Conference on Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy II

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Proposal: DMS 9504783 PIs: Gutti Babu, Eric Feigelson Institution: Penn. State University Title: Conference on Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy II 2. Abstract for the project. This award will support a cross-disciplinary conference on statistics and astronomy. In recent years, astronomers have shown considerable interest in applying advanced statistical techniques such as errors-in-variables regression models for measurement error problems, survival analysis for surveys with nondetections, and clustering algorithms for galaxy distri`utions. Communication between the two communities was elevated by the successful cross-disciplinary conference organized by Babu and Feigelson in August 1991, the first such meeting in the U.S. Since then, interest on methodological issues has grown among astronomers, with nearly 200 papers published annually in the astronomical literature on statistical issues. The proposed conference will feature lectures by distinguished statisticians on advanced methods applicable to astronomical research. The proposed conference seeks to bridge the gap between the communities of astronomers and statisticians, exposing researchers and students to issues of common interest. The sessions will begin with an invited lecture by a statistician describing important new developments relevant to a class of astronomical problems. Applications and suggestions to tune the methods for the needs of the astronomy community will be discussed by astronomers. Specific data analysis problems and methods will then be addressed in contributed presentations. There is considerable opportunity for young researchers in both fields to pursue methodological problems encountered in modern astronomy.