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In this exercise, students will use data concerning lifespan and demography to generate graphs, compare the survivorship curves of two cohort groups with Logrank (Mantel-Cox) tests, and explain the differences in the curves.

Students collect, interpret, graph, analyze, and present data on the demography of human survivorship using the data from tombstones in local cemeteries that provide ages at death, on-line cemetery records, and census records that provide the numbers of people alive in different age classes.

This activity is included in Volume 8 of Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology (TIEE).
Associated files
Format
Resource Group TIEE
Resource Group Link https://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=SearchResults&F46=TIEE
Primary or BEN resource type
Secondary resource type
Discipline Specific Core Concepts
Life science discipline (subject)
Keywords cemetery, data sets, census, demography, graphs, analysis, survivorship
Audience
Intended End User Role
Language
Educational Language
Pedagogical Use Category
Pedagogical Use Description This activity is intended for students to conduct a scientific investigation using data. Students will learn and practice the skills of interpreting data and generating graphs.

Faculty can incorporate this laboratory activity to teach students how to collect and interpret data. Students would also learn how to use the Logrank (Mantel-Cox) tests to compare the curves of graphs.
Aggregation Level
Structure
Url http://tiee.esa.org/vol/v8/experiments/lanza/abstract.html
Full Name of Primary Author Janet Lanza
Primary Author Controlled Name
Primary Author Affiliation Biology Department, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Primary Author email jxlanza@ualr.edu
Added By Id
  • educationintern
Submitter Email education@esa.org
Rights Janet Lanza
License
Publisher
Review type
Drought and Water Ecosystem Services Collection Off
Conservation Targets Under Global Change Collection Off
Big Data Collection Off
Editors Choice No
Resource Status
Date Of Record Submission 2012-04-02
I Agree to EcoEdDL's Copyright Policy & Terms of Use No
Date Of Record Release 2012-04-02 16:15:54
Last Modified By Id
  • educationintern
Date Last Modified 2018-07-26 15:42:23
Release Flag Published

Resource Comments

Subject: Comment On: Demography from physical cemeteries, "virtual cemeteries," and census data
Posted By: ernlarson
Date Posted: 2020-06-22 11:45:52
This modification differs from the original module in several ways, while retaining the overall learning objective of analyzing population demography. This modification lets students collect data from online cemetery databases during class, eliminating the need for students to transport themselves to a local cemetery outside of class time. This modification also includes a life table template exercise to familiarize students with life table calculations and graphing in Excel. By implementing the module entirely during class, the instructor can also help mitigate any group dynamics issues arising from group work. Link to modified materials: https://qubeshub.org/qubesresources/publications/1850/1

This message was edited by ernlarson on June 22, 2020 at 11:46 am.

Subject: Comment On: Demography from physical cemeteries, "virtual cemeteries," and census data
Posted By: RCohen
Date Posted: 2020-06-10 09:44:29
I implemented a version of this exercise in a sophomore level majors course with added material from a module about data management. The course was fully online and asynchronous, so we used findagrave.com to collect the cemetery data. The module included both discussion and homework activities. The link to the modified materials can be found here: https://qubeshub.org/qubesresources/publications/1872/1
Subject: Comment On: Demography from physical cemeteries, "virtual cemeteries," and census data
Posted By: edangremond
Date Posted: 2018-05-14 21:29:03
I implemented this in an upper-level ecology lab with 12 students and modified it so students were only collecting data online from cemetery records. My modifications and teaching notes can be found here: https://qubeshub.org/qubesresources/publications/534/1
Subject: Comment On: Demography from physical cemeteries, "virtual cemeteries," and census data
Posted By: racelisae
Date Posted: 2016-06-30 15:16:51
I used a modified module in an upperdivision Ecology elective course at UTRGV, a Hispanic Serving Institution in deep south Texas. Although a large course, we arranged for field trips to the local cemetery in four groups of 25. This was largely impactful because I had done something similar using archived data, and I think the impact was not the same. Students commented on how much they enjoyed walking around the cemetary, and allowed them to use different observations to formulate a hypothesis on differences in survivorship of different populations. I've included commentary and documentation here: https://qubeshub.org/groups/scalingup/collections/demography-from-physical-cemeteries-virtual-cemeteries-and-census-data
Subject: Comment On: Demography from physical cemeteries, "virtual cemeteries," and census data
Posted By: douglasenorton
Date Posted: 2016-05-20 15:45:25
I used this module in a new course on Modeling in the Life Sciences. The students enjoyed finding their own sources of data for comparison and analysis. More complete comments on the implementation are found here: https://qubeshub.org/collections/post/1473

This message was edited by tmourad on June 16, 2016 at 11:27 am.

Subject: Comment On: Demography from physical cemeteries, "virtual cemeteries," and census data
Posted By: Kevingeedey
Date Posted: 2016-05-20 11:26:51
I used this module in the context of an upper level ecology class for biology and environmental studies majors. I used the virtual cemetery option to make the entire activity fit into a three hour session. Of all the labs I do in this class, this one connects most easily and fully with the broader liberal arts emphasis of my institution. https://qubeshub.org/collections/post/1472

This message was edited by tmourad on June 16, 2016 at 11:29 am.

Subject: Comment On: Demography from physical cemeteries, "virtual cemeteries," and census data
Posted By: hulshof
Date Posted: 2016-05-19 21:33:56
I used this module in a small (12 students) introductory Ecology course for undergraduate Biology majors. This module was adaptable to local (Puerto Rico) populations, making it more relevant. This module achieves several major learning objectives including: formulate hypotheses, design experiments, and collect, analyze, and interpret data. I included additional assignments to introduce terminology and to connect this module to broader concepts previously discussed (e.g. climate change). It is strongly recommended that students have a basic knowledge of excel (including how to create formula) before implementing this module. I have posted instructor notes and modified resources for implementing this module: https://qubeshub.org/collections/post/1470

This message was edited by hulshof on May 20, 2016 at 1:25 pm.