Transcript Recent Innovations at Harvard Statistics: Attract More and Train Better Xiao-Li Meng Department of Statistics Harvard University 11/6/2015

Recent Innovations at Harvard Statistics:
Attract More and Train Better
Xiao-Li Meng
Department of Statistics
Harvard University
11/6/2015
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Statistics: A Rapidly Changing Field
A paradigm shift:
Larger, Deeper, and Faster
Balance
the “core” development with
interdisciplinary research
Carefully
reexamine pedagogical and
infrastructural needs
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A Recent Thesis …
Markov Chain Monte Carlo Applications in
Bioinformatics and Astrophysics
Hosung Kang
May, 2005
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So what’s the “average scale” between these two extremes?
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Apparently it is about 2.5” by 6” …
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Social
Sciences
Physical
Sciences
Engineering
Environmental
Science
Life
Sciences
Stat Core
Principles
Methods
Finance
Business
Law
Medical/Health
Sciences
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Sports
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Examples of Recent Interdisciplinary Teaching

Computational Biology: STAT115/215; S. Liu (Biostat) & J. Liu

Social Sciences and Stat: STAT214/Econ 1127; Imbens (Econ) & Rubin

Law and Statistics: STAT 245/Law 98350-31; Greiner (Law) & Rubin

AstroStatistics: STAT 310; members of CfA & Meng

Wavelets for Signal and Image Processing: ES251/STAT251; Wolfe (SEAS) &
Meng

Statistical Finance: STAT 171/271; Lee & Blanchet

Epidemiology & Spatial Stat: STAT155/240; Izem, Ryan & Paciorek (Biostat)
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Initiatives in Undergraduate Education
Enhance Stat Concentration in quantity and quality
 Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Track
(2006-2007)
 Quantitative Finance Track (2007-2008)
Examples of New “Outreach” Courses:

STAT105 (2008, Spring; Meng): Real-Life Statistics:
Your Chance of Happiness (or Misery)

STAT123 (2009, planned; Blyth): Quantitative Finance
for Wall Street
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Revamped Introductory Courses

STAT 100: for Social Sciences & Humanities (2 offerings)

STAT 101: for Psychology and the Behavioral Sciences
(2 offerings in AY09)

STAT102: Biostatistics (1 offering; planned to expand
to 2 offerings for Life and Medical Sciences in future)

STAT103: for Physical Sciences and Engineering
(planned for AY10)

STAT104: for Economics (4 offerings in AY09)
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ARIMA model, predicting 25 years with 95% confidence
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So do statisticians do a particular
good job in prediction?
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Innovations in Graduate Education

STAT303: The Art and Practice of Teaching Statistics
(Required for all 1st year Ph.D.s)

STAT399: Problem Solving in Statistics (helping Ph.D.
students beyond their first year transition through the
qualifying exams into research).

Team Teaching of Ph.D. courses (e.g., STAT 210, 211,
230 by Blitzstein and Morris; scribe notes)

Team Course Designs by graduate students and faculty
(e.g, STAT105 by Meng and the “Happy Team” of 7
Ph.D. and Master’s students)

Awards for Bi-annual Post-qualifying Presentations
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Initiatives for 2009-2010

Writing Workshop for J-term

Departmental teaching blog

Bi-annual teaching retreat

...
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