Keynote
Wednesday, February 2
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET
Urban Analytics and the Leadership Role of Statisticians
As statisticians and data scientists, we have helped the world evolve into a data-rich ecosystem. Our skills and talents are essential to finding the knowledge that exists within this ecosystem and to understand the limits of this knowledge. I will highlight statistical engineering solutions to complex problems in urban analytics, bringing forward the need for sound scientific reasoning and statistical methodologies to support that reasoning. I will draw from examples of university-government partnerships to address urban challenges from the pandemic to environmental events. I will also take this opportunity to provide updates on the ASA and the critical leadership role statisticians play in society.
Kathy Ensor
Rice University
Katherine Bennett Ensor is the Noah G. Harding Professor of Statistics at Rice University, where she serves as director of the Center for Computational Finance and Economic Systems and director of the Kinder Institute’s Urban Data Platform. Ensor’s research focuses on the development of statistical and data science methods for practical problems. Her expertise is on dependent data covering time, space, and dimension with applied interests in finance, energy, environment, health, and risk management. She is a fellow of the ASA and AAAS and has been recognized for her leadership, scholarship, and mentoring. Ensor will serve as the 2022 ASA president.