ASA Member News Archive
ASA Member News January 2008
Welcome to the January edition of ASA Member News, the ASA's monthly e-newsletter.
STATbit
Did you know the ASA is going green for the 2008 elections? Be sure to check your email for your electronic ballot. The ASA annual election of officers opens March 17, 2008.
In Amstat News
In this month’s President’s Corner, Peter A. (Tony) Lachenbruch delivers his first message to the ASA membership as president. He discusses his plans to better communicate the association’s messages, starting with a task force appointed to examine communications and professional development offerings by the ASA. Read this month's column.
Upcoming Deadlines
THE 2008 DON OWEN AWARD CALL FOR NOMINATIONS – Deadline: February 1, 2008
The San Antonio Chapter is accepting nominations for the 2008 Don Owen Award from ASA chapters nationwide. Nominees must be a member of the ASA, but are not required to be a member of the nominating chapter. The San Antonio Chapter presents the Don Owen Award to a statistician who embodies the three-fold accomplishments of Donald B. Owen.
MEMBER INPUT ON DRAFT OF NEW STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE ASA – Deadline: February 15, 2008
ASA members have the opportunity to provide input on the draft of a new strategic plan for the association that was developed by a task force appointed by Past-President Mary Ellen Bock in April 2007. The plan provides a concise set of high-level objectives and strategies that will guide fundamental decisions made by future ASA presidents and boards.
NSF PROGRAM SOLICITATION – Deadline: February 21, 2008
An updated NSF program solicitation is available for the Interdisciplinary Training for Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences (UBM). The goal of the UBM activity is to enhance undergraduate education and training at the intersection of the biological and mathematical sciences and to better prepare undergraduate biology or mathematics students to pursue graduate study and careers in fields that integrate the mathematical and biological sciences.
CALL FOR ASA FELLOW NOMINATIONS – Deadline: March 3, 2008
Becoming an ASA Fellow is one of the highest honors bestowed by our organization. On behalf of the ASA, members of the Committee on Fellows strongly encourage the nomination of deserving members for the ASA Fellow Award. They also encourage ASA Chapters, Sections, and Committees to search for and nominate deserving members from their respective constituencies.
FOUNDERS AWARD NOMINATIONS CALL – Deadline: March 15, 2008
In 1988, the ASA Board of Directors voted to establish the ASA Founders Award to recognize members who have rendered distinguished service to the association. Individual(s) selected will have served the association for an extended period of time, usually in a variety of leadership roles such as, but not limited to, Section, Chapter, Committee, editorial, or officer capacities wherein effective service or leadership was provided within the ASA or through ASA outreach to other organizations.
NOMINATIONS FOR W. J. YOUDEN AWARD – Deadline: March 15, 2008
Nominations are being accepted for the 2008 W. J. Youden Award in Interlaboratory Testing, sponsored by the American Statistical Association. This award was established in 1985 to recognize publications that make outstanding contributions to the design and/or analysis of interlaboratory tests or describe ingenious approaches to the planning and evaluation of data from such tests. The award recipient(s) will receive a certificate and a share of a $1,000 prize.
WILKS MEMORIAL MEDAL NOMINATIONS – Deadline: April 1, 2008
The 2008 Samuel S. Wilks Memorial Medal Committee invites members to submit nominations for this award, to be presented at the 2008 annual meetings in August. The award consists of a medal, citation, and honorarium. For more information, visit .
BRYANT SCHOLARSHIP NOMINATIONS – Deadline: April 1, 2008
The Edward C. Bryant Scholarship for Outstanding Graduate Student in Survey Statistics is awarded each August at the Joint Statistical Meetings. The winner receives a certificate and $1,500 prize.
NOMINATIONS FOR AWARD OF OUTSTANDING STATISTICAL APPLICATION – Deadline: April 1, 2008
The Award of Outstanding Statistical Application was established in 1986 to recognize a paper that is an outstanding application of statistics in any substantive field. The award will be presented at the Joint Statistical Meetings in August.
NOMINATIONS FOR EXCELLENCE IN STATISTICAL REPORTING AWARD – Deadline: April 15, 2008
The Excellence in Statistical Reporting award is given to encourage and recognize members of the communications media who have best displayed an informed interest in the science of statistics and its role in public life. The award can be given for a single statistical presentation or for sustained worthy contributions, as would clearly be a credit to the statistical profession.
