SECTION ON PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
(Revised 11/6/97)
Article I. NAME
The name of this organization is the Section on Physical and Engineering Sciences (hereafter called the Section) of the American Statistical Association (hereafter called the Association).
Article II. OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Section include, but are not limited to:
1. Promoting the application and appropriate use of statistical thinking, techniques, and practices in the physical and engineering sciences.
2. Encouraging and/or participating in developing (or adapting) statistical techniques and practices suited to the physical and engineering sciences.
3. Fostering knowledge and use of statistics among workers in the physical and engineering sciences.
4. Fostering the exchange of information among statisticians concerning statistical problems, solved or unsolved, arising in the physical and engineering sciences.
5. Aiding, by whatever special ways are appropriate for the Section, the general development of the Association and the discipline of statistics.
In pursuing these objectives, the Section will work closely with other Sections of the Association wherever appropriate.
To support the specified objectives, the Section will perform any of the following functions, together with any other functions that are consistent with achieving its objectives:
1. Plan, in cooperation with the Association's Program Committee, appropriate sessions on statistics in the physical and engineering sciences at annual or regional meetings of the Association. Further, in cooperation with other relevant Section(s) of the Association, plan appropriate sessions of mutual or overlapping interest at such meetings.
2. Plan and sponsor, in cooperation with organizations interested in physical and engineering sciences, joint sessions or meetings on statistics in the physical and engineering sciences.
3. Encourage and sponsor short courses, tutorials, industry-university seminars and visits, or other continuing education vehicles.
4. Stimulate the preparation of articles or books dealing with statistics in the physical and engineering sciences and arrange for their publication under Association auspices where appropriate.
5. Produce separate publications, either as monographs or periodic bulletins (as developments in the Section may demand) with the approval of the Board, Council, and Association's Publications Committee.
6. Establish and maintain liaisons and promote cooperation with other scientific and professional organizations, and other Sections of the Association.
7. Maintain effective communication with members of the Section and others interested in statistics in the physical and engineering sciences (e.g., through newsletters, e-mail, a Section WWW page, and news or publicity releases).
8. Bestow awards or provide recognition for publications, presentations, work, or service related to statistics in the physical and engineering sciences.
Article III. MEMBERSHIP
Any full member of the Association may become a member of the Section by paying Section dues.
The Section membership year and the Association membership year for each member of the Section coincide.
Article IV. OFFICERS
All officers must be Section members in accordance with Article III.
The officers of the Section are the Chair, the Chair-Elect, the Past Chair, the Secretary/Treasurer, the Program Chair, the Program Chair-Elect, the Publications Chair, and the Representative(s) (number determined by the Council of Sections' Charter) to the Association's Council of Sections.
The Chair is the chief officer of the Section and is a member of its Executive Committee. The Chair presides at all meetings of the Section and the Executive Committee. The Chair, with the approval of the Executive Committee, appoints chairs, committees or individuals to carry out functions and activities of the Section. Specific appointments include individuals (chairs) to lead publications, education, publicity, awards, and jointly-sponsored conference activities for the Section. The Chair coordinates the work of the officers and committees of the Section and reviews the regular financial reports provided by the Association. The Chair provides a speaker, and serves as Master of Ceremonies for the Friday luncheon of the Fall Technical Conference. The Chair serves as Chair of the Committee on Nominations.
The Chair-Elect serves as a member of the Executive Committee and presides over meetings of the Section and the Executive Committee in the absence of the Chair. In consultation with the Chair and the Secretary/Treasurer, the Chair-Elect has final approval authority for the Section's budget for the year in which the Chair-Elect will serve as Section Chair. The Chair-Elect is responsible for liaisons with other Sections of the Association and with other professional organizations, although this duty may be assigned to a Liaison Officer or Committee.
The Past Chair serves as a member of the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Committee to Nominate Fellows. The Past Chair delivers to the Association an annual report of the Section's activities during the year in which he/she was Chair, and drafts a Strategic Plan to the Executive Committee.
The Secretary/Treasurer serves as a member of the Executive Committee. The Secretary/Treasurer is responsible for the minutes of all Section and Executive Committee meetings. The Secretary/Treasurer works with the Chair-Elect in preparing the annual budget, monitors the Section's revenues and expenditures, and prepares an annual report on the financial condition of the Section.
The Program Chair serves as a member of the Executive Committee and is the Section's Program Chair for the annual Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM). The Program Chair serves as the chair of the Section's JSM program committee, as discussed in Article VIII 4d.
The Program Chair-Elect serves as a member of the Executive Committee and assists the Program Chair as requested.
The Publications Chair is appointed by the Section Chair, with concurrence of the Executive Committee. The Publication Chair serves as a member of the Executive Committee and also as the Section's representative on Association committees concerned with Section publication matters. The Publications Chair coordinates activities within the Section related to publications sponsored by the Section (e.g., proceedings, newsletters, WWW page, news or publicity releases, or other special publications). The Publications Chair solicits the views of the Section's members concerning the content and operation of the Association's journals and brings those views to the attention of the Editors.
The Representative(s) to the Council of Sections serve as member(s) of the Executive Committee and represent the interests of the Section and its members on matters that come before the Council of Sections.
Article V. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee of the Section consists of the Section officers as defined in Article IV. The Executive Committee sets the amount of the Section's annual dues. Between annual business meetings, the management of the Section's affairs is in the hands of the Executive Committee, subject to such standing rules as the business meetings may from time to time provide.
Article VI. NOMINATIONS, ELECTIONS, AND VACANCIES
Each year the Section's Committee on Nominations submits to the Association Secretary at least two candidates for each office to be filled. All such candidates must be Section members and full members of the Association. The Association's general deadline for submission of nominations applies. As part of the Association's annual election, the Secretary of the Association will mail a ballot to all members of the Section.
