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Message
from the President
By Debra Stiver, President
2005 has arrived and it’s time to reflect on the past year’s
accomplishments and challenges and also discuss our chapter’s
plans and actions for the new year. I would first like to congratulate
our new officers for 2005 and thank retiring officers for their past
and upcoming service to the Nevada chapter. They include Carol Thompson,
newly installed Southern Nevada Vice President, Hokwon Cho, Chapter
Representative, and Paul Nakayu, Treasurer. Both Hokwon and Paul were
elected to serve another term in their respective offices. The entire
chapter sends their thanks and appreciation to outgoing officer Chad
Cross, who finished his term as the Southern Nevada Vice President.
Although Chad has retired as an officer – he won’t be going
far from the fold and continues to contribute to the chapter. He is
currently developing a mentoring program in southern Nevada, which
could be applied to other areas of the state as well. I would also
like to express my sincere appreciation to our Past President, Sandra
Catlin and Northern Vice President Alicia Hansen. Sandra has been
helpful both for her support to me and the chapter and her contribution
via the knowledge that comes with the experience as a founding member
and Past President. In spite of going on sabbatical this past year,
she has managed to help with chapter activities from afar. Alicia
needs to be recognized for her contributions to the newsletter and
northern Nevada functions in spite of a grueling last year graduate
school schedule.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING 2004
The most successful accomplishments for the past year were the statewide
K-12 Poster Competition and the Annual Meeting held at UNLV in October.
Many kudos to David Thiel, Regional Trainer, K-12 Math, Southern Nevada
Regional Professional Development Program, for almost single-handedly
starting this important competition and raising awareness of statistical
knowledge for students (and their teachers) throughout the state of
Nevada. As a first year effort, the competition was quite successful.
For a while there were actually fears that he and his volunteers might
be overwhelmed by the entries. However, they came through with a great
success. We owe David a huge thanks for developing this program and
hope that the annual competition will be even bigger and better during
2005 and for years to come. The 2005 competition is near at hand,
scheduled this year for February. Thanks also to the many volunteers
who helped with judging and to those members and others who provided
monetary support for prizes and poster expenses. We will be implementing
a statewide fund-raising campaign for this year’s competition.
The fund-raiser provides prize money for the student participants,
but also increases awareness of the Nevada ASA chapter in both the
business and academic communities of Nevada.
The Nevada Chapter was represented by Sandra Catlin and Hokwon Cho
at this year’s national ASA proceedings in Toronto. They participated
in meetings designed to review and discuss individual chapter functions
such as career day.
This year’s annual meeting was held in October on the UNLV campus
and at a local Las Vegas business. The chapter saw an increase in
the number of participants at this year’s annual meeting. The
agenda provided an interesting opportunity for chapter members and
UNLV students to hear two thought-provoking and fascinating presentations
by Fritz Scheuren, President-Elect of national ASA. Dr. Scheuren offered
his insight on human rights activities from around the globe and discussed
problems and challenges facing the American election process. It was
a most timely presentation given just prior to the 2004 presidential
elections. Dr. Scheuren also provided valuable membership information,
knowledge and support to our Chapter. The Head of the UNLV Department
of Mathematical Sciences, Dr. Dieudonne Phanord and our own Hokwon
Cho sponsored several graduate students during the annual meeting
proceedings. As an additional wonderful surprise, Fritz donated his
travel fees to the chapter to pay for ASA membership for the attending
students. We truly extend our heartfelt thanks to Fritz and Hokwon
for this support – they lead and inspire by example!!
Both the Northern and Southern sections sponsored spring activities
in their prospective regions. A spring mixer was feted in April in
the North on the UNR campus. The primary purpose of this mixer was
to provide a venue for getting to know one another. The mixer was
attended by several members and prospective members. The Southern
members held a dinner with a featured speaker.
PLANS
FOR 2005
Increasing membership and awareness of both the national and Nevada
ASA organizations remains the primary goal for this year. While
there have been successes in this area – our active membership
numbers are still too low to adequately develop the kinds of programs
the board seeks to implement. We would like to particularly increase
awareness in the community colleges throughout the state and in
the business and government arenas. This year, the chapter will
actively pursue national ASA grants to boost membership growth and
awareness and enhance chapter programs.
Additionally, the Southern and Northern areas will each host Career
Days during the spring. Career Day activities provide workshops
and featured presentations from professionals working in varied
statistical disciplines. Students from high school to graduate school
are invited to participate to enhance their knowledge of the professional
field of statistics and the career opportunities available in the
workplace. The mentoring program being developed will also advance
these educational efforts. The planned Career Days provide a forum
for current and future ASA members to mingle and network. To further
facilitate professional networking in the state, a member directory,
with areas of expertise listed, is planned for release in 2005.
This year’s Nevada annual meeting will take place in the Reno
area. Look for announcements for all events and plan to attend.
Besides the professional contact, there is always good food and
conversation to be had!! Finally, representatives of the Nevada
chapter will again participate in the national meetings held this
year in Minneapolis. We plan to participate in round-table discussions
on chapter functions and return with fresh ideas.
Many warm regards for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!!
Deb Stiver
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Help Make NV-ASA’s Second Annual K-12
Statistics Poster Competition A Winner!!!
Make a donation to the Statistics
Poster Competition fund
or
contact Paul Nakayu
100% of the prize money collected will be
used to provide certificates with cash awards for the students and
plaques for the schools.
