Old Members’ Trust Graduate Conference and Academic Travel Fund Report – Nicole Law (2021, DPhil Education) 

In September 2023, I attended the Seventh Summer School on Statistical Methods for Linguistics and Psychology at the University of Potsdam, Germany. I was very excited about joining the Introduction to Bayesian Statistics stream in this summer school, as I was planning on using these statistical techniques in my own research. Bayesian statistics allow psychologists and linguists to go beyond the frequentist statistics when designing experiments and analysing our data.

During the intensive five-day programme, the lecturer covered a wide range of topics including basic mathematical concepts behind Bayesian statistics and practical tips in using R programming when analysing data. As an Education DPhil student with limited formal training in math, statistics, and programming, this experience was truly eye-opening. Not only did it enhance my understanding of the maths underpinning familiar statistical concepts, but it also encouraged me to continue exploring other statistical techniques, which is very beneficial to my DPhil work. Currently, I am working on my first manuscript where I have included Bayes factor as my main analyses.

After the summer school, I took the opportunity to explore Berlin before heading back to Oxford. Growing up in Hong Kong, my exposure to WWII history was limited to World History lessons during secondary school. Being able to wander around the city and visit many of its museums has definitely deepened my understanding of its history.

Find out more about the range of travel grants and scholarships available to assist Univ students on our Travel Grants page or read further travel reports.

Published: 8 February 2024

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