ASA Member News Archive
ASA Member News June 2012
June 2012 Edition
Statistical Outreach & News
BIG AND BETTER DATA
Big Data is big news. It is the focus of stories in The New York Times and the subject of technology blogs, business forums, and economic studies. This column in Amstat News describes how statisticians can prepare for opportunities in Big Data and explains the distinctive value our profession can provide. See the column.
FY13 BUDGET WORKCONTINUES IN CONGRESS
A Senate appropriations panel approved a $100 million increase for that National Institutes of Health (NIH) earlier this month. The House has yet to act on the NIH budget. In the same bill, the National Center for Health Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics are flat funded, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics would see a 2% increase. In a House appropriations bill, the National Agricultural Statistics Service would see a $17 million increase to $175 million to execute the Census of Agriculture. This level is $4 million less than what the Senate provides and the administration proposes. In the same bill, yet to be considered on the House floor, the budget for the Economic Research Service is cut 3% to $75 million. All FY13 appropriations developments for the federal statistical agencies, National Science Foundation, and NIH will be tracked over the next many months at FY13 NSF and NIH Budget Developments and FY13 Statistical Agency Budget Developments.
To receive updates on ASA Science Policy activities or news, follow us on Twitter: @ASA_SciPol. See recent Tweets at http://www.amstat.org/outreach/.
Meetings, Education, & Events
STATISTICAL SCIENCE DELEGATION – RUSSIA – SEPTEMBER 4–16, 2012
There is still time to join your peers on a fascinating statistical science delegation to Russia. As a People to People Citizen Ambassador, you will expand your professional network by meeting colleagues from all over the globe while you broaden your personal horizons exploring the iconic sites of Russia. On a People to People delegation, you will interact with recognized experts in your field, including delegation leaders Robert N. Rodriguez and Ronald L. Wasserstein. Expand your professional knowledge and enhance your value to your organization. Make a global impact by gaining an international perspective and join the delegation today.
21ST AUSTRALIAN STATISTICAL CONFERENCE AND 8TH AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE ON TEACHING STATISTICS - Adelaide, South Australia - July 9–13, 2012
Adelaide will host two major statistical events at the Adelaide Convention Centre: The 21st Australian Statistical Conference (ASC 2012) will be held July 9–12 and the 8th Australian Conference on Teaching Statistics (OZCOTS 2012) will be held July 12–13. Registration is now open.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT WEBINAR FOR STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS – July 10, 2012
The Section for Statistical Programmers and Analysts is sponsoring the webinar “Critical Interview Strategies and Skills,” to be presented by professional career counselor John Hadley on Tuesday, July 10. Hadley will share key strategies and techniques to successfully navigate the interview minefield. Registration is open to everyone. The registration fee is only $10 for students. For more information and to register, please visit the ASA’s STATtr@k website.
CONFERENCE ON STATISTICAL PRACTICE: PRACTICAL COMPUTING EXPO SUBMISSION – July 10 – August 30, 2012
Do you have a product or service to showcase? The 2013 Conference on Statistical Practice will offer a Practical Computing Expo. Discuss your consulting services, or present an overview of a software product and demonstrate its newest features. Through the Practical Computing Expo, you will reach an audience specifically interested in your software product or service and you will have an opportunity to help them better understand and use it. Your presentation information will be listed in the conference program. Proposals will be accepted July 10 through August 30, 2012. The expo will take place at the 2013 CSP in New Orleans, LA, on Saturday, February 23, from 1:45 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
YOUNG BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL STATISTICIANS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL STATISTICS – Lisbon, Portugal - July 23–26, 2012
The Young Business and Industrial Statisticians (y-BIS) of the International Society for Business and Industrial Statistics is organizing its first international conference for undergraduates, PhD candidates, post-docs, assistant professors, and anyone studying statistics or who is interested in learning more about the profession. Register now.
JOINT STATISTICAL MEETINGS 2012 - San Diego, CA – July 28–Aug 2
JSM 2012, to be held in downtown San Diego’s convention center, will welcome one of the largest groups of individuals interested in and related to the advancement and study of statistics. Meeting activities include oral presentations, panel sessions, poster presentations, Continuing Education courses, the Career Placement Service, the exhibit hall, and other networking opportunities. Registration is now open.
JSM TOURS - San Diego, CA – July 28 – August 2
Make the most of your time in Southern California! With a wide array of tours and excursions on both land and sea, you can explore the best of what the region has to offer. Register today for these customized tours that have been put together to fit your busy JSM schedule.
JSM DIVERSITY WORKSHOP AND MENTORING PROGRAM – San Diego, CA- July 29–August 1
The ASA Committee on Minorities in Statistics (ASA CMS) is hosting a diversity workshop and mentoring program at JSM in San Diego. The program includes a full-day workshop on Sunday, July 29, followed by brief formal and informal mentoring opportunities throughout JSM. This program focuses on serving the career development needs of statisticians ranging from student level to mid-career professionals in academia, government, and industry, facilitating creation of broad and diverse networks of support. Registration for the program is free, but space is limited. For more information and to register, visit the workshops website.
