Biologists collect and reason with a wide range of data and information.  This unit introduces the key processes needed to design, collect and analyse biological data, and develops the different ways in which 'data' is converted to 'information' and how this articulates with the decisions that biologists make in order to progress their science.  As such, this unit complements traditional quantitative skills units by work-shopping the different modes of scientific reasoning used in biology ranging from tightly controlled laboratory experiments to unreplicated field surveys.  You will get the opportunity to consolidate and develop your basic data handling and analysis skills and integrate these into scientific reasoning about biological problems.  This will be achieved by using a suite of real-life projects in the biological sciences in which you will be encouraged to develop your skills of critique, evaluation and synthesis. The unit will start with lecture and workshop sessions to lay the foundations for the group projects which will be guided by teaching staff via on-line and face-to-face meetings.  Collecting new field or laboratory data will form part of the project work, and contact hours will be more flexible as the project work develops towards the end of semester.  The unit will be assessed using an essay, group presentation, project report and an open-book examination.