Monday 11 November
Dr. Mary Gilmartin (NUIM)
Title: Lies and Damned Lies: Finding the Extraordinary in Statistics.
Hume Building LT2, 7.30 pm - 8.30 pm
Abstract: We are surrounded by statistics, from house prices to opinion polls to online gambling. Statistics have become such an important part of modern life that we now take them for granted. In this presentation, I take a closer look at how statistics have come to occupy this place in our society. In particular, I look at the power of statistics to identify issues and problems and to propose alternatives in a variety of contexts, from Victorian London to current global inequalities. But the power of statistics can also be misused, and so I also look at the different ways in which statistics can be (mis)represent to serve vested interests. Statistics have the potential to be extraordinary, and the presentation will show you some of the ways in which this happens.