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Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter was Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge until his recent retirement. A gifted broadcaster and communicator, David became familiar to many through his media discussions around statistics and risk during the Covid-19 pandemic. https://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~david/
In this episode, Mark and Georgia spoke to Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, who is currently Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, based within the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics at the University of Cambridge. Prior to this, he was the Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory within the same department. He completed his undergraduate degree in statistics at the University of Oxford, later moving to University College London to complete his MSc and PhD in mathematical statistics under the supervision of Sir Adrian Smith. His research interests include use of Bayesian methods in medical statistics, and the monitoring and comparing of clinical and public-health outcomes and their associated publication as performance indicators. Currently, he is working on improving the way in which risk and statistical evidence is taught and discussed in society. He has hosted and appeared on various TV and radio shows such as BBC Horizon and Desert Island Discs, and has also published several books. You can find Professor Spiegelhalter on Twitter @d_spiegel, or his personal home page: https://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~david/ (where you can find the video of him on Winter Wipeout!). The BlueSci Podcast is run by the Cambridge University Science Magazine. This episode was hosted by Georgia Nixon and Mark Grimes. Visit www.bluesci.co.uk to access our free magazine, and find out how to get involved. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review or rating! we welcome your feedback and suggestions via email: podcast(at)bluesci.co.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter on @bluescipod or Instagram @bluescicam.
It is called the “psychology of requests.” That is, if you want someone to do something for you, it is all about how you phrase it. This episode begins with a discussion on the best ways to ask people, so they respond the way you want and do things you want them to. http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/09/persuasive-techniques-that-actually-work.html Every day you are presented with problems. According to my guest Marie Forleo, all those problems can be solved with the right attitude and the right approach. Marie Forleo is a wildly popular entrepreneur, writer, philanthropist, optimist and author of the book, Everything is Figureoutable (https://amzn.to/32NIeVw). Listen as she offers a fresh way to look at and solve the problems of life. Marie's website is www.MarieForleo.com Of course, you know that it's not polite to stare. Still, people stare. So, if you do, how long can you stare before you creep people out? Listen as I reveal the exact number of seconds – down to a tenth of a second so you will now know proper staring etiquette. http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/3/7/160086 Statistics are funny. It seems you can make them say whatever you want – in fact you can just make them up out of thin air and likely never get caught. Unless of course you are talking with my guest, David Spiegelhalter. He is a British statistician and Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. He is also author of the book The Art of Statistics (https://amzn.to/30amC8T). David joins me to reveal how best to use statistics to bolster your own argument and how to question other people when they use statistics to make sure they are real and relevant. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! We really like The Jordan Harbinger Show! Check out https://jordanharbinger.com/start OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can grow thicker, healthier hair AND get $15 off at https://nutrafol.com Promo code: SOMETHING Download the GetUpside App and use promo code SOMETHING to get up to 50¢/gallon cash back on your first tank! Discover matches all the cash back you earn on your credit card at the end of your first year automatically and is accepted at 99% of places in the U.S. that take credit cards! Learn more at https://discover.com/yes Listen to Build For Tomorrow with Jason Feifer, our favorite new podcast, right here! https://apple.co/3rPM8La or visit https://www.jasonfeifer.com/build-for-tomorrow/ JUSTWORKS makes it easier for you to start, run and grow a business. Learn more: https://justworks.com Omaha Steaks is the best! Get awesome pricing at https://OmahaSteaks.com/BMT T-Mobile for Business the leader in 5G, #1 in customer satisfaction, and a partner who includes benefits like 5G in every plan. Visit https://T-Mobile.com/business Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Covid cases are rising again in the UK – should we be worried about a third wave? Tim Harford speaks to David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of Risk at the University of Cambridge. How safe are smart motorways? Many listeners have concerns that they seem more dangerous than conventional motorways. We take a look at the numbers. What proportion of adults in England have been vaccinated? Listeners have spotted a potential discrepancy in the public data online. Are 80% of women wearing the wrong size bra? This frequently repeated statistic has been around for decades – could it possibly be true?
