National Statistics Day 2021 Today: Significance, Theme And Courses In Statistics | Education - Republic World

National Statistics Day 2021 is being celebrated by Government today. Check theme, significance, and awards in Stats. Also, know about courses in Statistics by Ruchika Kumari, Author at Republic World.

Photo: Unsplash

National Statistics Day 2021: The nation is celebrating 'Statistics Day' today. The Indian Government has been celebrating Statistics Day every year on June 29. The celebration aims to popularise the use of Statistics in everyday life and sensitize the public as to how Statistics helps in shaping and framing policies. Read to know the significance of statistics and also courses available in statistics in India. 

National Statistics Day 2021 theme

Every year, one particular theme of current national importance is chosen. It is being done for focused discussions towards improvements in statistical systems of the area and filling the data gaps. The theme of Statistics Day, 2021 is Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)- 2 (End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture).

National Statistics Day significance

Statistics Day is one of the special days that is celebrated at the National level. It is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Late Prof. PC Mahalanobis. The day is celebrated to honor the invaluable contribution in establishing the National Statistical System...

Importance of Statistics

Statistics help in forming economic plans and policies. It presents facts in a precise and definitive form. Statistics plays a vital role in the health field and helps conduct social surveys. It is also an essential part of Mathematics...

Some Colleges offering Statistics course in India

• Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore
• Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi
• Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
• Indian Statistical Institute, Vadodara
• CR Rao Institute of Advanced Statistics, Hyderabad

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Source: Republic World

What We Are Reading Today: Do Not Erase: Mathematicians and Their Chalkboards | Book - Arab News

 “A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns,” wrote the British mathematician G. H. Hardy. In Do Not Erase, photographer Jessica Wynne presents remarkable examples of this idea through images of mathematicians’ chalkboards. 

Photo/Supplied

While other fields have replaced chalkboards with whiteboards and digital presentations, mathematicians remain loyal to chalk for puzzling out their ideas and communicating their research. Wynne offers more than 100 stunning photographs of these chalkboards, gathered from a diverse group of mathematicians around the world. The photographs are accompanied by essays from each mathematician, reflecting on their work and processes. Together, pictures and words provide an illuminating meditation on the unique relationships among mathematics, art, and creativity.

The mathematicians featured in this collection comprise exciting new voices alongside established figures, including Sun-Yung Alice Chang, Alain Connes, Misha Gromov, Andre Neves, Kasso Okoudjou, Peter Shor, Christina Sormani, Terence Tao, Claire Voisin, and many others...

Do Not Erase is a testament to the myriad ways that mathematicians use their chalkboards to reveal the conceptual and visual beauty of their discipline—shapes, figures, formulas, and conjectures created through imagination, argument, and speculation.

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Additional resources

 Do Not Erase:
Mathematicians and Their Chalkboards 

 

Source:  Arab News

The joy of second hand books | Culture - Spectator.co.uk

There are few aesthetic and literary pleasures that compare to browsing in a second-hand bookshop by Alexander Larman, The Spectator columnists & writers.

Photo: Spectator.co.uk

While it is more or less a given what books will be found in a new bookshop, one of the chief joys of going second hand is that it’s entirely unpredictable what you'll emerge with. Sometimes, the browser will leave empty-handed, but more often than not – and I speak from personal experience here – ‘a quick look’ will turn into the purchase of a dozen interesting volumes and a solid half an hour’s perusal.

Yet the industry, once so much part of every town and city, has been existentially threatened by the growth of the charity bookshop trade over the past two decades, not least the Oxfam bookshops. I would not seek to denigrate either these excellent shops – the Oxfam on St Giles in Oxford remains one of my favourite places to browse – or the intention behind them, but the advantages they face (free stock, volunteer staff, tax breaks from the government) means that many second-hand bookshop proprietors, their reluctant rivals, have either shut their bricks and mortar shops, or retired altogether...

Outstanding second-hand bookshops in the United Kingdom:

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Source: Spectator.co.uk 

The Kingdom of Books | Culture - Oxford Student

Poppy Atkinson Gibson, Student at University of Oxford writes, Some places are just special, stamped with a cosmic seal of approval which is felt by anyone who visits: Hay-on-Wye is one of those places. 

Crowded stacks of second hand books

Located in Powys on the border between England and Wales, Hay, or Y-Gelli Gandryll (‘the shattered grove’) as it is known in Welsh, is a bustling market town full of quirks. Mostly, however, it is full of books. With over twenty secondhand bookshops, Hay is the must-go-to destination for any avowed bibliophile.

