June 2011 Edition

Statistical Outreach & News

HOUSE CONSIDERS DRASTIC CUTS TO ECONOMIC RESEARCH SERVICE AND NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICAL SERVICE

The House or Representatives considered--and fortunately defeated--major cuts to the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) in the Department of Agriculture. Cuts to the FY12 budgets for both agencies already included in the bill unfortunately remained intact. Read more.

FY12 STATISTICAL AGENCY BUDGET DEVELOPMENTS

The House has begun marking up its FY12 appropriations bills. Read more.

ASA PRESIDENT ELECT BOB RODRIGUEZ SENDS LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION BUDGET

2012 ASA President Bob Rodriguez sent letters* to House and Senate appropriators early this week in support of the fiscal year 2012 (FY12) budget for the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The letter explicitly supports the FY12 requested level of $124 million and also expresses concern over the 14% cut to EIA’s budget in FY11 enacted in April. The cut reduced EIA’s budget to $96 million in FY11, down from $111 million in FY10. Read more.

REPORT BY SENATOR COBURN CRITICAL OF NSF

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) released a 73-page report on May 26 critical of NSF research and management. The report cites wasteful spending of millions of dollars; “significant mismanagement, fraud, and abuse”; and research funding redundancy. One of Coburn’s recommendations is to eliminate NSF’s Social, Behavioral, and Economics (SBE) Directorate. Read more.

U.S. CENSUS AT SCHOOL PROGRAM SEEKS CHAMPIONS

The U.S. version of Census at School is a free international classroom project that engages students in grades 4–12 in statistical problem solving. Students complete an online survey, analyze their class census results, and compare their class with random samples of students in the United States and other participating countries. The ASA and PAA are seeking champions to expand the U.S. Census at School program nationally. 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. 

STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Need materials for outreach? The ASA Statistical Significance pieces, which highlight important contributions statisticians make to society, can help get your students more interested in statistics or attract students to your programs. "StatSigs" are now available for health care, energy, business, national security, environment, and health policy.

Meetings, Education, & Events

THE GRAYBILL CONFERENCE ON MODERN NONPARAMETRIC METHODS – June 22–24

Cosponsored by the Section on Nonparametric Statistics, the Graybill Conference will be held in Fort Collins, Colorado. The focus of the conference is on nonparametric and semiparametric modeling and functional estimation methods. The program consists of a short course, invited plenary talks, and a contributed poster session. Student travel support is available through the student poster competition.

ICSA 2011 APPLIED STATISTICS SYMPOSIUM – June 26–29

The International Chinese Statistical Association (ICSA) invites you to participate in the 20th Applied Statistics Symposium in New York City. All the scientific programs and short courses will be held in The Westin New York Hotel at Times Square. The ICSA applied statistics symposium has successfully attracted statisticians from around the world to exchange and explore new scientific research and application techniques. For more information, contact Wei Zhang.

SECTION FOR STATISTICAL PROGRAMMERS AND ANALYSTS LAUNCH NEW WEB-BASED TRAINING PROGRAM: June 28

SSPA is proud to announce the first webinar in its new web-based training program. Implementing CDISC-Based Processes: General Solutions for Common Challenges from Source Data to SDTM will be presented by Steve Kirby on June 28 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time.

JSM 2011 – Miami Beach, Florida – July 30 – August 4

JSM is the largest gathering of statisticians held in North America. Attended by more than 6,000 people, meeting activities include oral presentations, panel sessions, poster presentations, continuing education courses, an exhibit hall (with state-of-the-art statistical products and opportunities), the career placement service, society and section business meetings, committee meetings, social activities, and networking opportunities. Register today!

2011 NISS/ASA WRITING WORKSHOP FOR JUNIOR RESEARCHERS – July 31 and August 3 at JSM

The National Institute of Statistical Science (NISS) and the American Statistical Association will hold a writing workshop for junior researchers. The goal of the workshop is to provide instruction for how to write journal articles and grant proposals.

MEETING WITHIN A MEETING (MWM) STATISTICS WORKSHOP FOR K–12 MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS – Miami Beach, Florida – August 2–3

MWM will take place in conjunction with the Joint Statistical Meetings this summer in Miami Beach, Florida. The workshop is meant to strengthen K–12 mathematics and science teachers’ understanding of statistics and provide them with hands-on activities they can use in their own classrooms. The cost of the workshop is $50.

BEYOND AP STATISTICS WORKSHOP – Miami Beach, Florida – August 3

The ASA/NCTM Joint Committee is pleased to sponsor a Beyond AP Statistics workshop at the annual Joint Statistical Meetings from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 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.

ENGAGING DIFFERENCE: DIVERSE WOMEN IN STEM BUILDING CAREERS, CREATING ALLIANCES – Charlottesville, VA – August 4–5, 2011

While the number and percentage of minority women earning PhDs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields have steadily increased in recent years, their entry, retention, and advancement in the professorate has not kept pace. In an effort to ameliorate some of the complex reasons behind this disparity, faculty members from the University of Virginia, Norfolk State University, and Virginia Commonwealth University developed this workshop to serve as a catalyst for building alliances of academic women in STEM. Women faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and senior graduate students in STEM fields are warmly invited. Contact us.

