ASA Member News Archive
ASA Member News August 2011
August 2011 Edition
Statistical Outreach & News
OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS’ PROPOSED RULE WOULD FACILITATE FEDERAL SCIENTISTS’ PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY LEADERSHIP
The Office of Government Ethics issued a proposed rule in the May 3 Federal Register that would make it easier for federal statisticians to serve in ASA leadership and governance. The proposed rule, according to its summary, “would permit government employees to participate in particular matters affecting the financial interests of nonprofit organizations in which they serve in an official capacity, notwithstanding the employees’ imputed financial interest.” To read more about the proposed law, please visit this June 30 blog post.
Meetings, Education, & Events
AUGUST’S FEATURED LEARNSTAT ONDEMAND OFFERING
This month check out the featured LearnSTAT OnDemand offering, Beyond the Factory Floor: Succeeding with Lean Six Sigma Outside of Manufacturing presented by Roger Hoerl on April 30, 2008. This webinar presentation focused on the use of Bayesian statistics in clinical trials and biostatistics.
JSM PROCEEDINGS SUBMISSION SITE OPENS AUGUST 25
If you orally presented a paper or poster at JSM, you’re eligible to publish it in the 2011 JSM Proceedings. The submission site will open at noon EDT on August 25 and close at noon EDT on September 26. Email Valerie Nirala with any questions.
58th WORLD STATISTICS CONGRESS OF THE ISI – Dublin, Ireland – August 21–26
Ireland’s Central Statistics Office invites you to participate in the 58th World Statistics Congress of the International Statistical Institute. This biennial meeting brings together statisticians from across the disciplinary spectrum to share experiences, expertise, and challenges.
2011 ASA FDA/INDUSTRY STATISTICS WORKSHOP REGISTRATION OPEN - Washington, DC – September 20–21
Registration is now open for the 2011 FDA/Industry Workshop, which will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC. Join statisticians from industry, academia, and the FDA for two days of sessions focused on the science and statistics associated with the development of medical products. Additional short courses will be available on September 19.
APDU 2011 ANNUAL CONFERENCE: PUBLIC DATA ON A BUDGET: MAKING CRITICAL POLICY DECISIONS IN THE CURRENT FISCAL CLIMATE – Washington, DC – September 21–22
APDU will host their Annual Conference in Washington, DC this September. Preliminary Agenda and Registration Form. Early Registration Ends August 20.
9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HEALTH POLICY STATISTICS – The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland, Ohio – October 5–7
The 2011 ICHPS, organized by the ASA’s Health Policy Statistics Section, will focus on advancing methods to improve health care through various studies and the quantitative analysis of data. The conference will include invited and contributed sessions and workshops intended to provide research training and career development in the methods, resources, and applications at the forefront of contemporary health policy research. A limited number of travel awards of up to $400 is available to students who (1) will travel to attend ICHPS 2011 and (2) are presenting a talk or poster as part of the conference program.
ASA CONFERENCE ON STATISTICAL PRACTICE CALL FOR POSTERS – Orlando, Florida – February 16–18, 2012
The ASA proudly announces the inaugural ASA Conference on Statistical Practice. The 2012 Conference will be accepting abstract submissions for poster presentations September 1 - 15, 2011. Do you have expertise and experience in solving real-world problems and meeting the challenges faced by statistical practitioners that you would like to share? Organizers are looking for poster abstract submissions that would provide opportunities for attendees to learn about the latest statistical methodologies and best practices in statistical design, analysis, programming and consulting. The posters should be consistent with our conference learning objectives including, learning statistical techniques that apply to your job as an applied statistician; learning how to better communicate with customers; and, learning how to have a positive impact on your organization.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Statistical events are happening around the country and the globe. View our Upcoming Events Calendar.
Off the Press
ASA ANNOUNCES POSTER, PROJECT COMPETITION WINNERS
The American Statistical Association is pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Poster Competition and Project Competition. The poster and project competitions are directed by the ASA/NCTM Joint Committee on Curriculum in Statistics and Probability, with Linda Quinn of Cleveland State University serving as the poster competition leader and Jamis Perrett of Texas A&M University serving as the project competition leader. K–12 posters are due every year on April 1. Projects (written reports) for grades 4–12 are due every year on June 9. Read more and find out about the 2011 winners.
STATISTICS IN SCIENCE: NO SHORTCUTS WHEN COLLABORATING
Read Shari Messinger, associate professor of biostatistics and director of the Biostatistics Collaboration and Consulting Core at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, column in this month’s Amstat News. Read more.
