Short Courses
WSDS 2026 will offer two half-day courses on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Courses require an additional fee.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Finding Your Voice: How to Be an Effective Statistical Communicator
Instructors: Sarah Lotspeich, Wake Forest University, Ana Maria Ortega-Villa, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Ashley Mullan, Vanderbilt University
Communicating statistical research effectively is a crucial skill for engaging diverse audiences, from academic peers to policymakers. This short course provides practical guidance on designing and delivering compelling presentations about statistics projects. We will cover best practices for slide design, strategies for conveying complex concepts clearly, key principles for making talks accessible and engaging, and steps to take to tailor presentations to different audiences. Participants will also gain hands-on experience by crafting their own presentations and receiving constructive feedback from instructors and fellow attendees.
Sarah Lotspeich
Ana Maria Ortega-Villa
Applied SQL for Data Analysis: A Practical Introduction to a Key Data Skill
Instructors: Margaret Betz, The Data Mine - Purdue University, and Fulya Gokalp Yavuz, The Data Mine - Purdue University
Structured Query Language (SQL) remains an essential tool for accessing, manipulating, and analyzing data across a wide range of fields. This session offers a practical, technically grounded introduction to SQL, focusing on writing efficient queries, filtering and aggregating data, and joining multiple tables for exploratory analysis. Participants will work with real-world data sets to apply their skills in context, gaining hands-on experience that supports both immediate application and long-term growth in data-focused roles.
Maggie Betz
Fulya Gokalp Yavuz
