IBC Short Course Information (fwd)

["Clarice G.B. Demetrio" <clarice@carpa.ciagri.usp.br>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 17:04:48 -0400
From: International Biometric Society <ibs@bostromdc.com>
To: "clarice@carpa.ciagri.usp.br" <clarice@carpa.ciagri.usp.br>
Subject: IBC Short Course Information

Dear IBS Members,

Recently you received information about the XXIInd International Biometric Conference in Cairns, Australia on 11-16 July 2004.  In addition to the Conference, the IBS Education Committee chaired by Jane Hutton (BR) is pleased to present the Short Courses as arranged through IBS.  More complete details and the registration form can be found at  http://www.ozaccom.com.au/cairns2004/course.html.  However, we thought that we would highlight these special programs for your convenience.  Please be certain to share the information with your colleagues.

The IBS Short courses will be held on the days prior to the conference opening. Details, including presenter biographies and additional information from the course descriptions can be found at http://www.ozaccom.com.au/cairns2004/course.html and places can be reserved by completing the short course registration form. SSAI will be also be holding short courses and details will be available later in 2003.  If you have limited access to the Internet and would like for us to send or fax this information to you, please let us know.  We are happy to assist.

Course fees (in Australian dollars) are $350 per person, with a reduced fee of $175 per person for students and attendees from special circumstance countries. A discounted fee will be applicable for those participants attending two courses. Course materials, lunch, tea and coffee are included in the fee.

The earlybird deadline for registration for short courses is 30 April 2004. We strongly recommend that interested delegates register by this date, as places are limited and cannot be guaranteed. Registration cost will increase by 5 percent after this date.  Please note that minimum numbers apply for these courses and the organisers reserve the right to cancel should these numbers not be met. The option of choosing another course or a full refund of the short course fee will be given to delegates if a course is cancelled for this reason.

1) Longitudinal and Incomplete Data Analysis
2) Analysing Epidemiological Data
3) Using the R System for Data Analysis and Graphics
4) Statistics for Microarray Data Analysis
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1) Longitudinal and Incomplete Data Analysis
Saturday 10 July 2004, 8.30am - 5.30pm; Room TBA, Cairns Convention Centre
Presented by Professor Geert Molenberghs, Limburgs Universitair Centrum, Belgium and
Professor Geert Verbeke, Royal University of Leuven, Belgium

The course consists of three main parts: continuous longitudinal data, discrete longitudinal data, and incomplete data.  A general introduction to longitudinal data and the linear mixed model for continuous responses will be presented. The topic will be approached from the modeller's and practitioner's points of view. Emphasis will be on model formulation, parameter estimation, and hypothesis testing, as well as on the distinction between the random-effects (hierarchical) model and the implied marginal model. Advantages and disadvantages of various procedures will be discussed and compared in detail, and illustrations will be based on the SAS procedures GENMOD and NLMIXED. Some other approaches will be sketched briefly.   It will be shown that, if no appropriate measures are taken, missing data can cause seriously biased results, and interpretational difficulties. A general framework to deal with incomplete longitudinal data will be formulated, and the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches will be highlighted.  Although the course will be to a large extent software-free, SAS users could benefit from downloading some of the datasets from the instructors' web sites, in order to enhance their practical skills.
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2) Analysing Epidemiological Data
Saturday 10 July 2004, 8.30am - 5.30pm; Room TBA, Cairns Convention Centre
Presented by Dr Baswati Gangul, India
Course description is forthcoming
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3) Using the R System for Data Analysis and Graphics
Sunday 11 July 2004, 8.30am - 5.30pm; Room TBA, Cairns Convention Centre
Presented by Dr Bill Venables, CSIRO, Australia - Dr. Venables is a group leader in the Environmental Measurement and Assessment programme of the Division of Mathematics and Information Sciences (CMIS).

This one-day course will cover aspects of using R at two levels.   In the morning course we deal with: setting up the system; getting started; data input and output; graphics; basic data structures; installing and using libraries; elementary linear and generalized linear modelling.  In the afternoon session we give some key details on: more advanced aspects of graphics and modelling; programming effectiveness and efficiency; setting up libraries of your own functions, data sets; and using compiled code within R as dynamic link libraries (dll's).  Participants will be expected to bring their own laptops and to have downloaded the specified software and datasets prior to arriving in Cairns, or to purchase CDs with the same on site. Those paying the reduced fees will be able to share a laptop if necessary. If possible we plan to hold free and informal tutorial sessions at convenient times while the conference is in progress to reinforce the material and answer subsequent questions.
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4) Statistics for Microarray Data Analysis
Sunday 11 July 2004, 8.30am - 5.30pm; Room TBA, Cairns Convention Centre
Presented by Professor Terry Speed, University of California at Berkeley, USA and Gordon Smyth with Matt Ritchie, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Australia

Microarray technology, which provides a way to globally measure differential gene expression, promises to be extremely useful for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of complex disease as well as for the elucidation of biological mechanisms.  Issues in measurement and calibration of the microarrays need to be addressed appropriately in order to obtain valid datasets. The purpose of the one-day short course in Statistics for Microarray Data Analysis is to introduce statisticians and other researchers to statistical issues in the design and analysis of microarray studies of current interest to biologists and biomedical researchers. Experience with statistical methods and in data analysis is a pre-requisite, but no previous exposure to microarray data is assumed. The course will include the opportunity for participants to apply statistical methods to several datasets that will be provided. Participants will be expected to bring their own laptops and to have downloaded the specified software and datasets prior to arriving in Cairns, or to purchase CDs with the same on site. Those paying the reduced fees will be able to share a laptop if necessary.
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We encourage you to share the Short Course and the Conference information with your colleagues.  Remember - register early!

Thank you for your interest,
Claire Shanley, Executive Director


International Biometric Society
1444 I Street, NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005-6542
Tel: 202-712-9049
Fax: 202-216-9646
www.tibs.org

Begin Planning Now: XXIInd IBC2004 - 11-16 July, 2004 in Cairns, Australia
Please visit www.tibs.org or directly www.ozaccom.com.au/ibc2004

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