Board Approved Member Initiatives

1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012

For your information, the following is a list of projects for which the ASA Board of Directors has approved funding since 1999:

1999

Symposium on Undergraduate Statistics - $10,000:

This symposium is proposed with the goals of building a case for the undergraduate major in statistics, providing guidelines for the improvement of the undergraduate major in statistics; considering various models for increasing the number of undergraduate programs leading to majors or concentrations in statistics, and channeling the growing interest in statistics in the K-12 curriculum towards invigorating undergraduate programs in statistics.

K-12 Outreach Initiative - $30,000:

The main goal of this initiative is to assemble a body of information and resources for each of the K-12 outreach activities that would provide chapters the information they need to pursue such activities. The K-12 activities to be included in this initiative are Quantitative Literacy, the American Statistics Project and Poster Competitions, Science Fairs, and Adopt-A-School.

Technology/Web Support for Chapters, Sections, and Committees - $35,000:

This funding helped support a new ASA staff position devoted to improving and expanding the ASA web site, especially the online services provided for Chapters, Sections, and Committees.

Journal of Statistics Education - $25,000:

This proposal was for the transition of JSE to an ASA publication, beginning January 1, 1999.

2000

Committee on Outreach Education Workshop - $10,000:

The COE is engaging in discussions with several possible partner organizations (American Public Health Association, Primary Care Research Methods and Statistics Conference, American Fisheries Society, American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges) with whom we might collaborate in offering statistics workshops for non-statisticians. In coming weeks, we hope to firm up arrangements with at least one or two of these for workshops to be delivered in 2001. Our intent is to select two or three workshop topics for development. This request is for support in creating the selected workshops. Based on our current discussions with partner organizations, example topics include statistical literacy, logistics regression, and sampling issues. It's relevant to note that we have been approached by several organizations who have become aware of our project.

Beyond AP Statistics Workshops - $20,400:

The new Beyond AP Stat (BAPS) workshops provide "advanced" training for high school AP statistics teachers. This special initiative grant would initiate, under ASA control through the Joint ASA/NCTM Committee, broad participation of statistical institutions in the national AP statistics effort.

Statistics Poster Development - $7,800:

The ASA/NCTM Committee and ACQL Committee discussed and agreed at the March 2000 meeting to produce statistics posters to fill the current void. A contest will be conducted to solicit poster ideas. Posters will be judged at the Fall 2000 ASA-NCTM and ACQL meetings.

CRAFTY Disciplinary Workshop in Statistics - $16,500:

CRAFTY (Calculus Reform and the First Two Years) is a subcommittee of the Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics (CUPM) of the Mathematical Association of America. As part of its role, CRAFTY has initiated a series of disciplinary workshops. This initiative proposal is to help support a three-day workshop.

DDM Leadership Institute - $20,000:

This is to help support a two-day DDM (Data Driven Mathematics) leadership institute.

2001

Initiative to Increase Chapter Sponsored Careers in Statistics Activity - $10,000

Chapters are the natural organizational units to provide local development and implementation of Association programs devoted to Careers in Statistics and Membership. Since only a small proportion of Association members attend the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) and an even smaller number of students and professionals outside of the Association attend the JSM our best chance to contact such individuals is with Chapter sponsored outreach programs devoted to careers in statistics. In spite of the value of such events, fewer than 10 Chapters sponsor activities that they classify as a careers day in statistics (from the annual Chapter Activities Report (CAR)). The primary objective of this initiative is to increase Chapter activity relating to careers. Initiative funds will be used to identify and develop relevant presentation materials to be displayed at the Council of Chapters Information Booth at JSM 2001 for the purpose of interesting Chapter members in the concept and value of getting their Chapter to sponsor a Careers Day during the ensuing seven months. Initiative funds will also be used to offer a limited number of small grants for the purpose of assisting Chapters who are planning to offer a Careers Day for the first time.

Public Outreach and Promotion of the Statistical Profession - $23,700

The purpose of this prototype of a new statistics magazine is to increase public awareness of statistics as a discipline, its uses in topical and informative issues, and its contributions in other decision-making by officials as well as by the public. The intent is to focus on the general public and professionals in many disciplines that are involved in measurement, quantitative analysis, and experimentation. Assuming a demonstrated interest by the various professional societies, the prototype will be circulated and produced and become a source of outreach for ASA. This new magazine will be suitable for and of interest to a general audience which supports the visions and goals of the ASA Strategic Plan for outreach to the public and non-statistician professionals.

