator-prey models); and discuss the assessment of students' understanding of stochasticity.