Department of Statistics Seminar
North Carolina State University

presents

Dr. Lynn Roy LaMotte

Louisiana State University

"Bugs, Bones, Bullets, and Babies: Identification Problems with a Common Thread"

ABSTRACT

A mystery subject, observed under conditions x_*, has characteristics y_*, but its value of another characteristic d_* is unknown. Experimental data are available in the form of observed values Y of the response for n_i subjects with known values x_i of x and d_i of d, i = 1,...,k. For each possible value d_0 of d, we want to assess the proposition that d_* = d_0 in order to construct a confidence set on d_*. Fisher's example with the iris data fits into this setting, with y the 4-tuple of sepal and petal length and width and d indicating membership among the three iris species. So do the problems of inferring: the postmortem interval from sizes of carrion-feeding fly larvae or from the combination of species of insects found on a corpse; the age of a person at death from characteristics of skeletal remains; the gestational age of a fetus from ultrasound images; and the caliber of a bullet from characteristics of the hole and the skull the hole is in. In this talk, I'll describe these problems and attempt to identify and exploit common statistical threads.

Friday, October, 05, 2001*

3:35 - 4:35 pm

206 Cox Hall

Refreshments will be served on the second floor of Dabney Hall (left of Room 222) at 3:00 pm.
*Special informal lunchtime seminar/discussion. 12:15-1:15, 208 Patterson.