统计学在现实生活中的运用【英文】 the usefulness of statistics in real world applications

Statistics in engineering (cont)



Comparing GPS and traditional methods of tractor navigation during spraying Queensland Cotton has employed USQ statisticians to improve international competitiveness (commercial-in-confidence) Different irrigation methods have been compared (PRD and RDI)
Statistics in aviation


Private pilot deaths in Australia from 1992 to 1999 were studied. The effect of age was of interest
Statistics in health research

Stats makes maths relevant: real data, examples Statistics leads to jobs!
Statistics in biology



USQ’s internationally recognised Muscular Research Laboratory has received over $1M to study Duchene Muscular Dystrophy Statistics used to analyse preliminary results from mice Ca response curve a measure of muscle strength


Statistics is useful
―To isolate mathematics from the practical demands of the sciences is to invite the sterility of a cow shut away from the bulls‖ (Chebyshev)

USQ statisticians involved in many health studies:
Nurses surveyed about workplace concerns New mothers surveyed about perceptions of breastfeeding Asthma treatment in Aboriginal communities
Statistics in engineering (cont)



GIS used to detect weeds for potential treatment and eradication Consider the weed Pond Apple… Interest is in knowing where it may appear


Statistics
―The best thing about being a statistician is that you get to play in everyone’s backyard.‖ (Tukey) Perhaps the most useful topic in mathematics is statistics — and yet it is a very small part of it. School maths/stats is used for real research.
Statistics in agriculture


Compare two GPS methods for accuracy when spraying crops Make five runs up and down paddock (five ―swaths‖) and compare GPS results
What happens to all that maths?
Peter K Dunn Department of Mathematics and Computing University of Southern Queensland
Introduction
―Mathematics pervades so many aspects of daily life that a sound knowledge is essential for informed citizenship‖ (Senior Mathematics A Syllabus) So why is participation in advanced mathematics classes declining? Do students not see mathematics as useful?
Statistics in education



Teaching aural skills is difficult from thousands of kilometres away! A USQ researcher investigating different teaching methods to see what works best Mostly using simple tan near Dalby
Statistics in climate science



Statistics used for modelling rainfall (and other climatic variables) For prediction and computer simulation More difficult than it appears