AMUSE

Date: September 14, 2016

Time: 6:00PM - 7:00PM

Location: BLOC 220

Speaker: Dr. Alan Dabney, Texas A&M University, Department of Statistics

Title: Thinking Probabilistically and Statistically

Abstract: We are exposed today to an unprecedented amount of information from a wide variety of sources and of a wide variety of quality. Some claims, such as those made by marketers, may be blatantly biased and misleading. Others are supported by 'published studies' but are nevertheless preliminary and unlikely to be replicated. Others still are supported by carefully-designed studies and experiments that have been replicated and that have consensus support in the scientific community. How should one interact with information today, and how does one know whether or not to believe a particular claim? In this talk, we will explore the principles of both producing and learning from data. Statistical learning principles will be demonstrated using basic probability theory and simulation-based statistical inference in the R statistical software program. Bio: Alan Dabney received a Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the University of Washington and joined the faculty in the Department of Statistics at A&M in 2006. He is currently an Associate Professor and holder of the Eppright Professorship in Undergraduate Teaching Excellence. Dr. Dabney conducts research in biostatistics, bioinformatics, and statistical education. In addition, he serves as Director of Undergraduate Programs in the Department of Statistics, developing and supporting the brand-new B.S. in Statistics. Given the overlap between the undergraduate majors in Math and Statistics, Dr. Dabney and the Department of Statistics invite current Math majors to consider double-majoring in Statistics. For more information on undergraduate Statistics at A&M, see our webpage: https://www.stat.tamu.edu/academics/undergraduate/