UT Summer Statistics Institute

 

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5th Annual Summer Statistics Institute, May 21–24, 2012

Intro

Courses

Miscellaneous

The Division of Statistics + Scientific Computation at The University of Texas at Austin is proud to host the 5th annual UT Summer Statistics Institute (SSI) May 21–24, 2012. The three main purposes of the SSI are:

  • To provide participants with access to new statistical knowledge and skills
  • To give participants hands-on experience with data analysis
  • To prepare participants to interpret studies employing statistical methods.

The UT Summer Statistics Institute is open to 550 participants. The SSI offers intensive, hands-on four-day workshops across diverse topics. The course offerings are designed for students with all levels of experience, from those who are new to statistics to experienced statisticians.

The 2012 SSI will offer 24 courses at the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. Each course will meet for four half-days, mornings or afternoons, for a total of twelve hours. Participants will have access to a course website where instructors will post lectures, datasets, exercises, and other useful course information. There will be no examinations or tests, and participants will receive a certificate upon completion of each course. Academic credit will not be issued.

pdf_buttonDownload a pdf brochure.

All courses will be held on the UT Campus in Mezes Hall.


Special thanks to our sponsor  stata_logo_5405 . Please visit stata.com.

Courses

Click HERE to learn more about the courses offered.

Featured Workshop

jordan"An Introduction to Bayesian Nonparametrics with Applications"
Michael Jordan (Professor, University of California, Berkeley)
(free with SSI Registration, limited seating)
Bayesian inference is often viewed as an assumption-laden approach to statistical inference, in which strong assumptions are imposed in order to support inference. The past two decades have seen the development of an increasingly vigorous field of Bayesian nonparametrics, which simultaneously provides an expressive language for prior specification and allows for weaker assumptions. Mathematically, Bayesian nonparametrics amounts to using general stochastic processes as prior distributions. I discuss a class of stochastic processes known as "completely random measures" that I view as providing a useful point of departure for a range of applications of Bayesian nonparametrics to problems in science and engineering. In particular I will present models based on the beta process, the Bernoulli process, the negative binomial process, the gamma process, the Dirichlet process, and on hierarchical, nesting and Markovian constructions that use these basic stochastic processes as building blocks. I will discuss applications to a variety of scientific and engineering domains, including document modeling, protein structural modeling, vision, speech and statistical genetics.

Registration (Feb. 1–May 4, 2012)

UT Austin Students: $150 per course
UT Austin Faculty & Staff: $250 per course
Non-UT Students: $200 per course
General: $500 per course
Groups: A 20% discount is available for groups of five or more (or groups registering for a total of five classes or more) from the same institution/agency: $400 per person per course. Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with an explanation.

Affiliations with UT will be confirmed by our staff. Non-UT students must send us a copy of their current student identification.

*All registrants must have a UT EID to register. To obtain a UT EID, please CLICK HERE.

*If you are using P.O. to register, you will need UT Austin's Tax ID: 74-6000203

Miscellaneous

All courses will be held on the UT Campus in Mezes Hall (MEZ) except for Introduction to NGS Bioinformatics, which will be in the Flawn Academic Center (FAC). The MEZ building is located a few buildings south of the Tower/Main Building (MAI) near 21st Street. A downloadable pdf of the UT Austin campus can be found HERE.

Parking: Parking on campus is a premium. Since SSI occurs during the break between the spring and summer semesters, the UT Shuttles will not be operating. The nearest parking garages are the Brazos parking garage (BRG) located at 210 E. MLK, the San Antonio Garage (SAG) located at 2420 San Antonio Street, and The AT&T Executive Education Center parking garage (CCG) located at 1900 University Avenue. Information about permits you can purchase in those lots is below. Parking in any of the "A", "F", "D", "OV" or "O" spaces on campus may result in the issuance of a citation.

There is also free parking (no permits needed) during the UT intersession break (May 16-May 28) in most of the "Longhorn" lots (located east of IH-35), motorcycle parking and "C" lots, and the overnight parking restriction will also be lifted. These lots are farther away than the permit lots, so allow extra time for parking and walking. The "C" lots that are unrestricted (free) are lots 37, 70, 80 and 99 located off of Robert Dedman Drive, and the "Longhorn" lots 41, 107, 109, 110, 112, 114, and 116 located east of IH-35 are also unrestricted (free). Be sure you are in one of those lots or you will receive a citation. You can find those lots here: http://www.utexas.edu/parking/maps/map.htm

BRG Parking Garage (BRG): A four-day parking pass card costs $40. Pull a ticket upon entering BRG on the first day, then purchase a pass from the garage cashier office before exiting. Parking passes must be used for entering and exiting in alternating order. Without a pass, three to sixteen hours in the garage each day costs $12.  150 cards are available for this garage at the cashier's office.

CCG Parking Garage (CCG): Three to twelve hours costs $12.

SAG Parking Garage (SAG):  A four day parking pass card costs $40. Pull a ticket upon entering SAG on the first day, then purchase a pass from the garage cashier office before exiting. Parking passes must be used for entering and exiting in alternating order. Without a pass, three to twelve hours costs $12. Fifteen cards will be available for this garage at the cashier's office.

Please note that cards will only be on sale the first day (Monday, May 21) and are not refundable.

Click HERE to see rates for all campus garages.

Visitor Information: Click HERE for UT Campus Visitor Center information.
A downloadable pdf of the UT Austin campus can be found HERE.
HERE is information about Austin and the UT Drag (Guadalupe across from campus).
Inexpensive lunch restaurants within walking distance can be found HERE.
Nicer restaurants near UT campus can be found HERE.

Laptop Loans: A limited number of laptops are available for loan. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like to reserve one. Be sure to include the name of the course you have registered for that requires a laptop.

Refund/Cancellation Policies: A full refund of registration fees, less a $25 cancellation fee, will be available if requested in writing and received by March 31, 2012. No refunds will be made after that date. Please note that course substitutions cannot be made. If you fail to cancel by the deadline and do not attend, you are still responsible for full payment. UT reserves the right to cancel the Summer Statistics Institute and return all fees in the event of insufficient registration.

How to Get Your UT-EID: You must have a current UT‐EID to register for the Institute. To obtain a UT‐EID, visit https://idmanager.its.utexas.edu/eid_self_help and select “Get a UT EID.” If you have an EID, but you do not know your password, select “Find/Reset My Password.” Your UT‐EID will allow you access to your course website and software applications during the institute.

Wait Lists: We do not maintain a priority waiting list. However, if you are unable to register for a course because it is full, contact us at (512) 232-0693 and provide us with the name of the course and your email address. If there is sufficient demand for a course, and resources allow, we may open additional seats or sections in those courses beginning April 1. You will be notified by email if additional seats will be opened. Registration will continue to be first-come, first-served for these additional seats.

Hotels: A block of rooms has been reserved for SSI attendees at the following hotels:

LaQuinta Inn Austin Capitol, 300 E. 11th Street, Austin, TX 78701

SSI rate: $85/night, dates May 21-24, 2012, subject to availability after April 30. Please call the hotel directly 512-476-1166 and ask for group UT Summer Statistics Institute. Valet parking is $12.99/night.

AT&T Executive Education Center, 1900 University Avenue, Austin, TX 78705

SSI rate: $169/night, dates May 20-26, 2012 if booked before April 20. Click here to make online reservations with AT&T Executive Center, using the Promo Code of STATIS0512. You may also call 512-404-3600 or 877-744-8822 (toll-free) to make group-rate reservations by phone. Self-parking is $14/night or $21/night for valet.