July 2013 Edition

Statistical Outreach & News

CONGRESSMAN PRAISES STATISTICS2013

Recognition of the International Year of Statistics on Capitol Hill continues, this time in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA), who holds a PhD in mathematics and understands the role of statistics in science research and its important contributions to our nation, presented a one-minute speech about Statistics2013 on the floor of the House June 27. You can view the speech at this link. With this one-minute speech, both chambers of Congress have now recognized Statistics2013. North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan (D)  introduced a resolution honoring Statistics2013 and designating this year as the International Year of Statistics.

ASA HONORS 59 NEW FELLOWS

The ASA announced 59 members are being honored as 2013 ASA Fellows. Honorees are being recognized for outstanding professional contributions to and leadership in the field of statistical science. The new fellows, who are from 21 states and six countries, will be awarded certificates at a ceremony August 6 at the annual Joint Statistical Meetings in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Read the ASA press release.

ANNUAL FEDERAL FUNDING PUBLIC MEETING AT JSM

Presentations and Q&A about funding opportunities from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other funding sources will be held at JSM August 6 from 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. in Convention Center Room 516b. Representatives for various funding organizations plan to attend to describe programs in presentations in the first hour. Afterward, program directors and other volunteers will be available to shed light on processes, answer questions, and hear concerns. The focus of this opportunity is to discuss grant funding opportunities for statisticians. Both statistical methodology development and applications of statistics are supported by the programs represented. Representatives will briefly describe new initiatives and areas of emphasis, as well as any special mechanisms for new investigators and investigators at primarily undergraduate institutions. This event, organized by the ASA Committee on Funded Research (CFR), is listed in the JSM Program as Funding Opportunities for Statistics (Open to All).

NEW ASA COMMUNITY GROUP ON FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

To facilitate communication of funding opportunity announcements year round, the ASA Committee on Funded Research (CFR) has developed an ASA Community group, titled Funding Opportunities, to which you can sign up to receive notification of funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) of interest to statisticians as they become available. Funding opportunities from NSF, NIH, DoE, and others are distributed through this listserv. To access it, go to the ASA Community , log in, and search for “funding opportunities.” As always, the ASA CFR solicits your feedback about how it can best facilitate communication between funding agencies and ASA members.

CONGRESS CONTINUES WORK ON FY14 FEDERAL BUDGETS

House appropriations panels released in the last month their FY14 appropriations bills affecting NSF and several federal statistical agencies. The determination of the FY14 budgets is just beginning, with final resolution not likely until well into the start of the new fiscal year on October 1. Part of the delay will come as a result of the large difference in overall discretionary funding levels in the House and Senate, with the House level being much lower. The House panel increases the NSF budget $111 million above the FY13 but this amount is still less than the FY12 level and far short of the FY14 request. The same panel funds the Census Bureau budget $138 million short of the FY14 request and below the FY13 level (at a time when the Census Bureau is trying to ramp up its 2020 decennial census work.) For more information, see these ASA Community blog entries: FY14 NSF and NIH Budget Developments and FY14 Statistical Agency Budget Developments.

COPSS CELEBRATING 50^TH ANNIVERSARY AT JSM

The Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) will celebrate its 50th anniversary at the 2013 Joint Statistical Meetings in Montréal next month. To commemorate the special occasion, COPSS is sponsoring a junior researcher panel featuring six former Presidents’ Award honorees. The organization also will host an anniversary reception for all past award honorees and COPSS members. This year’s COPSS Presidents’ Award honorees will be announced August 7 at JSM when Peter Bickel delivers the 2013 R. A. Fisher Lecture, titled “From Fisher to Big Data: Continuities and Discontinuities.” The ASA is a charter member of COPSS. 

Meetings, Education, & Events

JSM 2013 – Montréal, Québec, Canada – August 3–8

Join the largest international gathering of statisticians in the world. Celebrated statistician Nate Silver, founder of the award-winning FiveThirtyEight.com political website, will be the President’s Invited Address speaker on August 5. Visit the JSM online program for more information, and check the website for general conference updates. Registration and housing are still open.

