Evolutionary quantitative genetics
From academy
In this workshop we will review the basics of theory in the field of evolutionary quantitative genetics and its connections to evolution that is observed at various time scales. Quantitative genetics deals with the inheritance of measurements of traits that are affected by many genes. Quantitative genetic theory for natural populations was developed considerably in the period 1970-90 and up to the present time. It has been applied to a wide range of phenomena including the evolution of differences between the sexes, sexual preferences, life history traits, plasticity of traits, as well as the evolution of body size and other morphological measurements. Textbooks have not kept pace with these developments, and currently few universities offer courses in this subject aimed at evolutionary biologists. There is a need for evolutionary biologists to understand this field because of the ability to collect large amounts of data by computer, the development of statistical methods for changes of traits on evolutionary trees and for changes in a single species through time, and the realization that quantitative characters will not soon be fully explained by genomics. This workshop aims to fill this need by reviewing basic aspects of theory and illustrating how that theory can be tested with data. Participants will learn to use R, an open-source statistical programming language, to build and test evolutionary models. The intended participants for this workshop are graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty members in evolutionary biology.
This course is co-sponsored by the American Society of Naturalists 
We also offered this course in 2011. You can view the page from last year's course to see the content and course materials.
Instructors
The course organizers are:
With several guest instructors:
Dates
The course will run from August 6-11, 2012 at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) in Durham, NC. Expect the weather in Durham to be very hot and humid (average daytime highs of 88 F / 31 C) with a good chance of thunderstorms. Dress will be very casual.
Costs
Tuition will be $400 (with reduced tuition for participants who are members of the American Society of Naturalists). Participants are responsible for their own travel costs, including transportation and accommodation. A limited number of travel scholarships from NESCent are available for US-based participants. Preference will be given to participants from under-represented minorities.
Accommodations
NESCent has reserved a block of rooms at Duke Tower for participants and instructors. Mention NESCent when booking your room. The rooms are suite-style, with a separate living room and kitchen. Some rooms have two double beds, so participants could share a room to reduce costs. There is a free shuttle between NESCent and Duke Tower, or the hotel is a 25 minute walk (map) through the lovely Trinity Park neighborhood and East Campus. You are, of course, free to choose alternate accommodations in Durham, although most less expensive options will require a car for transportation.
Some information from the hotel:
- Check in time is 3:00pm and check out time is 11am.
- If you arrive after hours, you will check in with the guard by paging him from the telephone located near the office door. There are posted instructions for the paging system. The guard will meet you at the office and give you your key.
- Please be sure to bring all personal toiletries, we supply only small bars of soap. There is no hairdryer in the unit.
- There is a full kitchen including a coffee maker and filters, but we do not supply coffee.
- There is wired high-speed internet access in all units at no charge. You may borrow an Ethernet cable from the business office.
- There is a coin-operated laundry here on the property. You may exchange dollars for quarters with us in the office.
- The Tower Cafe is open For Continental Breakfast - $5.00 Per Adult.
The shuttles will leave Duke Tower at 8:30 am each morning to go to NESCent.
Travel
Please plan to arrive Sunday, August 5 and leave no earlier than 7 pm on Saturday, August 11 (there will be a full day of instruction on the 11th). The Raleigh-Durham airport is located just over 15 miles from central Durham. Ground transportation to and from the airport is not included in the course registration, but taxi service is readily available, or you can arrange shared rides with other participants using the course mailing list. Durham is also served by the Amtrak Carolinian / Piedmont route that runs between New York and Charlotte.
Parking
For local participants who will be driving to NESCent, you can park in the "Duke Visitor" spaces at the Erwin Mill building - the long, red brick building at 2024 W. Main St, just west of the Wachovia at 9th St and Main St. The NESCent entrance is Bay A, closest to Main St. Please pick up a parking pass at the front desk on Monday morning - cars parked in visitor parking for multiple days without a permit will be ticketed and possibly towed.
How to apply
Applications are now closed. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact academy@nescent.org.
