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INSTITUTE OF TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY - MONKS WOOD VACATION EMPLOYMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS STUDENT The above scheme provides funds to employ university students at Natural Environment Research Council centres. It aims to introduce students with a background in mathematics (including statistics) to quantitive problems in the environmental sciences. Funds are available for 10 weeks at 133.20 pounds per week to cover, wages, travel and subsistence and other costs. A post is available at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Monks Wood for the summer of 1999. The student will assist in the analysis of flight-period distributions of butterfly species using data from the Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. PROJECT OUTLINE Butterfly Monitoring Scheme The Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (BMS), run by ITE Monks Wood was set up in 1978 and covers over 100 sites across Britain. At each site, counts of butterfly species along 10-15 sections of a 1-2km transect are recorded once a week from April to September each year. From these counts, regional and national indices of abundance are derived. The BMS database (running under ORACLE) represents one of the best long-term biological datasets in Britain, and is widely used in research. Background to project This project aims to develop statistical models to describe the flight-period distribution of butterfly species. These models will incorporate timing (time of day) and weather conditions (temperature, sunshine and wind) of transects, to improve estimates of counts in missing weeks. The approach will use recently developed Generalized Additive Models that provide a flexible, non-parametric framework for describing flight-period distributions and incorporating the effects of weather. Experience gained The student will gain experience in the following areas: a) Increasingly used statistical techniques of Generalized Additive Models, b) Statistical packages such as Genstat and Mintiab, c) Manipulation of BMS data in ORACLE, d) Knowledge of butterfly population ecology, e) Practical experience in field sampling. To express an interest in this opportunity please send a CV to David Roy at: David Roy Institute of Terrestrial Ecology Monks Wood CAMBS UK PE17 2LS e: [log in to unmask] t: +44 (0) 1487 773381 f: +44 (0) 01487 773467 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%