This episode was recorded in September 2020. 'The undercover economist' and Numbers and economics guru Tim Harford takes a deep dive into the world of statistics. Drawing on the ideas in his new book, How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers, Harford takes us on a journey through art forgery, fake news, big data and dangerous political narratives, relaying the stories behind our understanding of what numbers mean, and showing why using them properly can give us unparalleled insight into every area of life.Harford was joined by David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor for the Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge, who has been described by Harford on his Radio 4 show More or Less as a ‘statistical national treasure’. Chairing the event was the mathematician Hannah Fry, whose acclaimed television and radio documentaries have brought the world of maths, data and algorithms to a wide public audience.To buy the book click here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-make-the-world-add-up/tim-harford/9781408712245 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Every death is a tragedy for grief-stricken families, but every set of statistics is an opportunity to understand the virus and the disease Covid-19 a bit more. In fact gathering these data, quickly and accurately, is a priority at the moment, up there with developing a vaccine and rolling out widespread testing. Gareth Mitchell discusses, with, David Spiegelhalter, who is the Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, why it’s so hard to measure coronavirus fatalities. The Covid-19 pandemic is unprecedented in modern times. There will no doubt be years of debating over who managed the outbreak the best, which tools and actions were implemented at the right time and in the right way. One small, but important part of dealing with the viral outbreak is contact tracing – discovering who is infected and who they might have come into contact with. This has to be done quickly, so the people an infected person had contact with, can be found and informed to isolate, before they themselves spread the virus further. Some countries used this early on in the pandemic (Singapore and South Korea, have successfully used it to contain their outbreaks, while Germany, which has a far lower case and death rate than the UK, has also worked hard on contact tracing.) Others are hoping to implement contact tracing as a means of easing social distancing or coming out of lockdown. To do this public health agencies will have to start aggressively contact tracing and at a much higher level than they were a few months ago. The UK started using contact tracing then stopped, they are now looking to restart it. A plausible way of doing this is to make use of the fact that a lot of people carry a mobile phone, so apps that can help are being developed and used. There are biological factors that need to be taken into account (reliable, accessible testing in the first place) but also logistical, practical and security issues… who are we giving our data to? And what are they doing with it? Could it be used to restrict my freedom in ways other than just managing the spread of the virus? Timandra Harkness author of Big Data, Does Size Matter? and Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, and a member of their working group on Data Ethics helps answer these questions. Finally, a small bit of good that’s come out of another dark time in our recent history. Atomic bomb tests during the Cold War. The nuclear fallout, doubled the amount of an isotope called carbon-14 in the atmosphere. And that has turned out to be very useful for scientists working on a crucial conservation effort – to age and safeguard the world’s largest fish - the Whale Shark. Presenter - Gareth Mitchell Producer - Fiona Roberts
What do we know about public trust in expert knowledge when the stakes are high and there is considerable uncertainty? This week, our host Dr Rob Doubleday sits down with Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter and Dr Alexandra Freeman of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication. In the context of the current pandemic, we discuss what research has been done on the best way to communicate evidence and uncertainty and the best way to communicate the relationship between expert advice and political decision making. CSaP's Science and Policy Podcast is a production of the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge. This series on science, policy and pandemics is produced in partnership with Cambridge Infectious Diseases and the Cambridge Immunology Network. Our guests this week: Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter is Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication at the University of Cambridge. He was Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge from 2007 to 2018. He has worked on Understanding Uncertainty, and is the acclaimed author of The Art of Statistics. He has recently been exploring the question "how much ‘normal' risk does Covid represent?", and he regularly hosts the podcast Risky Talk. Dr Alexandra Freeman is the Executive Director of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication. She previously worked for the BBC, primarily a producer and director for BBC Science. She worked on a number of popular series including "Walking with Beasts", "Trust Me I'm a Doctor" and "Climate Change by Numbers". Her work has won numerous awards, including a BAFTA and the AAAS Kavli gold award for science journalism. She has recently written about how different countries are reacting to the COVID-19 risk and their governments' responses. -- This series is hosted by CSaP Executive Director Dr Rob Doubleday, and is edited and produced by CSaP Communications Coordinator Kate McNeil. If you have feedback about this episode, or questions you'd like us to address in a future week, please email enquiries@csap.cam.ac.uk .
Sir David Spiegelhalter joins us to discuss all things risk-related and his work as the Winton Professor of Public Understanding of Risk at Cambridge University. What is the best way to communicate risk in medicine and the broader public sphere? How can our perceptions of risk be dramatically altered by its presentation? How can we inform or persuade people using statistics and, moreover, should we? Finally, we also discuss how individuals and governments see risk through different eyes and how the risks presented in the media shouldn't always be taken at face value.
