H.M. Dicks and P.M. Njuho
Division of Statistics and Biometry, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Information Technology University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa E-mail: dicks@biom.unp.ac.za; njuhop@stat.unp.ac.za
Biometry was first introduced at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg (UNP) in 1949. Later it was incorporated as part of the curriculum for students in agriculture, in particular, at universities of Stellenbosch, Pretoria, Potchefstroom for Christian Higher Education and Orange Free State. The University of Natal, however, is the only institution in South Africa, and indeed sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), that currently provides an undergraduate degree in biometry. Biostatistics is part of the curriculum of universities of Cape Town, the Witwatersrand and Orange Free State in association with faculties of Medicine, Public Health and Pharmacology.
The Department of Biometry, established 50 years ago under the auspices of the Faculty of Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture, recognised the importance of biometry in the development of sound and effective agricultural research practice.
To meet the demands of an expanding university, biometry merged with statistics (previously taught in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics) to form the Department of Statistics and Biometry in 1974. As of January 1999 the UNP abolished its department structures, opting instead for schools. To this end the former departments of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Statistics and Biometry and Computer Science merged to form the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Information Technology. At the same time the faculties of Science and Agriculture also merged to become the School of Science and Agriculture. The University of Natal has committed itself to a programme whereby all students in science and agriculture, in particular, will be able to demonstrate certain basic competencies. Students are expected to acquire research skills, critical analytical and problem-solving skills and skills in report writing and presentation. They are also expected to demonstrate basic numerical ability and familiarity with information technology.
In its approach to addressing research-oriented problems, biometry has been integrated into the undergraduate curricula of the majority of agricultural disciplines. These include, for example, agronomy, crop and soil science, genetics and plant breeding, animal and poultry science, agricultural economics, plant pathology and microbiology. Postgraduate students in agriculture, for instance, are required to have (or obtain) credit for at least two courses in biometry.
Biometry teaching at Pietermaritzburg is directed at: (a) students intending to major in biometry, a four-year BSc (honours) degree, (b) students entering the Masters and PhD programmes and (c) service courses for students in the various agricultural and life science disciplines. Courses are modular and vary from two to four lectures per week with three-hour weekly tutorials. All tutorials are computer based with students being introduced to the use of statistical software such as Minitab (first year courses in statistics) and Genstat (all biometry courses). Software such as Geo-EAS and PC-CARP, respectively, are used in addition to Genstat for specialised courses such as spatial statistics and sample survey methods.
The basic BSc Statistics course, which leads to the BSc (Honours) in Biometry, has the following structure. Core courses in mathematics cover algebra and number theory, calculus and advanced calculus, applied linear algebra, discrete mathematics and numerical equation solving. Statistics courses include probability theory, statistical inference, stochastic processes, statistical modelling for finance, multiple linear regression, logistic regression and multivariate analysis.
The BSc (Honours) in Biometry may be taken as a one-year (full time) or two-year (part-time) course following a primary undergraduate degree in statistics. Students are required to select five modules from an offering of eight topics which include sampling, experimental design, time series and forecasting, mixed models and spatial statistics, advanced experimental design, generalised linear models, financial statistics and medical statistics, together with a mini-dissertation.
The MSc is a two-year programme with two options:
The latter option has been specifically designed to accommodate students from other universities to enable them to upgrade their earlier qualifications in order to meet the requirements for an MSc (Biometry) degree.
This degree is awarded on the basis of a dissertation.
Biometry, since its inception in 1949, has formed an integral part of the curriculum of students in agriculture at UNP. From a single course, `Introduction to biometry for agriculture students' (later to become the title of a well-known biometry textbook by A.A. Rayner) additional courses in biometry have been added to satisfy the demands of various curricula of the different agricultural disciplines. Some of the courses in biometry presently available to students in agriculture and life sciences are listed below together with an indication of the disciplines that have contributed to the development of such courses over the years.
The Division of Statistics and Biometry is called upon from time to time to present courses ranging from one day to two weeks on special topics for special interest groups from both within and outside the university environment. It is estimated that the cost of training in South Africa is about half that for similar courses in Europe and the USA. Such courses have been given, for example, to practising biometricians, statisticians (needing a conversion course), researchers in agriculture, ecology, wildlife management, marine biology and related disciplines, plant/tree breeders, animal and poultry nutritionists and agricultural extension personnel.
The following is a list of topics presented over the past five years:
All courses given in-house are computer-based with each participant having access to his/her own computer; it is envisaged that such courses could be transported to other regions in East and southern Africa covered by this workshop. Indeed, the Division of Statistics and Biometry at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg would like to be part of any initiatives to strengthen biometry in East and southern Africa.
