Sponsors:
University of Bergen, University of Oslo, NTNU, University of
Tromsø
Photo of participants
Notes from Lior Pachters lectures.
Program: There will be the following three lecture series besides extensive problem sessions.
1. Computational biology (Lior Pachter): Computational biology is a new discipline whose domain is the quantitative analysis of biological data, the elucidation of biological principles, and the engineering of biological systems. The central themes of computational biology have been shaped by radical breakthroughs in biotechnology, which have enabled high throughput gathering of data about DNA, RNA, and protein in cells and systems. Our lectures will focus on DNA, and we will explain the relevance of algebraic statistical models to genome sequence analysis.
2. Algebraic statistics (Seth Sullivant): Algebraic statistics advocates the use of algebraic geometry, commutative algebra, and geometric combinatorics as tools for making statistical inferences. The starting point for this connection is the observation that most statistical models for discrete random variables are, in fact, algebraic varieties. While some of the varieties that appear are classical varieties (like Segre varieties and toric varieties), most are new, and there are many challenging open problems about the algebraic structure of these varieties. These lectures will provide an introduction to algebraic statistics, emphasizing the interesting algebraic questions that arise, as well as describing the statistical consequences of the algebraic analysis.
3. Tropical geometry (Bernd Sturmfels): Tropical geometry is algebraic geometry over the tropical semiring, where the sum of two numbers is their minimum and their product is their sum. This turns algebraic varieties into piecewise-linear spaces with lots of beautiful combinatorial structure. These lectures give an introduction to tropical geometry, with an emphasis on computational aspects and applications to statistical inference and biological sequence analysis.
Location:
The school will be held at Sophus Lie Conference Center in Nordfjordeid.
Nordfjordeid,
the birthplace of Sophus Lie, is a
small town in the fjords of the west coast of Norway, halfway between
Bergen and Trondheim.
The Conference Center is located at Fjordane Folkehøgskule,
situated just
above Nordfjordeid, where the valley meets the fjord.
Local guides will advice the participants on hikes in the nearby mountains.
Arrival: Friday evening 16. or Saturday morning 17. June
Departure:Wednesday evening 21. or Thursday morning 22. June.
How to arrive: For detailed travel information consult the home page of the conference center at http://www.math.uio.no/nordfjordeid/nordfjord.html
The following are the main possibilities:
a) By Plane: The natural place to fly to is Sandane via
Oslo or Bergen.
This airport is only 5 km from Nordfjordeid,
and there is bus/taxi service from there.
b) By Bus: There is relatively good bus service between Oslo
and Nordfjordeid, and Bergen and Nordfjordeid, but it takes 9 and
6 hours respectively.
c) By Boat and Bus: There is also a good express boat service between
Bergen and Måløy, with bus connection between
Måløy and
Nordfjordeid, it takes about 5 hours altogether.
Weather: The weather is fairly unstable at Nordfjordeid. From cold, rain and wind to sunny and warm. The temperature is seldom below 10 and go up to 25 if we are lucky. It is advisable to bring a sweater and a jacket.
Registration fee: 200 NOK. The registration fee is payable at arrival (no credit cards).
Registration deadline is May 1st 2006
For registration and further
information please contact
R. Pettersen, Dep. of Math., Boks 1053 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway.
e-mail:ragnarep at math.uio.no