Biometrics training in the Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation, Sekoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania

D.T.K. Shemwetta and A.G. Mugasha

Department of Forest Engineering, Sekoine University of Agriculture
P.O. Box 3012, Morogoro, Tanzania
E-mail: fengine@suanet.ac.tz

Introduction

The Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation at Sekoine University specialises in forestry and wildlife disciplines (Forest Biology, Forest Economics, Forest Engineering, Wood Utilisation, Forest Mensuration and Management and Wildlife Management). The teaching of biometry is both at undergraduate (BSc) and postgraduate (MSc and PhD) levels. There are on average 30 forestry and 45 wildlife undergraduate course students who receive statistical training during their first year and about 30 in total at MSc level. Biometry applications also occur in research, consultancy and extension.

Biometrics teaching and assistance

There are 28 lecturing/research staff (24 PhD and 4 MSc) and 10 research technicians in the faculty. Unlike the situation at Makerere University in Uganda (Bareeba and Balaba Tumwebaze, this proceedings), there are no biometricians on staff and so most lecturers supervise student projects requiring statistical input. At least two of the forestry lecturers conduct the undergraduate and postgraduate classes in biometrics each year, and at least 10 carry out research and consultancy projects requiring biometric input. Thus, they rely on their knowledge of biometry gained during their post-graduate studies. Lecturers in the Department of Forestry are able to share the required courses in biometrics but lecturers in the Department of Wildlife are required to call in help from the Faculty of Science. Apart from the undergraduate and postgraduate courses given by staff no other special biometrics training courses are available for staff or students.

Computer and software resources

Undergraduate students have access to a campus-wide computer laboratory (approximately one computer per 50 students). Postgraduate students have access to the Faculty Computer Unit with about 16 computers, mostly up to date and running on Windows 95 and 98 and up to 200 MHZ speed. Most staff have access to other specific donor-funded project computers. Available statistical software are Statgraphics, SAS, Minitab, SPSS, but old, unlicensed versions are being used. Data management is done using Excel. Access and Dbase are available but hardly used.

Requirements

• Refresher and upgrading courses are particularly needed for professional training and the introduction of new methods in applied biometrics.
• Up-to-date statistical software are needed.
• An important facility would be the development of a help desk which could be located in the university or elsewhere and accessed by e-mail for necessary professional biometric advice.
• There are requirements to improve both BSc and MSc biometry curricula to meet current developments in research methods and also to allow better use and interpretation of statistical software.