June 2009 • Issue #384 Amstat The Membership Magazine of the American Statistical AssociationNews • www.amstat.org/publications/amsn

JSM 2009: Plan Now Play Later

ALSO: ASA Endorses CNSTAT’s Principles and Practices for Federal Statistical Agency

NCSU, UM Honored for Bringing Minorities into Publications Agreement No. 41544521 Mathematics B Amstat News JUNE 2009 JUNE 2009 • Issue #384

Executive Director Ron Wasserstein: [email protected] Associate Executive Director and Director of Operations F EATURES Stephen Porzio: [email protected]

Director of Programs 3 President’s Invited Column Martha Aliaga: [email protected] 5 Board Highlights Director of Science Policy Steve Pierson: [email protected] 6 Extra! Extra!

Managing Editor 8 2009 ASA Audit Report Megan Murphy: [email protected] 13 NCSU, UM Honored for Bringing Minorities into Production Coordinators/Graphic Designers Mathematics Melissa Muko: [email protected] Lidia Vigyázó: [email protected] 14 ASA Endorses CNSTAT’s Principles and Practices for Federal Statistical Agency Publications Coordinator Val Snider: [email protected] 15 Caucus for Women in Statistics to Host Breakfast Advertising Manager During JSM Claudine Donovan: [email protected] 16 Algorithmic, Statistical Challenges in Data Analysis Contributing Staff Members Focus of MMDS 2009 Amy Farris • Rick Peterson • Eric Sampson Kathleen Wert • Elizabeth Shwaery

Amstat News welcomes news items and letters from readers on matters of interest to the association and the profession. Address correspondence Caucus for Women in to Managing Editor, Amstat News, American Statistical Association, 732 North Washington Street, Alexandria VA 22314-1943 USA, or email Statistics to Host Breakfast [email protected]. Items must be received by the first day of the preced- During JSM ing month to ensure appearance in the next issue (for example, June 1 for p. 15 the July issue). Material can be sent as a Microsoft Word document, PDF, or within an email. Articles will be edited for space. Accompanying art- work will be accepted in graphics file formats only (.jpg, etc.), minimum 300 dpi. No material in WordPerfect will be accepted. Amstat News (ISSN 0163-9617) is published monthly by the American Statistical Association, 732 North Washington Street, Alexandria VA 22314-1943 USA. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Amstat News, 732 North Washington Street, Alexandria VA 22314-1943 USA. Send Canadian address changes to Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor 20 Feds in Space ON N9A 6J5; [email protected]. Annual subscriptions are $50 per year for nonmembers. Amstat News is the member publication of the ASA. For annual membership rates, see www.amstat.org/join or contact 23 CHANCE Highlights ASA Member Services at (888) 231-3473. 25 ASA Online Journals Provide the Tools You Need American Statistical Association 732 North Washington Street 26 JASA Highlights Alexandria, VA 22314–1943 USA (703) 684–1221 • FAX: (703) 684-2036 28 Norwood Award Proposals Due June 29

ASA GENERAL: [email protected] 29 NC State Dedicates Math, Stats Building ADDRESS CHANGES: [email protected] 30 Library Slipped? AMSTAT EDITORIAL: [email protected] ADVERTISING: [email protected] 31 staff Spotlight Web Site: www.amstat.org 33 ASA-SIAM Series Printed in USA © 2009 American Statistical Association VISION STATEMENT To be a world leader in promoting statistical practice, applications, and research; publishing statistical journals; improving statistical education; and advancing the statistics profession Feds in Space p. 20 MISSION STATEMENT Support excellence in statistical practice, research, journals, and meetings. Work for the improvement of statistical education at all levels. Promote the proper application of statistics. Anticipate and meet the needs of our members. Use our discipline to enhance human welfare. Seek opportunities to advance the statistics profession. Column Contributors Funding Opportunities Increased Funding for Science: What Does It Mean for Statistics? p. 35 This column highlights research activities that may be of interest to ASA members. These brief articles include information about new research DEPARTMENTS solicitations and the federal budget for statistics. Comments or sugges- tions for future articles may be sent to [email protected]. 42 Meetings IOLs Open Eyes to the Basics Contributing Editor Program-at-a-Glance Keith Crank has a BS in mathematics education Washington, DC, Trivia and an MS in mathematics from Michigan State University and a PhD in statistics from Purdue No Car, No Problem: Getting Around During JSM University. Prior to joining the ASA, he was a program RTI Supports Cox Race, Honors Namesake officer at the National Science Foundation, primarily in the probability program. Practical Forum Brings Together Industry, Academic Statisticians