Events Outlook
JSM 2008 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS – Deadline: February 4, 2008
Abstract submissions for the 2008 Joint Statistical Meetings are being accepted for contributed papers and posters and topic-contributed papers, posters, and panels. As a courtesy to participants, the ASA is no longer requiring JSM pre-registration in order to submit an abstract. The deadline for online abstract submissions is February 4, 2008.
NEW SHORT COURSE: APPLIED SURVIVAL ANALYSIS – Chicago, Illinois – March 14, 2008
The short course Applied Survival Analysis is sponsored by the Chicago Chapter of the ASA. The course does not assume prior knowledge of survival analysis techniques, but familiarity with either linear or logistic regression is assumed. Mathematical details are kept to a minimum. Approaches will be illustrated with examples from health-related studies.
NEW LEARNSTAT COURSE: ANALYSIS OF CENSORED DATA – Alexandria, Virginia – April 18, 2008
A new LearnSTAT course for the spring, Analysis of Censored Data presented by Danyu Lin, will review key developments of statistical theory and methods for analyzing censored event time data in the last three decades.
2008 ASA CONFERENCE ON RADIATION AND HEALTH – Vail, Colorado - June 15-18, 2008
The 2008 American Statistical Association's Conference on Radiation and Health continues a decades-long tradition of bringing scientists working in the biophysical, biological, biostatistical, and public health aspects of radiation epidemiology, together in a beautiful and relaxed atmosphere. All speakers are invited internationally recognized experts in their fields of specialization. The meeting will have a special focus on new directions in radiation research. These include recent discoveries in radiobiology, radiation dosimetry, and radiation epidemiology, as well as new statistical approaches to existing data. More information about the conference will be posted soon on the ASA Meetings website.
THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BIOPHARMACEUTICAL STATISTICS – Shanghai, China – June 30-July 2, 2008
The 2008 symposium, cosponsored by the American Statistical Association, will provide an international forum for statistical professionals to share information and improve and promote the harmonization of statistical practice in the industry at the international front. The symposium will cover a range of topics in research; development; and regulations of drugs, biologics, medical devices, and biotechnologies. There will be keynote speeches and invited presentations from prominent statisticians.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Statistical events are happening around the country and the globe. View our Upcoming Events Calendar.
@amstat.org
NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR 2009 ELECTION
Although the 2008 elections are just approaching, we already need to begin preparing for the 2009 elections. Nominations are being sought for ASA President-Elect and Vice President. As a member of the ASA, you recognize the importance of leadership in our diverse, complex, multidisciplinary industry. Think about your colleagues and associates who are fellow members of the ASA. The President-Elect will be nominated from the government sector; the Vice President is to be nominated from academia. The submission deadline is Monday, April 15, 2008.
Special Opportunities
CHAPTER-GET-A-MEMBER CHALLENGE WINNERS
In May, we challenged our Chapters to help the association grow by recruiting new members as part of our Chapter-get-a-Member Campaign. We would like to thank all participants in this campaign, with special thanks going to the winners from each chapter group with the most recruits. The challenge came to an end on October 31, with 117 individual members joining the ASA. The winning chapters are the Southern California Chapter, Louisiana Chapter, Delaware Chapter, and Harrisburg Chapter.
ASA ENDORSES CONCLUSIONS OF THE UN IPCC FOURTH ASSESMENT REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE
The ASA Board of Directors approved a statement on climate change, including an endorsement of the conclusions of the Fourth Assessment Report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The document also calls for expanding the scope of statistician involvement in climate change research.
2008 TRAVELING SHORT COURSES
The ASA Council of Chapters Traveling Short Course Committee is pleased to announce its 2008 course offerings. The traveling short courses are provided by the ASA to bring low-cost, local courses to chapters that provide workshops for members and help develop programs and outreach.
JSM 2008 LOCAL AREA COMMITTEE
Matt Pocernich, president of the ASA Colorado-Wyoming Chapter, is looking for members interested in participating in Local Area Committee activities that support the Joint Statistical Meetings in Denver, August 3–7, 2008. If you are interested, contact Pocernich.
Feedback, comments, or suggestions are welcome please email asamail@amstat.org with your ideas.