Biologists are increasingly using quantitative techniques to analyze larger and larger data sets. A command of the available analytical techniques is an important part of the set of skills which are expected of a trained biologist, especially those working in the broad area of ecology. The class will introduce techniques available for the analysis of biological data, including correlation, regression and multivariate methods. Emphasis will be on the practical use and abuse of these techniques rather than derivations or mathematical formulae. Students will explore real and realistic data sets. There will be lectures on the use of techniques and tutorials on their practical implementation in the program R. Students will try them out using real and simulated data sets.