Deming Lecturer Award
About the Award
The Deming Lecturer Award was established in 1995 to honor the accomplishments of W. Edwards Deming, recognize the accomplishments of the awardee, and enhance the awareness among the statistical community of the scope and importance of Deming’s contributions. Notable among Deming’s achievements are the following:
Contributions to Sampling
- Wrote one of the first books on survey sampling in 1950, which is still in print
- One of the earliest writers to consider multiple factors that might affect the quality of survey estimates
- Quality in sample surveys draws on many ideas from Deming’s work on quality improvement
Statistical Contributions to Business and Industry
- Deming’s skills as a data analyst, methodologist, and thinker about the foundations of learning from data led to his being the leading analyst of data in the transportation industry
- More generally, Deming was a powerful and tireless advocate for the use of statistical methods and thinking for quality improvement in business and industry
Contributions to Management
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Developed and disseminated a theory of management (i.e., System of Profound Knowledge) that contributed materially to improved performance of enterprises in many countries, most notably in Japan and the United States
The honoree will deliver the Deming Lecture (an invited paper) at the Joint Statistical Meetings the year after the award is given.The lecture should be presented in the spirit of Deming’s views about his statistical practice:
“I aim to engage only in work that offers opportunity to create new
statistical methods, or to use existing methods to help other scientists
and professional men to improve their research; or to acquire new
knowledge through planned research about materials and about man; or to
improve efficiency, uniformity, quality service, and performance of
product; or to achieve smoother operation and more effective
administration and management in industry and government.”
They will also receive a $1,000 honorarium, an award plaque, and paid travel expenses.
Selection Criteria
The award committee will select an individual who has either made significant contributions in fields related to those in which Deming devoted his career—survey sampling, statistics in the transportation industry, quality management, and quality improvement—or has made significant contributions through effective promotion of statistics and statistical thinking in business and industry. Consideration will also be given to individuals who have performed innovative and game-changing work in any field of statistics or who have demonstrated leadership that has enabled transformational changes in their organizations as exemplified by Deming himself.
Nominations
Nominations are due by October 15 and require the following:
- Nominating letter
- Candidate’s CV
- Two letters of support – not to exceed two pages each
- Candidate’s short bio
- Candidate’s headshot
Questions
Please contact the committee chair.