(
Sponsored by
Department of Psychology
The
With Financial Support
From
Coombs Memorial Fund
(Inaugural Speech)
Rackham
Amphitheater
Featuring: R. Duncan Luce
(UC Irvine)
4448 East Hall
Department of Psychology
General Information
The Department of Psychology is pleased to sponsor an annual speakers series in honor of Clyde Hamilton Coombs (1912-1988). This speaker series, formally called "Michigan Mathematical Psychology Day,'' will consist of a public lecture ("Coombs Memorial Lecture") given by a distinguished scientist working in the field of mathematical psychology and a two-day conference ("Coombs Conference") featuring invited guests as well as local researchers working on traditional and contemporary topics of mathematical psychology, broadly defined.
Clyde H. Coombs was a
In terms of scholarly achievements, Clyde Coombs is known, among many other
things, for his contribution to the foundation of measurement by devising a
model and an algorithm of unfolding the scale of individual preference, and for
his contribution to the voting system, through devising the "Instant
Runoff System" (known as the Coombs'
Method) used for
single-winner elections where each voter has ordered all candidates according
to his/her preference. Clyde Coombs was elected into the National Academy of
Sciences in 1982. Together with Robyn Dawes and Amos Tversky, Clyde Coombs co-authored a popular textbook
"Mathematical Psychology: An Elementary Introduction." He also
founded the Mathematical Psychology training program at
R. Duncan Luce, who will deliver
the Inaugural Memorial Lecture this year, is widely believed to be the pioneer
of mathematical behavioral sciences, and the most prominent mathematical
psychologist still active in research. A member of the
Conference Program
The program for the Coombs Conference can be found here. Updates will be posted as they become available.
In keeping with the tradition of openness and accessibility established by Coombs for the mathematical psychology community, both the Coombs Memorial Lecture (on April 14) and the Coombs Conference (on April 15-16) are open to the general public. No formal registration is required. However, if you plan to attend the dinner banquet on April 15, please contact the organizer (see below) before April 10. Tickets can be purchased at $40 per person (which also includes box lunches for April 15 and 16).
Invited speakers will be accommodated at the
Reservations: 1-800-344-7829
FAX: 734-761-2997
Holiday
Inn Express
Reservations: 1-800-344-7829
FAX: 734-761-2997
The
Coombs Memorial Lecture will be delivered at the Rackham
Amphitheater on April 14 (Friday)
Campus direction Attached is a map for central campus, with Rackham building, East Hall building, and Michigan League
highlighted. For your orientation, Church Street and Forest Street are parallel
and running northbound-southbound, with Church Street west of Forest; North
University Ave and South University Ave are parallel, running
eastbound-westbound.
Parking
on the UM central campus is available in a self-paid parking structure
on
Internet access will be available at the hotel for out-of-town guests.
By Automobile. Ann Arbor is easily accessible
by car from Interstate 94 from the east and west, U.S. 23 from the north and
south. For map and driving directions to
By Air. Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) is approximately 25 miles east of Ann Arbor (and the University). Every major domestic airline schedules flights in and out of this international terminal. There are two terminals, the McNamara terminal which services Northwest Airlines and all its partners (Continental, KLM, British Airways, Lufthansa, etc) exclusively (since the Metro airport is one of its major hub), and the Smith terminal which services all other airlines. The two terminals are NOT within walking distance. For more information, including shuttle bus and taxi service, please check http://www.metroairport.com.
Ground
transportation by cab, rental car, and airport shuttle to the University and to
Kensington Court/Holiday Inn express is readily available. One-way trip from/to
the Metro airport (not including tip) is approximately $35 by taxi and $22 by
airport shuttle. If you drive, take I-94 West as you leave the Metro airport
and take the Exit 177 (State Street Exit); Kensington Court/Holiday Inn is
right off the exit on your left (next to the shopping complex), see driving map.
Organizer and Sponsorship
Please contact: Dr. Jun Zhang (junz@umich.edu) or the secretary for the event Nikomi Peltz (npeltz@umich.edu) for organizational and logistic matters.
Financial support for this Speakers Series is made available through the Coombs Memorial Fund.
The conference web site is:
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/coombs2006/
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~junz/conference/coombs2006/
More About
Picture of Coombs can be found here.
Vita of Coombs can be found here.
Books written by Coombs can be found here.
Memoir about Coombs can be found here.
Essays in honor of Coombs can be found here.