Crank Science Policy News Thinking Outside the Urn p. 37 JSM 2009: This column is written to inform ASA members about what the ASA is doing to Plan Now promote the inclusion of statistics in policymaking and the funding of statistics research. To suggest science policy topics for the ASA to address, contact ASA Play Later Director of Science Policy Steve Pierson at [email protected]. p. 42

Contributing Editor Arlene Ash is a research professor at Boston University’s School of Medicine. A past chair of the ASA’s Subcommittee on Electoral Integrity, she has testified 52 Government News before the state legislature of Massachusetts on statis- Saying Goodbye to SOI tical issues in elections and in a court case in Florida in 2000.

57 Education CAUSE Presence Holds at JMM ‘10 Ash

ASA Board Endorses Recommendations for Contributing Editor Graduate Programs in Statistics Philip B. Stark is a professor of statistics at the University ? of California at Berkeley. He has helped develop meth- ods for risk-limiting election audits, served on a post- Washington, DC, election audit standards panel for the California secre- Trivia tary of state, and conducted four risk-limiting audits in a p. 46 California—the only such audits to date. Triv Stark Master’s Notebook A Learning Opportunity for Statisticians p. 41 MEMBER NEWS This column is written for statisticians with master’s degrees and highlights areas of employment that will benefit statisticians at the master’s level. Comments 60 People News and suggestions should be sent to Keith Crank, ASA assistant director for research and graduate education, at [email protected]. 65 Committees 67 Section News 80 Chapter News Contributing Editor 81 Calendar of Events Amarjot Kaur is director of clinical biostatistics at Merck Research Laboratories. She earned her PhD in statistics 87 Professional Opportunities from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, and was the recipient of a national-level research fellowship.

cover design by Melissa Muko Kaur PRESIDENT’S INVITED COLUMN

In January, I shared information about three initiatives undertaken this year to address issues raised in the ASA strategic plan and promised to provide updates to members as work progressed. In this month’s column, Keith Ord, ASA treasurer and leader of the financial status initiative, summarizes his work group’s deliberations and provisional recommendations. The ASA’s spending policy and reserves are essential to the financial health of the association and, thus, its ability to carry out its mission. I thank Ord and the members of his work group for their time and attention to these important issues that will affect the association for many years to come. ~ Sally C. Morton, ASA President

