Founded in 1839, ASA is the nation's leading professional association for statistics and statisticians. Founded in 1839, ASA is the nation's leading professional association for statistics and statisticians.Support excellence in statistical practice, research, journals, and meetings.Work for the improvement of statistical education at all levels.Promote the proper application of statistics. Anticipate and meet the needs of our members.Seek opportunities to advance the statistics profession. Use our discipline to enhance human welfare.
Founded in 1839, ASA is the nation's leading professional association for statistics and statisticians.

 

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The American Statistical Association

Spanning more than 160 years, the American Statistical Association (ASA) has a proud tradition of service to statisticians, quantitative scientists, and users of statistics across a wealth of academic areas and applications. From its inception on a wintry morning in Boston in 1839, the ASA has sought to set a standard of statistical excellence wherever it is applied in the biological, socio-economic, and physical sciences.

In education, the ASA is a forum for emerging research as well as current educational practices. ASA also coordinates the network for preparing statisticians at the pre- and postggraduate levels and insures that the interests of statistics educators are represented through liaison with government and industry.

ASA's Center for Statistical Education continues to grow in scope and depth. Secondary-school Quantitative Literacy (QL) workshops---originally National Science Foundation-supported and now self-sustaining---average nine a summer, and the elementary-level QL workshops debuted in the summer of 1994 across the country. Other major projects involve QL in the sciences, in social science, and in curriculum assessment.

In business and industry, ASA fosters statistical standards in research and applications to ensure the quality of techniques used for decision-making and forecasting. The Association provides avenues for the exchange of professional knowledge and the reporting of developments borth within and among areas of statistical study.

Through its involvment in statistical education, ASA helps prepare students for entry into business and industry. One primary focus is in quality and productivity for the business environs as well as government through seminars, workshops, and research conferences.

In government, ASA provides advice and technical assistance to federal, state, and local government agencies in areas that range from demography, education, and justice to public health, nuclear regulation, and the environment. ASA also facilitates professional interchanges and research opportunities. The association sponsors fellowship programs in several government agencies as well as fellowships to conferences sponsored in part by government agencies.

ASA SECTIONS

The Association is organized both geographically, with an active local chapter system, and by professional subject matter, constituted as ASA sections. Sections are governed by a Council of Sections and are represented on the ASA Board of Directors. Members may join one or more sections.

Bayesian Statistical Science
Emphasizes the development, application, and teaching of Bayesian Statistical Science and its uses in the natural, physical, biological, and social sciences; medicine; law; industry; government; and other areas.

Biometrics
Focuses on the application of statistics to the biological sciences.

Biopharmaceutical
Concerns the application of statistics to the development and use of therapeutic drugs and devices in humans and animals. A subscription to Biopharmaceutical Report is included with section dues.

Business & Economic Statistics
Represents interests ranging from analytic research on current economic problems to forecasting techniques related to a single business unit or the economy as a whole.

Statistical Computing
(See also Joint StatisticalComputing & Statistical Graphics.)
Concerns the application of computers to statistics. A subscription to Statistical Computing and Graphics is included with section dues.

Statistical Consulting
Provides a forum for the interchange of ideas and information on statistical consulting and the education of statistical consultants. A subscription to the Statistical Consultant is included with section dues.

Statistical Education
Focuses on the improvement of professional education and provides assistance and stimulation to teachers of statistics.

Statistics & the Environment
Serves as a forum for discussion of statistical problems that are specific to environmental issues.

Epidemiology
Promotes both sound statistical practice in epidemiology and the discussion of substantive issues in public health to promote research in methodology in this area.

Government Statistics
(See also Joint Government Statistics & Social Statistics.)
Concerns the promotion of higher standards in the development, use, interpretation, and distribution of statistics at all government levels. A subscription to GovStat News is included with section dues.

Statistical Graphics
(See also Joint Statistical Computing & Statistical Graphics.)
Seeks to expand the role of graphics in statistical education and research. A subscription to Statistical Computing and Graphics is included with section dues.

Health Policy Statistics
Focuses on strategies for improving the quality and reducing the cost of health care in the U.S. and abroad through systematic use of quantitative statistical methods.

Statistics in Marketing
Fosters the improvement of statistics in marketing and emphasizes the development and application of statistical methods in the analysis of marketing data.

Physical & Engineering Sciences
Fosters wider and more effective use of statistical theory, methodology, and application in the various fields of physical and engineering sciences, including statistical approaches for improving quality and productivity in goods and services. A subscription to SPES NEWS is included with section dues.

Quality & Productivity
Promotes awareness among nonstatisticians on how to use statistical thinking and methods to catalyze quality and productivity improvement, and facilitates communication and research in this area within the statistics profession.

Risk Analysis
Provides a forum for the development of applications of risk analysis and risk assessment techniques in medicine, physical science and engineering, business, and the biological and social sciences.

Social Statistics
(See also Joint Government Statistics & Social Statistics.)
Serves the social science disciplines to promote the use of appropriate techniques and to support the development and sharing of methodologies to analyze relations among various pertinent factors.

Statistics in Sports
Fosters statistics and its applications in sports, promoting unity and effectiveness of effort among all concerned with statistical problems in sports, and increasing the contribution of statistics in sports.

Survey Research Methods
Focuses on survey methods in all areas of application and promotes research leading to advances in survey design and analysis. A subscription to the SRM Newsletter is included with section dues.

Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences
Focuses on teaching statistical methods and concepts to persons in the health sciences. A subscription to Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences is included with section dues.

Joint Government Statistics & Social Statistics
Includes benefits of membership in both the Government Statistics and the Social Statistics Sections.

Joint Statistical Computing & Statistical Graphics
Includes benefits of membership in both the Statistical Computing and the Statistical Graphics Sections.