Planning for the Enhancement of Teachers (PET) - $50,000

In accordance with its charge, the Advisory Committee on Teacher Enhancement proposed a set of four member initiatives, all of which were approved for funding. If we are to enhance the prestige and influence of the statistics profession and assure that statistics is taught correctly and with an appreciation for its utility, we must provide opportunities for the enhancement of teachers at all levels. Since each of the initiatives addresses a different audience for teacher enhancement, together they form a unified attempt to reach all teaching levels. Specifically, these initiatives call for:

1. Planning for a Conference on Statistics in Teacher Preparation Programs
2. Planning for Web Infrastructure to Support ASA Educational Programs.
3. Planning a Funding Request for New AP Statistics Teacher Training.
4. Planning for an Institute for Undergraduate Statistics Education

2002

Membership Demographic Drive - $21,000

The American Statistical Association (ASA) and, in particular, the Committee on Women in Statistics (COWIS) is very interested in collecting demographic information on all ASA members. This information will allow the committee to better serve the current membership through more targeted efforts and to develop outreach programs to entice new members. To date, only about 60 percent of ASA members have completed their demographic information. This initiative is an aggressive attempt to reach the nonresponders and achieve the goal of a rich data resource on our membership.

Establishing a Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (CAUSE) - $14,000

Start up funds to establish a Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (CAUSE) and to support it during the first year. During that year we will initiate projects and apply for funding to support future activities. The mission of CAUSE will be to support and advance undergraduate statistics education, building on the ASA Undergraduate Statistics Education Initiative (USEI) in four target areas: resources, professional development, outreach, and research.

Privacy, Confidentiality, and Data Security Training via the Internet - $19,000

Now, more than ever before, professionals who work with identifiable data are seeking guidance in understanding Privacy, Confidentiality, and Data Security (PCDS) issues. In response to this need, the American Statistical Association's Committee on Privacy and Confidentiality proposes to develop a Privacy, Confidentiality and Data Security Training web site. Its goal is to provide instruction and resources to both statisticians and nonstatisticians on PCDS topics, including HIPAA Privacy, Human Subjects Protection and Bioethics, and Data Safeguarding Best Practices. This site will serve as a repository for existing Internet-based PCDS information and resources. However, more importantly, it will serve as user-guided instructional center on these important policy topics using newly created content.

Educational Outreach to Potential Minority Statistics Students - $6,000

Additional funding for small conferences at different minority schools/colleges on applications of statistics in various areas, government, industry, and academia and travel for speakers to conferences to reach Native American and Hispanic/Latino students.

Organizing the Stat/Math TEAMS Conference on Statistics In Teacher Preparation Programs - $23,200

The ASA Advisory Committee on Teacher Enhancement believes that one way to improve the teaching of statistics in K-12 over the long-term-including the connection of statistics with mathematics and science-is to focus on pre-service teachers through K-12 teacher preparation programs. One response is the proposed Stat/Math TEAMS (Teacher Education: Awareness, Methods and Strategies) Conference. This proposal is for funding to continue the work necessary to organize and seek outside funding to support the conference.

BCASA High School Outreach Program - $1,000

The Boston Chapter of the ASA is sponsoring a high school outreach program for the 2002/2003 school year. The program will be based on a 'buddy system', matching up local area statisticians with high school statistics teachers. The goal of the program is to provide a resource to both new and experienced statistics teachers. Type of statistical support may include (1) answering questions, (2) helping with project ideas, (3) being a guest speaker, and (4) consulting with students working on projects. The amount of support will depend on the statistician and the teacher.

2003

Short Course Development: "Journalists-the Bridge to Understanding" - $15,000

A short course is to be developed to help journalists present accurate and useful summaries for their audiences by teaching them to read and interpret statistical information in medical literature. This course will be designed as a model for future courses designed for different audiences

Encourage Professional Ties of Statistics to Science through AAAS - $4,000

This initiative will support travel for JSM 2003 AAAS session presenters to attend the 2004 American Association for the Advancement of Science meetings in Seattle. This grant will allow the JSM presenters to adapt and present their papers in a symposium at the AAAS meetings.

JSM Student and First-Time Attendee Program and Reception - $3,000

This program targets students, individuals in the early stages of their careers, first-time JSM attendees, and others who may need orientation assistance with the ASA or the JSM. Instead of a purely social mixer, this program provides career-enhancing strategies and guidance on getting the most out of the JSM and getting more involved in the ASA.

