Concluding summary of the International Statistics Conference 2014

The International Statistics Conference 2014, under the theme of “Statistics and Society in the New Information Age: Challenges and Opportunities,” was jointly organized by the Institute of Applied Statistics Sri Lanka (IASSL), in collaboration with the Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, University of Louisville, USA, and the National Science Foundation (NSF), Sri Lanka, and is being held December 28-30, 2014 at Galadari Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The conference brought together statisticians, stakeholders, and decision makers, both national and international, to discuss various issues in statistical methodologies and statistical analyses for the benefit of human beings. The conference provided an opportunity to present research papers for statisticians and students (undergraduates and postgraduates) in various areas of statistics. There were five speeches by guests from foreign countries, 58 invited sessions (a session consists of three or four papers) from various countries, and 34 contributed papers (the majority by Sri Lankans). The total number of participants in this conference exceeded 250 and included Sri Lankans and Sri Lankan expatriates, other foreign leaders in the field of statistics, and both undergraduate and postgraduate students representing over 20 countries. Each abstract in the proceedings has been refereed by at least one anonymous referee.

Many fruitful discussions and exchanges of modern statistical techniques were conducted throughout this conference, as well as the formation of strong international alliances between participants with the intention of expediting the development of statistical research, education, and applications in many different fields of scientific endeavor in Sri Lanka.