Joint Physical & Engineering Science and Quality & Productivity
Includes benefits of membership in both the Physical & Engineering Sciences and the Quality & Productivity Sections.

NEW!
Nonparametric Statistics
Focal point for Association members with interests in statistical methods which make broad assumptions about the underlying population or model structure.

ASA Sections | Join ASA 

LOCAL CHAPTERS

Local chapters, the grass-roots component of the ASA, share the Association's objective to promote statistics and its applications and enhance the field's contributions to society. The local chapters---there are currently 79 throughout the U.S. and Canada---hold regular meetings, host speakers, cosponsor conferences with other organizations, publish a quarterly newsletter, LINK, for chapter officers, and conduct educational programs for members and other groups.

ASA chapters offer a local focus for meetings, discussion, exchange of information, short courses, and analysis of local statistical problems. Centered in large cities, in college and university communities, and in state capitals, most chapters hold monthly meetings.

In addition to regular activities, chapters originate special projects, such as rewards for outstanding student research papers, for recognition of outstanding chapter members, and for exceptional career-development programs.

ASA chapters are represented on the Council of Chapters by geographic districts and regions and on the ASA Board of Directors.

ASA Chapters | Join ASA 

PUBLICATIONS

ASA publishes five major publications and jointly publishes three additional journals, two magazines, section proceedings, and a unified statistics index.

ASA publications include:

Journal of the American Statistical Association (JASA). Established in 1888 and published quarterly, JASA has long been considered the premier journal of statistical science. Articles focus on statistical applications, theory, and methods in economic, social, physical, engineering, and health sciences and on new methods of statistical education. Important books contributing to statistical advancement are reviewed in JASA.

The American Statistician, published quarterly, includes general and technical articles of immediate interest. Subjects range from current policy matters to aids in statistics education to innovations in statistical computing.

Journal of Business & Economic Statistics presents articles on applications to business and economics, featuring the measurement of employment, income, output, construction of price indexes, and related topics. Other articles address applied forecasting, seasonal analysis, econometric modeling, and surveys.

Amstat News, published 11 times a year, is the magazine devoted to items of interest to ASA membership. Included are articles on professional activities, member news, and ASA-specific developments.

STATS---The Magazine for Students of Statistics is published twice a year for undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in statistics. STATS is distributed to student members of ASA as a membership benefit and is also available by subscription.

LINK, published four times a year by ASA's Council of Chapters and distributed to chapter officers and others expressing interest, features news for and about ASA chapters.

Joint Publications

Technometrics is the quarterly journal of statistics in the physical, chemical, and engineering sciences. Published by ASA and the American Society for Quality, it is available to ASA and ASQ members at a reduced rate.

Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics is published jointly by ASA, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and the Interface Foundation of North America. Established in 1992, this quarterly journal presents research, data, surveys, and more on numerical and computational methods, programming environments, simulation, graphical displays and methods, and perception. ASA, IMS, and IFNA members may subscribe at a reduced rate.

Journal of Educational & Behavioral Statistics, published quarterly by ASA and the American Educational Research Association, is devoted to articles demonstrating the contributions of educational statisticians to sound, productive, and creative educational decision-making and practice. ASA and AERA members may subscribe at a special rate.

Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, a joint publication of ASA and the International Biometric Society, focuses on the applications of statistics in the biological sciences by emphasizing agriculture, biotechnology, the environment, and natural resources.

CHANCE Magazine, published quarterly by ASA and Springer-Verlag, Inc., is a unique general-audience statistics magazine. Besides articles on new statistical developments in the social, biological, physical, and medical sciences, CHANCE covers the gamut of statistical applications---from census adjustments to sports statistics. ASA members may subscribe at a special rate.

Current Index to Statistics, published jointly by ASA and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, is the annual unified index to articles on statistical theory, methodology, application, and probability drawn from statistical and related journals throughout the world. Articles are indexed by author and by title and keywords. Available to members at a reduced rate, the index is also available in electronic form.

ASA Publications | Membership | CIS

CONTINUING EDUCATION

As the primary professional association for statisticians, ASA offers a wide range of continuing education opportunities. Continuing education units (CEU's) are offered for approved programs.

ASA's Continuing Education programs include

  • Short courses and workshops at annual, regional, and local meetings
  • Distinguished lectures and short courses on videotape
  • Vendor demonstration workshops

Continuing Education - LearnStat | Join ASA 

MEETINGS

The Association holds its Annual Meeting in August as the principle sponsor of the Joint Statistical Meetings. The annual meetings serve as a forum for the latest developments in statistical theory and application, offering a concentrated opportunity for the exchange of ideas and discussion of research findings among colleagues.

In addition to these regular meetings for members, regional meetings, symposia, and research conferences are cosponsored with other professional groups. Often organized by ASA chapters or sections, these meetings are smaller than the annual meetings, and their informal atmosphere encourages discussion and interchange on specific areas of research and application.

  Meetings | Join ASA 

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

  • Annual and regional meetings
  • Publications (Amstat News and the Online Member Directory are membership benefits. Student members also receive STATS.)
  • Reduced prices on other ASA journals and publications, as well as through the Contemporary Statistics Book Series, and the ASA-SIAM Book Series
  • Career development opportunities including active Placement Service at the Joint Statistical Meetings and extensive job listings monthly in Amstat News
  • Professional enhancement through education, training, and professional development programs
  • Association and interchange with professional colleagues and others involved in quantitative endeavors
  • Mechanisms for serving the interests of special groups including women, minorities, and disabled persons in statistics
  • Specialization through membership in one or more of ASA's sections
  • Opportunity for local networking through ASA chapter participation

American Statistical Association
732 North Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-1943 USA
(703) 684-1221/fax: (703) 684-2037
Email: asainfo@amstat.org  

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