Saving for a Rainy Day Keith Ord, ASA Treasurer

ecent economic events have left us only too We began our deliberations by elucidating a set well aware of the need for careful financial of operating principles for spending policy. Most of planning. Further, we recognize our fund of these statements will have a familiar ring to them. Rgood ideas usually outstrips the dollars to pay for If implemented in both letter and spirit, we believe them. As ASA President Sally Morton put it in her they will provide useful guidelines for the ASA in charge to our working group, “After personnel, the the years ahead. Each activity or project undertaken most important decisions made by an organization by the association (e.g., JASA) was first classified as are its fiscal decisions. Decisions on how to spend income-producing, self-supporting, or needing sup- reflect an organization’s values and should reflect port. Projects were then grouped into one of nine its goals. Further, the amount of funds maintained broad categories, or “buckets” (e.g., publications), as reserves determines the flexibility an organization so the overall health of major activities of the ASA will have to weather economic ups and downs could be monitored in a flexible, broad framework. and to make investments in future programs.” Spending policy is then defined at the level of indi- Accordingly, we were asked to develop (a) a spend- vidual projects, whereas reserve policy is specified at ing policy and (b) a long-term fiscal policy for the the bucket level. size of ASA reserves. We began by examining recent ASA Board deci- Spending Policy sions so we could understand the criteria currently The general principles for spending policy are applied to the assessment of new projects. We also the following: benchmarked the reserve policies of professional organizations in related fields. The outcome of this — There should be an overall rolling budget plan second exercise suggests our sister organizations are looking ahead for, say, five years that would include struggling with similar issues and do not have com- net income (or net cost) projections for each project. plete solutions either. As the financial health of the ASA is a matter of concern to us all, the purpose of — Proposals for new projects should provide both this interim report is to share the progress made to an assessment of the project’s importance to the date by the group and to invite suggestions or com- ASA and a detailed business plan. This plan should ments. These can be sent to [email protected]. include a market analysis, possibly based on a mem- In recent years, the ASA has experienced a bership survey, or at least responses from interested decline in both library and personal subscriptions sections and chapters. These new projects should be to the journals, a small but steady decline in full evaluated in the context of their cost and revenue membership, and, more recently, a decline in adver- implications, including possible cost-sharing and tising revenues (as a result of the economic down- profit-sharing with sections or chapters. turn). Historically, the ASA has not used invest- — New projects should normally be approved for a ment income to pay operating expenses. Such a step trial period of, say, three to five years. Toward the should be avoided, save in extreme circumstances. end of the trial period, the board would be pro- Our brief was not to consider new revenue streams, vided with a report on the progress of the program but we recognize action is also needed on that side and would then determine whether to support its of the balance sheet. continued operation.

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 3 — All projects should be subject to periodic review and reassessment of priorities. Projects The group was greatly assisted by the that fail to meet cost and income expectations or active participation of past and present whose relevance declines should be considered as members of the Finance Committee. candidates for termination. This should be clear- ly communicated to project sponsors at the time Members of the Working Group a project is approved by the board. The board Karen Bandeen-Roche, Finance should set up a working group to evaluate such Committee member cases and make recommendations. Christy Chuang-Stein, ASA vice president In brief, we want the ASA to be able to maintain an open door to new initiatives, but to be somewhat Keith Ord, ASA treasurer and group convener less forgiving of projects that do not live up to their Steve Porzio, ASA associate executive director potential after a reasonable trial period. Ron Wasserstein, ASA executive director Reserves Policy The reserves of the association should be sufficient to George Williams, Finance Committee enable it to operate even after sustaining major finan- member (and former ASA vice president) cial setbacks, some of which by their very nature are Other Members of the Finance Committee unforeseeable. Some activities, such as publications, can reasonably be expected to generate positive net Richard Goldstein income, as inflows and outflows tend to rise and fall Michael Kutner together. Working in this way, we were able to identify four net cost groupings: Administration, Education, Jean Opsomer Support of ASA Communities (sections and chap- ters), and Other Programs, including special projects. Frank Shen The other five buckets were regarded as reliable net income producers: Advertising, Grants, Meetings, Ji Zhang Membership, and Publications. We think reserves should be maintained to cover the four net cost group- ings in accordance with the following principles: — No reserves are required for reliably profitable — Reserves should be sufficient to enable the ASA activities, but each net cost grouping needs to be to continue to operate over an extended period of fully covered. financial hardship. — The size of the reserves should take into account Following these guidelines, we are recommend- both increasing costs over time and due allowance ing that the financial reserves should be sufficient to for increases in the cost of living. provide coverage equivalent to two years of opera- tions of the net cost groupings. The size of the gen- — The reserves need to be adjusted over time to eral reserves should be based on the average level of reflect new commitments such as hiring a perma- expenditures over the last three years, adjusted for nent new staff member. inflation using the Consumer Price Index and subject n — Insofar as is possible, year-to-year increases in to additional adjustments for any new programs. the level of reserves should be provided from investment income.

