ASA Member News Archive

Welcome to the February edition of ASA Member News, the ASA's monthly e-newsletter.

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In Amstat News

AMSTAT NEWS ONLINE

Amstat News, the monthly membership magazine of the American Statistical Association, is now available online. View the February issue.

Events Outlook

NEW WEBINAR SERIES OFFERED BY AMATYC AND ASA – February 26, 2009

The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) and the American Statistical Association have developed a web-based distance learning program to complement the AMATYC Traveling Statistics workshops sponsored by CAUSE. The first webinar in this series is Emphasizing Conceptual Understanding in Statistics, to be presented by Bob delMas of the University of Minnesota on February 26, 2009.

SPRING 2009 LEARNSTAT COURSES

Evaluating Probability of Success for Internal Decision-making in Early Drug Development
Presenters: Narinder Nangia, Martin King, and Jane Qian of Abbott Laboratories
Half-Day Course: Thursday, April 2
Location: Kansas City, Missouri

An Introduction to the Fundamentals & Functionality of the R Language
Presenter: Theresa A. Scott, Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University
Two-Day Course: Thursday and Friday, April 9 and 10
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Fundamental Statistics Concepts in Presenting Data: Principles for Constructing Better Graphics
Presenter: Rafe Donahue, Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University
One-Day Course: Friday, April 17
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Survival Analysis in Clinical Trials
Presenter: Danyu Lin, Department of Biostatistics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
One-Day Course: Thursday, April 30, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location: Teaneck, New Jersey

Introduction to Meta-Analysis
Presenter: Michael Borenstein, Biostat
One-Day Course: Friday, May 1, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location: Teaneck, New Jersey

View course descriptions or register.

12TH BIENNIAL CDC & ATSDR SYMPOSIUM ON STATISTICAL METHODS – Decatur, Georgia – April 7–8, 2009

Registration is now open for the 12th biennial CDC & ATSDR Symposium on Statistical Methods. The symposium will be held April 7–8, with courses on April 6 in Decatur, Georgia.

2009 SIAM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DATA MINING – Sparks, Nevada – April 30 – May 2, 2009

The 2009 SIAM International Conference on Data Mining (SDM09) will be held in the Reno-Sparks-Tahoe area of Nevada, April 30 – May 2, 2009. This conference is held in cooperation with the ASA and brings together data mining, statistical, and mathematical researchers from academic, government, and industrial institutions. SDM09 is a venue for researchers to present their work on data mining in a peer-reviewed forum. It also provides an ideal setting for graduate students and others new to the field to learn about cutting-edge research by hearing outstanding invited speakers and attending tutorials (included with conference registration). A set of focused workshops also will be held on the last day of the conference.

TIES NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL MEETING – Corvallis, Oregon – June 15–17, 2009

The North American Region of the International Environmetrics Society (TIES) will hold its biennial meeting in Corvallis, Oregon, June 15–17, 2009. The theme of the meeting is Measuring, Monitoring, and Modeling Environmental Resources. Submissions covering any aspect of measuring, monitoring, or modeling environmental resources are encouraged. For further information, contact Don Stevens.

24TH INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON STATISTICAL MODELING – Ithaca, New York – July 20–24, 2009

The 24th International Workshop on Statistical Modeling will be held at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, July 20–24, 2009. The deadline for abstract submission is February 13, 2009.

2009 ASA FDA/INDUSTRY STATISTICS WORKSHOP – Washington, DC – September 24–25, 2009

The 2009 ASA FDA/Industry Workshop will be held at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, DC. Please 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 23.

EVENTS CALENDAR

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

@amstat.org

ASA T-SHIRT DESIGN COMPETITION

Have a clever idea for a statistical shirt? The ASA is hosting a competition for statistical T-shirt designs. See your T-shirt added to the ASA Marketplace. The winner will receive a free T-shirt featuring their design and a free year of ASA membership. Submit your idea now.

Special Opportunities

THE CENSUS PROJECT

The ASA recently joined The Census Project in asking that the White House act quickly to appoint a new census director and has requested a meeting with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to discuss the appointment. The Census Project is a coalition of a number of census stakeholders representing a broad range of organizations and issue areas. The ASA also signed on to two previous Census Project letters to the House Appropriations Committee supporting funding for Census 2010.  

2009 POSTER AND PROJECT COMPETITIONS

Introduce K–12 students to statistics through the 2009 poster and project competitions directed by the ASA/NCTM Joint Committee on the Curriculum in Statistics and Probability. The competitions offer opportunities for students to formulate questions, gather and display data, and draw conclusions from data. Posters (grades K–12) are due every year on April 1. Projects are due on April 1 for grades 4–6 and 7–9 and on May 30 for grades 10–12. Winners will be published in Amstat News and recognized with plaques, cash prizes, certificates, and calculators (donated by Texas Instruments). Information about the poster and project competitions, including two instructional webinars, are available at http://www.amstat.org/education/posterprojects/index.cfm.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS AND DATING MINING

Call for Papers: Wiley-Blackwell and the American Statistical Association have entered into a new, cooperative publishing agreement for the journal Statistical Analysis and Data Mining. Under terms of the agreement, the ASA and Wiley-Blackwell will cooperate in the development of the journal's editorial policy and scope. Submit your paper.

