Section on Statistical Education

Steve Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. After receiving his Ph.D. from The University of Chicago in 1998 and prior to moving to Swarthmore in 2002 Steve held positions at Williams College and at Harvard. Steve has an extraordinary ability to make statistics meaningful and relevant to his students and to general public audiences. His use of examples and information from popular culture is one of the hallmarks of his teaching. Recognizing that students have different learning styles, he incorporates mulitple modes of instruction on any given topic into his courses, including words, formulas and hands-on experiences. His students routinely describe his classes as a transformative experience.

Steve's scholarship outside the classroom is impressive as well. His work with paleontologists has been described in publications ranging from Science to The New York Times. He has published and lectured on various aspects of statistics related to baseball, often drawing media attention. For instance, in February 2008 he gave a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science entitled "Visualizing Managerial Strategies," in which he discussed the strategies of managers in major league baseball. The presentation resulted in stories in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and other news outlets.

The ASA Section on Statistical Education is pleased to honor Steve Wang with the 2008 Waller Award in recognition of his far-reaching impact on the understanding of and appreciation for statistics among students and the public.

Steve Wang's Homepage

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