The Section on Bayesian Statistical Science (SBSS) would like to announce its 2010 student paper competition. Winners of the competition will receive partial support for attending the 2010 Joint Statistical Meetings in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

To be eligible, candidates must be a member of SBSS or the International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA). To become a member of SBSS, download the form and follow the instructions for mailing or faxing it to the ASA. Those candidates who have previously received travel support from SBSS are not eligible to participate. In addition, candidates must be full-time students (undergraduate, master’s, or PhD) on or after September 1, 2009.

A manuscript suitable for journal submission is required, and candidates must be the lead author of the paper and hold primary responsibility for the research and write-up.

Candidates must submit an abstract for JSM 2010 through the regular abstract submission process for an applied, computational, or theoretical Bayesian work. Abstracts should be submitted for presentation as topic-contributed or invited papers. Those papers not already part of a session should be submitted online from December 1 to February 1 using the following settings:

• Abstract Type: Topic-contributed
• Sub-Type: Papers
• Sponsor: Section on Bayesian Statistical Science
• Organizer: Alyson Wilson, agw@iastate.edu

Application Process

The deadline for application is February 1. A formal application should be emailed to Vanja Dukic at vanja@uchicago.edu and include the following:

• A CV
• A letter from the major professor (advisor) or faculty co-author verifying the student status of the candidate and briefly describing the candidate’s role in the research and writing of the paper
• The Abstract ID (from the JSM 2010 abstract submission site)
• The manuscript, suitable for journal submission, in PDF format

Selection of Winners

Papers will be reviewed by a committee determined by the officers of SBSS. Criteria for selection will include, but not be limited to, significance and potential impact of the research. Decisions of the committee are final and will be announced in the spring.

Prizes

Prizes will consist of a certificate to be presented during the SBSS meeting at JSM and partial support—up to $1,000—to attend JSM. The awards may not cover the entire cost of travel, so winners may need to supplement with other funds. Winners also will need to provide proof of SBSS membership and submit travel receipts to the SBSS treasurer after JSM.