Symposium on Case Studies in Bayesian Statistics

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

Case Studies in Bayesian Statistics IX is the ninth workshop in the series that was begun in 1991. The workshops are held in odd years at Carnegie Mellon University in early fall. The ninth workshop is planned for October 19-20, 2007. The highest level goal of the workshop series is to advance statistical practice by examining Bayesian methods in specific applied contexts. The objectives of the workshop are to explore the interplay of statistical theory and practice in the context of substantive scientific research; promote the continued development of Bayesian statistics by highlighting problems in the sciences that require non-standard approaches; provide an opportunity for scientists and statisticians to present their work in depth, highlighting both the scientific background and the analytical approaches; and encourage dissemination of the findings presented at the workshop via well documented and peer reviewed case studies. As it has evolved, this workshop series has become an important meeting for younger researchers in Bayesian statistics. The workshop aims to encourage young researchers, including graduate students, to present their applied work; provide a small meeting atmosphere to facilitate the interaction of young researchers with senior colleagues; expose young researchers to important challenges and opportunities in collaborative research; and include as participants women, under-represented minorities and persons with disabilities who might benefit from the small workshop environment. In addition to our traditional poster session, our workshops include a session devoted to presentations by younger researchers. The conference will also run a short course at the beginning of the workshop. The topic chosen for this year is sequential Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Case Studies in Bayesian Statistics IX is the ninth workshop in the series that was begun in 1991. The workshops are held in odd years at Carnegie Mellon University in early fall. The ninth workshop is planned for October 19-20, 2007. The highest level goal of the workshop series is to advance statistical practice by examining Bayesian methods in specific applied contexts. The objectives of the workshop are to explore the interplay of statistical theory and practice in the context of substantive scientific research; promote the continued development of Bayesian statistics by highlighting problems in the sciences that require non-standard approaches; provide an opportunity for scientists and statisticians to present their work in depth, highlighting both the scientific background and the analytical approaches; and encourage dissemination of the findings presented at the workshop via well documented and peer reviewed case studies. Most statistics meetings allow a very limited time (like 20 minutes) for the presentation of a paper. While this is OK for studies that depart only slightly from what is already known and understood, it is a major expositional problem for more ambitious studies. Bayesian statistics, a recent movement in statistics, requires exploration of the scientific background of a study, the statistical modeling and computation, and the conclusions, with all the necessary caveats. Accordingly, the Case Studies in Bayesian Statistics workshops are organized to give researchers and discussants ample time (3 hours) to present and discuss each of two serious Bayesian empirical papers. There is also a special session for young researchers to present their work, a poster session, and a short course (which this year is on sequential Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, an important new Bayesian computing technique). The conference supports younger researchers, women and under-served minorities to attend the meeting.