STA 6176
BIOSTATISTICS
Spring 2014
Time: 1 pm – 2:15 pm Monday & Wednesday, Engr & Comp Sci (ECS) 143
Instructor:
Wensong Wu
Office:
DM 410C
Office hour: 2:30 pm -4:30 pm Monday & Wednesday, or by appointment
Email:
Wensong.wu@fiu.edu
Text: Biostatistics: A Methodology For the Health Sciences, 2nd Edition, by Gerald van Belle,
Lloyd D. Fisher, Patrick J. Heagerty, Thomas S. Lumley, 2004. ISBN-10: 0471031852 |
ISBN-13: 978-0471031857.
Prerequisites: STA 3163 or equivalent.
Topics:
I. Introduction - Chapters 1 and 2 (one week): What is biostatistics, Problems to be
Investigated, Case Studies, Data Collection, Data Handling and Inferences from a Study.
II. Counting Data - Chapters 6 and 7 (five weeks): The binomial model, comparison of
two proportions (Fisher's exact test and large sample approximation), Paired
Observations, Poisson Model, Goodness-of-Fit Tests, Contingency Tables, Chi-Square Test
for trend, Kappa k, Partition of Chi Square.
III. Discrimination and Classification - Chapter 13 (four weeks): Logistic Regression
and Discriminant Analysis.
IV. Survival Analysis - Chapter 16 (four weeks): Parametric Models Based Parametric
Families of Distributions Based on the Notion of Aging - Exponential, Poisson Process and
Distribution and the Weibull Distribution, Survival and Hazard Functions, Type of
Censoring Mechanisms Type I, Type II and Random Right Censoring, Kaplan Meier
Survival Curve for Random Right Censoring - estimation and large sample properties, Cox
Proportional Hazards Model - estimation and inference.
Grading: Attendance/Quiz
Homework
Project
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
5%
30%
10%
25%
30%
A = 90% -100%
B = 80% - 89%
C = 70% - 79%
D = 60% - 69%
F < 60%
Attendance/Quiz: You are expected to attend all classes and to arrive on time. If you miss
a class, you are responsible for all material and announcements covered in class on that
day. Attendance will be taken in the form of quizzes, which may occur either at the
beginning or the end of lectures. Half of points of quizzes will be based on attendance, and
the other half will be based on performance of the quizzes. No make-up quizzes will be
considered.
Homework: You are allowed to discuss on homework assignments, but you should write
up your homework independently. Any part of your homework should not be a copy of
others’, including the programming code and the output.
Projects: You will work in small groups for the project. A default problem will be given,
but problems related to your own research are strongly recommended. The outcome will
be evaluated through a written report and/or an oral presentation.
Exams: The midterm and final exams will both have an in-class part and a take-home part;
On both parts you are to work entirely on your own. You will be given at least a week to
complete each exam. The in-class part of the midterm exam will be on 2/19, Wednesday,
and the take-home part is due at the beginning of the exam on 12/19. The in-class part of
the final exam will be on 4/21, Monday at 12 pm – 2 pm, and the take-home part is due at
the beginning of the exam on 4/21. No make-up exams are considered unless extreme
circumstances and documentation will be required. Also, you must notify me prior to the
exam or the day of the exam if you think your situation merits a make-up. If you miss an
exam for a valid reason but do not notify me of your situation in a timely manner, then you
will receive a zero on the exam.
Cheating: No form of cheating or plagiarism will be tolerated in any way.
Software and Computing Facilities: SPSS and R will be used throughout the semester.
Other software, such as SAS and MATLAB, are also allowed in homework and exams. R is a
free software. Student versions of other software can be purchased at UTS upon
enrollment. Contact UTS at uts.fiu.edu, and at 305-348-2284. Also, SPSS is available in
computer labs in PC 411, PC 413, PC 414, and at https://elabs.fiu.edu.
Course Management: We will use Blackboard Learn as the course management system at
https://fiu.blackboard.com/. Lecture notes and assignments will be posted, and grades
will be recorded and tracked on Blackboard.
Important Information
"Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and imparting knowledge through
excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas, and community service. All
students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly to
demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a standard of
academic conduct, which demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the educational
mission of the University. All students are deemed by the University to understand that if they are found
responsible for academic misconduct, they will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and
sanctions, as outlined in the Student Handbook."
STA 6176 Preparation Survey
If you need more time and space to complete this survey, please feel free to email me at
Wensong.wu@fiu.edu. Make the subject “STA 6176”. This survey will help me understand
your background and better design the course. Thank you!
1. Name
2. Major and Graduate program (Master, PhD, etc)
3. What Statistics courses have you taken? Please give the course names or main
topics.
4. When you want to compare two treatments A and B, a statistical hypothesis test
gives a p-value = 0.001. Briefly interpret this p-value and your conclusion.
5. How much do you know two proportion Z test?
A. Never heard about it
B. A little
C. Some
D. Very well
6. How much do you know Chi-square test?
A. Never heard about it
B. A little
C. Some
D. Very well
7. If you have a specific problem that you want to work on for the course project,
describe it. You must get my approval by the time of the midterm exam.