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Astrostatistics Program at SAMSI January 2006

Working Groups

Exoplanets Surveys and Population Studies Gravitational Lensing

Source Detection and Feature Detection Particle Physics

Tutorial 1. Bayesian Astrostatistics
January 18-20, 2006, NISS/SAMSI building, Room 104
Tom Loredo (Cornell University) - Leader

Wednesday - January 18, 2006
9:00-9:15	Welcome (Jim Berger, SAMSI)
9:15-10:30	Fundamentals (Tom Loredo, Cornell University)
10:45-12:00	Basic counting and Point Process Models (Tom Loredo)
1:30-3:00	Probability and Frequency (Tom Loredo)

Thursday - January 19, 2006
9:15-10:30	Models with Gaussian Uncertainties I (Philip Gregory, University of British Columbia)
10:45-12:00	Models with Gaussian Uncertainties II (Philip Gregory)
1:30-2:45	Basic Bayesian Computation (Tom Loredo)
3:00-5:00	Statistical Computing with Python (Tom Loredo) Python programs and examples Notes on coincidence

Friday - January 20, 2006
9:15-10:30	Introduction to Markov Chain Monte Carlo, with R (William Jefferys, Universities of Texas and Vermont) R Programs: Normal MCMC-Gibbs, Normal MCMC MH and Poisson SN
10:45-12:00	Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling, with R (William Jefferys) R Program: Normal Hierarchical
1:30-2:45	Model Selection & Model Averaging, with R (William Jefferys) R Program: Hypothesis
3:00-4:15	Parallel Chain MCMC, with Mathematica (Philip Gregory)
4:15-4:30	Distribute/Fill Feedback Forms
4:30-5:30	Bayesian Miscellany (Tom Loredo)

Tutorial 2. Nonparametric Inference
January 21-22, 2006, NISS/SAMSI building, Room 104
Chad Schafer and Larry Wasserman (Carnegie-Mellon) - Leaders

The tutorial will introduce the fundamentals of modern nonparametric inference. Participants will be shown how to utilize these nonparametric methods.

See this web site for details about topics and computer programs that will be used during the practicums.

Saturday - January 21, 2006
10:00-12:00	Lecture/Practicum 1 All lecture
2:00-4:00	Lecture/Practicum 2

Sunday - January 22, 2006
10:00-12:00	Lecture/Practicum 3
2:00-4:00	Lecture/Practicum 4

Tutorial 3. Astronomy for Statisticians
January 21-22, 2006, NISS/SAMSI building, Room 203
William Jefferys (University of Vermont) and Eric Feigelson (Penn State) - Leaders

In this tutorial, the modern understanding of our universe will be reviewed spanning planetary systems, stars, the Milky Way Galaxy, extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. Statistical issues underlying the astronomical studies will be emphasized and discussed.

Saturday - January 21, 2006
9:00-10:00	Movie and Overview (William Jefferys, Universities of Texas and Vermont)
10:00-11:00	Solar System (William Jefferys) Lecture
11:30-12:00	Exoplanets (Eric Feigelson, Penn State University)
1:30-2:00	Star Formation 1, 2, and Planet Formation (Eric Feigelson)
2:00-3:00	Stellar Physics and HR Diagram (William Jefferys) Lecture
3:30-4:30	Stellar Evolution (William Jefferys) Lecture

Sunday - January 22, 2006
9:00-10:00	Multiwavelength Telescopes and Surveys (Eric Feigelson)
10:00-10:45	Milky Way & Stellar Populations (William Jefferys) Lecture
11:00-12:00	Galaxies: including clustering and AGN (Eric Feigelson)
1:30-3:00	Classical, and recent developments in, Cosmology (Eric Feigelson)
3:15-3:45	Discussion (William Jefferys, Eric Feigelson)
3:45-4:30	Summary (Eric Feigelson)

Opening Workshop
Radisson Hotel, 3rd Floor, Room H

Monday - January 23, 2006

9:00-9:10

Welcome and Introductions
Jim Berger, SAMSI, and G. Jogesh Babu, CASt, Penn State University

9:10-11:55

Session on Source Detection
Chair: David van Dyk, University of California-Irvine

9:10-9:55	Detection of Gamma Ray Sources Brenda Dingus, Los Alamos National Laboratory
9:55-10:40	Star Counts and Galaxy Properties from Surveys: Past, Current and Future Trends Martin Weinberg, University of Massachusetts
10:40-11:10	Break
11:10-11:55	Panel/group discussion David van Dyk, Brenda Dingus, Martin Weinberg, Vinay Kashyap (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory), and Rebecca Willett (Duke University)