Participant Travel Funding for the First TEAMS Conference - $15,000

The inaugural Math/Stat Teacher Education: Assessment, Methods, and Strategies conference will be held October 30-November 1, 2003, in Athens, Georgia. This initiative will fund partial travel expenses for 30 attendees.

Guideline for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education - $15,500

The ASA is strengthening its focus on K-12 statistics education. This funding will allow a small group of researchers to collect and assess data, meet to write a report, in order to suggest K-12 guidelines to the ASA. If these guidelines are approved, they will be posted on Amstat Online and submitted to professional organizations.

SEAQL: Upgrade and Outreach - $4,500

The Science Education and Quantitative Literacy project will be reviewing its Statistics in Science manual and posting it on Amstat Online. It will also prepare a promotional booklet of 10 laboratory experiments exemplars and plan a distance learning course on quantitative methods for science teachers

Statistical Issues in Counterterrorism - $6,700

This initiative will support a two-day conference in Washington, D.C. on statistical issues in counterterrorism.

Research Experience for Undergraduates Program in Applied Statistics and Biostatistics - $3,000

The ASA is providing some base funding for an ongoing REU project at The Ohio State University.

2004

A High School Outreach Course: "Sampling, Surveys, Monte Carlo and Inference" - $7,800

A proposal to support travel and subsistence for five students to participate in the "Sampling, Surveys, Monte Carlo and Inference" summer program at the University of Michigan.

Strengthening Connections between Liberal Arts Colleges and Graduate Programs in Statistics - $7,600

A proposal to hold a two-day planning conference to bring together liberal arts college statisticians and faculty from graduate programs in statistics for the purpose of developing a plan to strengthen connections between the two groups. Such strengthening will address two inter-related problems:

• Graduate programs find it hard to attract American students.
  
• Liberal arts colleges have difficulty recruiting Ph.D. statisticians onto their faculty

Developing a Capstone Experience in Statistics for High School Students - $8,500

The ASA/NCTM Joint Committee proposed to develop a capstone module in statistics that could be used in conjunction with the Data-Driven Mathematics books or by any school that has chosen to integrate statistics into traditional math courses. This module would be designed so that it could be taught as a separate unit over a three to four week period in a junior or senior level mathematics course.

Outreach to Isolated Colleges/Universities in New England - $3,000

The program will have distinguished statisticians travel to and lecture at colleges and universities in New England that are either isolated geographically or have limited statistical personnel and resources. The objective is to promote statistics by introducing students to statistics and statistical careers.

Developing the Next Generation of Biostatisticians - $5,000

Provide partial funding for pilot projects aimed at innovative approaches to academic or community outreach. The ultimate goal is to attract larger numbers of students to pursue advanced training in biostatistics.

Short Course Development: "Journalists - the Bridge to Understanding" - $15,000

Two developers, a statistician and a journalist, working together to create a half-day course for journalists. The focus of the course will be on reading and interpreting statistical material in the medical literature with the goal of helping journalists present accurate and useful summaries for their audiences. This course will be used as a model for future courses designed for different audiences with very little modification.

2005

Promoting Collaboration and Outreach between Statisticians and Practitioners in National Security and Homeland Defense - $4,600

This initiative seeks to connect statisticians with practitioners during an annual, one-day conference. The goal of the conference is to foster personal interaction and collaboration between the two communities so they can work together to solve problems in national security and homeland defense (NS/HD). Attendance will include members of the ASA, the Section on Statistics in Defense and National Security (SDNS), mathematicians, operations researchers, and policymakers.

San Diego ASA High School Teachers Statistics Fair - $2,000

The two goals of this pilot project are to (1) stimulate interest and create excitement among statistics teachers about the profession of statistics and (2) generate ideas about how the San Diego Chapter of the ASA (SD ASA) can assist teachers in improving the level of introductory statistics education. To achieve these goals, a one-day Teachers Statistics Fair for 20 San Diego-area high school and community college teachers is planned. The event includes three 45-minute talks and an extended lunch period when teachers will have an opportunity to speak with the presenters and SD ASA members in small-group forums.