Additional nominations may be made by submitting a petition, signed by at least 25 members of the Section, to the Section Chair and to the Association Secretary. Such a petition must be submitted within 45 days after the mailing date of the publication announcing the names of the candidates submitted by the Committee on Nominations.
If the office of Chair becomes vacant, the Chair-Elect becomes Chair, the term extending through the following year. The same principle of succession applies if the office of Program Chair becomes vacant. Vacancies in other offices are filled via appointment by the Chair, with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Article VII. TERMS OF OFFICE
The Chair, Chair-Elect, Past Chair, Program Chair, and Program Chair-Elect each serve a one-year term. The Chair- Elect, Program Chair-Elect, and Chair automatically succeed the Chair, Program Chair, and Past Chair respectively, at the annual change of officers, which occurs on January 1.
The Secretary/Treasurer and the Publications Chair each serve a two-year term.
The term of office for the Representative(s) to the Council of Sections will be as specified in the Charter of the Council of Sections.
No officer is eligible for immediate re-election to the same office except the Secretary/Treasurer.
Article VIII. COMMITTEES
1. Types. The Committees of the Section consist of the Executive Committee, Standing Committees provided by this Charter, and such Standing or Current Committees as the Chair may establish. Current Committees may be established to serve a particular need or interest of the Section.
2. Membership. The term of membership on Standing and Current Committees, if not otherwise specified in this Charter, is determined at the discretion of the Section Chair. No member may serve on a committee for more than six consecutive years without specific approval by the Executive Committee, except for ex officio members. Members of committees serve until their successors are appointed or elected.
Unless otherwise specified in this Charter, each committee is governed by a chair appointed by the Section Chair. All members of Standing Committees, as well as the chairs of Current Committees, must be Association and Section members.
3. Normal Time of Appointment. In order that new members of Standing and Current Committees may begin work promptly, the Chair-Elect normally designates these members. If possible, the designations should be made at least two months prior to the time when the new committee members take office.
4. Standing Committees. The Standing Committees provided by this Charter are as follows:
a. Committee on Nominations. The Committee on Nominations consists of the Section Chair (who serves as Committee Chair), the Chair-Elect, and the Chair-Elect-Elect. The Committee submits nominations for officers as provided in Article VI of this Charter. Committee members are not eligible for nomination by the Committee.
b. Committee to Nominate Fellows. The Past Chair serves as Chair, and appoints two additional members to the Committee to Nominate Fellows. Each year the Committee identifies Section members (if any) who would be suitable nominees for the honor of Fellow of the Association (as described in the Association By-Laws) and coordinates preparation and submission of the nominations.
c. Charter Committee. Not more than three years after adoption of this Charter, the Section Chair should appoint a Charter Committee for the purpose of reviewing the Section Charter. If necessary, the Charter Committee prepares a revision to be submitted to the Section not more than five years after the adoption of this Charter, in accordance with Article XI of this Charter. In the event that the Committee undertakes a major revision of the Charter, the Executive Committee may extend the life of the current Charter one year at a time.
d. JSM Program Committee. The JSM Program Committee consists of the Program Chair, who serves as Committee Chair, the Program Chair-Elect, the Program Chair-Elect-Elect, and possibly other members appointed by the Program Chair as needed to effectively develop a program for the annual JSM.
e. Publications Committee. The Publications Committee consists of the Publications Chair (who serves as Committee Chair), the Proceedings Officer (who typically is the Publications Chair), the Newsletter Editor(s), the Webmaster, the Publicity Officer, and any other special publication officers or editors. The publication and publicity efforts of the Section are coordinated through the Committee for maximal benefit to the Section, its members, and those interested in statistics in the physical and engineering sciences.
Each Standing Committee must submit an annual report to the Executive Committee.
5. Current Committees. The life of a Current Committee may not extend beyond five years without a review of its need by the Executive Committee. Any committee that is to continue for more than one year must have a charge approved by the Executive Committee. Each Current Committee must submit an annual report to the Executive Committee.
Current Committees established in accordance with this article may be dissolved at any time by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
Article IX. PUBLICATIONS
Publication of non-journal periodicals, reports, proceedings, or other publications may be authorized by vote of the Executive Committee.
Editors for Section publications must be Section members and are appointed by the Publications Chair, with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Article X. MEETINGS
The annual business meeting of the Section is held in connection with, and announced in the printed program of, the annual meeting of the Association. The officers may also conduct business with Section members by mail, telephone, or other electronic means.
The Executive Committee meets at the annual meeting of the Association and at the Fall Technical Conference. It may also hold additional meetings at times and places designated by the Chair, with the consent of the Executive Committee. Meetings are held at the call of the Chair, or by vote of two-thirds of the Executive Committee. Between meetings, the Executive Committee may conduct business by mail, telephone, or other electronic means.
Article XI. AMENDMENTS
1. Proposal. Amendments to the Charter may be proposed by the Executive Committee or by a petition signed by at least 25 Section members. An amendment originating by petition is referred to the Executive Committee, which then votes on its recommendation regarding ratification. Periodic revisions to the Charter, as provided for in Article VIII, are referred to the Executive Committee, which may recommend ratification as a whole or in parts. The Executive Committee may also decide upon the final wording of a proposed amendment, as long as such wording is consistent with the original intent of the petition.
2. Ratification. All proposed amendments must be submitted to Section members for mail vote at the time of the next annual election of officers. If approved by a majority of Section members voting, the amendment takes effect immediately. A copy of the amendment must be filed with the Association Secretary.