ASA at 175 - Improving Forensic Science

By Ronald Wasserstein - March 61, 2014

ASA members are engaged in improving the science of forensic science, and their work is getting noticed.

The ASA’s ad hoc Advisory Committee on Forensic Science has been urging reform of forensic science, particularly in improving the selection and use of statistical methodology. Their work is inspired in large part by a 2009 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward. In its 2010 statement on forensic science, the ASA Board endorsed

the NAS report and delineated the role of statistics in effective forensic science reform, including:

• The need for well-designed experiments
...

ASA at 175 - Partnerships, continued - the International Statistical Institute, and building statist

By Ronald Wasserstein - February 59, 2014

In previous blogs I’ve written about the importance of partnerships with other societies (see January 16 regarding partnerships in JSM, or January 15 regarding partnerships with mathematical societies).  The ASA partners with many societies for many reasons, but it all boils down to our mission to promote the practice and profession of statistics.

An important partnership for the ASA is with the International Statistical Institute, one of the oldest and most distinguished statistical associations, and certainly the one with the most global...

ASA at 175 - The President's Invited Speaker for JSM 2014

By Ronald Wasserstein - February 57, 2014

Nat Schenker, 2014 ASA President, announced today that renowned statistician and historian Stephen M. Stigler will deliver the President’s Invited Address at the 2014 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM 2014) August 4 in Boston.  What a fabulous choice for this 175^th anniversary occasion!

Stigler’s focus on history has provided a unique angle from which to view and comment on contemporary research, both in statistics and beyond. He is one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of statistics, particularly the development of statistical methods in the natural and social sciences. In addition to numerous articles, he is the author of two books: The...

ASA at 175 - Surveys, and the Survey Review Committee

By Ronald Wasserstein - February 56, 2014

Perhaps the riskiest thing we do at the ASA Office is send out surveys to our members.  Good survey design and methodology require specific skills.  Many of our members have those skills, and don’t mind telling us when they think our surveys could be better.  Of course, surveys can always be better!

In this blog I will tell you about some of the ways the ASA collects information via surveys, and a specific process we use to continually improve our surveying.

We’ll take as a given that the ASA should be an especially data-driven organization.  Here are the surveys in which the ASA Office is...

ASA at 175 - Conference on Statistical Practice, part 3 - Wrapping up, looking ahead

By Ronald Wasserstein - February 53, 2014

A very successful 2014 ASA Conference on Statistical Practice concluded late this afternoon with a conference tradition, a wrap up session giving the attendees the opportunity to provide feedback to the organizers. This is a great way to end a statistics conference – collecting some data to put to use in the planning for CSP 2015 that is already well underway.

Many of the attendees in the wrap up session commented on the importance of the personal (non-technical) skills development opportunities at the conference. Sessions on improving communication, collaboration, and career development were well attended and lively. Conference attendees also very much valued the...