A Training Program to Promote a Secondary Level "Statistics for Everyone" Course - $10,000

This program aids the process of developing alliances between the four Michigan ASA chapters and the MCTM (Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics), the DACTM (Detroit Area Council of Teachers of Mathematics), and the MDSTA (Metro Detroit Science Teachers' Association) in order to support training programs in statistics for teachers. The program includes training that provides teachers and future trainers with background and classroom materials to teach a "Statistics for Everyone" course.

Support of Short Courses for ISBIS-5 - $5,000

The Fifth International Symposium on Business and Industrial Statistics (ISBIS-5) will be held January 9-13, 2006, in Lima, Peru. This initiative supports the courses offered and provides an opportunity to expose Latin Americans to such topics as Six Sigma, design of industrial experiments, statistical quality control, and reliability.

Education Outreach Short Course Development: "Statistics for the Legal Profession" - $3,000

This initiative supports the creation of a half-day course for attorneys and judges that aids their understanding and interpretation of the statistics underlying the use of evidence.

Outreach and Education through Mentoring - $5,000

This program establishes a professional mentoring relationship between statistics students and successful professional statisticians-or those professionals in a quantitative field with a major focus and/or interest in statistical science. The program offers an opportunity for professionals and educators to become more actively involved in facilitating educational opportunities and increases awareness of the American Statistical Association, encouraging membership and participation in the Nevada Chapter.

Preparation of Two-Year College Mathematics Instructors to Teach Statistics with GAISE - $11,500

The goal of this initiative is to prepare mathematics instructors to teach an introductory statistics course using the GAISE guidelines as well as to normalize statistics courses at two-year colleges, bringing them into conformity with AP and four-year college courses.

Adopt-a-School - $2,500

The New York Metropolitan Area Chapter is adopting the Norman Thomas High School (NTHS) for the 2005-2006 school year. The planned activities include attending the NTHS Career Day, establishing a presence on the school advisory board, visiting the school, inviting students to the Chapter's Annual Career Day, and providing field trips for students.

Support for the U.S. Conference on Teaching Statistics - $10,000

This initiative supports the first U.S. Conference on Teaching Statistics (USCOTS) being held in Columbus, Ohio, May 19-21, 2005. USCOTS is planned as a biennial event focused on undergraduate statistics education and targets statistics teachers from diverse backgrounds and institutions. The conference has an innovative participatory format and has drawn registrants from both the regular statistics education community and from those traditionally underserved by such conferences.

Expansion of ASA Membership by Educational Ambassadorships between the US and Other Nations - $12,800

In order to welcome additional new international members to the ASA and create a trust for cooperation, this initiative helps recruit a series of educational ambassadors from foreign countries.

2006

First-Year Basics: Getting Started with College Counseling Statistics - $5,000

This initiative will result in a half-day workshop for high school counselors, teachers, and administrators that will help them better use and interpret information in statistical reports. The workshop will consist of a PowerPoint® presentation and a booklet to be shared and used as a lesson example with students in AP Statistics classes. The project’s goals are to help counselors, teachers, and administrators better understand and interpret summary statistics so they can use that information for advising and preparing documents.

A Pipeline Issues Workshop for Faculty of Women’s Colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities - $20,000

Meant for statistics and mathematics professors from women’s colleges and historically black colleges and universities, this initiative will help foster discussion about issues affecting the pathway of students from smaller colleges to graduate statistics programs. The initiative will result in a workshop organized into four sessions that address excellent opportunities in statistics, undergraduate training needed to be successful in statistics graduate programs, mentoring and partnership opportunities, and resources available for instructors at smaller colleges.

Improving Statistics Education through Sponsorship of “Best Practices in Statistics Education” Symposia - $1,000

This initiative will result in a one-day symposium that will be held at a selected university for up to 20 professors. The symposium will provide a forum for an exchange of ideas on the best practices of teaching statistics within an academic community, foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among faculty in improving students’ learning of statistical concepts, and promote greater involvement of statisticians with nonstatisticians in statistics practice at their institution.

An Elementary School Statistical Reasoning Fair - $1,400

The goal of this initiative is to provide a fun extracurricular statistical literacy experience for all elementary students, regardless of their demonstrated mathematics aptitude. The experience will take place through a half-hour statistics fair made up of about 10 stations that will highlight everyday occurrences where statistical literacy can be used.

Statistics in the Community - $35,000

This initiative will help promote the development of student-driven programs that provide statistical consulting as a community service. A packet of materials, available by CD-ROM and online through the ASA web site, will be developed to assist interested groups in establishing programs similar to Statistics in the Community (STATCOM) at Purdue University. An intern will promote the concept and materials. Engagement in community service–oriented statistical consulting will be explored at all levels of higher education and by professional statisticians through ASA organizations.

