Advanced Field School in Computational Ecology
Play, Model, Integrate
May 19 to 26, 2023 at the Couvent de Val-Morin
The structure and functioning of northern ecosystems remain poorly understood. However, the rapid emergence of new technologies and powerful computational analysis methods offers an unprecedented opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the functioning of Arctic biodiversity and to model the complexity of these ecosystems.
Set in the natural beauty surrounding the Couvent de Val-Morin, this international Ph.D. school in computational ecology focuses on predator-prey dynamics and analysis methods for complex datasets. Through a novel experiential game-based approach (the “TrophIE game”), participants will be introduced to state-of-the-art methods for monitoring and modelling behaviour and interactions in animal ecology, under the supervision of experienced mentors from various disciplines like biology, ecology, physics, and computer science. The activities of this school will take place within the framework of a real research program, leading to the publication of a scientific article to which the participants will be invited to contribute.
This school is a joint initiative of the Sentinel North program at Université Laval and BIOS2 at Université de Sherbrooke.
Photos and testimonials
Click to enlarge. Crédit : Tess Berthier
The summer school was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet students outside of my field. I learned a lot both in ecology and in interdisciplinary collaboration. And of course, it was a lot of fun too in a beautiful place! Mélisande Teng, Ph.D. in Software Engineering, Who'd have thought that one day we'd be playing tag to better understand ecological phenomena? The school came up with the crazy idea of bringing researchers from many fields and having them run and hide in the forest equipped with sensors. A sense of fraternity took hold and scientific minds were ignited. From start to finish, the school was action-packed, collaborative and emotional ; the only disappointment left is having to leave this fantastic group! Gabriel Bergeron, Ph.D. in Biology, Pour ma première participation à une école doctorale, j’ai été très impressionnée par le rassemblement de mentors et d’étudiant(e)s motivé(e)s par les mêmes intérêts de recherche. Le large spectre des domaines scientifiques impliqués a été, à mon avis, la plus grande force du programme ; je crois que la pluridisciplinarité est une des clés essentielles afin de faire progresser les connaissances scientifiques actuelles et former des relations de collaboration enrichissantes. Camille Gaudreau-Rousseau, Ph.D. in Biology, Cette expérience m'a inspiré et a élargi mes perspectives sur les approches que je souhaite considérer dans mes études. Ma participation a été bénéfique pour mon développement professionnel et académique. J'ai acquis des connaissances approfondies dans plusieurs domaines clés de l'écologie, j'ai pu interagir avec d'autres étudiants et chercheurs passionnés, et j'ai été inspirée en vue d’explorer de nouvelles approches dans mes études futures. Rachel Dubourg, Ph.D. in Biology, |