To honor Dr. David Blackwell's numerous contributions to mathematics and statistics, the American Statistical Society, the University of California at Berkeley, and Howard University convene the David Blackwell Memorial Conference at Howard University on April 19-20, 2012 in the Blackburn Center. Dr. David Blackwell was an outstanding African-American mathematician and statistician who made profound contributions to several areas of mathematics, game theory, probability theory, information theory, dynamic programming, logic and statistics. This significant event organized by three collaborating institutions simultaneously recognizes Dr. Blackwell's legacy as well as advances in mathematics and statistics. The two-day conference brings together leading theoretical and applied mathematicians, statisticians, and other scientists to: (1) Recognize and acknowledge Dr. Blackwell's myriad contributions to scholarship in multiple areas and disciplines. (2) Discuss how Dr. Blackwell's work shapes and influences the field-at-large and their respective scholarship. (3) Explore and develop new ideas and approaches to questions arising from mathematics and statistics. (4) Provide a forum for a diverse group of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty to interact and collaborate with experts in the field of mathematics and statistics.
Evidence of Dr. Blackwell's intellectual contributions is visible in many arenas and scholars continue to build on that knowledge base. In so doing, conference participants continuously underscore and reinforce the intellectual merit of Dr. Blackwell's and their own work. The conference is an opportunity for intellectual exchange and discourse among scholars from diverse backgrounds. As new generations of scholars from increasingly diverse backgrounds enter the fields of mathematics and statistics and more broadly, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), through the Dr. David Blackwell Memorial conference they become members of the community of scholars who innovate and make breakthroughs within their respective fields. The conference website is http://sites.google.com/site/conferenceblackwell/
took place on Howard University campus in Washington, DC from April 19-20, 2012. The conference allowed an audience of scholars and students to learn together from Dr. David Blackwell’s immense and vast research, teaching and mentoring achievements in the fields of mathematics and statistics while exploring new research areas in statistics and mathematics. The conference brought together leading theoretical and applied statisticians, mathematicians, and other scientists to Howard University. The list of invited speakers included the following: 1. Dr. Peter Bickel, Professor of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley 2. Dr. David Brillinger, Professor of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley 3. Dr. Thomas M. Cover, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Statistics, Stanford University 4. Dr. Carlos Castillo Chavez, Professor of Mathematics, Cornell University. 5. Dr. Nathaniel Dean, President, National Association of Mathematicians. 6. Dr. Thomas Ferguson, Professor of Statistics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA. 7. Dr. James MacQueen, Professor of Statistics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA. 8. Dr. Sastry Pantula, President, American Statistical Association. 9. Dr. James, A. Pitman, Professor of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley. 10. Dr. Steven Shreve, Professor of Mathematical Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University. 11. Dr. Richard Tapia, Professor of Mathematical Sciences, Rice University. 12. Dr. Sergio Verdue, Professor of Professor Electrical Engineering, Princeton University. The conference outcomes include the following: (1) Complete understanding of the work of Dr. David Blackwell and the advances in statistics that have resulted from his work (2) Development of new ideas and approaches to questions arising in statistics and mathematics (3) Development of a new community of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty for interaction and collaboration on possible research topics in the fields of statistics and mathematics. (4) Introduction to conference participants with training in new tools of statistical analysis. (5) Establishment of the David Blackwell Memorial Lecture Series in the Department of Mathematics at Howard University. (6) The identification of statistics as a targeted major discipline of special focus in the Department of Mathematics at Howard University. In summary, the successful 2012 Dr. David Blackwell Memorial Conference promoted collaborations in research, education, and professional development in mathematics and made immediate contributions to the progress of statistics. Especially, undergraduate and graduate students and young researchers greatly benefitted from interacting with senior scholars in multiple topics on the work of Dr. Blackwell and new research possibilities in the fields of statistics and mathematics. In the area of statistics specifically, they gained an appreciation for a range of professional development activities throughout the conference.