A Partnership with High School - $2,500

Through this initiative, the Oregon Chapter will implement a pilot project that establishes partnerships between high schools and the Chapter. Planned activities include developing a CD-ROM distribution of R, developing a tutorial and examples by using R, visiting classes, and providing field trips. For the pilot project, the Chapter will organize two groups of volunteers to work with two high schools in Portland. The Chapter will make any development materials freely available to the public, including the special distribution of R.

Web-Based Workshop on Statistical Consulting Tools and Tips to Applied Statisticians - $10,000

This initiative will offer an avenue for applied statisticians to learn useful tools/topics and exchange ideas and experiences on statistical consulting. Specifically, the initiative will result in two-hour online workshops led by prominent statisticians and consultants being given quarterly to approximately 100 attendees. Attendees will be required to be ASA members, and at least half of the attendees will have to be members of the Section on Statistical Consulting.

Webcasts of JSM Sessions - $14,400

This initiative will result in a pilot project that provides access via webcast to three plenary sessions from JSM 2006. The webcasts will be available to ASA members with disabilities, international members, state and local statisticians, and others who were unable to attend JSM 2006. The project will help determine whether there is sufficient demand for such webcasts and whether users would be willing to pay for the service.

Workshop on Modifying Surveys in Response to Disruptions - $5,000

The purpose of this initiative is to reach out to members of the Survey Research Methods Section, Government Statistics Section, and Washington Statistical Society who are outside the federal statistical community through a workshop that focuses on a review of current methodologies. Issues addressed will include definitions of impacts and measures used to assess the impact, collection disruptions and their impact on estimation, estimation strategies used to deal with disruptions, remotely training field agents on the fly, adding questions to software on the fly, and addressing coverage problems.

Expert Panel on Detection of Aberrations in Surveillance Data - $10,000

This initiative will result in a panel of subject matter and statistical experts convening to evaluate and summarize statistical methods for detection of aberrations in surveillance data, particularly data from syndromic surveillance systems. The panel will decide on a common set of datasets and methods, and then plan and execute an evaluation of relevant algorithms on the datasets. A final report will be published that recommends how to best address the aberration detection problem and identifies areas requiring additional research.

2007

First Meeting of the Chairs of Programs in Statistics and Biostatistics - $19,500

This proposal organized a workshop for Chairs of programs in Statistics and Biostatistics. The goal of the two-day workshop was to provide information to new chairs and to stimulate discussion between new and experienced chairs on a range of topics as broad as development of long-range planning goals to topics as specific as recommendations for dealing with the media. The format of sessions included individual speakers, panels, and open discussions. Speakers and panelists in the program included experienced chairs, program officers from federal funding agencies, senior administrators, ASA officers, and representatives from industries and government who have had successful collaborations with academic departments.

Support for the Infinite Possibilities Conference: Increasing Diversity in the Statistical and Mathematical Sciences - $15,000

The Infinite Possibilities Conference (IPC) took place on the campus of North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh. This unique and special event assembled women statisticians and mathematicians from underrepresented minority groups from all over the country in a two-day conference in November, 2007. The purpose was to promote, educate, encourage and support minority women interested in statistics and mathematics.

Supporting Math and Science Teachers' to Improve Their Skills in Teaching Statistics by Building Connections for Sustainable Change - $5,000

ASA sponsored the first "Meeting Within a Meeting" (MWM) for middle school and junior high math and science teachers during the Joint Statistical Meetings in Salt Lake City in 2007. Its primary goal was to assist teachers to enhance their understanding and teaching of statistics in accordance with state education standards. This initiative built connections between teachers and mentors to provide a support network so new teaching skills can be fully mastered and implemented in a way that brings sustainable change after MWM.

Washington Statistical Society Design of Experiments Interactive CD/DVD Instructional Materials - $7,000

The purpose of this was to assist with planning and designing of a student-centered set of materials on the Design of Experiments (DOE) in a multimedia resource for all age groups.

Strategic Activities to Recruit Underrepresented and Nontraditional Students to The Statistical Sciences - $12,200

This project was in support of various activities at the 2007 SACNAS National Conference in Kansas City, MO, in October 2007. SACNAS is the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. This provided opportunities to recruit students from the various scientific disciplines.