ASA’s CAREER SUCCESS FACTORS COURSE – Effective Presentations for Statisticians – Montréal, Québec – August 4, 1–5 p.m.

Would you like to polish your presentation skills and better influence your company’s decisionmakers or your clients? Attend the half-day course Effective Presentations for Statisticians in conjunction with JSM 2013 in Montréal. This well-received course, taught at previous ASA meetings by Jennifer Van Mullekom and Bob Starbuck, will cover topics such as slide preparation, crafting your argument, proofreading, and timing. Attendees will review examples of effective and ineffective presentation techniques, learn how to make effective presentations to different audience types using various platforms, and improve their communication skills to both statisticians and nonstatisticians. Get more information and register[NV1] .

JSM JUNIOR RESEARCHERS’ WORKSHOP – Montréal, Québec, Canada – August 4

Are you a new researcher attending JSM in Montréal? If so, you might be interested in joining this special event. It is a unique opportunity to hear first-hand from leaders in the field about what is important at the beginning of a research career, to ask questions, and to socialize. Refreshments will be served. Everybody is welcome, and there is no charge. Register here.

STATISTICS WORKSHOP FOR MIDDLE- AND HIGH-SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS – ASA Office, Alexandria, Virginia – August 15–16, 2013

MWM will take place in the DC metro area this summer, outside the Joint Statistical Meetings. 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. The Washington Statistical Society has generously offered to reimburse the registration fee for the first 40 teachers from the DC Metro Area who register and attend the workshop. For more information and online registration, visit the website.

RSS 2013 ANNUAL CONFERENCE – Newcastle, UK – September 2–5

Registration is now open for the Royal Statistical Society’s annual conference this September. The conference will include the usual mix of keynote speakers, invited sessions, professional development workshops, and networking opportunities, as well as the society’s annual awards ceremony. The draft program is available.

ASA BIOPHARMACEUTICAL SECTION FDA-INDUSTRY STATISTICS WORKSHOP – Washington, DC – September 16–18 

The ASA Biopharmaceutical Section FDA-Industry Statistics Workshop is sponsored by the ASA Biopharmaceutical Section in cooperation with the FDA Statistical Association. Each year, the conference offers two days of invited sessions co-chaired by statisticians from industry, academia, and the FDA. In addition, short courses on related topics are offered the day prior to the workshop. Conference attendance is limited to 800 participants. Housing is still available, and registration is now open.

INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL COMPUTING WITH R AND BIOCONDUCTOR WORKSHOP – UNIVERSITY OF AKRON – OCTOBER 4

The Cleveland chapter of the ASA and the department of statistics at the University of Akron will host a workshop and symposium in celebration of the International Year of Statistics. This full-day workshop will be presented by Martin Morgan of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center at the University of Akron. The following day, the symposium “Statistics at the Crossroads: Its Multifaceted Impact on Society” will be held at the same location. For complete information, visit the Cleveland Chapter website.

10TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HEALTH POLICY STATISTICS – Chicago, IL – October 9–11

Registration for ICHPS is now open! Join us in Chicago for a conference that provides a unique forum for discussing research needs and solutions to the methodological challenges in the design of studies and analysis of data for health policy research. In addition to the keynote, plenary, and paper sessions, there are 11 workshops available on topics such as causal inference, comparative effectiveness research, missing data, and joint longitudinal/survival models. Be sure to register and book your hotel today!

THE BIENNIAL NONCLINICAL BIOSTATISTICS CONFERENCE – Villanova, Pennsylvania – October 15–17 

This conference is jointly organized by statisticians from the pharmaceutical industry, academia, and FDA, in collaboration with the department of mathematics and statistics at Villanova University. The conference provides a venue for the presentation and discussion of scientific and statistical issues in the nonclinical areas of biomarkers/discovery, preclinical safety/toxicology and chemistry, manufacturing, and controls. Two short courses about technical topics also are offered and included with registration. Details, key dates, registration, and abstract submission materials are posted on the conference website. Questions, suggestions, and comments may be directed to info@ncb2013.org.