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2005
Nevada K-12 Statistics Poster Competition
By David Thiel, Education Committee
What activity enables kids to explore their world, apply statistical
knowledge, and earn great prizes all at the same time? It can only
be the Nevada K-12 Statistics Poster Competition! NV-ASA, in conjunction
with Nevada’s two major universities and several other professional
organizations, is sponsoring this competition to encourage students
to answer questions by collecting and analyzing data. Results are
communicated via posters that “tell a story” from beginning
wonderings to final conclusions. Any student in the State of Nevada
in grades Kindergarten through 12 may enter.
The first Nevada competition was held in 2004 and saw over 400 students
submit nearly 170 posters in four grade categories: K–3, 4–6,
7–9, and 10–12. The 2005 competition was generating interest
as early as September and promises to be at least as large as last
year. Judges for this year’s competition will gather on February
19 to select the best posters on the basis of their overall impact,
clarity of message, methods of data collection, graphical components,
and creativity. Winning entries will be displayed at local mathematics
conferences and NV-ASA events this spring, before being sent on
to the ASA national competition in April. Winners also earn cash
prizes and plaques recognizing their achievements.
Professional organizations and educational institutions also play
a role in the success of this competition. The Nevada Mathematics
Council, an affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics,
has generously donated to the competition prize fund. The Southern
Nevada Regional Professional Development Program offers workshops
and classes on data analysis and probability to K-12 teachers. Paradise
Elementary School in Las Vegas plays host to the judging.
Results from 2004 can be viewed on the NV-ASA
website. Members interested in judging may contact David Thiel
by January 31 at dthiel@interact.ccsd.net. Donations to the prize
fund may also be made through the NV-ASA
website.
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Treasurer's
Notes
By Paul Nakayu, Treasurer
Two changes related to dues were approved during October's Annual
Meeting in Las Vegas and are now in effect.
EARMARK DUES FOR PRIZE FUND
One change allows individuals to designate $5 of their dues for
the Nevada Statistics Poster Competition prize fund when they join
or renew their Chapter membership. In this way Chapter members will
help determine the portion of our operating expenses used to support
this annual event. The 2005 competition is too close to benefit
much from this initiative so additional contributions to the prize
fund would be greatly appreciated at this time.
Please note that 100% of the money collected for the prize fund
goes to plaques, certificates and cash awards for the students.
In addition, NV-ASA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable association.
Contributions (but not membership dues) made to the Chapter where
no goods or services were received are tax deductible to the fullest
extent of the law.
ASSOCIATE AND STUDENT DUES
The other change involves the amount of dues paid for Associate
and Student Chapter memberships. Associate members, those individuals
who are not also members of the national ASA, will be asked to pay
higher dues than before. This is in recognition of the fact that
national dues paid by our members come back to benefit the Chapter
indirectly through grants and other services provided by ASA. Higher
local dues will allow Associate members to give their fair share
in support of our Chapter's programs and activities.
The corresponding change to Student membership dues is aimed less
at generating revenue and more at introducing students to the benefits
of membership in the ASA. Student members of the national organization
will now receive Chapter membership at no additional cost. Students
who are not members of the ASA will be asked to pay $10 to join
or renew their membership in the NV-ASA, but that same $10 will
buy them their first year of ASA membership with Chapter membership
thrown in for free! If a student can come up with $20 they can join
ASA and the Chapter for two years, saving themselves $15 off the
normal $25 second-year dues.
To join or renew your NV-ASA membership visit
www.nevada.edu/~nvasa/join.html
For more information regarding student membership in the ASA visit
www.amstat.org/membership/index.cfm?fuseaction=student
Paul Nakayu
nakayu@nevada.edu
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New
Officer Bios
By Sandra Catlin, Past-President and
Chair, Nominating Committee
Welcome to our newly- and re-elected officers. The vote, by electronic
ballot sent to all current NV-ASA members, was unanimous in favor
of the three candidates:
Carol Thompson, Southern Nevada
Vice-President
Paul Nakayu, Treasurer
Hokwon Cho, Chapter Representative
Congratulations and many thanks to Hokwon, Paul, and Carol as well
as to all those who participated in the election. Brief introductions
to our new officers follow below.
Carol Thompson has been a member of ASA for over 30 years. She is
currently a Senior Programmer/Analyst with Anteon Corporation, responsible
for projects involving web-accessible databases and statistical
and data mining analyses on human exposure to chemical contaminants.
Carol has held leadership and board positions in several business
and non-profit organizations over the last 15 years.
This is Paul Nakayu’s second term as Chapter Treasurer. Until
recently, he provided statistical software support to faculty, staff
and student researchers at institutions of the University and Community
College System of Nevada. This past summer he moved with his family
from Las Vegas to Reno. He still works for UCCSN System Computing
Services, but his current job responsibilities will move him in
the direction of administrative statistical support. Paul received
an MS in Statistics from the University of Washington in Seattle.
He loves his wife and four children, enjoys helping others in his
work and church service, and cheers for the Seattle Mariners.
Hokwon Anthony Cho is a Statistician and Assistant Professor in
the Department of Mathematical Sciences at UNLV. He received a Ph.D.
from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has been a
member of the ASA since 1990 and NV-ASA from its inception. He has
served as Chapter Representative since August 2002. He is glad to
be re-elected and hopes to contribute more to the Nevada Chapter
as well as the ASA.
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Program
Volunteers -- Help Wanted !!!!
Program meetings and Career Day are two of the activities coming
up this spring in Las Vegas and Reno, and the Program Committee
would like your help in planning and coordinating them. If
you have some interest, expertise, and/or time to share, we would
love to have you join us.
In Las Vegas, contact Carol Thompson at cthompson@anteon.com or
at (702) 731-5550 x207.
In Reno, contact Debra Stiver at stiver@unr.edu or at (775) 784-1124.
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