Overview
The discipline of environmetrics / environmental statistics covers
a vast variety of research areas, all of which arise in the environmental
sciences. These areas include animal and plant biology, aquatic
ecosystem monitoring, atmospheric science, conservation biology,
natural resource management, and pollution impact on public health,
to name a few. With pressing problems such as global warming and
dwindling populations of numerous species, the integration of biological
and statistical methodologies has become vital to the protection
of the environment.
While research programs involving both communities are well in
place along the two coasts of North America, currently very few
exist in between. This workshop features experienced researchers
and environmental scientists from existing environmetrics programs
who will shed light on the key role of sound statistical methodology
in environmental protection. It will provide a primer on the breadth
of the discipline instead of a focus on any particular research
area within the discipline.
The primary intended outcome of this environmetrics workshop is
to raise awareness and interest of environmental scientists and
statisticians, particularly those from continental North America,
to join forces and integrate their expertise. As the contents of
this workshop will minimally overlap with, but highly complement,
those of similarly titled workshops such as the NPCDS Workshop on
Spatial/Temporal Modelling for Marine Ecological Systems and NPCDS
Workshop on Forest Fires and Point Processes, scientists and
participants of these recent highly specialized workshops are encouraged
to attend our Fields Institute Summer Workshop on Environmetrics
to lend their ideas and expertise to help us achieve the intended
outcome of raising awareness of the general discipline of environmental
statistics.
We hope that this workshop will reach out to related scientific
communities and generate enough interest for the creation of a graduate
program in environmetrics in central-eastern Canada.
Intended Participants
100 workshop attendees are expected, approximately 40 would
be graduate students.
From Academia statisticians,
biologists / ecologists, resource management scientists, graduate
students from all these disciplines
From Government Agencies natural
resource managers, leading scientists
Program
Outline
|
DAY 1
|
THEME: What is environmental statistics?
3 lectures (1.5–2 hours each) |
|
Lecture 1:
|
Why and how are statistics integrated into environmental research?
|
|
Lecture 2:
|
Popular statistical methodologies in environmental research
- Part I
|
|
Lecture 3:
|
Popular statistical methodologies in environmental research
- Part II
|
|
DAY 2
|
THEME: Overcoming the Challenges
|
|
Panel Discussion 1
|
How do we address the obstacles encountered in quantitative
environmental research? |
|
Panel Discussion 2
|
Lack of funding to / awareness of statistical research in
environmental science |
|
Multimedia Show
|
Emerging Research Areas in Environmetrics
|
|
DAY 3
|
THEME: Creating graduate programs in environmetrics
Panel and open-floor discussion (morning) |
|
|
Closing remarks and informal interactions (afternoon) |
Lecturers
and Panelists
- John Braun
(Associate Professor, U of Western Ontario Stat. & Act.
Sci.)
--- actively involved in NPCDS and PIMS workshops on forest fires
- David Brillinger (Professor,
University of California, Berkeley, Statistics)
--- ASA Fellow; highly respected statistician throughout the globe;
president of the International Environmetrics Society (TIES)
-
Mark Buehner (Research
Scientist, Environment Canada)
--- research focusses on the estimation and modelling of error
statistics for
deterministic and probabilistic numerical weather prediction
-
Grace Chiu (Assistant
Professor, U of Waterloo Stat. & Act. Sci.)
--- workshop co-organizer
-
Michael Dowd
(Assistant Professor, University of Dalhousie, Math. &
Stat.)
--- oceanographer and statistician by training; has done extensive
research that caters to both biologists and statisticians
-
Abdel El-Shaarawi
(Research Scientist, Environment Canada (EC))
--- ASA Fellow; renowned statistician who is a key figure from
the Aquatic Ecosystem Management Research Branch of the National
Water Research Institute at EC; current editor of the journal
Environmentrics
-
Jon Grant (Professor,
University of Dalhousie Oceanography)
--- scientist who is very enthusiastic about involving statisticians
in his research
-
Timothy G. Gregoire
(Professor, Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental
Studies)
--- ASA Fellow; accomplished environmetrician who has had great
success in advocating the use of statistics in environmental
sciences; past president of the Eastern North American Region
(ENAR) of the International Biometrics Society
-
Stephen Murphy (Associate
Professor, U of Waterloo, Environment and Resource Studies (ERS)
--- applied ecologist interested in multiple spatial scales
and environmental management
-
Maren Oelbermann
(Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo, ERS)
--- soil scientist interested in ecosystem dynamics
-
Rick Routledge
(Professor, Simon Fraser University Stat. & Act. Sci.)
--- was recently all over the news in Vancouver for groundbreaking
research on sea-lice on threatened salmon species; very experienced
in research on and activist of fish preservation; trained as
both a biologist and statistician
-
Dave Stanford
(Professor, U of Western Ontario Stat. & Act. Sci.)
--- taking part in a project on fire-fighting costs with Ian
McLeod and the
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
- Roman Viveros (Professor,
McMaster Math. & Stat.)
--- workshop co-organizer
Travel Support Application (deadline to apply was May 18)
Depending on the number of workshop attendees, the following travel
funds are available to out-of-town students:
full-time students may receive up to $240 each. In addition
please e-mail official proof of
full-time status to
environmetrics@fields.utoronto.ca
no later than
May 18, 2007. (An e-mail sent directly from a
department administrator / faculty member is acceptable.)
Accommodation
A block of rooms at Delta
Hotels has been reserved for participants of the Workshop
with room style "Delta Rooms" at $99+tax for single/double,
but add $20.00 per person over the age of 18 for triple and $40
for quad occupancies.Reserve by June 19 for discounted conference
rate. Click _here_ for
more information on how to make reservations.
The hotel is located in downtown Kitchener, the neighboring city
to Waterloo, and is within walking distance to restaurants, markets,
and shops. Free shuttle service is offered to and from the Waterloo
campus.
Budget on-campus housing
Guaranteed availability at Resurrection
College for 20 people (single occupancy) for the nights of July
17 and 18. Located 10-minute walk from workshop. The cost is $30.00
per night without breakfast, and $34 otherwise (specify choice at
time of reservation). Extra nights before July 19 inclusive are
possible. Amenities include in-room sink, internet, and telephone
for no extra charge. Cash / cheque / money order upon checkout.
No credit or debit card payments. For reservations, call 519-885-4950
or e-mail resurrection@resurrectioncollege.ca.
Traveling to Waterloo
The nearest airports to Kitchener-Waterloo are located one hour
northeast in Toronto (YYZ) and 40 minutes southeast in Hamilton
(YHM). Major airlines that fly to these cities include Air
Canada and WestJet.
For travelers without a vehicle, Airways
Transit offers shuttle rides from either airport to Kitchener-Waterloo.
Reservations are crucial. Discounted rates are available for groups
of two or more.
If there are more than one person traveling, it may be less expensive
to use Wright Limousine, Wright can be reached at 519-894 555 or
1-800-328-5501.
Local Activities
A dining and activities guide will be included
in the registration package (pick-up in LHI lobby, July 17, 8:30-9am)
LHI
on campus map. The following suggested field trips (courtesy
of Rick Routledge) should be planned before arriving to Waterloo.
Guests should arrange their own trips.
Grand
River
Elora
Gorge
Niagara Escarpment
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