Government Statistics Section Wray Jackson Smith Scholarship

Most Recent Winner

Leanna Moron

University of Wisconsin-Madison

About the Scholarship

Awarded jointly with the ASA’s Social Statistics Section, this scholarship supports work toward a career in government statistics. The scholarship encourages promising young statisticians to consider a future in government statistics by providing up to $1,000 for use in exploring any of a broad number of opportunities. The Wray Jackson Smith Scholarship (WJSS) was created to honor the memory of a founding member of the Government Statistics Section and a longtime contributor to federal statistics. Smith’s federal career spanned four decades and included positions in the Office of Economic Opportunity, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Energy Information Administration. After retiring from the federal government in 1983, he continued to play a role in federal statistics from the private sector.

Selection Criteria

This scholarship is for students and others early in their careers who show an interest in government statistics. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent level of education. Membership in the Government Statistics Section, Social Statistics Section, or ASA is not required.

Applications will be evaluated on relevance of the proposed activity to government statistics, quality of the proposed activity, innovation/ingenuity of the proposed project, feasibility of completion of the activity, the applicant’s career stage, and past performance as reflected in the letters of recommendation.

Applications

Applications are due by May 1, and the award will be announced in June.

A proposal for the activity to be funded, a completed application form, and two letters of recommendation should be submitted to Wray Jackson Smith Scholarship Committee.