4 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Board Highlights Policy, Planning, Strategic Plans Top Board’s Agenda

olicy matters, planning, and implementation — As President-elect, Sally Morton established of strategic plans were among the important three work groups, each related to one of the planks activities of the Board of Directors during its of the ASA’s Strategic Plan. These groups reported PApril 3–4, 2009, meeting. Here are the highlights: to the board: • The 2009 Strategic Plan Work Group on — The board appointed a host of new editors to Meetings, chaired by ASA Vice President assume duties beginning in 2010: • Joe Verducci, editor of Statistical Analysis and Data Mining Board of Directors • John Gabrosek, editor of the Journal of Statistics Education Sally Morton, President • Richard Levine, editor of the Journal of Sastry Pantula, President-elect Computational and Graphical Statistics Tony Lachenbruch, Past President • Hal Stern, editor of the Journal of the American Statistical Association, Applications and Case Alicia Carriquiry, Vice President (third-year) Studies Nat Schenker, Vice President (second-year) • Jonathan Wright and Keisuke Hirano, editors of the Journal of Business & Economic Statistics Christy Chuang-Stein, Vice President (first-year) • Joe Heyse’ appointment as editor of Statistics in Biopharmaceutical Research was extended for one Geert Verbeke, International Representative year, through 2010 Karen Kafadar, Publications Representative — The board endorsed the principles and best prac- tices set forth in Principles and Practices for a Federal John Boyer, Council of Chapters Statistical Agency, 4th ed. (see Page 14) Representative (third-year) Susan Hilsenbeck, Council of Chapters — The board endorsed recommendations from a Representative (second-year) panel of faculty regarding graduate programs in sta- tistics education. (see Page 59) David Marker, Council of Chapters Representative (first-year) — Steve Pierson, ASA director of science policy, led a discussion with the board about planned activities Tom Santner, Council of Sections for the JSM congressional visits, an opportunity for Representative (third-year) members to meet with congressional staff to discuss specific issues (to be determined later this spring). David Banks, Council of Sections Details can be found at www.amstat.org/meetings/ Representative (second-year) jsm/2009/index.cfm?fuseaction=capitolhill. Jeri Mulrow, Council of Sections Representative (first-year) — The board endorsed the recommendation of the Membership Recruitment and Retention Keith Ord, Treasurer Committee to set the price for annual dues at $50 for all K–12 teachers. Ron Wasserstein, Executive Director