11:55-12:30

Introductions to Evening Posters
(Abstracts)

12:30-1:30

Lunch

1:30-3:45

Session on Exoplanets
Chair: Bill Jefferys, Universities of Texas and Vermont

1:30-2:15	Extrasolar planet detection: a view from the trenches Movie Alex Wolszczan, Penn State University
2:15-3:00	Analysis of Radial Velocity and Astrometric Signals in the Detection of Multi-Planet Extrasolar Planetary Systems Movie Barbara McArthur, University of Texas
3:00-3:45	Panel/group discussion Bill Jefferys, Alex Wolszczan, Barbara McArthur, and Michael Lavine, (Duke University)

3:45-4:15

Break

4:15-5:15

5-Minute Madness: Anyone who wishes can give a 5-minute TALK describing their research and interests, an interesting problem, or whatever! Transparencies or slides are limited to four, and slides must be put into the session computer over the Break.
Jeff Scargle (NASA-Ames), Vinay Kashyap (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory), Rebecca Willett (Duke University), Jiashun Jin (Purdue University), Ruth-Stella Berrara-Rojas (U. Nacional de Columbia), Peter Bickel (UC Berkeley), Eric Feigelson (Penn State University), and Peter Freeman (Carnegie Mellon University)

6:30-8:30

Poster Session and Reception at the Radisson Hotel, 2nd Floor

SAMSI will provide poster presentation boards and tape. The board dimensions are 4 ft. wide by 3 ft. high. They are tri-fold with each side being 1 ft. wide and the center 2 ft. wide. Please make sure your poster fits the board. The boards can accommodate up to 16 pages of paper measuring 8.5 inches by 11 inches.

Tuesday - January 24, 2006

9:00-11:45

Session on Surveys
Chair: Tom Loredo, Cornell University

9:10-9:55	Large Optical Surveys LSST Strong Lensing Movie David Wittman, UC Davis
9:45-10:30	Censoring and truncation in astronomical surveys SGR_time Movie SGR_flyaround Movie Eric Feigelson, Penn State
10:30-11:00	Break
11:00-11:45	Panel/group discussion Tom Loredo, David Wittman, Eric Feigelson and David Banks (Duke University)

11:45-12:15

Introduction to Particle Physics: Louis Lyons, Oxford University

12:15-1:15

Lunch

1:15-3:30

Session on Particle Physics
Chair: Louis Lyons, Oxford University

1:15-2:00	Bayesians Inside the Gate: A View from Particle Physics Harrison Prosper, Florida State University
2:00-2:45	Some Current Statistical Considerations in Particle Physics Byron Roe, University of Michigan
2:45-3:30	Panel/group discussion Louis Lyons, Harrison Prosper, Byron Roe and Peter Bickel, (University of California-Berkeley)

3:30-4:00

Break

4:00-5:15

New Researchers Session

Angie Snyder-Hugeback, University of Chicago
Statistics for Astronomy: Inference about the Population of Quasars

Kristofer Jennings, Purdue University
An Approach to Detecting Non-Gaussianity in the Cosmic Microwave Background

Ji Meng Loh, Columbia University
Measuring Clustering of Absorbers

Yaming Yu, University of California-Irvine
Statistical Modeling of Sunspot Cycles

Wednesday - January 25, 2006

9:00-11:45

Session on Gravitational Lensing
Chair: Arlie Petters, Duke University

9:00-9:45	Stochastic Gravitational Lensing and the Nature of Dark Matter Charles Keeton, Rutgers University
9:45-10:30	Gravitational Lensing: Mass Reconstruction Methods and Results Liliya Williams, University of Minnesota
10:30-11:00	Break
11:00-11:45	Panel/group discussion Arlie Petters, Charles Keeton, Liliya Williams and Zhengyuan Zhu, (UNC-Chapel Hill)

11:45-1:30

Formation of Discussion Groups, and Discussion over Lunch

1:30-3:45

Session on Other Topics
Chair: Alana Connors, Eureka Scientific

1:30-2:15	Needles in Haystacks: Are There Any? How Many Are There? Where Are They? John Rice, UC-Berkeley
2:15-3:00	Nonparametric Inference in Astrophysics and Cosmology: Biases and Variants Christopher Genovese, Carnegie Mellon University
3:00-3:45	Panel/group discussion Alana Connors, John Rice, Chris Genovese and Keith Arnaud (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

3:45-4:15

Break

4:15-5:15

Discussion Group Reports and Working Group Formation