Archive for International Indian Statistical Association
IISA 2026 in Varanasi [26-29 Dec]
Posted in pictures, Travel, University life with tags annual conference, Banaras Hindu University, Bénarés, BHU, Ganges, IISA, IISA 2026, India, International Indian Statistical Association, Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi, Western Ghats on March 22, 2026 by xi'an
IISA 2024 [snapshots]
Posted in Books, pictures, Travel, University life with tags Cochin University of Science and Technology, conference, CUST, IISA 2024, India, International Indian Statistical Association, ISI, Kerala, Kochi, Springer-Verlag, tee-shirt, University of Warwick, Use R on January 27, 2025 by xi'an
Two pictures from IISA 2024, with the local organising committee (kudos to them!) and Shreya, Rito and I (with a past-its-prime Use R! Springer tee shirt) attending an MCMC lecture on the Sunday afternoon.
off to Kerala [IISA 2024]
Posted in Mountains, pictures, Statistics, Travel, University life with tags annual conference, Cochin, IISA 2024, India, International Indian Statistical Association, Kochi, Kumarakom, Munnar, Winter is coming on December 25, 2024 by xi'an
IIAS 2024 conference in Kochi [27-31 Dec]
Posted in pictures, Statistics, Travel, University life with tags Cochin, Cochin University of Science and Technology, conference, IISA, IISA 2022, IISA 2024, India, Indian Statistics, International Indian Statistical Association, Kerala, Kochi, Malayalam on March 5, 2024 by xi'an
a passage to & from India
Posted in pictures, Running, Statistics, Travel, University life with tags Bangalore, Bengaluru, Flybus, IISA, Indian Institute of Science, International Indian Statistical Association, jatp, Karnataka, Mysore, Mysuru, poster session, Restore, RJMCMC, swimming pool, Tata Institute, train travel on January 10, 2023 by xi'an
Our trip from Paris (CDG) to Bengaluru got a wee bit (!) perturbed by 2x bad luck, with a first plane grounded for damages to a wing and a second plane flashing an alarm signal just as it was accelerating to take off, which induced an extra hour of tests, plus an unexpected long wait to get the e-visa at the Bengalore airport, resulting in an arrival in town at 5:30 am! A good thing that my talk was only the next day.
I was glad to be back at the (Tata) Indian Institute of Science and its wonderful campus for the IISA meeting (taking place alternately in India and in the US). The conference program was rich and with a large Bayesian component, but being sleep deprived and slightly sick did not help with my concentration during the talks… Had however nice discussions during the poster session, including one on a most unusual RJMCMC where the model-to-model transform was the identity. In a sense this voided (?) the need for RJMCMC, but it allowed for a fast & valid exploration of the different models.
Quite a contrast in my local lodging conditions, when compared with my previous visit, since, rather than staying in the ideal visitors’ lodge located at the centre of the campus, I took the (bargain) offer (from IISA) of the nearby Sheraton (!) as the conference hotel with five star conditions, including a proper, outside, empty and non-heated swimming pool.
The (touristy) train trip to Mysore was most pleasant, on an air-conditioned carriage with food vendors proposing their wares all along the journey, great views of the countryside and an arrival sharp on time. The reverse trip to the airport was less successful as the FlyBus we took was crawling rather than flying, with heavy traffic all the way because/despite being New Year Eve’ning. At some point, a truck carrying what looked like kindling was stuck in a pothole, blocking the highway, and a crane was brought on site to push the truck out of the hole, a strategy that surprisingly worked. But we managed to reach the airport just before midnight, when absolutely nothing happened in relation with the entry into 2023! 