2012 TRAIN THE TRAINER: HOW TO PRESENT A SHORT COURSE ON EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS - San Diego, CA – July 29
Jeanine Buchanich of the University of Pittsburgh along with Jennifer Van Mullekom, a Senior Consulting Statistician in Dupont's Applied Statistics Group will present a short course on how to train others in making effective presentations. Topics covered will include communication, delivery dimensions, audiences, use of pointers, visual communication, oral communication, proofreading, and room setting and arrangement. Prerequisites are a willingness to teach short courses about effective presentations to statisticians in your local area and presentation skills, acquired through prior attendance of a course about how to make effective presentations or from giving numerous presentations. Learn more and register.
MEETING WITHIN A MEETING (MWM) STATISTICS WORKSHOP FOR MIDDLE- AND HIGH-SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS – San Diego, California – July 31 and August 1, 2012
MWM will take place in conjunction with the Joint Statistical Meetings this summer in San Diego, California. The workshop is meant to strengthen K–12 mathematics and science teachers’ understanding of statistics and provide them with hands-on activities aligned with the Common Core State Standards they can use in their own classrooms. The cost of the workshop is $50.
BEYOND AP STATISTICS WORKSHOP – San Diego, California – August 1
The ASA/NCTM Joint Committee is pleased to sponsor a Beyond AP Statistics workshop at the annual Joint Statistical Meetings. Organized by Roxy Peck, the BAPS workshop is offered for experienced AP Statistics teachers and consists of enrichment material just beyond the basic AP syllabus. The cost of the workshop is $50.
2012 CONFERENCE ON HEALTH STATISTICS – Washington, DC – August 6–8, 2012
The biennial Conference on Health Statistics focuses on the critical importance of public health data affecting the health and well-being of the U.S. population. Included in the 2012 conference is a one-day learning institute on August 6, in which participants will receive hands-on training for accessing and analyzing NCHS survey data and explore learning modules on the use of selected data access tools. This year’s expanded exhibitor showcase and poster sessions offer another venue for insight into NCHS survey operations and data analysis.
CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH ON INCOME AND WEALTH – Boston, MA – August 15, 2012
The Bureau of Economic Analysis is hosting the 32nd General Conference of the International Association for Research on Income and Wealth. The general conference provides a forum for statistical officials and experts from around the world to present new research findings on topics related to national accounting, well-being, and income distribution. One outcome of this research is the development of new economic indicators that will help address some of the most important challenges confronting the global economy. Registration is now open.
ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY 2012 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE – Telford International Centre, UK – September 3–6, 2012
The Royal Statistical Society’s 2012 International Conference program includes plenary talks from Hal Varian (Google), Martine Durand (OECD), and David Hand (Imperial College), as well as more than 30 invited sessions covering topics as diverse as aging in the 21st century, experimental design challenges in industry, measuring national well-being, and statistics and the Olympics. The conference also will feature a stream of professional development workshops and a full pre-conference short course program. Register for the conference now.
2012 ASA BIOPHARMACEUTICAL SECTION FDA/INDUSTRY STATISTICS WORKSHOP – Washington, DC – September 12–14, 2012
The ASA’s Biopharmaceutical Section will host the FDA/Industry Statistics Workshop September 12–14 at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park. Short courses are scheduled on the first day, followed by two days of sessions on the science and statistics associated with the development of new medical products (pharmaceuticals, biologics, and devices). The workshop has been popular since its inception because it is designed specifically for statisticians from industry, academia, and the FDA, providing a forum for open dialogue about issues of mutual interest. Registration is open.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Statistical events are happening around the country and the globe. View our Upcoming Events Calendar.
Off the Press
AMSTAT NEWS
2012 JSM SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
This year’s JSM will feature more than 600 sessions and 3,500 speakers. Sessions cover topics such as “The Role of Statisticians in Health Care Reform” and the importance of “Sparsity.” This article touches on some of this year’s highlights, including keynote speakers. Read more here.
SIGNIFICANCE MAGAZINE ONLINE WEB EXCLUSIVES
SOCIAL MOBILITY AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE
This article details the relationship between social mobility and social structure not from the angle of where you are born geographically but to your parents’ place in the class structure. This article highlights some points that may affect that statement. Read more here.
Read more web exclusives from Significance.
ASA MEMBERS’ ACCESS TO JOURNAL ARCHIVES GREATLY EXPANDED
You know that ASA Journals on Taylor & Francis Online bring you the latest in statistical developments and research. Did you know that ASA members now have access to almost every issue the ASA has ever published? Log in to ASA Members Only and enjoy access to almost every issue of the Journal of the American Statistical Association, The American Statistician, the Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, and Statistics in Biopharmaceutical Research. Access to Journal of Business & Economic Statistics articles is coming soon! ASA and ASQ members who subscribe to the online version of Technometrics also have full access to back issues.