SIGNIFICANCE MAGAZINE ONLINE WEB EXCLUSIVES
Is Blackjack the Solution to Problem Gambling?
This article identifies three options for those who have a gambling problem: 1) do nothing, 2) control your gambling, and 3) quit gambling. In controlled gambling, one is allowed to gamble on a limited basis. Controlled gambling has few adherents in North America, but is somewhat popular overseas. In abstinence, one completely abstains from all gambling. Abstinence is the goal of Gamblers Anonymous and most, though not all, treatment professionals. Using either controlled gambling or abstinence is the current accepted framework for treating problem gambling.
FREE ASA JOURNAL ARTICLE DOWNLOADS
JASA
Multivariate Regression Analysis for the Item Count Technique by Kosuke Imai
Malaria in Northwest India: Data Analysis via Partially Observed Stochastic Differential Equation Models Driven by Lévy Noise by Anindya Bhadra et al.
Outlier Detection Using Nonconvex Penalized Regression by Yiyuan She and Art B. Owen
Best Predictive Small Area Estimation by Jiming Jiang, Thuan Nguyen, and J. Sunil Rao
JCGS
All the Data Expo posters!
TECHNOMETRICS
Simulated Annealing Model Search for Subset Selection in Screening Experiments by Mark A. Wolters
Free articles are also available for JASA, TAS, and JCGS. Just log in and look for articles marked FREE! And remember, ASA members automatically receive free online access to JASA, JBES, JCGS, SBR, and TAS. Log in at ASA Members Only.
Member Opportunities
REVERSE TIME CAPSULE
Please join us as we look forward to celebrating the ASA’s 175th anniversary by participating in our “reverse time capsule” project. The “reverse” time capsule will contain forecasts of or comments about the future, specifically regarding the year 2039 (the 200th anniversary of the ASA), as viewed from the present perspective. Thus, it will be the present perspective on the future. Mostly, however, it is simply a fun activity opened at the start of preparations for the 175th anniversary of the ASA. To access the reverse time capsule, log in to ASA Members Only and select the Reverse Time Capsule tab at the top of the page.
STATISTICAL SCIENCE DELEGATION TO ISRAEL
People to People Citizen Ambassador Programs and the ASA have created an exchange to foster international goodwill, professional development, and personal enrichment. Join colleagues from around the world who understand the need for greater depth of knowledge in statistical science. Professional experience at any level will make an important contribution to the team. Delegates will learn about statistical literacy efforts in Israel; how statisticians are trained; and the roles of statisticians in health-related professions, industry, and government. Our delegation will arrive to meet international colleagues in Israel on November 3 and, together, we will have the honor of experiencing the rich culture of Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. We will arrive back in the United States on November 11. Learn More.
AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENTS
Deadlines and contact information for ASA national awards, special lectureships, and COPSS awards can be found by visiting the following links:
ASA awards, ASA scholarships, and COPSS awards.
NOETHER COMMITTEE NOW ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR 2012 AWARD
The 2012 Noether Senior Scholar and Noether Young Scholar awards committee will accept nominations for the 2012 awards until December 1. If you have questions, contact the committee chair, Pranab K. Sen. Nominations should be sent via email to the ASA office or 732 N. Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, ATTN: Award Nominations.
DEMING LECTURESHIP COMMITTEE NOW ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR 2012 LECTURER
Deming Lecturer Award nominations are being accepted for the 2012 Deming Lecturer. Nominations should be submitted no later than November 15. If you have questions, contact the committee chair, A. Blanton Godfrey. Nominations should be sent to the ASA office via email or 732 N. Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, ATTN: Award Nominations.
UNITED NATIONS 2011 YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM (YPP) EXAMINATION
The United Nations is looking for highly qualified candidates who are ready to launch a professional career as an international civil servant. The Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is a recruitment initiative that brings new talent to the United Nations through an annual entrance examination. For young, high-caliber professionals across the globe, the examination is a platform for launching a career at the United Nations. This year's deadline is September 11.
50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Former ASA President Mike O’Fallon and his wife, Judy, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on September 2. Mike and Judy met in statistics class at The University of North Carolina in 1960, were married in 1961, and are now approaching their golden anniversary. Mike asks, “What were the a priori odds of all that?”
Feedback, comments, or suggestions are welcome please email asamail@amstat.org with your ideas.