Second Announcement:  Second International IMS/ISBA Joint Meeting
                    Bormio, Italy (Italian Alps)
     "MCMSki":  The Past, Present, and Future of Gibbs Sampling

         Wednesday, January 12 to Friday, January 14, 2005

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   conference website:  http://alien.eco.uninsubria.it/IMS-ISBA-05/
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This is second email announcement of the second joint international meeting
of IMS (Institute of Mathematical Statistics) and ISBA (International
Society for Bayesian Analysis).  Readers are encouraged to consult the
conference website for full details of the main points described below:

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Plenary Speakers (all confirmed)
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Prof. Persi Diaconis, Stanford University
Prof. Alan Gelfand, Duke University
Prof. Sylvia Richardson, Imperial College London

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Invited Sessions and Speakers (all confirmed)
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Molecular Biology (organizer:  Giovanni Parmigiani)
   Elizabeth Garrett-Mayer, Johns Hopkins University
   Marco Ramoni, Harvard Medical School
   Paola Sebastiani, Boston University
   Michael Ochs, Fox Chase Cancer Center

Spatial and Spatiotemporal Methods (organizer:  Montserrat Fuentes)
   Peter Diggle, Lancaster University
   Louise Ryan, Harvard School of Public Health
   Jim Zidek, University of British Columbia
   Francesca Dominici, Johns Hopkins University (discussant)

MCMC in Nonparametrics (organizer:  Sonia Petrone)
   Gareth Roberts, Lancaster University
   Peter Muller, MD Anderson Cancer Center
   Eugenio Regazzini, University of Pavia
   Judith Rousseau, Universite Rene Descartes (discussant)

Bioinformatics and Genetics (organizer:  Steve Brooks)
   Peter Donnelly, University of Oxford
   Jun Liu, Harvard University
   Wally Gilks, MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge

Statistical Data Mining (organizer:  Paolo Giudici)
   David Madigan, Rutgers University
   Andrew Nobel, University of North Carolina
   Paolo Giudici, University of Pavia
   Greg Ridgeway, RAND Corporation (discussant)

MCMC Algorithms and Software (organizers:  Anto Mira and Brad Carlin)
   Luke Tierney, University of Iowa
   Xiao-Li Meng, Harvard University
   David Spiegelhalter, MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge
   Nicky Best, Imperial College London
   Kerrie Mengersen, University of Newcastle (discussant)

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Contributed poster sessions
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All participants are encouraged to contribute to one of the two poster
sessions, to be held in the Rezia Hotel.  Instructions and a template
for abstract submission may be found on the conference website.

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Registration, accommodations and bus transport
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Again, this information is now all on the website.  Registration fees
include all conference materials, refreshments during breaks, and the
closing conference banquet (a multicourse meal with wine and dessert).
Payment may be made by credit card via our secure web server operated
by the IMS.  You will be asked what day and time you plan to arrive;
we realize it's early to ask this, but if you can give us some idea it
will help us with respect to planning the bus schedule.  Hotel reservations
must be made separately by direct email contact.

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Junior investigator travel support
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While we cannot yet say for certain, we anticipate limited financial
support for junior investigators presenting posters from the NSF and
perhaps other granting agencies.  NSF requires such investigators to be
from US institutions (though not necessarily US citizens) and within 5
years of the PhD.  Interested persons should indicate this when they
register for the meeting and submit their abstracts.  A recent CV and
a *brief* note from your academic supervisor is also required.

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Booksellers and other vendors
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Will be located outside the main lecture hall in the conference center;
persons interested in having a kiosk should contact one of the co-organizers
for details.

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Recreational opportunities
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The conference website has information on both the ski and spa offerings,
which will be available at reduced rates during the afternoon breaks to
conference participants and their accompanying persons.  Details on the
"Tweedie Cup" ski race will also be posted as they develop.

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Post-Banquet Cabaret
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While post-banquet cabarets have a long and celebrated history in
international Bayesian conference lore, IMS-ISBA #2 offers the opportunity to
establish this tradition in a much more ecumenical setting.  All persons
having *any* relevant talent whatsover (singing, playing, acting, juggling,
magic tricks, joketelling, etc.) are strongly encouraged to contact one of
the co-organizers.  No audition is necessary.

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Breaking news:  Pre-conference "satellite" meeting:
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"Advances in Adaptive MCMC Algorithms", Bormio (Italy), January 10-11, 2005

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Organizers:  * Ch. Andrieu (Dept. Math & Stat., U. Bristol, UK)
               * H. Haario (Dept. Math. U. Helsinki, Finland)
               * C.P. Robert (Dept. Applied Math., U. Paris Dauphine, France)

The focus of this satellite meeting is to discuss the theoretical tools
necessary for the development of adaptive MCMC algorithms and the barriers
to the dissemination of such algorithms in more realistic settings,
as well as set up a program for future research.  Talks and open forums
will center on four topics:

   (1) Ergodicity of non-homogeneous Markov chains
   (2) Tools and advances in stochastic optimisation
   (3) Non Markovian alternatives
   (4) Implentation specificities of adaptive algorithms

For more information please contact Prof. Robert:  [log in to unmask]

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Please direct all further IMS/ISBA #2 questions to one of the two co-chairs:

Brad Carlin, University of Minnesota:  [log in to unmask]
Antonietta Mira, University of Insubria:  [log in to unmask]



--


Steve Brooks

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