Why do people get cancer?

Do "toxins" really harm the environment?

Is organic food really healthier?

Welcome to the Baruch BIO/ENV 2100 : Biostatistics website. Biostatistics is a growing field that uses real data to objectively answer questions like the ones shown above. Statistics is the science of using data collected from one or more samples or experiments to characterize populations or determine relationships among variables. Since statisticians rely on and communicate data, the field also offers insight on data collection and presentation. Biostatisticians are statisticians who are focused on questions related to the natural world, including environmental and human health. In this introductory course we will learn basic introductory statistics but with a focus on biological applications and examples. Practical goals for this course are for students

• to understand how the normal catalog of statistical tests (e..g., t-tests, ANOVA, binomial test) are related to each other so that they are...
• able to choose and implement an appropriate test when they are presented with data

Statistics is also one of the fastest growing job areas in the country and offers a transferable skill set for students. With this in mind, the course will be taught so that students can learn skills they could use in settings ranging from research labs to future jobs. This will include an introduction to the R programming language.

The course is designed to not require a textbook as part of Baruch and CUNY's Open Educational Resource Initiative. The Resources tab provides links to several free online textbook that offer valuable additions to class lectures, glossaries, and other tools.