2013 FCSM RESEARCH CONFERENCE – Washington, DC – November 4–6

The 2013 Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) Research Conference will provide a forum for experts from around the world to discuss and exchange current research and methodological topics relevant to statistical programs.

2014 ASA CONFERENCE ON STATISTICAL PRACTICE – Tampa, FL – February 20–22, 2014

Statistical Practice 2014 will bring together hundreds of statistical practitioners—including data analysts, researchers, and scientists—who engage in the application of statistics to solve real-world problems on a daily basis. The conference will provide an opportunity to learn about the latest statistical methodologies and best practices in statistical design, analysis, programming, and consulting. Practical Computing Expo proposals are being accepted now.

SIAM CONFERENCE ON UNCERTAINTY QUANTIFICATION (UQ14) – SAVANNAH GEORGIA – March 31-April 3

UQ14 will bring together mathematicians, statisticians, scientists, and engineers with an interest in the development and implementation of uncertainty quantification methods. The goal is to provide a forum for sharing ideas and enhance communication among this diverse group of technical experts, thereby contributing to future advances in the field. The conference is being held in cooperation with the American Statistical Association, GAMM Activity Group on Uncertainty Quantification (GAMM AG UQ), and American Geophysical Union (AGU). Instructions for participating and more are available on the website.

EVENTS CALENDAR

Statistical events are happening around the country and the globe. View our Upcoming Events Calendar.

Off the Press

AMSTAT NEWS

NEW PODCAST, RADIO PROGRAM EXPLORES STORIES BEHIND THE STATISTICS

An unlikely pairing of Miami University professors—one in statistics and the other in media studies—has resulted in the creation of a new podcast and radio program called “Stats and Stories” that looks at the stories behind the statistics we use on a daily basis to make decisions. Read more here.

SIGNIFICANCE MAGAZINE ONLINE WEB EXCLUSIVES

STANDING UP FOR SCIENCE: BEATING THE SILENCE

There are many scary things to face when doing a PhD: a supervisor’s ideas of ‘normal’ working hours, reviewers whose sole aim in life is to reject as many papers as possible, or the experimental equipment that only works when the right amount of Blu-Tack is in the right place and you karate chop the on button. But possibly the scariest of all is the journalist. This is why sense about science has set up their Standing up for Science media workshop. Read more here.

Read more web exclusives from Significance. 

FREE JASA DOWNLOADS !

The following articles from the June 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Statistical Association are available for free download for a limited time:

· In Praise of Simplicity not Mathematistry! Ten Simple Powerful Ideas for the Statistical Scientist, Roderick J. Little’s 2012 Fisher Lecture

· Spline-Based Emulators for Radiative Shock Experiments with Measurement Error, by Chakraborty et al.

· Efficient Robust Regression via Two-Stage Generalized Empirical Likelihood, by Howard D. Bondell and Leonard A. Stefanski

· The Poisson Compound Decision Problem Revisited, by Lawrence D. Brown, Eitan Greenshtein & Ya’acov Ritov

Member Opportunities

2013 NATIONAL COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS IN STATISTICS 2013

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 program (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 program builds upon the national competitive recruitment examination (NCRE), which was held for the last time in 2010. For more information, visit the website.

AERA GRANTS PROGRAMS

AERA Dissertation Grants. AERA provides dissertation support for advanced doctoral students to undertake doctoral dissertations using data from the large-scale national or international data sets supported by the NCES, NSF, and/or other federal agencies. The selection process is competitive. AERA dissertation grants are awarded for one year and can be up to $20,000. AERA Research Grants. AERA provides small grants for faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and other doctoral-level scholars to undertake quantitative research using data from the large-scale national or international data sets supported by the NCES, NSF, and/or other federal agencies. The selection process is competitive. AERA Research Grants are awarded for one or two years for an amount of up to $35,000. The next application deadline for both grants is September 5.

