Welcome to the Biostatistics Home Page, Fall 2003
Instructor: Arndt F. Laemmerzahl
Green = Standard normal distribution
Red = You don't want (or have) to know
Note: The textbook given below
(Statistics for the Life Sciences, 3rd) is unfortunately rather
pricy. The second edition will do fine, but if you can't find it, the
3rd edition is currently about $10.00 cheaper
if ordered directly from Prentice Hall.
Your final grades are now posted.
Click here.
For more specific lecture information (and lecture notes),
please see here.
- Course Objectives:
- To become literate in the use, applications, and mis-applications of statistics.
- To be able to use and apply some basic statistical techniques
to answer questions.
- To combine 1 and 2 in such a way so that you can:
- ask meaningful questions of a statistician.
- know when you need to ask questions.
- And finally, to try and show that statistics
is not always dull or intimidating.
- Course description:
Biostatistics emphasizes the use of basic statistical techniques
to analyze biological data. In addition to regular lectures, labs will
help students to learn a computer statistical package as well as to apply
the techniques learned in lecture.
Throughout the course a general degree of statistical literacy is
stressed. Examples will be provided showing both the correct and incorrect
(or misleading!) application of statistics. Students will be expected
to solve similar problems. In a few cases, problems will be such that students
will need realize that they need to seek help from a statistician (generally,
the instructor).
- Class information:
- Instructor:
- Name: Arndt F. Laemmerzahl
- Office: Robinson II, B303.
- Current phone # : (703) 993-3973.
- e-mail: alaemmer@gmu.edu
- Textbooks & other stuff you need:
- Statistics for the Life Sciences. Samuels and Witmer, 3rd
(or 2nd) ed.
- The student edition of Minitab for Windows 95 and Windows
NT. Release 12. McKenzie and Goldman:
There are two versions, one with Minitab software, and one
without. You can choose either one depending on whether or not
you want to use Minitab on your own computer. For more
information about Minitab, see Minitab. (There's also a
downloadable demo version, though it expires fairly quickly).
- Grading:
There will be three in-class exams and a final, as follows:
- Exam I: 15%, Monday, September 22.
- Note: The drop date is September 26. You should have your
exams back on September 24.
- Exam II: 20%, Wednesday, October 22.
- Exam III: 20%, Wednesday, November 19.
- Final exam: 20%, Monday, December 15, 1:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
- The final exam will cover very little new material, and
will be mostly comprehensive.
The remaining 25% will come from lab and homework assignments (see below).
Lecture information:
- Complete lecture notes can be found here.
- I will try to have these updated before the actual lecture, though sometimes this might not be until late the night before the lecture.
Lab information:
- Initially, labs will introduce Minitab, a statistical
software package. Although you may use another statistical package, Minitab
will be taught in class. I may not be able to help you with other software
(by the way, Excel is NOT a statistical package!).
- After you are comfortable using Minitab, we will will carry out
simple (and hopefully fun) experiments in class that will allow us to use the tests and techniques from lecture.
- Grades in lab will come from:
- Homework assignments based on the lecture material. There will be 12 homework assignments. These will be handed out on Wednesday during lecture (except for the first one), and be due the following Wednesday
at the BEGINNING of lecture. Labs are designed
so that you have time to ask questions about homework assignments
during lab.
- Lab assignments. Most of these will require some in-class
work but can then be completed outside lab. There will be 13 lab assignments
Each homework assignment and lab assignment is worth 1% of your
grade, giving a total of 25%.
- You will be allowed to work as a group on most assignments.
Obviously on quizzes, or in those instances when you are told, you will
have to work alone.
- Some useful links:
- We have an excellent Statistics department at GMU. You
can find it here: GMU
Statistics.
- Of course we also have a good Biology (??) department
at: GMU
Biology.
- I also teach:
Please e-mail any suggestions to: alaemmer@gmu.edu.