2008

Strategic Planning Activities for the Section on Statistical Education - $3,000

This project was in support of strategic planning activities in conjunction with JSM 2008, using the ASA strategic planning process as a model. A small group representing all segments of statistical education met with a facilitator during JSM The refined Operational Goals were presented at the Section's Business Meeting for further discussion. After JSM, the working Operational Goals were to be sent to all Section members for review and comment. Upon reaching consensus, the Section will approve the Operational Goals.

Workshop on Statistics Education Graduate Programs - $15,000

This goal of this proposal is to nurture the new and high impact field of statistics education research, starting with a workshop to develop a shared vision of the key components of a quality statistics education graduate program. The proposal was to host a small national workshop to draw up a vision statement defining the need and outlining key components that a quality graduate program in statistics education might have. This group will discuss and examine different models for graduate programs (e.g., within one department, or jointly offered by multiple departments; Ph.D. programs, Masters programs or concentrations; desired depth versus breadth of curriculum across a matrix of interdisciplinary subject matter). These discussions will form the basis for a white paper that will also address issues and recommendations related to placement and support of new PhDs in statistics education as well as for faculty hires in the area.

Section on Statistics in Defense and National Security's Visiting Speakers Program -$4,000

This initiative focused on outreach, seeking to connect statistics undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty with practitioners and problems in national security and defense. It is a result of the 2006 ASA President's Task Force on Defense and Security which recommended that the Section on Statistics in Defense and National Security (SDNS) should develop a one-year trial of a Speakers Program in Defense and Security. The goal of this program is to develop ties between statisticians working in defense and security and academic statistics programs.

Early Career Profiles for Bachelor-level Statistics Students - $4,000

The goal of this project was to assist the ASA-MAA Joint Committee on Undergraduate Statistics in creating a website with profiles of bachelors-level statistics students who are early in careers that illustrate the opportunities for students who do an undergraduate statistics program.

2009

Pre-JSM workshop to Foster Diversity in Statisics - $37,700

This initiative is to fund the a pre-conference workshop (corresponding with JSM) to foster diversity in the profession. The workshop consists of interactive sessions to impact both the current talent pool and the pipeline of future talent. Objectives of the workshop include (1) increasing the active participation of U.S. minorities in ASA and its activities, (2) establishing critical mentoring and networking relationships for statisticians at all career levels, and (3) increasing the number of minorities entering graduate study in statistics (i.e., student recruitment) and the number of minorities successful in graduate work (i.e., student retention) and in professional careers. Workshop participants will include minority graduate students in statistics or biostatistics programs, minority undergraduates in statistics, math, or related disciplines, minority statisticians in academia, government, and the private sector, and key faculty from minority-serving institutions who advise and mentor undergraduates in math or related disciplines.

Meeting within a Meeting - Defense and National Security - $1,000

The purpose of this initiative is to support a Meeting within a Meeting (MwM) workshop for those who make decisions and set policy in the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This new workshop will be based in part on the successful MwM concept for teachers held during previous Joint Statistical Meetings. One of the main goals of this MwM workshop is to educate decision-makers who might not be familiar with how statistics and statisticians can help them in their profession.

"Census@School" in the USA - $20,000

The Census@School Program (http://www.censusatschool.atu.ac.uk/) is an internationally developed school program for grades four through twelve that began in the United Kingdom (U.K.) in 2000 after a proposal was developed and tested in New Zealand. It is now fully operative in the U.K., New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and in Japan. It has been successfully demonstrated that the program improves the understanding of school age children of surveys and censuses. Through a data collection about the students in their classroom they learn data analysis as well as statistical concepts in tested lesson plans. The program has been demonstrated to improve the collective statistical literacy of students. This program would provide a comprehensive introduction to students throughout the U.S. to surveys and censuses and issues related to data collection and handling. Through analyzing their own data students learn about the results of surveys. They also learn statistical concepts in structured lesson plans that will expand the statistical literacy of school children. They will also learn about children from other places as they expand their analyses nationally and internationally. Thus, the program will promote broader domestic and international understanding.

