Challenges in the Statistical Modeling of Stochastic Processes for the Natural Sciences (17w5107)

The Banff International Research Station will host the "Challenges in the Statistical Modeling of Stochastic Processes for the Natural Sciences" workshop from July 9th to July 14th, 2017.

Traditional statistical models for natural science phenomena have largely been either linear models or black boxes. It is now recognized that stochastic models whose behaviour more closely mirrors the scientific structure of the system under study provide a more interpretable framework for analyzing data. These ideas are now being used in such disparate fields as atmospheric science, biology, climate, environmental sciences, geophysics, and hydrology. This diversity of applications leads, of course, to a diversity of modeling approaches. There are, however, a number of challenges common to quantifying uncertainty in data analysis using these stochastic processes which cut across the range of applications. One example is in building stochastic processes that respect the current known science, but also incorporate believable uncertainty quantification. Another is building statistical inference tools for understanding complicated stochastic processes, observed on potentially massive or complex datasets. Solving these problems will help scientists understand uncertainty in forecasts of the effects of climate change, in prediction of flood risk, in the study of cancer growth. This workshop is dedicated to understanding what is common to the problems in all these areas, to encouraging transmission of ideas from one application area to others, and to working towards solutions to the problems we identify.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides
an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disc
iplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineeri
ng Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional
de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).