The Living Data Project courses are offered through ZOOL 500G and ZOOL 500H, 3 credits each, beginning 2026W.
Please note that students cannot take more than 6 credits of ZOOL 500 so if you take both of the LDPs, you won't be eligible to take ZOOL 500 directed studies as they share the course code.
ZOOL 500G LDP: Reproducible Data Management
2026-2027 Instructors and mentors: Diane Srivastava (UBC), Sally Taylor (UBC), David Hunt (McGill), Bryan Currinder (UBC)
Term: 1
Number of UBC Seats: 6
Days of week: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Dates: Sept 8- Dec 3, 2026 (no class Nov 9-13)
Time: Tue/Thu 09:00 - 10:30 Pacific Time (Sep 8 - Nov 1)
10:00 - 11:30 after Nov 1
Mode: This course will be entirely virtual.
Registration: A registration link will be posted in June at https://www.ciee-icee.ca/courses.html
Description: This course will develop best practices in data management in ecology and evolution research and will include practical experience rescuing a dataset as part of a small team. You will join online 35 other graduate students from different universities across Canada, and work with a variety of academic, government and non-profit data custodians. We will use a combination of instruction, in-class activities, and small groups to examine all parts of the research data lifecycle, starting with the collection and storage of data, progressing through the organizing of data (database design, “tidy” data principles, data versioning), the cleaning of data (quality assessment, geospatial and taxonomic data standards), and ending with the sharing of data (metadata and documentation, and archiving and accessing data in digital repositories following the new FAIR principles). Each student will work progressively in developing an individual data management plan for their own research data, and will also work in small groups to prepare an existing biological dataset for archiving using R scripts. It is anticipated that students will be able to include the doi for archived datasets on their professional CV. Trainees will also learn how to integrate recommended practices in Open Science into their individual and collaborative research workflows, and use digital platforms and tools to facilitate collaboration, ensure transparency, enable pre-registrations, and implement version control and provenance tracking.
ZOOL 500H LDP: Collaborative Data Synthesis
2026-2027 Instructors and mentors: Kerri Finlay (URegina), Andrea Paz (UdeM), David Hunt (McGill), Bryan Currinder (UBC), Diane Srivastava (UBC), Postdoc TBA (UBC)
Term: 2
Number of Seats: 5
Days of week: Mondays and Wednesdays
Date: Jan 11 – Apr 7, 2027 (In person working group Feb 15-19 all day) (no class Mar 1-5)
Time: Mon/Wed 09:00 - 10:30 Pacific Time 11 Jan – 14 March
8:00 - 9:30 after 14 March (no classes Feb 15-19, replaced by all day working groups)
Mode: Online/hybrid. Most of this course is delivered online and includes participation in either an in-person five day working group or a virtual working group of similar duration. The in-person working groups will require all day attendance at a five day meeting somewhere in Canada, with all travel expenses covered by the CIEE and other funders.
Registration: A registration link will be posted in June at https://www.ciee-icee.ca/courses.html
Description: This course prepares students to work effectively in small, highly collaborative research teams (working groups) to address complex questions in ecology, evolution, and environmental science. You will join 29 other graduate students from different universities across Canada, and work with a variety of academic, government and non-profit scientists. The first part of this course will provide an introduction and overview of approaches for synthesizing the highly structured, multi-sourced datasets that typify ecology, evolution, and environmental research, including data collation, integration, analysis, and visualization. Some of the methods covered will include hierarchical models, meta-analysis, model integration, and model updating, providing students a guide to navigating these methods and identifying methods to use in their research. This course also covers important concepts for effective team science, including: cross-discipline and cross-cultural communication, meeting facilitation, negotiating roles, conflict resolution, team workflow, digital collaboration, authorship, and working group organization. Particular attention will be paid to acknowledging power imbalances and supporting diversity in collaboration. In the second part of the course, students will put these skills into practice in either an in-person or virtual working group. Note that in-person working groups will require full-time attendance at a five day meeting somewhere in Canada, with all travel expenses covered by the CIEE and other funders. Working groups often result in co-authored publications, although this is not a course requirement. Students will also develop skills in R programming, Git version control, collaborative research, reproducible workflows, and data analysis. Skills developed in this course are immediately applied within student working groups and are transferable to future collaborative research and professional contexts.