Methodology Enhancement Workshop

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The School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science (SMSCS), hosted a Methodology Enhancement Workshop aimed at postgraduate students and researchers who need to use statistical, mathematical and computational methods in answering their research problems for thesis writing and publications.

Professor Andreas Ziegler, who facilitated the workshop, has been an honorary professor in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science at UKZN since 2016 and is currently a member of the executive board of the International Biometric Society.

Ziegler has published eight books and authored or co-authored more than 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals, such as N Engl J Med, JAMA, Nature, Nat Genet and The Lancet. He was presented with the leadership award by the International Genetic Epidemiology Society and also won the award for special merits in biometry from the German Region of the International Biometric Society. His main focus is on machine learning, clinical trials with medical devices and high-throughput genetic studies. Ziegler, who has special training in article writing, is currently working as an independent consultant.

The workshop was divided into three segments. The first day dealt with machine learning, which was an intuitive introduction to some of the modern approaches used in artificial intelligence and big data analysis. Clinical trials were the focus of the second day, with Ziegler sharing his long standing experience in the planning and conduct of clinical trials for medical devices. On the third day, he explained the basic theory of mind mapping as well as its usefulness in planning and organising thesis and scientific articles.

Professor Henry Mwambi of the School of MSCS, who was also part of the organising team, said next year they hoped to hold a more focused workshop on a topic becoming increasingly important with researchers in the African region – Statistical Methods for Genomic Data, both from microarray and next generation sequencing technologies in health research and biological sciences in general.

A final announcement will be made once the final title of the workshops and dates are agreed upon.

Mwambi added that it was clear that researchers were increasingly being faced with complex data and data patterns that were high dimensional in nature and required state-of-the-art analysis and modelling methods. Therefore, the purpose of hosting such workshops regularly in the School of MSCS was to equip postgraduate students and researchers with current statistical, mathematical and computer science skills and methodologies to best deal with research problems and data emanating from such research and studies.

The workshop was sponsored from research funds generated from publication subsidies from Ziegler and Mwambi; participant’s fees; the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science’s Public Relations office which provided stationary and related material; and the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science for providing the Computer LAN and a venue for teas and lunches.

Words and Photograph: Ntokozo Dladla