With so many shops to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to start. Hay-on-Wye Booksellers caters to every taste, stocking books on all manner of subjects, from botany to impressionism. Must-see sites include Cinema Books, a redundant cinema converted into a bookshop in 1965, is likely to please everyone, containing roughly 200,000 volumes. A special favourite with visitors and locals alike is Murder and Mayhem, which, as the name implies, exclusively sells murder mysteries, crime ,and horror stories. Meanwhile, Rose’s Books on Hay’s very own Broad Street specializes in the trade of rare and out-of-print illustrated children’s books. At the centre of the town stands Hay Castle, beaming down upon the book-laden shoppers of Castle Street. Every kingdom needs a castle after all...

Not only is Hay home to hundreds of thousands of books, but every year since 1988, the town has thrown open its doors to visitors during its annual literary festival, aptly named Hay Festival.

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Source: Oxford Student  

Book lover from Okehampton leaves extraordinary antiquarian collection to Tavistock Oxfam | Local People - Tavistock Times Gazette

A TAVISTOCK bookshop has been left an extraordinary donation of 2,300 antiquarian titles, in the will of a regular customer by Alison Stephenson, Editor at Tavistock Times Gazette.

Photo: Tavistock Times Gazette

Andres Nurmela’s book collection, which includes hundreds of many valuable and beautifully bound items, is set to raise thousands of pounds for the charity Oxfam.

Manager of the Oxfam Books and Music Shop Val Sharpe said this week they owned Andres ‘a huge, huge thank you’

Andres kept the promise he made to Val before he died and left all his books to the place where he spent many enjoyable hours over the last 10 years...

‘There are a number of the books (added to and changed weekly) in the Collectables area in the shop, ongoing, for a long time yet. We are looking forward to doing lots of research, learning a lot and enjoying the whole process. We owe Andres a huge, huge thank you.’

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Source: Tavistock Times Gazette   

Stunning 125-year-old book on display at Wightwick Manor | Attractions - expressandstar.com

One of the 'most important' books ever printed is on display at Wolverhampton's Wightwick Manor – to commemorate International Kelmscott Press Day on June 26, inform Dayna Farrington, Deputy chief reporter at the Express & Star.

The 125-year old copy of The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer

The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, printed by William Morris' Kelmscott Press 125 years ago this week, set a new standard for book design at the end of the 19th century, which its number of illustrations and rich decorative borders.

Masters of the arts and crafts movement were involved in its conception – William Morris designed the title page, borders, initial letters and ornaments and Edward Burne-Jones created the woodcut illustrations.

Considered the greatest work of the Kelmscott Press, the Kelmscott Chaucer was a culmination of William Morris's vision for the ideal, finely crafted book.

In founding the Kelmscott Press, Morris sought to revive the art of hand-printing, derived from exemplars of medieval manuscripts and early printed books...

Visitors will be able to see the Kelmscott Chaucer and the other Kelmscott Press memorabilia on display at Wightwick Manor until November. Tickets need to be pre-booked by visiting nationaltrust.org.uk/wightwickmanor

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Source: expressandstar.com

How to Use Discussion Forums to Begin, Center, and Produce Student Writing | Online Course Design and Preparation - Faculty Focus

Crystal Edmonds, retired college educator recommends, Discussion forums are a foundation of online courses because they serve as a hub for student discussion of a subject. 

Photo: Faculty Focus

However, many online courses have become oversaturated with discussion forums that often serve as attendance assignments or ask obscure questions that really do not add to the purpose or content of the class. For my English composition course, specifically Freshman Composition II, the forum serves as a virtual location for students to discuss and center their ideas on a specific reading before moving to a major writing assignment.

The forum accomplishes three purposes: to engage them in conversation, to assess their comprehension of the text, and to serve as the first scaffolding task that leads to a major written task...

Refining the forum

Some experts have discouraged faculty from beginning a forum with questions saying that it is outdated, or students are bored by the structure because it is overused; however, in an asynchronous online English class, such forums reinforce the idea that writing is not an individual activity; it may be a community endeavor. Students should be able to generate ideas and shape those ideas with the help of classmates. Students should be able to express their ideas and be prepared to defend those ideas—both are done through conversation.

However, I do acknowledge that other forms of technology may foster the same types of conversations. Using Voice Thread, for example, allows students to view an image and vocalize their responses instead of reading them.

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Source: Faculty Focus  

The Time Has Come: Include Research and Education in the Broadband Investment | From the President - EDUCAUSE Review

EDUCAUSE is working with representatives from across the research and education network (REN) community to highlight the importance of closing the institutional digital divide.

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EDUCAUSE has consistently pressed for funding both to ensure that higher education students can overcome digital divides and to strengthen the networks that support research and education, as John O'Brien, President & CEO at EDUCAUSE reports.

Photo: EDUCAUSE Review

As Congress and the Biden administration negotiate a major federal investment in broadband, we at EDUCAUSE are happy to work with our sister organizations to elevate the voice of higher education in the debate. I am particularly encouraged by our recent collaboration, led by Internet2 and The Quilt, with representatives from across the research and education network (REN) community. Through that process, we have come together to highlight the importance of closing the institutional digital divide, which is essential to achieving vital national objectives.

