Interactive introductory distance sampling training The University of St Andrews has been training ecologists and statisticians in design and analysis of distance sampling studies for decades. Distance sampling methods are widely used in population assessment of cetacean populations. Perhaps you've wanted to attend a previous workshop, but schedules conflicted with your field work. We are offering the training workshop in 10 2.5-hour blocks in October 2025. You will be invited to interact in short lectures on distance sampling principles. Exercises analysing data sets in R will reinforce those principles and the lecturer will be available to assist during the practical session via screen sharing. The session will conclude with a summary of the exercise and question/answer session for both lecture and exercise. You can participate in polls during the workshop to assess your comprehension of topics discussed. In addition to questions at any time during the lectures and practicals, an optional additional half hour will be set aside each session for discussion of topics arising. Simultaneous translation of lectures and discussions will be available in closed captions courtesy of Zoom. If English is not your first language, translation will be available into (most) languages. Contact instructor for more details. The workshop will be delivered using Zoom web conferencing software along with R-Studio "in the cloud".☁️ You will need (free) accounts for both pieces of software. I encourage you to experiment with Zoom (at https://zoom.us) and R-Studio (https://posit.cloud) before the workshop begins. There will be an internet connection testing and general orientation session the week of 29 September 2025. Important details * Workshop dates and time: 06-17 October 2025; 1400-1630 British Summer Time. * For the time of day in your time zone, consult https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=Introductory+dista... * Registration deadline: 26 September 2025 * Enrolment limit: 17 * Cost: 225 British pounds * What is included: Lectures, exercises, code, data all available online Widening participation scholarship One place will have the registration fee waived, for participants from under-represented groups. Details of eligibility and application process at https://distancesampling.org/training/scholarships.html. Deadline for scholarship application for the October 2025 introductory workshop is 25 August 2025. What they are saying I would like to say I really liked RStudio Cloud and it is working just fine and I am really enjoying using it as a student. I'm looking forward to using it as an instructor too. I really liked the first half of the course. I love distance sampling and I am enjoying every second of the course! The only thing I can say about this particular workshop is it deserves more time. -- Kaan Özgencil, PhD, Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara Further details and registration https://distancesampling.org/training/announcements/intro-oct-2025.html Within the webpage above, you will find a link to the St Andrews online shop where payment is made. After you registration, I will contact you with additional details regarding workshop electronic materials, etc. Feel free to contact me with questions. Note, this is the final workshop I will be delivering. Please share this announcement with interested colleagues. Information regarding all distance sampling workshops can be found at https://distancesampling.org/training/training.html Eric Rexstad Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St Andrews Registered Charity in Scotland SC013532