ASA AND AAAS
The ASA is undertaking an important initiative to enhance the visibility of Statistics among our fellow scientists.  The American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of Science, the world's leading scientific research journal. The ASA and Section U encourage you to join the AAAS and participate in outreach activities highlighting the importance of Statistics to leaders in all areas of science. Buttons highlighting AAAS and Section U and flyers describing the benefits of AAAS membership will be available near the JSM registration desk.  Please stop by and pick up a button and wear it during the meeting!  And please encourage your colleagues to do the same.  Help us raise awareness of this important campaign to increase the visibility of our field!

LESTER R. CURTIN AWARD

The Lester R. Curtin Award will provide registration and travel support for a young health statistician attending the ASA Conference on Statistical Practice. To be eligible for the $1,000 award, applicants must work in the field of health statistics (broadly defined as either applied, including public health policy, or clinical work) or in a graduate program to prepare for such work. The submission deadline is October 15.

CAS LAUNCHES PILOT PARTNERSHIP ASA MENTORING PROGRAM

Sponsored with seed money from a 2013 ASA Member Initiative grant, the ASA Committee on Applied Statisticians (CAS) is launching a pilot partnership ASA mentorship program for applied statisticians. Mentorship initiatives targeted toward practicing statisticians have been made in a variety of ASA units, including some sections, chapters, and committees. Also, a past ASA president wrote two Amstat News columns on mentoring. Yet, many have come to CAS asking if such a program exists. Learn more or help with this pilot program.

PROVIDE FEEDBACK FOR UPDATING CURRICULUM GUIDELINES FOR UNDERGRAUATE STATISTICS PROGRAMS

 The American Statistical Association (ASA) is updating the set of curriculum guidelines for undergraduate statistics programs.  The working group consisting of representatives from academia, industry, and government welcomes your input online. Additionally, there will be an open meeting held at the Joint Statistical Meetings (Montréal, Canada) from 4-5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 7, in CC-515B.

FREE LESSON PLANS AVAILABLE 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 their use. The website resource is organized around the four elements in the GAISE framework: formulate a statistical question, design and implement a plan to collect data, analyze the data by measures and graphs, and interpret the data in the context of the original question. Teachers can navigate the site by grade level and statistical topic. In addition to using the free lessons, please consider submitting several of your favorite lesson plans according to the STEW template to steweditor@amstat.org.

FREE STATISTICS EDUCATION WEBINARS

The American Statistical Association is now offering free webinars on K–12 statistics education topics. This series was developed as part of the follow-up activities for the Meeting Within a Meeting (MWM) Statistics Workshop. A new webinar on Census at School was posted recently. The Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education also offers free webinars on undergraduate statistics education.

STATISTICS TEACHER NETWORK (STN) ISSUE 81 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 81 of STN is now online.

JSM PROCEEDINGS

JSM Proceedings from 2008 onward are available to members through the Members Only section of the ASA’s website. Past JSM proceedings on CD are available through the Marketplace at a discounted rate of $40 for members.

GIVE THE GIFT OF SIGNIFICANCE TO YOUR LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL

Help your local high school introduce the power of statistics to our children through a tax-deductible gift subscription to Significance magazine. Significance articles are nontechnical, appealing to everyone interested in statistics and the analysis and interpretation of data. The magazine communicates and demonstrates, in an entertaining and thought-provoking way, the practical use of statistics in all walks of life and shows how statistics benefit society. Provide your local high school with a subscription today.

ASA ACCREDITATION PROGRAM CONTINUES TO GROW

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. Benefits include free LearnStat OnDemand access, a 20% discount on regular Continuing Education courses, and special recognition. Fei Long of Riot Games and Stanislav Kolenikov of ABT became accredited members during the month of June. View the full list of accredited members.

AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, & CONTESTS

LESTER R. CURTIN AWARD – Deadline: October 15