SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PROBABILITY SYMPOSIUM 2000

The Southern Californian Probability Symposium will be held Sunday, December 3, 2000 at UCLA.

  • LOCATION: Mathematical Sciences Building, Room 6627, UCLA.

  • PROGRAM:
  • 9:45 Coffee and Bagels, MS 6627
  • 10:15-11:00 Cindy Greenwood, Arizona State University, "In search of a 1/f theorem"
    Abstract: The power spectrum of a time series, i.e. of a realization of a discrete time stochastic process, often has the form 1/f over a large range. We suggest that a theorem is hiding here, and start the search.
  • Coffee Break
  • 11:15-12:00 Persi Diaconis, Stanford, "A Bayesian peek into Feller volume 1"
    Abstract: Classical elementary probability problems come alive when we own up: The underlying probabilities are unknown. This is joint work with Susan Holmes
  • Lunch
  • 1:45-2:30 Susan Holmes, Stanford, "Random walks on tree space"
    Abstract: Many methods in biology use Monte Carlo Markov chains on the space of binary trees. Very little is known of the rates of convergence of these chains to their stationary distribution. I will present one analysis of such a random walk where we can give a bound on rates. This is joint work with Persi Diaconis
  • 2:35-3:20 Bruce Driver, UCSD, "Quantized Yang-Mills Theory, Chaos Expansions and Hall's Transform"
  • Refreshment Break
  • 3:45-4:30 Roberto Schonmann, UCLA, "Statistical mechanics on graphs"
    Abstract: This talk will be meant as an introduction to the growing area of statistical mechanics on graphs and more specifically to percolation on graphs. The emphasis will be on graphs that can be seen as models of crystals in a non-Euclidean space. Among the most interesting features of statistical mechanics on "non-Euclidean graphs" is the splitting of critical points, giving rise to regimes and phenomena that are absent in the "Euclidean case". In addition, the critical behavior is expected then to be of mean-field nature, and this conjecture has been proved to hold in extreme cases.
  • 5:00 Dinner at the Olive Garden on Westwood Blvd., located 1/2 a block south of campus (see below).

  • DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: You can find a map of the UCLA campus by clicking here.
    Take the 405 Freeway (going north if driving from LAX) to Wilshire Blvd. exit. Go east on Wilshire for several blocks. Make a left on Westwood Blvd. Follow Westwood Blvd. to campus.

  • PARKING INSTRUCTIONS: Get a sticker at the kiosk on Westwood Blvd. ($6 for those who don't have UC permits, free for those who do) and park in lot 9.

  • DINNER: The reservation is for 5 pm. Please arrive promptly. The Olive Garden Restaurant has agreed to take our reservation provided that we arrive on time (they will hold the table for 15 minutes and will seat our party when 90% of the party has arrived). If you would like to go to the dinner, please send email to Amber Puha at apuha@math.ucsd.edu by Wednesday, November 29. A final count will be taken the day of the conference.

  • EMAIL LIST: To be added to or deleted from the email list, please send requests to Amber Puha at apuha@math.ucsd.edu.

  • QUESTIONS: Send e-mail to Ruth Williams at williams@math.ucsd.edu