11:30 am–12:30 pm
Jones 303 5747 S. Ellis Ave.
We are pleased to have Nancy Reid, University Professor of Statistical Sciences at the University of Toronto, as our honored speaker, for the twenty-fifth annual Bahadur Memorial Lectures.
Title: “Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics”
Abstract: This is the title I used the first time I taught the U of T First-Year Seminar course, many years ago. I was nervous about the prospect of giving a seminar-style course for students fresh from high school, and unsure how to distinguish it from a run-of-the-mill introductory statistics course. As it turned out, however, the experience had a big impact on my teaching, research, and views on statistical science. Although much has changed in our field in the years since, the basic principles of reasoning with uncertainty have not. In this talk I will reflect on my experiences in trying to convey the ongoing importance of statistical science, and perhaps hazard a guess about the future.