Travel Support for the 8th Valencia/ISBA World Meeting on Bayesian Statistics

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract The Valencia/ISBA Eighth World Meeting on Bayesian Statistics is jointly organized by the Universitat de Valencia and The International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA). Valencia/ISBA 2006 will be held in Benidorm, Spain, from June 1 to June 6, 2006. The University of Valencia has a strong tradition in Bayesian statistics, and has organized seven previous international meetings. The International Society for Bayesian Analysis was established in 1992 to promote the development and application of Bayesian statistical theory and methods. The co-operation of these two entities ensures a well-run meeting with strong intellectual content and good attendance from around the world. The ``Valencia" meetings are the pre-eminent Bayesian gatherings in the world; attendance is predicted at over 500 participants. Previous meetings have been attended by participants from approximately 50 different countries, creating a truly international conference. This funding is exclusively to provide support to assist with travel expenses for junior statistical investigators from US institutions, i.e., persons pursuing a PhD in statistics or a closely related field, or who have received such a degree within the five years preceding the conference. Such investigators are often doing research that is among the most novel, interesting, and important for international dissemination. Yet, often they lack the travel funds necessary to attend such a conference because they have not yet established themselves sufficiently to attract external travel and other funding for their work. Statisticians are playing an increasingly indispensable role in interdisciplinary research, contributing as vital team members to the entire scientific enterprise. Scholarly conferences where new ideas can be exchanged are vital for statistical science to move forward. International meetings are particularly beneficial since they permit exposure to ideas and colleagues attendees might not ordinarily encounter in their usual worlds. The benefit for attendance at such meetings by junior statistical researchers is particularly important; these meetings provide a special, unique environment to enable connection with internationally-regarded researchers, to foster international collaborations, and to assist in the recruitment of outstanding graduate students to complete their studies in the U.S. The Valencia/ISBA Eighth World Meeting on Bayesian Statistics is the pre-eminent Bayesian meeting in the world. This funding is exclusively to provide support to assist with travel expenses for junior statistical investigators from US institutions to attend this meeting.