2010 Summer School in Statistical Inference for Astronomers; June 2010; Pennsylvania State University, College Park

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

AST-1019605Babu2010 Summer School in Statistical Inference for Astronomers; June 2010; Pennsylvania State University, College ParkAstronomical research often involves imaging, photometric and spectroscopic surveys of the sky that produce terabyte to petabyte databases and billion-object catalogs. While the promise is tremendous, achieving the scientific goals depends critically on extraction of useful knowledge using statistical inference, and especially the use of advanced statistical methods. Observational astronomers are thus confronting a wider range of statistical challenges than ever before, while unfortunately most U.S. astronomers are not well trained in statistics, learning only elementary methods through books written by and for physical scientists. Such volumes usually treat only a narrow range of problems, providing inadequate conceptual foundations in mathematical statistics and little guidance in advanced applied statistics. Statistics is an available technology that must be tapped to advance the needs of astronomy and astrophysics.The eight-day 2010 Summer School for young astronomers in statistical inference will present concepts and methodologies at an intermediate level, and includes a new two-day enhanced coverage of statistical methods for astronomical surveys and the use of Virtual Astronomical Observatory tools. This is the latest in the series of intensive week-long Summer Schools in Statistics for Astronomers, initiated in 2005 by the group at Pennsylvania State. If maintained at a steady state, these Summer Schools will train about 10% of the nation's young astronomers, filling a critical lacuna in the US scientific workforce. Experienced statistics professors will teach an innovative curriculum, accompanied by hands-on software tutorials with applications to astronomical datasets. This will have a substantial impact on the capabilities of many young researchers.