RSS HIGHLANDS LOCAL GROUP MEETING:
TITLE: Can we make Statistics count in Bioinformatics?
SPEAKER: ERNST WIT (University of Glasgow)
DATE: 6pm, Thursday 13 February 2002
VENUE: Meston Building, Room 302, Kings College, University of Aberdeen
TEA: from 5:45 pm
ABSTRACT:
Bioinformatics is a common denominator of many diverse activities, which
range from database construction, via exploratory graphical analyses, to
high-dimensional methods. What they share in common is (i)a focus on
biological, often genetic, data and (ii) practitioners that often come
from the numerical sciences, such as Computer Science and Engineering.
Statisticians and Mathematicians have been slow to embrace this new
field. For no good reason.
In fact, Statistics is the science par excellence to be leading
bioinformatical endeavours. The appreciation of uncertainty and
variation as a general feature of bioinformatical data typifies the
enormous contribution it can make. In particular, principles of sound
design are required to get workable data; exploratory methods can be
used for assessing data quality and for getting preliminary results;
formal high-dimensional methods coupled with statistical awareness of
variation yield estimates and predictions together with measures of
reliability.
In this talk, I'll explore the current practice of bioinformatics and
the role of statistics within it. I'll present examples of what
statistics can contribute and what it has to offer for the future.
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Everybody (that includes Non-RSS members and Non-Statisticians :-))
welcome!
Claus Mayer,
Secretary, Highlands Local Group
(http://www.maths.abdn.ac.uk/maths/department/rss/highlands.html)
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Claus-D. Mayer | http://www.bioss.ac.uk
Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland | email: [log in to unmask]
Rowett Research Institute | Telephone: +44 (0) 1224 716652
Aberdeen AB21 9SB, Scotland, UK. | Fax: +44 (0) 1224 716608
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