Participate in JSM 2016

The JSM program consists of invited, topic-contributed, and contributed sessions; introductory overview lectures; late-breaking sessions; poster presentations; roundtable discussions; and professional development courses and workshops.

Invited Sessions

JSM is developed by a program committee comprised of members from participating JSM societies. Each group is responsible for a specific number of invited sessions-sessions picked and/or developed specifically by these groups. Anyone can propose a session, but someone from the committee must accept the proposal for it to be part of the invited program. Of particular interest are sessions that appeal to diverse audiences and are closely related to the theme.

Invited sessions include invited papers, panels, and posters:

Invited paper sessions consist of 2–6 presenters and/or discussants.
Invited panels have 3–6 panelists providing commentary on a particular topic.
The invited poster session has 10–12 participants with e-posters (offered on a 42" LCD display in the landscape position) addressing a common theme.

An invited session proposal includes a session title, general description of the session, list of participants, and tentative talk titles.

If you are interested in organizing an invited session, select a session topic and solicit potential speakers. Once you have a sufficient number of committed speakers, you can submit your proposal online from mid-July to early September.

There is a limited number of invited session slots. Those proposals not accepted as invited sessions can be re-submitted as topic-contributed sessions.

Topic-Contributed Sessions

A topic-contributed session is planned in advance by one or more organizers and includes speakers presenting on a shared topic.

Topic-contributed sessions include papers, panels, and posters:

Topic-contributed paper sessions consist of five speakers, made up of at least three presenters and at most two discussants; each speaker has 20 minutes to present.
Topic-contributed panels consist of three to six members providing commentary or a point of view on the panel topic.
Topic-contributed poster sessions have 10-15 participants with posters addressing a common topic.

A topic-contributed session proposal includes a session title, general description of the session, list of participants, and tentative talk titles.

There is a review and acceptance process for a limited number of topic-contributed sessions. If you are interested in organizing one, submit your proposal online from early December to mid-January.

Contributed Sessions

Contributed sessions include papers, posters, and speed presentations. You simply have to submit an abstract online from early December to early February.

Contributed paper sessions consist of seven papers, each presented in 15 minutes, and are put together by the JSM Program Committee.
Speed sessions are a "hybrid" of a poster and presentation. A speed session consists of 20 oral presentations of five minutes each, with 10 minutes of break after the first set of 10 talks. The short oral presentations are then followed by an e-poster (offered on a 42" LCD display in the landscape position) session later the same day.
Contributed poster sessions are grouped by a JSM partner society or ASA section.

Session Chair

If you are interested in chairing a session, please contact the member of the program committee representing the section/society of interest to you.

Roundtable Discussions

These are small group talks with a discussion leader that occur in conjunction with breakfast and lunch, giving participants the opportunity to network while discussing a topic of interest.

Though most sections seek out discussion leaders for these, proposals are submitted online from early December to early February. Sections can accept or reject these proposals based on space and interest.

Introductory Overview Lectures

Introductory overview lectures (IOLs) provide relatively brief, high-quality introductions to important and timely statistical topics covered in a more specialized form than in other JSM sessions. In some cases, IOLs present material from rapidly developing areas of methodology or applications. In other cases, they introduce important and challenging statistical topics that are relatively mature, but may not be well known outside of a specialist group. In all cases, IOL topics are selected because of their potential to enrich the future directions of statistical theory and practice through broader dissemination.

Proposals are accepted by the JSM program chair via email from September to mid-November and should include the following:

Session title
Session description, including a summary of its statistical and scientific content, an explanation of its timeliness, and comments about the specific audiences for which it will be of principal interest
Format of the session
Names of the session organizer; chair; and all speakers, panelists, and discussants (prospective session participants should have agreed to participate in the session before the session proposal is submitted)
Complete affiliation and contact information (mailing address, phone, fax, email) for organizer, chair, and all participants
Title for each presentation

Late-Breaking Sessions

A late-breaking session covers one or more technical, scientific, or policy-related topics that have arisen in the one-year period prior to the JSM in which the session is proposed to appear.

Proposals are accepted by the JSM program chair via email from mid-February to mid-April and should include the following:

Session title
Session description, including a summary of its statistical and scientific content, an explanation of its timeliness, and comments about the specific audiences for which it will be of principal interest
Format of the session
Names of the session organizer; chair; and all speakers, panelists, and discussants (prospective session participants should have agreed to participate in the session before the session proposal is submitted)
Complete affiliation and contact information (mailing address, phone, fax, email) for organizer, chair, and all participants
Title for each presentation
Web links to relevant technical reports, if applicable

Professional Development

Professional Development is the process of improving and broadening the knowledge, skill, and personal qualities needed to be successful in the practice of statistics. ASA offers Continuing Education and Personal Skills Development courses and workshops at JSM.

Continuing Education (CE) consists of CE courses and Computer Technology Workshops (CTWs). CE courses are taught in half-day and full-day formats Saturday through Tuesday of JSM. The content might fulfill any one of the following class descriptions:

An in-depth presentation of a specific area of statistical theory, methodology, or application. The material covered may focus on “cutting edge” methods or other more established topics.
A broad overview of an established area of statistical theory or methodology suitable either as a refresher or as an introduction.
A description of a statistical method and its application using one or more software tools—as long as there is significant content described in the proposal.

CTWs are presented in hour and forty-five minute blocks on the Wednesday of JSM. Vendors who wish to present educational materials in a classroom setting to support their computing packages are encouraged to participate.

Proposals for CE courses and CTWs are submitted online. The deadline for CE course proposals is September 30. The ASA's Advisory Committee on Continuing Education will evaluate the proposals and send notification of acceptance or non-acceptance in December. CE course instructors are allotted an honorarium.

The deadline for CTW proposals is January 15. Notification of acceptance or non-acceptance will be sent in March.

Personal Skills Development (PSD) includes courses, workshops, and other training sometimes referred to as "soft skills" such as communication, collaboration, career planning, and leadership. Of particular interest are proposals in the following areas:

Communication: Speaking, presentation, consulting, listening, and writing
Collaboration: Team building, teamwork, understanding personality types
Career Planning: Finding a challenging and rewarding position, goal setting, career advancement, negotiation, strategic planning
Leadership: Influence, Conflict Resolution, Creative Problem Solving, and other Leadership Skills

The deadline to submit PSD proposals is September 30. Email your proposal idea to rick@amstat.org