Statisticians Influence Climate Change Deliberations on Capitol Hill: A Case Study - $6,800

The goals of this initiative are (i) to contribute to the deliberations of the U.S. Congress regarding climate change policy, and (ii) relate our experiences to the ASA as a pilot study for how statisticians can advise Congress and indicate how statisticians can make contributions. A crucial step in these activities is to meet with Congressional staffers and present a briefing on uncertainty management, decision support and other roles of statistics in climate change science

Increasing the Value of the First Course in Statistics - $20,000

This initiative is in support of the Increasing the Value of the First Course in Statistics conference, geared towards faculty in two-year and smaller four-year institutions in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Faculty at these institutions are less likely to attend JSM, USCOTS, or MAA meetings where the SIGMAA on Statistics Education is very active and so they do not have many opportunities to benefit from the enthusiasm and the expertise of the leaders in the field of Statistics Education.

2010

Connecting the ASA to Young Statisticians through Outreach to High School Statistics and Mathematics Teachers: A First Step - $3,000

The Middle Tennessee (MT) Chapter of the ASA seeks to establish b connections between local high school statistics and calculus teachers and the chapter, which can allow the MT Chapter to successfully recruit young statisticians.

The project will establish connections between the Middle Tennessee Chapter and local Advanced Placement (AP) mathematics and statistics teachers, whose support is vital to the success of future direct-to-student outreach activities by sponsoring a teacher’s retreat. This retreat will forge these connections through engaging presentations, lively interactions with chapter members, and valuable take-home materials. Additionally, this
retreat can provide our chapter with the connections we need to launch a successful recruiting campaign aimed at mathematically inclined youth. The collaboration between high school teachers and the chapter has the potential to enhance the teacher’s classroom/professional experience and to open young minds to the plethora of opportunities available in statistics.

Methodology for Measuring the Quality of Graduate Programs: A Workshop Focusing on Programs in the Statistical Sciences - $20,000

Assessing the quality of academic programs is becoming an increasingly important issue in the US and elsewhere. Such assessments can have major impact in terms of the quality, viability and relative ranking of graduate programs both across and
within universities, choice of graduate program for students, careers of individual researchers, and funding opportunities.

None of the existing methodologies developed to carry out these assessments appears to be satisfactory, possibly because few if any statisticians have been involved in the area despite the fact that many of the issues are statistical in nature.

We envisage our proposed study as a two-stage project. The first stage involves conducting a workshop to evaluate current methodologies and develop initial findings. The workshop will focus attention on Biostatistics and Statistics graduate programs. We expect that the findings are likely to be applicable to other scientific and technical disciplines, and it will also provide a fine illustration of the importance of bringing Statistics and statistical thinking to bear on problems of this type. We will use the workshop to assemble a research team and develop a proposal on methodology for assessing graduate programs. The proposal will have a broader scope and will be submitted to NSF and/or other suitable agencies for funding. If successful, the study will have important implications for several different groups: university departments and colleges, students, researchers, and funding agencies.

JSM Conference Mentoring Program - $2545

African American, Native People, and Latinos are severely under-represented among Statistics Department faculty nation-wide. This under-representation has serious consequences for our profession as well as for the groups involved. Our profession, and society, cannot afford to do without the talents of a third of the population. At the same time, the Statistics profession is rated as one of the best professions in America, and it is important that all groups have the opportunity to enter this profession.

Faculty, role models, mentoring, and peer groups all play important roles in the success and career choices of minority students. This project aims to increase the number of faculty in Statistics from under-represented groups by working with graduate students and post-doctoral scholars on one hand and with current Statistics faculty on the other.

Enhancing K-12 Statistical Education - $1,000

The Detroit Chapter will sponsor a "Conference Within a Conference" in cooperation with the Detroit Area Council of Teachers of Mathematics (DACTM) for the purpose of supporting statistics education at the K-12 level.

The need for a conference on teaching statistics evolved as a result of involvement of Detroit Chapter members in developing the state test for a course in Probability and Statistics. The Chapter Education Co-chairpersons were part of a committee of four  which wrote items for the test and another member of the chapter was part of the group that selected items from the test bank created.

Efficient Development and Targeting of Skills in Survey Methodology and Survey Management - $3,000

The Washington Statistical Society will sponsor a 1.5 day workshop in the Washington, DC area. This workshop will provide integrated coverage of four closely related
topics:

A. Specific ways in which methodologists and survey managers add high levels of value to large-scale statistical programs.

B. Methodological and management skills required to produce the value identified in (A).

C. Efficient ways in which to develop and sustain the skills identified in (B), including recruitment, training and retention policies and related investments.

