The School of Statistics Turns 50

Casual Campus Activities 

10:00am-5:00pm
UMN-Twin Cities Campus

We have compiled a list of activities for you to take part in when you arrive on campus. Absorb the latest art exhibits, stop by Ford Hall for cookies and coffee, or take a self-guided tour around campus to see what buildings have been updated since your last stay in Minneapolis.

Don’t miss these Ford Hall activities:

• 2:00 - 4:00 PM  Tea, coffee, and desserts in room 300. A check-in table will be stationed outside the building’s EAST entrance, just off Church Street. You can enter Ford Hall there.
• 4:00 PM A 50th Anniversary Reunion Photo. Meet outside the building’s WEST entrance (the Northrop Mall side). If you don't see the group right away, look north towards Northrop Auditorium. Depending on how many people take part, the photo may move to the steps of Vincent Hall (beside Ford Hall) or Walter Library (a few buildings up on the west side of the lawn).

Has it been a while since you have visited Ford Hall? View a map and refresh your memory about the Ford Hall building, including where to park.

The closest Light Rail stop is the East Bank Station on the Green Line, located 0.1 miles from the building.

You can also use the Campus Connector bus to ride from campus to campus. Visit the UMN transportation website for full details.

Welcome Event and Alumni Awards

6:00-10:00pm 
Doors open at 6:00 PM for a social hour. The dinner program will begin promptly at 7:00 PM.
The Solar Arts Building
711 NE 15th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55413

Attend the 50th anniversary welcome event, located in the trendy Quincy Street neighborhood of the Northeast Minneapolis Art District. Mintahoe at Solar Arts is a unique, 100 year old event venue located on the top floor of the Solar Arts Building, which also houses art studios & galleries, as well as one of the first breweries in Minneapolis--Indeed Brewing. Look forward to connecting with statistics alumni and friends:

• Catch up with alumni and faculty over a social hour with drinks and browse the building's art gallery
• Capture the moment with a photo, update your alumni information, and shop for 50th anniversary gear
• Enjoy a sit-down dinner including a welcome address from John Coleman, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts
• Presentation of School of Statistics Alumni Awards

Statistics Talks Featuring the Geisser Lecture

8:00am-5:00pm
Doors open at 8:00 AM for breakfast and check-in.
The Hubert Humphrey Conference Center 
301 19th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Join us on the West Bank for a day of statistics talks, panels, and discussions, featuring the esteemed Seymour Geisser Distinguished Lecture. This year's Geisser lecture will be delivered by Francesca Chiaromonte, Professor of Statistics at Penn State, and the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Statistics for the Life Sciences. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Parking and Transportation

View parking options for the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs building, including the 19th Avenue Ramp (closest) or the 21st Ave Ramp.

The closest Light Rail stop is West Bank Station on the Green Line, located 0.1 miles from the building. 

You can also use the Campus Connector bus to ride from campus to campus. Visit the UMN transportation website for full details.

Geisser Lecture Talk Details

Speaker: 

Francesca Chiaromonte, (PhD ’96) Professor of Statistics at Penn State, and the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Statistics for the Life Sciences

Title:

In Awe of Today’s Data: Reducing, Selecting, Leveraging Structure – and Looking Ahead.

Abstract: 

Since my times as a statistics PhD student in the ‘90s, science, entire economic sectors, trade, public administration, and most aspects of daily life have been transformed by an ever-increasing availability of massive, complex data. These data are generated by fast-evolving high-throughput technologies, online activities, and our own expanding digital traces. As a statistician and as a scientist, I spent the last decades seeking ways to reduce, sieve through and make sense of it – striking a balance between the pragmatism required by applications and the rigor required by methods development. 

Working with biomedical researchers and computer scientists through the “Omics” revolution, and with economists and social scientists as they learned to integrate alternative data sources in their studies, has brought me awe and opportunities to contribute both to scientific insight and to statistical innovation – in fields such as sufficient dimension reduction, feature selection and feature screening, and functional data analysis. At the same time, these decades have delineated daunting methodological and social challenges – ranging from the scalability of statistical procedures, to the reproducibility and stability of results obtained from analyzing massive and complex data, to issues of power, bias, interpretability, privacy, etc.      

In this lecture, I will attempt to recount my journey describing some biomedical applications, touching upon some methodological highlights, and offering some thoughts on the challenges.  

Confirmed Speakers 

Kazeem Adepoju
Sakshi Arya
Francesca Chiaromonte
Bhaskar Chattaraj
Daniel Eck
Karl Oskar Ekval
Jeremy Gu
Murali Haran
Megan Heyman
Joseph Ibrahim
Takeaki Kariya
Lexin Li
Ying Lu
David Matteson
Glen Meeden
Aaron Molstad
Brad Price
Piercesare Secchi
Benjamin Sherwood
Carrie Strief
Zhihua Su
Wei Qian
Boxiang Wang
Yunan Wu
Yi Yang

History and Hops

7:00-9:30pm
Inbound Brewery 
701 N 5th St, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Pop into the bustling North Loop area to socialize, order a beer, and listen to a panel of past statisticians discuss the last 50 years! 

We have intentionally planned a break between activities to allow attendees time for dinner. The North Loop is a vibrant neighborhood known for its food establishments, bars, and nightlife. Attendees can choose to enjoy a sit-down meal on their own, or order takeout from one of the many food eateries nearby and bring it to Inbound to consume in good company. 

Parking and Transportation

Street parking is available at this location but is first-come, first-served. The closest parking ramp option is a half mile walk down the street, in the Mobility Hub Ramp B. The closest Light Rail stop is Target Field Station on the Blue and Green Lines, just 0.3 miles down the road.