Shortly before Memorial Day this year, our working group released The Minds We Need: Research and Education Infrastructure Inclusion, Innovation, and Competitiveness.  This report calls for a nearly $5 billion investment in REN infrastructure as a key element of addressing the broadband, research, and education goals of the United States. Together, we argue that this injection of funding into state and regional RENs and the country's research and education network backbone, Internet2, will make it possible to connect every college and university—including every community college, historically black college and university (HBCU), minority-serving institution (MSI), tribal college and university (TCU), and college and university-related research facility—to advanced, research-quality broadband.

Furthermore, the proposed funding will enable these critical connections while also expanding the capacity and capabilities of the networks for all of the institutions that rely on them...

Creating this rising tide of connectivity to lift all of higher education's boats will, in turn, allow institutions of all types across the country to incorporate bandwidth-intensive, multimedia knowledge resources into their courses and programs, enriching and extending the quality and effectiveness of the learning opportunities they make available. It will also open the door for many more institutions and students to participate in research projects and activities, which again will generate new, more advanced learning opportunities while strengthening academic research.  

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Source: EDUCAUSE Review

Study shows strong links between music and math, reading achievement | K-12 Education - Science Daily

Summary:

A music educator thought that if he could just control his study for the myriad factors that might have influenced previous ones - race, income, education, etc. -- he could disprove the notion of a link between students' musical and mathematical achievement. Nope. His new study showed statistically significant associations between the two at both the individual and the school-district levels.

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Music educator Martin J. Bergee thought that if he could just control his study for the myriad factors that might have influenced previous ones -- race, income, education, etc. -- he could disprove the notion of a link between students' musical and mathematical achievement by Science Daily. 

Educational achievement in music is strongly linked to the same in reading and math in a new study by a KU researcher.
Photo: iStock

Nope. His new study,"Multilevel Models of the Relationship Between Music Achievement and Reading and Math Achievement," published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, showed statistically significant associations between the two at both the individual and the school-district levels. That the study of more than 1,000 mainly middle-school-aged students showed no such association at the classroom or school levels only shows how rigorously it was conceived by Bergee, a professor in the University of Kansas School of Music, and his co-author and Ph.D. student, currently a visiting professor of music education at the University of Washington, Kevin M. Weingarten.

The study has implications for school-board members considering budgets that impact music programs. It adds to the body of scientific research showing linkages between music and math/reading. And in his conclusion, Bergee even suggests some specific reasons for why that might be...

In a recent interview, Bergee said, "Based on the findings, the point we tried to make is that there might be, and probably are, general learning processes that underlie all academic achievement, no matter what the area is. Music achievement, math achievement, reading achievement -- there are probably more generalized processes of the mind that are brought to bear on any of those areas.

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Additional resources

Journal Reference:

1. Martin J. Bergee, Kevin M. Weingarten. Multilevel Models of the Relationship Between Music Achievement and Reading and Math Achievement. Journal of Research in Music Education, 2020; 002242942094143 DOI: 10.1177/0022429420941432

Source: Science Daily

The Two Forms of Mathematical Beauty | Mathematics - Quanta Magazine

Mathematicians typically appreciate either generic or exceptional beauty in their work, but one type is more useful in describing the universe, argues Professor Robbert Dijkgraaf, University Professor at the UvA since 1 January 2005

Photo: James O’Brien for Quanta Magazine

A time-honored practice in mathematical circles is to divide the field in two. There’s the traditional “applied versus pure” argument, which mirrors the experimental-theoretical divide of other disciplines — the tension between advancing knowledge toward a specific end and doing it for its own sake. Or we can bisect mathematics in the same way that our brain is split, with an algebraic “left hemisphere” that thinks in logical sequences and a geometric “right hemisphere” that has a more visual approach. But the field also breaks down according to a more subtle distinction: one’s preference between two flavors of mathematical beauty.

It’s tough for nonexperts to see mathematics as beautiful in the first place. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, sure, but it’s also hard to see when the work of art is hidden in darkness, obscured by an impenetrable cloud of symbols and jargon. Trying to appreciate mathematics without understanding its inner workings is like reading a description of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony instead of hearing it.

Yet mathematicians have no qualms about earnestly describing their equations and proofs as beautiful...

But the real world is very different from the idealized landscape of mathematics. Most sciences are tethered to the universe that describes the real world — but that’s just one out of an infinity of mathematical possibilities. As Jean-Pierre Serre reportedly quipped to his mathematician colleague Raoul Bott, “While the other sciences search for the rules that God has chosen for this Universe, we mathematicians search for the rules that even God has to obey.”

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Source: Quanta Magazine