Conference Program Home
  My Program

All Times EDT

Abstract Details

Activity Number: 178 - Memorial Session for Michael Woodroofe
Type: Invited
Date/Time: Monday, August 8, 2022 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
Sponsor: Memorial
Abstract #323877
Title: Beautiful Ideas, Beautiful Mind, Impact Then, Now and Future - in Memory of Woodroofe
Author(s): Jiayang Sun*
Companies: George Mason University
Keywords:
Abstract:

In this talk, I will discuss several critical ideas attributed to Michael Woodroofe and collaborators, which have impacted statistics and practice. They include nonparametric curve estimation (a less known but fundamental milestone for the field) to isotonic inference, measurement error, and selection bias problems, with applications to astronomy, ecology, and beyond. Some of these works have set new lines of attacks. Some of the others are impacting modern data science, such as his work on the one-armed bandit problem, which formed a basis for the multi-armed bandit problem, aka reinforcement learning in AI. He was not only an exceptional statistician but also a wonderful, humorous, kind, and honest colleague, collaborator, friend, mentor, and teacher with a beautiful mind. I will conclude the talk with a sequence of pictures, anecdotes, and potential impact on the future.


Authors who are presenting talks have a * after their name.

Back to the full JSM 2022 program