Identifying and Nurturing Mathematically Gifted Students

The Bsc (Hons) Mathematics with pathway in Statistics course cordially invites you to a seminar titled:

"Identifying and Nurturing Mathematically Gifted Students"

with a guest talk from Dr Demetra Pitta-Pantazi (University of Cyprus) on Wednesday 11^th  March 2015, 16:00-17:00 in Room CY114.

Abstract
The aim of this presentation is to show a new tool for the identification of mathematically gifted students. This identification tool is a result of a three year research project which aimed at the identification and nurturing of mathematically gifted students. During the presentation the theoretical background, the tool itself and the procedure followed for the identification of mathematically gifted students will be presented. The results yielded by the implementation of the identification tool to 360 elementary school students will also be discussed. Finally, a broad overview of some of the material developed for nurturing mathematically gifted students will be presented. 

---

Biography

Dr. Pitta is an Associated Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Cyprus. Her undergraduate studies include a Bachelor's Degree in Primary School Teaching (Pedagogical Academy of Cyprus and University of Athens, 1993) and a Master and Ph.D. in Mathematical Education (University of Warwick, M.Sc. 1994 and Ph.D. 1998). She has taught at the University of Warwick (1995-1997) and at the Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus (1999-2001).

Her research interests include: Understanding the structure of mathematical thinking, cognitive development of mathematical concepts, use of new technologies in teaching and learning of mathematics, mathematical creativity, recognition and gifted students in mathematics education, cognitive style and math skills, educational training for teaching mathematics.

Guest Lecture from the Cyber Crime Office

The School of Sciences cordially invites you to attend a presentation by members of the Cyber Crime Office of the Cyprus Police:

"Acquisition and Handling of Digital Evidence"

Please note that the presentation will be in Greek.

---

About the Cyber Crime Office

The unit is responsible for investigating crimes that involve computer systems and data and the use of the internet. More specifically incidents of child pornography, illegal access and/or alteration of a computer system, illegal access and/or alteration of computer data, identify theft related to computer data, etc.

---

When: Monday 16th of February 2015, 13:30 – 15:30

Where: Room CY013, UCLan Cyprus

Meta-analysis: essential tool for evidence-based clinical and public health practice

The Bsc (Hons) Mathematics with pathway in Statistics course cordially invites you to a seminar titled:

“Meta-analysis: essential tool for evidence-based clinical and public health practice”

with a guest talk from Dr Nicos Middleton (Cyprus University of Technology).

Abstract

In clinical and public health research, it is not uncommon to identify studies with uncertain, or even conflicting, findings with regards to the effectiveness of certain therapeutic or preventive treatments. While individual trials might be underpowered and fail to show benefit (e.g. a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control/placebo groups), when results from individual studies are combined using appropriate techniques, significant benefits of treatment may be shown. An often cited historical example is the evidence on the effectiveness of streptokinase in improving survival after myocardial infarction. A retrospective review of the published evidence suggests that there was clear evidence of its benefits (had a meta-analysis been conducted) as early as 1973 after only 8 small studies involving 2432 patients. Yet it took several years, another 25 studies and 35000 randomised patients before its wide adoption in clinical practice. Therefore, there was a period at which patients were essentially deprived of an effective therapy, and thus challenging the critical premise of healthcare practice “first, do no harm”. Meta-analysis is a simple but powerful statistical technique which systematically collates and synthesizes findings across independent trial/studies considered combinable (i.e. feasible and justifiable), with the aim to provide a summary and more precise quantitative estimate, giving due weight to the size of the different studies. It is most often used in assessing the effectiveness of healthcare interventions, but not restricted to this case since it can also be used for diagnostic, prognostic or aetiological research questions. Meta-analyses are nowadays considered an integral tool of evidence-based (clinical and public health) practice while the validity of a meta-analysis depends on the methodological quality of the systematic review on which it is based. Other than providing increased statistical power to detect small but potentially clinically significant effect, meta-analyses provide the opportunity to explore the robustness of the findings using sensitivity analyses, to quantify and investigate possible sources of heterogeneity in the observed estimates, to identify patient- or study-specific factors that may relate to the observed heterogeneity and effect size (sub-group analysis and meta-regression) as well as to assess the likely presence of publication bias (i.e. the underrepresentation of negative findings in the literature). 

---

Biography

Dr Nicos Middleton is an Associate Professor of Health Research Methodology and Biostatistics at the Cyprus University of Technology in the Department of Nursing. His studies include a B.Sc. in Statistics and Operational Research (University College London, 1997), a MSc in Statistics (London School of Economics, 1998) and a Ph.D. in Geographical Epidemiology (Bristol University, 2004). He has also worked as a Lecturer of Medical Statistics at the Bristol University. His research interests lie in the areas of Research Methodology (analysis of geographical data and cartography, Bayesian Statistics etc) and Public Health. He was one of the leading experts in various research projects on the effect of air pollution on cardiorespiratory health with collaborators at the Harvard School of Public Health and at the Cyprus International Institute. He has a series of publications in scientific journals and conference proceedings in the field of Epidemiology and Public Health and his papers have been cited more than 300 times.

---

When: Wednesday, February 11th, 2015 at 16:00-17:00

Where: Room CY114 (First floor), UCLan Cyprus, Pyla CY-7080

Indirect Questioning Techniques in Sample Surveys

The Bsc (Hons) Mathematics with pathway in Statistics course cordially invites you to a seminar titled:

“Indirect Questioning Techniques in Sample Surveys”

with a guest talk from Professor Tasos C. Christofides (University of Cyprus).


Abstract

Survey practitioners often experience difficulties in collecting reliable data due to various sources of non-sampling error and in particular non-response. In case the issues under investigation are of sensitive nature, such as sexual orientation, tax evasion, or involvement in criminal activities, people are reluctant to participate, and even if they agree to participate, false or misleading answers are given by many of them. Indirect questioning techniques offer a solution to this problem. These are techniques designed in such a way that the information provided by a participant is not incriminating and thus his/her privacy is protected. However, based on the information collected from all participants, the investigator is able to estimate parameters of interest related to the stigmatizing characteristic. In this talk, we present in an elementary way indirect questioning techniques, such as the randomized response model and the item count technique.

---

Biography:

Dr. Christofides is a Professor of Statistics at the University of Cyprus in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. His studies include a B.Sc. in Mathematics (University of Athens, 1983), an M.S.E in Mathematical Sciences (The Johns Hopkins University, USA, 1985) and a Ph.D. in Statistics (The Johns Hopkins University, USA, 1987). He worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the State University of New York at Binghamton (1987-1991) and as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Cyprus (1991-2004). His research interests lie in the areas of Probability Inequalities, Demimartingales, Stochastic Orders, Survey Methodology and Indirect Questioning Techniques. He serves as an associate editor for several journals and he is also a member of the European Statistical Advisory Committee which is a consultative body of the European Union which contributes to the development and implementation of Community Statistical information policy.

When: Wednesday, January21st, 2015 at 16:00-17:00

Where: Room CY114 (First floor), UCLan Cyprus, Pyla CY-7080