Silviculture & Applied Forest Ecology Lab

PC-ORD^©

Multivariate Data Analysis Using PC-ORD^©

Short-courses on analyzing species community data with the PC-ORD^© software package

Upcoming Workshops

• For the foreseeable future, workshops will be held only in Oregon and Pennsylvania unless specific requests for group instruction in other locations are made.
• One-day, tailored one-on-one sessions in Pennsylvania can also be scheduled.
• Please contact Jeri Peck to host a workshop or if you are interested in a workshop listed below.  Please indicate your country/state to receive announcements for future workshops in your area.

No workshops are currently scheduled.

Quebec, Canada summer 2010?

Can't make these?  Host one!

The PC-ORD workshop can come to you, if you have the following:

• A core of ~10 willing participants

• One individual (the "host") responsible for logistics and contact

• A meeting room or classroom, set up in classroom style, with a computer projector and screen and sufficient electrical outlets and power strips for all participants.

Workshop Format & Content

PC-ORD was written with community ecologists in mind and includes a variety of procedures and options best suited for species data.  A proper analysis of community data requires more than the right tool, however; familiarity with a process for how to best use that tool is critical.  With that in mind, workshops for novices in the use of PC-ORD and in multivariate analyses in general have been developed to help ecologists in three areas:

1. to understand what every button and menu item in PC-ORD does and when you might need it

2. to become familiar with how to use PC-ORD in the context of a proper analysis process

3. to recognize which techniques are appropriate for your data and analysis goals.

The workshops provide users with an opportunity to learn, and practice, how to use the software package, from data input all the way through graphing output.  Explanations of the methods and techniques are given before each demonstration, as well as tips on pitfalls to avoid.  Participants also have the opportunity to ask questions about their own datasets.

Maximum class size is 20.  The training sessions generally run 2.5 days, 8-5, 8-5, and 8-1, and cover the following themes:

• General use of multivariate analysis; getting your data into PC-ORD; data summarizations.

• Data analysis flow; data transformations; selecting a distance measure.

• Ordination techniques in PC-ORD: weighted averaging, RA/DCA/CCA, polar ordination, PCA, NMS.

• Grouping techniques in PC-ORD: cluster analysis, MRPP, indicator species analysis, Mantel tests.

• Overflow; continued lab exercises; what to report, consulting.

What to Bring

Participants must bring a laptop with the PC-ORD software already installed.  Version 5 is recommended, but version 4 will work.  Remember to bring your power cord, bifocals if you need them, and a mouse is recommended unless you are very fast without one!  The sample datasets below should be stored in a convenient location on your hard drive in advance of the workshop.

PCORD Workshop Files:

Preparatory PDF     PCORD4fixes EXE     PCORD5fixes ZIP     WorkshopFiles ZIP

Instructors

Workshops are taught by Dr. JeriLynn Peck, who studied with and worked under the author of the software (Dr. Bruce McCune) at Oregon State University and has been offering workshops since 1997.  Dr. Eric K. Zenner, with a background in applied univariate statistics, sometimes provides additional assistance during the consulting session.

Fees & Credit

Registration fees for most workshops, depending on location, are in the $350-$400 range, with lower fees for students (typically $225) and hosts.  Continuing Forestry Education credit (10 cr) can be arranged through the Society of American Foresters.  Students can also arrange to receive 1 graduate credit from Penn State University at regular tuition rates instead of the workshop registration fee (tuition, however, is not cheap and requires advance notice).  Payment is currently only accepted in the form of checks (made out to  "Penn State").  Certificates of completion are available upon request.

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