Member Opportunities
INFORM NEW ACTIVITIES, PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT K–16 MATHEMATICS, STATISTICS EDUCATION
The National Science Foundation (NSF) in cooperation with the U.S Department of Education (ED) is interested in input that can inform new activities and programs to support and improve K–16 mathematics education. The working group is viewing mathematics to broadly include pure and applied math, statistics, and the computational sciences. For more information and to provide input regarding K–16 mathematics and statistics education, see the NSF Dear Colleague letter and survey.
STATISTICS TEACHER NETWORK ISSUE 79 NOW ONLINE
The Statistics Teacher Network (STN) is a free newsletter published by the ASA/NCTM Joint Committee on Curriculum in Statistics and Probability for Grades K–12. Issue 79 is now online.
PROPOSED NEW SECTION ON STATISTICS AND MEASUREMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION
In an effort to embrace the rich shared tradition of statistics, psychology, and education and to recognize the increased interest of ASA members in topics related to psychology and education, a section titled Statistics and Measurement in Psychology and Education is being considered. Part of the charter for a new section is to have petitions from at least 100 ASA members saying they would join the section and actively participate in its activities. Current members who would join and participate in the section, should it be approved by the ASA, are encouraged to send an email to Ken Kelley with a statement of support and their name, email address, and ASA member ID.
CHAPTER-SPONSORED COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
There are nine upcoming courses and workshops sponsored by ASA chapters. For dates, locations, descriptions, and registration information, visit the Council of Chapters website. If your chapter is sponsoring an upcoming event and would like it posted to the COC website, contact ASA chapter liaison, Rick Peterson, with the relevant information and link to the chapter’s website where additional information can be found.
PROJECT-SET
Project-SET is a new NSF-funded project to develop curricular materials that enhance the ability of high-school teachers to foster students’ statistical learning regarding sampling variability and regression. All materials will be geared toward helping high-school teachers implement the Common Core State Standards for statistics and are closely aligned with the learning goals outlined in Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report: A Pre-K–12 Curriculum Framework. Materials will be available in January of 2013.
LESSON PLANS AVAILABLE/WANTED ON STATISTICS EDUCATION WEB FOR K–12 TEACHERS
STatistics Education Web (STEW) is an online resource for peer-reviewed lesson plans for K–12 teachers. The lesson plans identify both the statistical concepts being developed and the age range appropriate for its use. Lesson plans will showcase the use of statistical methods and ideas in science and mathematics based on the framework and levels in the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE). The new editor of STEW, Mary Richardson of Grand Valley State University, is accepting submissions of lesson plans for an online bank of peer-reviewed lessons for K–12 teachers of mathematics and science. Consider submitting several of your favorite lesson plans according to the STEW template to steweditor@amstat.org.
JANET NORWOOD AWARD
The Section on Statistical Genetics and the department of biostatistics in the school of public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham request nominations for the eleventh annual Janet L. Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Statistical Sciences. The award recipient will deliver a lecture on September 12 at the UAB award ceremony and receive travel expenses and a $5,000 prize.Deadline for receipt of nominations is June 29th, 2012. Electronic submissions of nominations are encouraged. Visit the UAB website for details.
ASA-SIAM
The electronic materials accompanying Mathematica Laboratories for Mathematical Statistics: Emphasizing Simulation and Computer Intensive Methods by Jenny A. Baglivo (ASA-SIAM, 2005) have been updated for use with current versions of Mathematica and are now available online. Potential users interested in requesting an examination or desk copy, or current users who wish to obtain access to the updated online materials, should visit the site.
STATISTICS WITHOUT BORDERS SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR INSTRUCTORS OF STATISTICS AND SURVEY METHODS IN NORTH KOREA
Statistics without Borders is looking for volunteer instructors to spend one to four weeks this July at the first Pyongyang Summer Institute in Survey Science and Quantitative Methodology (PSI) in North Korea. The courses will cover a variety of statistical and survey areas and take place at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. For more information, see the SWB Facebook page.
ASA ACCREDITATION PROGRAM CONTINUES TO GROW
The ASA’s accreditation program has recently expanded the benefits of becoming an Accredited Professional Statistician™. ASA accreditation is a portfolio-based credential available to only ASA members. It is completely voluntary and intended for those who think such a credential would be meaningful in their professional lives. New benefits include free LearnStat on Demand access, a 20% discount on regular Continuing Education courses (starting at JSM 2012), and special recognition, including a special PStat®-only reception at JSM 2012. To find out how to start enjoying extra benefits today, visit the accreditation website and review the guidelines to be sure of your eligibility.
ASA COMMUNITY DISCUSSION POSTINGS
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BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS AND TEACHING STATISTICS
Now available in the ASA Marketplace, Bridging the Gap offers 20 data analysis and probability investigations written as guides for teachers to implement straightforwardly in their K–8 classrooms. Each investigation is based on the four-step statistical process as defined by the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE).
Feedback, comments, or suggestions are welcome please email asamail@amstat.org with your ideas.