ASA Member News Archive
ASA Member News February 2011
February 2011 Edition
Statistical Outreach & News
ASA ACTION ALERT: CALL AND URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TO SUPPORT RESEARCH FUNDING; OPPOSE SPENDING REDUCTIONS FOR SCIENCE AGENCIES
The U.S. House of Representatives is preparing for a debate on the 2011 Continuing Resolution, which would cut the National Science Foundation by 5% ($360 million) and the National Institutes of Health by 5% ($1.6 billion). ASA is asking you to reach out especially to your Representatives to ask them to support research funding and oppose cuts to the budgets for the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Learn more: Congress and Administration Considering Budgets for Two Fiscal Years and 2012 Budget Request for NSF and NIH. Contact ASA Director of Science Policy Steve Pierson.
SENATOR LEAHY INTRODUCES FORENSIC SCIENCE REFORM BILL
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced S. 132, the Criminal Justice and Forensic Science Reform Act, on January 25. While the bill has many components, one of the most important is the creation of the Office of Forensic Science (OFS) and a forensic science board.
CREATE A VIDEO TO PROMOTE STATISTICS AND WIN CASH - Deadline: July 15, 2011
Enter the 2011 ASA Promoting the Practice and Profession of Statistics Video Competition. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winning entries: First place: $1,000, Second place: $350, Third place: $150. The deadline for submission of videos is July 15. Winners will be announced at JSM 2011 in Miami Beach, Florida.
STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Need materials for outreach? The ASA Statistical Significance pieces, highlighting important contributions statisticians make to society.
U.S. CENSUS AT SCHOOL PROGRAM SEEKING CHAMPIONS
The ASA and Population Association of America launched the U.S. version of Census at School, an international classroom project that engages students in grades 4–12 in statistical problemsolving. This is a wonderful opportunity for statisticians and statistics educators to perform outreach in their communities. For more information about how you can get involved, email Martha Aliaga and copy Rebecca Nichols.
Meetings, Education, & Events
2011 FDA/INDUSTRY STATISTICS WORKSHOP PROPOSALS - Deadline: February 28, 2011
The 2011 FDA/Industry Statistics Workshop will be held September 19–21 at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, DC. This year, an online submission tool for session proposals is available. Proposals will be accepted via the online web form for roundtable luncheon discussions through February 28.
MEETING IN MEMORY OF JULIAN BESAG – Bristol, England – April 1-2, 2011
This two-day meeting will celebrate the life and work of the late Julian Besag. All are welcome to attend. There will be a memorial gathering for Besag on April 1, preceded by refreshments and followed by a reception and early evening dinner. A one-day scientific symposium covering some of the many areas of statistical science to which Julian made major contributions during his distinguished career will take place on April 2. RSVP or contribute a personal reminiscence for the April 1 session and/or a poster for the April 2 meeting.
KANSAS-WESTERN MISSOURI CHAPTER SYMPOSIUM AND SHORT COURSE – Kansas City, MO – April 7-8, 2011
The symposium Innovations in Design, Analysis, and Dissemination: Frontiers in Biostatistical Methods will take place at the Cerner Vision Center on Cerner Corporation’s World Headquarters campus in Kansas City, Missouri, April 7–8. The symposium will be preceded by the short course Regression Modeling Strategies, presented by Frank Harrell Jr. the morning of April 7.
WORKSHOP: REGRESSION MODELING WITH MANY CORRELATED PREDICTORS – Chicago, IL – April 8, 2011
This Workshop to be presented by Jay Magidson of Statistical Innovations and Tony Babinec of AB Analytics on April 8 at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. This event is sponsored by the Chicago Chapter of the American Statistical Association.
CONFERENCE ON STATISTICAL ISSUES IN CLINICAL TRIALS – Philadelphia, PA – April 13, 2011
University of Pennsylvania Annual Conference on Statistical Issues in Clinical Trials will take place on April 13. The topic will be Emerging Statistical Issues in the Conduct and Monitoring of Clinical Trials. The 2011 conference will bring together leading scientists who will make presentations and lead open discussions about state-of-the-art and developing methods. Participants from academic institutions, industry, and governmental agencies with an interest in contributing to these discussions are encouraged to register. contact Donna Zikowitz or (215) 573-2728.
SHORT COURSE: BAYESIAN INFERENCE, PREDICTION, AND DECISION MAKING II – San Francisco, CA – April 16, 2011
This Short Course to be presented by David Draper on April 16 at the Airport Marriott Waterfront in San Francisco, California. This event is sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the ASA.
58th WORLD STATISTICS CONGRESS OF THE ISI – Dublin, Ireland – August 21-26, 2011
The Central Statistics Office, Ireland invites you to participate in the 58th World Statistics Congress of the International Statistical Institute (ISI) which will be held in Dublin from the 21st to the 26th August 2011. This biennial meeting of the ISI brings together statisticians from across the disciplinary spectrum to share experiences, expertise and challenges.
9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HEALTH POLICY STATISTICS – Cleveland, OH – October 5–7, 2011
The 2011 ICHPS, organized by the ASA’s Health Policy Statistics Section, will take place October 5–7 in Cleveland, Ohio, and 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.
1st ANNUAL ASA CONFERENCE ON STATISTICAL PRACTICE – Orlando, FL – February 16-18, 2012
ASA proudly announces the inaugural ASA Conference on Statistical Practice. This early 2012 conference will bring together 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. Watch the website for announcements and important dates!
