Session: Special Session Symposium--Transitioning from Frequentist to Bayesian Inference, the Why and How?

Division: Special Sessions

Title: Special Session Symposium--Transitioning from Frequentist to Bayesian Inference, the Why and How?

Lead Community Sponsor:
Cosponsor: SSSA Division: Soil Biology and Biochemistry, C01 Crop Breeding and Genetics, C06 Forage and Grazinglands
Community Cosponsor: Statistical Education/Training for Researchers Community
Format: Oral Symposium
Keywords:

Session Description: Researchers in the Tri-societies mostly utilize frequentist inference (traditional stats). Publications in our societal journals utilizing Bayesian inference have been primarily in the area of crop breeding. Yet, this technique has great promise in other research areas as well. There are two underlying reasons for this lack of utilization: (1) Bayesian analysis is not yet part of the general stats training in our fields and thus, there is a lack of understanding, and (2) user-friendly software packages were not available. The latter is being addressed with various software packages, most recently SAS PROC BGLIMM. Software tools are thus available but missing is an understanding what Bayesian analysis can and cannot do This 2.5-h special symposium will introduce members of all three societies to Bayesian analysis with four presentations. The opening 45-min presentation will be by Dr. Rob Templeman, Michigan State, who will take us from a traditional Frequentist approach to a Bayesian approach. Rob regularly teaches Statistics for Biologist, an interdisciplinary course between the departments of Animal Science and Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences. He is a gifted speaker who can make a difficult statistical topic understandable for non-statistician. The next two 30-min presentations would be solicited case studies, where Bayesian Analysis made a real difference. The emphasis of these two presentations would NOT be on specific results but rather on demonstrating how Bayesian Analysis made a difference in the inference. The concluding 45 min presentation by Dr. Phil Dixon, Iowa State will put Bayesian Analysis into perspective in his presentation entitled Where does Bayesian Analysis Fit into a Researchers Analytic Toolbox? Phil teaches Statistical Methods for Research Workers and is also the supervisor for the consulting lab staffed by graduate students. He is a gifted speaker who can make difficult statistical topics understandable for mere mortals