Statistical Analysis and Data Mining Publication Alerts: Want to know when a new issue publishes online?  Visit the Journal homepage to set up an alert and you will receive the table of contents in your inbox each time a new issue publishes online.

STATISTICS EDUCATION WEB IN SEARCH OF ASSOCIATE EDITORS AND REVIEWERS

The editor of Statistics Education Web, an online bank of peer-reviewed lesson plans for K–12 teachers of mathematics and science, is accepting applications/nominations for associate editors and reviewers. Those chosen will review lesson plans that showcase the use of statistical methods and ideas in science and mathematics based on framework and levels of the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report: A Pre-K–12 Curriculum Framework. Interested persons should electronically submit a letter of interest and a current CV or resume to the STEW editor and Rebecca Nichols.

FREE STATISTICS EDUCATION WEBINARS & RESOURCES

The ASA offers 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 Workshop for K–12 Mathematics and Science Teachers, held in conjunction with the Joint Statistical Meetings. The Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education also offers free webinars on undergraduate statistics education topics.

JSM CONGRESSIONAL VISITS

To take advantage of JSM being in our nation's capital, the ASA science policy office will be arranging for ASA members to make visits to the offices of their congressional representatives during the last day of JSM, Thursday, August 6, 2009. Participants will be prepped during Wednesday and Thursday briefings about how to conduct successful meetings with Hill staffers and on the requests the ASA will make (as determined by the ASA Board in an upcoming meeting). Participants also will be provided with materials to explain and support the ASA requests. ASA participants will be provided instructions to schedule the meetings, with a goal of 4–5 meetings for each state's group. Future announcements will include information about how to sign up. For more information, contact Steve Pierson.

Upcoming Deadlines

ASA TRAVEL GRANTS TO DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, FOR THE 57TH SESSION OF ISI – Deadline: February 20, 2009

The ASA has received funding from the National Science Foundation to support travel to Durban, South Africa, for the August 16–22, 2009, meeting of the International Statistical Institute. The grant will provide partial transportation assistance to individuals presenting papers or who have an official function at the ISI meeting. Attendees must be members of ISI or one of its sections or an official representative of an invited organization. Additional information.

UNDERGRADUATE STATISTICS PROJECT COMPETITION – Deadline: February 23, 2009

The new submission deadline for the 2009 Undergraduate Statistics Project Competition, sponsored by CAUSE, is February 23, 2009.

CALL FOR ASA FELLOW NOMINATIONS – Deadline: March 2, 2009

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.

Mary G. and Joseph Natrella Scholarship – Deadline: March 16, 2009

This scholarship will support the participation of two students at the 2009 Quality and Productivity Research Conference, which will be held in Yorktown Heights, New York, June 3–5, 2009. Winners of the scholarship receive a $2,500 grant, complimentary registration for the conference and associated short course, $500 toward travel and housing expenses, and the opportunity to present their research at the conference. Application is open to full-time students who are currently pursuing a master's or doctoral degree at an accredited college or university and who have a demonstrated interest in applications of statistics to quality and productivity.

AWARD DEADLINES FOR AWARDS GIVEN AT THE JOINT STATISTICAL MEETINGS

DAVID P. BYAR YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD – Deadline: March 1, 2009  Sponsored by the ASA Biometric Section. 

SPAIG AWARD – Deadline: March 5, 2009 Sponsored by the ASA Statistical Partnerships among Academe, Industry, and Government (SPAIG) committee the SPAIG Award recognizes effective partnerships. Contacts: Rahul Parsa or Morteza Marzjarani.

FOUNDERS AWARD – Deadline: March 15, 2009 Established in 1988 by the ASA Board of Directors to recognize members who have rendered distinguished service to the association.

W. J. YOUDEN AWARD IN INTERLABORATORY TESTING – Deadline: March 15, 2009 Established in 1985 to recognize the authors of 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.

SAMUEL S. WILKS MEMORIAL MEDAL – Deadline: April 1, 2009 Recognizes outstanding contributions to statistics that carry on in the spirit of the work of Samuel S. Wilks.

EDWARD C. BRYANT SCHOLARSHIP – Deadline: April 1, 2009 Established by Westat in 1995 to honor its cofounder and chair emeritus this scholarship recognizes an outstanding graduate student in survey statistics.

AWARD OF OUTSTANDING STATISTICAL APPLICATION – Deadline: April 1, 2009 Established in 1986 to recognize a paper that is an outstanding application of statistics in any substantive field.

EXCELLENCE IN STATISTICAL REPORTING AWARD – Deadline: April 15, 2009 Established 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.