Geometric Morphometrics

3 units

This course focuses on the collection, visualization, analysis and presentation of morphometric data in physical anthropology, emphasizing recently developed techniques for studying size and shape. Explores theoretical and practical aspects of landmark-based techniques such as Procrustes superimposition, Euclidean Distance Matrix Analysis, Finite Element Scaling Analysis, and thin-plate splines; outline techniques such as Fourier Analysis and semi--landmarks; and multivariate statistics with geometric morphometric applications, such as principal coordinates and discriminant analyses. A practical lab component covers the use of available geometric morphometric software for addressing biomechanical and physical anthropolgical questions.