D. Efficient ways in which to integrate methodological and management work into the full survey process.

The report and recommendations based on (A)-(D) will make an important contribution to the ongoing efforts to strengthen training, professional development and management of personnel in federal statistical agencies and other large-scale survey organizations. This workshop is consistent with ASA’s recent efforts to highlight and strengthen work by the survey community.

2011

Video Recorded Interview with Prof. J. Stuart Hunter - Contributions of Industrial Statisticians - $4,000

A set of 3 to 5 interviews of approximately 90 minutes each will be recorded. The intent is to preserve the memories and contributions of many past industrial statisticians whose work and influence may have gone unnoticed or may not have received the attention deserved. A list of candidate names will be given to Prof. Hunter in advance with the hopes of jogging his memory regarding contributions, personalities and humorous anecdotes.

Conference on "What Statistics Should Do for Public Policy" - $10,000

Funding for a conference that will identify and discuss novel ways in which statistics should contribute to policy research and policy debates. The topic of the proposed conference falls squarely within the purview of several recent ASA efforts to play a greater leadership role in prompting statistical input to federal decision-making.

Workshop to Plan a 'Women in Statistics' Conference - $10,000

This proposal aims to bring together leaders and emerging leaders in statistics to participate in a two-day workshop during early summer 2011. Workshop participants will plan a conference, to be held in 2013, that brings together statisticians from academics, government, and industry to celebrate the contributions of women in statistics and promote the status of women in the field through increased visibility and enhanced professional skills.

Statistical education in the Pacific Islands - $12,500

Funding for this proposal will help establish the first International Conference for Health Statistics in the Pacific Islands. There are significant challenges for any developing nation community (in particular with respect to resource planning within the education, health, and agricultural sectors). Statistics plays a pivotal role in meeting these needs as local policy-makers strive to assess the state of their community and evaluate intervention programs proposed for the community's advancement. However developing nations often lack adequate statistical expertise to meet these technical challenges facing their country.

Pre-JSM Diversity Workshop and Mentoring Programs - $7,000

The ASA Committee on Minorities in Statistics (ASA CMS) requests funding in partial support of a 2011 Pre-JSM Diversity Workshop and Mentoring Program (Pre-JSM DWMP). This planned JSM activity is based on two successfully implemented programs: the 2009 Pre-JSM Diversity Workshop and the 2010 Cavell Brownie Scholars program. Feedback from each of these previous programs was extremely positive, with participants requesting that these become regular opportunities at JSM. The current proposal leverages the concomitant missions of the two previous programs and responds to participant feedback which suggested that the mentoring activities initiated in the Diversity workshop be extended beyond the single-day event.

2012

Supporting and Connecting New Graduate Programs in Statistics Education - $15,000

This proposal seeks to establish a professional/institutional network within ASA to develop, support, and promote graduate coursework and degree programs in Statistics Education. Despite much interest in the creation of such courses and programs, and the recognition of their importance, to date there is only one such graduate program and only a handful of courses at other institutions.

Integrating Spatial Statistics into the Undergraduate Curriculum - $7,000

Spatial statistics is an area of statistics that utilizes techniques to analyze spatial data, those collected at geographic locations defined by their coordinates (longitude and latitude). These types of data can stem from earth and environmental sciences, defense, cartography, biology, ecology, hydrology, epidemiology, sociology, and so forth. Many fields have contributed to the realm of spatial statistics and spatial analysis' usefulness has been implicated in many historical events and continues to hold significance in its modern form. Furthermore, spatial statistics is relevant in our efforts to address various problems in our society today. Many environmental hazards such as pollution and the effects of global warming are becoming increasingly pressing and the field of spatial statistics can provide the appropriate analytical tools to help solve these issues. Spatial statistics' real-world applications has important ramifications in the future of many public policies and social issues.

Spatial data is a topic often neglected in introductory level statistics and is usually taught at the graduate level using advanced statistical techniques like variogram fitting and kriging (a method of spatial prediction). With the use of visualization tools (maps, scatterplots, etc.) along with introductory statistical analysis techniques, we can teach the topic at any level of study. For example, Google Maps or similar applications (e.g. GIS software) can facilitate the teaching of spatial data because due to their accessibility.

Because of spatial statistics pertinence, the goal of this initiative is to raise awareness in the statistics community that inclusion of spatial data in introductory statistics courses can greatly engage students, enhance their learning experience, but more importantly, equip them with the appropriate tools to help them in their professional endeavors.