EVENTS CALENDAR
Statistical events are happening around the country and the globe. View our Upcoming Events Calendar.
Off the Press
IN AMSTAT NEWS: ANNUAL FUND DRIVE REACHES NEW HEIGHTS
A record number of contributors made the 2010 Annual Fund Drive the most successful. More than 700 ASA members contributed more than $34,000. These funds helped the ASA promote the practice and profession of statistics in several ways during 2010. Read more and see a few examples.
ASA JOURNAL ARTICLE DOWNLOADS
JASA:
* Modeling Competing Infectious Pathogens from a Bayesian Perspective: Application to Influenza Studies with Incomplete Laboratory Results, by Yang et al.
* Chronic Disease Prevention Research Methods and Their Reliability, with Illustrations from the Women’s Health Initiative, by Prentice
* Estimability and Likelihood Inference for Generalized Linear Mixed Models Using Data Cloning, by Lele et al.
TAS:
* The Changing History of Robustness, by Stigler
JBES:
* Bias-Corrected Matching Estimators for Average Treatment Effects, by Abadie and Imbens
More free articles are available from JCGS, Technometrics, and Statistics in Biopharmaceutical Research. Log in first at ASA Members Only and then look for articles marked free.
BACK TO THE FUTURE: A FREE JCGS DOWNLOAD
In 2007, a great article, Statistical Analyses and Reproducible Research, by Robert Gentleman and Duncan Temple Lang, appeared in JCGS.
SIGNIFICANCE MAGAZINE ONLINE WEB EXCLUSIVES
Records Are Meant to Be Broken. At the University of Connecticut, the women’s basketball team set a record 90 consecutive wins before losing to a highly rated Stanford team. This record broke the long-standing 88-game winning streak of the 1970s by John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team with Bill Walton. Read about records in general and records that were difficult to break and the way they were broken. Read more web exclusives.
Member Opportunities
ACCREDITATION
Accreditation is a voluntary credential offered to members of the ASA who may find value in a credential that provides peer recognition for all of the following: having advanced statistical training and knowledge, having experience in applying statistical expertise competently, maintaining appropriate professional development, agreeing to abide by ethical standards of practice, and being able to communicate effectively. ASA members interested in the new voluntary program for individual professional accreditation should complete the intent-to-apply form online. List of currently accredited members.
ASA COMMITTEE ON LAW AND JUSTICE STATISTICS ANNOUNCES A SMALL GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE ANALYSIS OF BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS AND OTHER JUSTICE-RELATED DATA - Deadline: February 18, 2011
This program is designed to encourage the creative and appropriate use of these data to inform substantive and/or methodological issues. Other than these criteria, there are no restrictions placed on the topic of a submission. Dissertation research may qualify for these funds, and young investigators are encouraged to apply. Research is to be completed within a two-year period. Awards are typically in the range of $25,000 to $30,000, although awards as high as $40,000 will be considered if the projects are exceptional.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: FOUR AWARDS FOR DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIST IN EPIDEMIOLOGY - Deadline: March 1, 2011
The North American Congress of Epidemiology 2011 invites nominations for distinguished scientist awards in four categories: 1) Overall Excellence in Epidemiology; 2) Methods Development and Application; 3) Translation of Epidemiologic Evidence into Public Health Policy and Practice; and 4) Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: ALEXANDER D. LANGMUIR AWARD FOR TRAINING PROGRAM EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION - Deadline: March 1, 2011
The North American Congress of Epidemiology 2011 invites submissions for the Alexander D. Langmuir Award for Training Program Excellence and Innovation. The prize will recognize one outstanding degree-granting program or training program in epidemiology.
ENTRIES FOR THE STUDENT/YOUNG RESEARCHER PAPER COMPETITION - Deadline: March 1, 2011
The Section on Risk Analysis is soliciting entries for the Student/Young Researcher Paper Competition at JSM 2011. Students and young researchers who want to be considered for this competition must submit a manuscript of their work in addition to the abstract. Manuscripts should be sent to Alexandra Kapatou.
ASA/NCTM JOINT COMMITTEE SEEKS STN EDITORS - Deadline: March 1, 2011
The ASA/NCTM Joint Committee on Curriculum in Probability and Statistics for grades K–12 is seeking volunteers to serve as editor or associate editor for the Statistics Teachers Network, beginning in the fall of 2011. STN is a free publication intended to keep K–12 teachers informed about statistical workshops; programs; and reviews of books, software, and technology.
GRANT TO BE PROVIDED FOR TRAVEL TO 2011 MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL INSTITUTE - Deadline: March 7, 2011
The ASA has received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support travel to Dublin, Ireland, for the August 21–26 meeting of the International Statistical Institute (ISI). The grant will provide partial transportation assistance to individuals presenting papers or who have an official function at the ISI meeting. Newer faculty who completed PhD requirements in 2005 or later, women, and minorities are especially encouraged to apply. Attendees must be members of ISI, members of ISI sections, or official representatives of an invited organization. The ISI sections include the International Association of Survey Statisticians, the International Association of Statistical Computing, the International Association of Official Statistics, the Bernoulli Society for Mathematical Statistics and Probability, and the International Association for Statistical Education. ISI travel grant application. Contact Joyce@amstat.org for additional information.
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.
Feedback, comments, or suggestions are welcome please email asamail@amstat.org with your ideas.