ASA Headlines

Stigler is JSM 2014 President's Invited Address Speaker

Renowned statistician and historian Stephen M. Stigler has been selected by ASA President Nat Schenker to deliver the President's Invited Address during the 2014 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM 2014) August 2-7 in Boston. Stigler is one of the world's foremost experts on the history of statistics. In his August 4 talk-titled "The Seven Pillars of Statistical Wisdom"-Stigler will highlight seven great ideas that have evolved to form the pillars of statistical science. Read the ASA release or 175th anniversary blog.

2014 Zellner Award: Call for Entries

Entries for the 2014 Zellner Award, sponsored by Business and Economic Statistics Section of the American Statistical Association under the auspices of the Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, and SAS Institute, Inc., are due March 28, 2014. For more info, click here.

Special Student Funding

ASA has a one-time source of money awarded but not spent for the travel of young researchers to the International Future of Statistics Workshop last November. Send a 1-page letter of recommendation for one or more of your students or recent graduates who are planning to attend JSM 2014 and who could use some extra cash for travel. We will award 36 recipients up to $500 to attend JSM 2014. The awards will be paid once we receive their travel receipts. Read more.

ASA, MAA offer Criteria for Teaching Intro Stats

The ASA and the Mathematical Association of America have developed recommended qualifications for an instructor teaching a modern introductory statistics course. In the joint statement, titled "Qualifications for Teaching an Introductory Statistics Course," the two groups encourage effective teaching in undergraduate statistical education and offer a series of qualifications and resources that will assist non-statistics departments at universities and colleges with hiring qualified candidates or training existing instructors in the necessary skill set. Read the press release.

Evans Is New CHANCE Executive Editor

Scott R. Evans, a senior research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health, is the new executive editor of CHANCE magazine. Evans' term began with the New Year and runs through 2016. He replaces Sam Behseta, a professor of statistics at California State University, Fullerton, who had led the magazine since 2011. Evans previously was an editor for CHANCE, is highly active in professional service, particularly in the ASA, and is an ASA Fellow. Read more.

New ASA Journal Launched

Statistics and Public Policy, a new journal recently launched by the ASA, offers federal and state government decisionmakers, lawmakers at all government levels, policy analysts, statisticians and statistically trained professionals in other fields a fresh take on major public policy issues. The open-access publication–produced in electronic form only–features papers that apply effective statistical methodology to problems in the public policy and political science arenas. Go to amstat.tandfonline.com to access the inaugural issue. Read more.

Learn How to Celebrate ASA's 175th

If you're seeking information about why and how you can celebrate the ASA's landmark 175th anniversary, look no further than the ASA at 175 blogs on the 175th anniversary website authored by Executive Director Ron Wasserstein. In the blog series-current and future-Wasserstein highlights aspects of the 175th celebration and looks broadly at the ASA and its activities. Current entries review professional recognition, how the ASA acts strategically, and the ASA's Big Tent for Statistics philosophy. You are invited to contribute a post to this blog. To do so, contact Wasserstein at ron@amstat.org.

Forbes Honors Two Young Statisticians

ASA members Genevera Allen, Rice University assistant professor of statistics, and Daniela Witten, an assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Washington, were named to Forbes magazine's third annual 30 Under 30-a tally of the brightest stars in various fields under the age of 30. Both were honored in the Science and Health Care category. Allen was selected for assembling fMRI brain scan data to find brain areas that are turned on, yielding information about how we think. Witten, who was honored for the third consecutive year, uses statistical machine learning methods to analyze large data sets from DNA sequencing and other fields. Read more.

Statistical Analysis and Data Mining Special Issue

The special issue of Statistical Analysis and Data Mining is out, featuring papers from JSM 2012. And starting in 2014, Statistical Analysis and Data Mining makes the move to online only!

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Winner of Free ASA Membership

Congratulations to David Jiang, winner of the September drawing for FREE ASA membership.

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Other Recent Headlines

Risk-Limiting Audits Endorsed by Presidential Commission

The Presidential Commission on Election Administration’s report, issued this week, endorses risk-limiting audits (see page 66) — a method invented and piloted by ASA member Philip Stark and endorsed by the ASA Board in 2010. President Obama established the commission following the 2012 elections and charged it with making recommendations to increase efficient administration of federal elections and improve voter experience. In the report, the commission states: “The commission endorses both risk-limiting audits that ensure the correct winner has been determined according to a sample of votes cast and performance audits that evaluate whether the voting technology performs as promised and expected.”

Mulrow Named NCSES Deputy Division Director

ASA Board member and Fellow Jeri Mulrow has been appointed deputy division director of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). Mulrow, who is ASA vice president, had served as the acting deputy division director since May. Previously, she served as program director of the NCSES Information and Technology Service Program. Mulrow joined NSF in 2001 as a survey statistician in NCSES and then became a senior mathematical statistician.

Vizcarrondo Named VP of Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

The governor of Puerto Rico has appointed Carlos E. Toro Vizcarrondo to the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics. Vizcarrondo, a longstanding ASA member, then was elected the panel's vice president by his fellow board members. He is president of ASEP Inc. and consultant to the school of dental medicine, the school of nursing, and the Research Institute of Behavioral Sciences of the Medical Science Campus. He serves as a private consultant in actuarial science studies, design of surveys and sampling, and econometrics analysis for private and public institutions.

2014 Fellowship Programs - Accepting Applications

Applications are now being accepted for the ASA/NSF/BEA and ASA/NSF/BLS Fellowship Programs for 2014. More information can be found here.

Nominations Sought for 2014 Julius Shiskin Award

Nominations are invited for the annual Julius Shiskin Memorial Award for Economic Statistics. The Award is given in recognition of unusually original and important contributions in the development of economic statistics or in the use of statistics in interpreting the economy. Read the full solicitation.