58th WORLD STATISTICS CONGRESS OF THE ISI – Dublin, Ireland – August 21–26

Ireland’s Central Statistics Office invites you to participate in the 58th World Statistics Congress of the International Statistical Institute. This biennial meeting brings together statisticians from across the disciplinary spectrum to share experiences, expertise, and challenges.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR THE 2011 ASA FDA/INDUSTRY STATISTICS WORKSHOP – Washington, DC – September 20–21, 2011

Registration is now open for the 2011 workshop, which will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC. 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 19.

9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HEALTH POLICY STATISTICS – Cleveland, Ohio – October 5–7

The 2011 ICHPS organized by the ASA’s Health Policy Statistics Section, will 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. Register now!

ASA CONFERENCE ON STATISTICAL PRACTICE – Orlando, Florida – February 16–18, 2012

The ASA proudly announces the inaugural ASA Conference on Statistical Practice. This early 2012 conference aims to 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.  

EVENTS CALENDAR

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

Off the Press

In Amstat News

Preparing for Miami

JSM Chair Prerogatives, Dave Judkins, JSM 2011 Program Chair
 
It has been an exciting year preparing for the Joint Statistical Meetings that will take place in Miami Beach from July 30 to August 4. I have been ably assisted not just by the elected section and society chairs, but also by friends who agreed to work as General Methodology chairs and the poster chair. Andrew Gelman of Columbia University and Brian Wiens of Alcon Labs are the General Methodology chairs. Benmei Liu of the National Cancer Institute is the poster chair. Read more.

Meet New NCES Commissioner Jack Buckley

Amstat News invited new commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics to respond to the following questions so readers could learn more about him and the agency he directs. Look for other statistical agency head interviews in past and forthcoming issues. Read more.

FREE ASA JOURNAL ARTICLE DOWNLOADS

JCGS

* ASA 2009 Data Expo by Hadley Wickham

* Visualizing Airline Delays and Cancellations by Rick Wicklin

* Delayed, Canceled, on Time, Boarding … Flying in the USA by Heike Hofmann et al.

* A Tale of Two Airports: Exploring Flight Traffic at SFO and OAK by Charlotte Wickham

* A Graphical Tool to Visualize Predicted Minimum Delay Flights by Tanujit Dey, David J. Phillips, and Patrick Steele

Featured Article

* Functional Boxplots by Ying Sun and Marc G. Genton

Free articles are also available for JBES, TAS, Technometrics, and SBR. Log on and look for articles marked FREE! And remember, ASA members automatically receive free online access to JASA, JBES, JCGS, SBR, and TAS through ASA Members Only.

SIGNIFICANCE MAGAZINE ONLINE WEB EXCLUSIVES

Mobile Phones and Brain Cancer: Why It’s OK to Be Unsure

Last week, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, formally classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as "possibly carcinogenic." The decision was made after a week-long conference of 31 experts in Lyon, France, where members considered the strength of evidence for associations between the use of microwaves, radar, and mobile phones and an increase in the risk of a malignant form of brain cancer known as glioma.  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. See the list of currently accredited members.

STATISTICAL SCIENCE DELEGATION TO ISRAEL

People to People Citizen Ambassador Programs and the ASA have created an exchange to foster international goodwill, professional development, and personal enrichment. Join colleagues from around the world who understand the need for greater depth of knowledge in statistical science. Professional experience at any level will make an important contribution to the team. Delegates will learn about statistical literacy efforts in Israel, how statisticians are trained, and the roles of statisticians in health-related professions, industry, and government. Our delegation will arrive to meet international colleagues in Israel on November 3, 2011, and, together, we will have the honor of experiencing the rich culture of Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. We will arrive back in the United States on November 11, 2011.

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.

NOETHER COMMITTEE NOW ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR 2012 AWARD

The 2012 Noether Senior and Noether Young Scholar awards committee will accept nominations for the 2012 awards until December 1, 2011. If you have questions, contact the committee chair, Pranab K. Sen. Nominations should be sent to the ASA office via email or mail to: 732 N. Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, ATTN: Award Nominations.

THE DEMING LECTURESHIP COMMITTEE NOW ACCEPTING NOMITATIONS FOR 2012 LECTURER

The Deming Lecturer Award Nominations are now being accepted for the 2012 Deming Lecturer. The nominations should be submitted no later then November 15, 2011. If you have questions, contact the committee chair A. Blanton Godfrey  or 919-515-6500. Nominations should be sent to the ASA office via email or mail to: 732 N. Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, ATTN: Award Nominations.

CALL FOR EDITOR INTEREST: JOURNAL OF SURVEY STATISTICS AND METHODOLOGY

A task force of the American Association for Public Opinion Research and the American Statistical Association is preparing a proposal to publishers for the creation of a new scholarly publication—the Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology. The aim of this journal is to publish cutting-edge articles about statistical and methodological issues in sample surveys, censuses, administrative record systems, and other data sources. With the approval of the two associations, the task force will solicit interest from publishers this summer.

CREATE A VIDEO TO PROMOTE STATISTICS AND WIN CASH

Enter the 2011 ASA Promoting the Practice and Profession of Statistics Video Competition. Cash prizes will be awarded for 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. Enter today!