Consulting

Statistical consulting is a service provided by the Seminar for Statistics (SfS) at the ETH Zurich. We offer:

• Assistance with statistical problems

• Contractual data analysis

• NEW: Detailed data analysis by Master students

• Support for statistical software

• Introductory courses for several statistical software bundles

• Mailing list ETH-Statuser

Statistical consulting

Many scientific studies are based on the interpretation of measurements or observations, thereby including statistical analysis. The Seminar for Statistics offers help in the design of a study, the choice of appropriate statistical methods and a suitable software bundle for your problem as well as the interpretation of results.

Usually, this will take place in a single meeting with one or a few follow-ups if needed. Best contact us already when designing your experiments or field observations.

This service is free of charge for students and members of ETH and research stations. Links to other statistical consulting groups in Zurich and Berne can also be found here.

Appointments for statistical consulting can be arranged with Prof. Werner Stahel and his consulting team(044 632 2223, beratung@stat.math.ethz.ch).

Contractual data analysis

Analysis of data (for ETH-institutes and external companies) can be performed in terms of a project. After a cost estimate the collaboration will be contractually regulated. In most of the cases the minimum effort for processing a project equals a working week. A detailed report can be provided, if requested.

Three examples of ongoing and concluded studies focussing on the following questions:

• Measurements of radiation have been collected from 40 samples of chemically polluted site. How can the average radiation for the whole site be estimated, including a precision of this estimate?
• A device for measuring blood sugar continuously, without taking blood samples, is under development. It is attached to the skin and measures electrical impedance signals as well as temperature and optical signals. The challenge is to develop a model that relates these signals to blood sugar and allows for predicting the latter with sufficient precision.
  
• Manufactoring plastic material used for bottles is protected by a patent if a certain property exceeds a given threshold. A sample is used for verifying whether this is the case. Depending on the way of summarizing the data, the conclusion ranges for "clearly violated" to "clearly not violated". Which analysis is adequate?

Prospective clients contact Prof. Werner Stahel (044 632 3430) for a non-committal discussion.

Consulting and data analysis by Master students or PhDs

You have data which should have been analysed long ago, but you haven't had the spare time to do so? You need more assistance for the analysis of your
data, than a single hour of consulting can offer?

If you want your data to be extensively analysed, you may wish to submit your data to our "Statistics Lab" that takes place every autumn semester. If your problem is suitable, you will receive consultation by a statistic student and a regular member of the Seminar for Statistics, a full analysis of your data regarding your questions and a final report.

This requires your willingness for information exchange with the students, time for 2-3 one-hour-meetings and offering your data for educational purposes. Additionally you shouldn't be under pressure of time regarding the results of the analysis.

Application under beratung@stat.math.ethz.ch

Support for statistical software

We also offer support for several statistical software. To arrange a personal appointment or ask questions directly, call 044 632 2223 or write an email to beratung@stat.math.ethz.ch. An Overview of the statistical software used at the ETH Zurich can be found here here.

Introductory courses

We offer courses for:

• R
• SPSS
• Systat

On request we also offer introductory courses for companies.

mailing list ETH-Statuser

We manage the mailing list ETH-Statuser. As subscriber you will be regularly informed about innovations regarding statistical software used at the ETH Zurich and also about upcoming courses dealing with statistical software.