How do we live with risk? How do we quantify it? How do we talk about it? Can we understand uncertainty better? David has made this his life's work.David Spiegelhalter is Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge and Senior Scientist in the MRC Biostatistics Unit.His background is in medical statistics, particularly the use of Bayesian methods in clinical trials, health technology assessment and drug safety.He led the statistical team in the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry and also gave evidence to the Shipman Inquiry. In his post, he leads a small team which attempts to improve the way in which the quantitative aspects of risk and uncertainty are discussed in society.He works closely with the Millennium Mathematics Project in trying to bring risk and uncertainty into education.He gives many presentations to schools and others, advises organisations on risk communication, and is a regular newspaper columnist on current risk issues.—Recorded live at the global event in Cardigan, west Wales in 2010.Watch David's full talk here: www.thedolectures.com/talks/david-spiegelhalter-if-you-can-calculate-risk-you-can-make-better-judgments
If you want someone to do something for you, it is all about how you phrase it. This episode begins with a discussion on the psychology of requests and how to say it so people will respond the way you want them to. http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/09/persuasive-techniques-that-actually-work.htmlWhen life dishes out problems you have to solve them. And according to my guest, the good news is that all those problems can be solved. Marie Forleo is a wildly popular entrepreneur, writer, philanthropist, optimist and author of the book, Everything is Figureoutable (https://amzn.to/32NIeVw). Listen as she offers a fresh way to look at and solve the problems of life.Marie’s website is www.MarieForleo.com So it’s not polite to stare but if you are going to stare, how long before you really creep people out? I’ll reveal the exact number of seconds – down to a tenth of a second so you will now know proper staring etiquette. http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/3/7/160086Statistics are a funny thing. It seems you can make them say whatever you want – in fact you can just make them up out of thin air and likely never get caught. Unless of course you are talking with my guest, David Spiegelhalter. He is a British statistician and Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. He is also author of the book The Art of Statistics (https://amzn.to/30amC8T). He joins me to reveal how best to use statistics to bolster your own argument and how to question them when other people use statistics to make sure they are real and relevant. This Week’s Sponsors -Zapier. Try Zapier for free for 14 days. Go to www.Zapier.com/SYSK-Native. For 20% off your first purchase of Native deodorant go to www.nativedeodorant.com and use promo code: SYSK -Daily Harvest. For $25 off your first box go to www.dailyharvest.com and use promo code: something-Babbel. To learn a language go to www.Babbel.com and get a whole year of access to Babbel for as low as $3.50 a month!-SimpliSafe. Get free shipping and a money back guarantee go to www.SimpliSafe.com/something-LinkedIn. For $50 off you first job post, go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast
David Spiegelhalter is Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, and President of the Royal Statistical Society.
What statistics can tell you about sexual behaviour with David Spiegelhalter. David Spiegelhalter is Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk, and Professor of Biostatistics, at the University of Cambridge. He presented the BBC4 documentary ‘Tails you Win: the Science of Chance', and in 2011 competed in Winter Wipeout on BBC1. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute for Risk Management, was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005 and awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to medical statistics. He is the co-author of The Norm Chronicles: Stories and Numbers about Danger (2013) and author of Sex By Numbers: What statistics can tell you about sexual behaviour (2015). http://sexbynumbers.wellcomecollection.org/ 5x15 brings together five outstanding individuals to tell of their lives, passions and inspirations. There are only two rules - no scripts and only 15 minutes each. Learn more about 5x15 events: 5x15stories.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: www.instagram.com/5x15stories
David Spiegelhalter is Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication , and President of the Royal Statistical Society . He is passionate about helping the public understand uncertainty and risk . His recent book, Sex by Numbers , describes scientific research that provides a view of the world of sex.
David Spiegelhalter is Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication , and President of the Royal Statistical Society . He is passionate about helping the public understand uncertainty and risk . His recent book, Sex by Numbers , describes scientific research that provides a view of the world of sex.
Rhianna Dhillon brings you another seriously interesting story from Radio 4. This week, luck. Whether we believe in luck or not, we do use the word- a lot! More as a figure of speech than an article of faith perhaps but some do pray for luck, others fantasise about it - and bad luck or misfortune is a staple of comedy Can luck be said to exist as some force in our lives and if so, what is its nature? How have people thought about luck in the past and what's changed today? Can you bring good luck upon yourself - there's a school of thought these days that thinks you can without appealing to the divine or supernatural. In Good Luck Professor Spiegelhalter, the Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at Cambridge University looks at notions of luck in gambling, traces the origins of how we think about fate and fortune, the religious and psychological view of luck and how the emergence of theory of probability changed our view of it. He is convinced by the philosopher Angie Hobbs that there is one form of luck it is rational to believe in and by psychologist Richard Wiseman that there is a secular solution to bringing about good fortune in your life. Good Luck Professor Spiegelhalter, is presented by David Spiegelhalter and produced in Salford by Kevin Mousley.
Professor David Spiegelhalter, , Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge delivers the annual Sidney Ball lecture at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Professor Carl Heneghan, Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, speaks to Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge, about the importance of medical statistics.
An epidemiological investigation on bmj.com discusses the first probable case of human to human transmission of novel avian influenza A (H7N9). The author of the accompanying editorial, James Rudge, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, explains what this means for public health. Also this week, we know that standardised mortality rates are tricky and have to be interpreted carefully. David Spiegelhater, Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at the university of Cambridge, explains why a figure of 13 000 excess deaths in NHS hospitals is “number abuse”. Read the articles: http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f4730 http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f4893
Opening Address by Professor Speigelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk, Cambridge University.
Tim Harford on income inequality in the UK, and elsewhere. He speaks to Professor Sir Tony Atkinson of Oxford University; Stewart Lansley, author of 'The Cost of Inequality'; and Professor Donald Boudreaux of George Mason University. Also, David Spiegelhalter, the Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at Cambridge University explains why he took on what could be his riskiest venture to date - appearing on BBC One's Winter Wipeout. Plus, the magic of maths with magician and Stanford maths professor Persi Diaconis.
Professor David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge delivers a public lecture at Madingley Hall on 3 May 2011. The lecture is chaired by Professor John Rallison, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education at Cambridge, and introduced by Dr Rebecca Lingwood, Director of Continuing Education. Please note that the lecture proper begins at the 4:00 minute point in the video.