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 5 Nat Schenker, presented its report to the board. — Speaking of strategic planning, Sastry Pantula, The work group recommended forming a plan- ASA president-elect, led the board in a preliminary ning committee to initiate a conference on discussion of initiatives for 2010, based on the applied statistics in 2011 or 2012. A planning ASA’s Strategic Plan. Pantula indicated his intention committee is being formed, and its first meeting to focus on four of the planks of the plan during will be held at JSM. 2010: membership growth, visibility and impact in decisionmaking, public awareness, and education. • The other two strategic plan work groups, Planning for 2010 will continue through the spring Organizational Efficiency (chaired by Bob and early summer. Rodriguez) and Reserves and Spending Policy (chaired by Keith Ord), presented progress — Karen Kafadar, publications representative, led reports. Both are scheduled to make final reports a lively discussion about the future of electronic later this spring and summer. publications at the ASA. The discussion focused on a set of recommendations to the board from the Committee on Publications. The board agreed that (1) publications should move to electronic as the pri- mary medium, with paper secondary; (2) the ASA’s publications should aspire to be influential and the ASA should work to expand electronic access while Extra! Extra! maintaining the financial viability of its publishing program; and (3) the ASA should investigate the creation of a statistics portal. A work group, chaired hose words—once shout- by Committee on Publications Chair David Scott, ed by people hawking has been assembled to take further steps and bring a newspapers on street cor- proposal to the board in August. Tners everywhere—have largely gone the way of the dodo. But — Keith Ord, ASA treasurer, reviewed the ASA’s you can receive the present-day financial summary for 2008. The board also received equivalent in your email for every the 2008 audited financial report. journal the ASA publishes. Simply go to http://pubs. — The board reviewed 10 proposals for funding amstat.org, click on the journal from the Member Initiatives Program and fund- you’re interested in, and then ed three of them: Census@School in the USA, click on “Sign up for TOC Statisticians Influence Climate Change Deliberations Alerts.” With that, the table of on Capitol Hill: A Case Study, and Increasing the contents of every issue will land Value of the First Course in Statistics. in your in-box with links to the issue and each article. Even if — The Council of Sections Governing Board and you don’t subscribe to a particu- the Council of Chapters Governing Board each lar journal, go ahead and get the reported on their activities since December 2008. TOC Alert so you’ll know what’s Both councils met in Alexandria at the ASA office going on in the most important in February. statistical journals in the world. Get ahead of the curve. Get — The board approved launching an annual fund TOC Alerts! n drive, scheduled to begin in June of 2009. n

6 Amstat News JUNE 2009 JUNE 2009 Amstat News 7 2009 ASA Audit Report

8 Amstat News JUNE 2009 2009 ASA Audit Report

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 9 2009 ASA Audit Report

10 Amstat News JUNE 2009 2009 ASA Audit Report

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 11 2009 ASA Audit Report

12 Amstat News JUNE 2009 NCSU, UM Treasures from Honored for Bringing ASA Minorities into Archives Mathematics

he Department of Statistics at North Carolina State University and Department of Mathematics at the University of TMississippi were honored recently as Mathematics Programs That Make a Difference by the American Mathematical Society. “These two departments have outstanding records in recruiting members of under-represented groups and mentoring them to successfully complete their graduate degrees,” said Alejandro Adem of the University of British Columbia, chair of the selection committee for the award. “The AMS Committee on the Profession was extremely impressed with their accomplishments, which can serve as a model for other departments in the United States.” The Department of Statistics at NCSU has made diversity of students and faculty a top priority. Out of 40 faculty members in the department, 11 are female, three are African-American, and two are Hispanic. In the past 10 years, 15 minority students have earned master’s degrees and two have earned PhDs. The department has about 160 graduate stu- dents, including nine African-Americans and four Hispanics; more than 50% are female. The southern United States is home to many of the nation’s African-Americans, and yet the universities in that part of the country have not historically been large producers of African- American PhDs in mathematics. But the University of Mississippi has started to reverse this trend, becoming August 1972 letter to ASA President-elect Jerome a national leader in nurturing and mentoring Cornfield reporting on the implementation of the African-Americans in doctoral study. Over the past study of future goals of the ASA. American Statistical decade, 11 African-Americans have earned math- Association Records, MS 349, Special Collections ematics doctorates from Ole Miss. That the univer- Department, Iowa State University Library. sity was once a symbol of educational segregation in the United States gives this success story The URL for the archive is www.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/ special importance. manuscripts/MS349.html. To read about these programs and the award, visit www.ams.org/prizes/make-a-diff-award.html. n If you have questions, email [email protected] or call (515) 294-6672.

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 13 ASA Endorses CNSTAT’s Principles and Practices for Federal Statistical Agency

The Principles and Practices is an invaluable stan- “dard of guidance for leadership and staff of every About the National Academies’ federal statistical agency. It helps sort out the Committee on National Statistics evolving challenges to accomplishing their mis- The Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) sions in difficult times. Perhaps most important, in was established in 1972 at the recommendation my experience, the book is a place to repair when of the President’s Commission on Federal Statistics to improve the statistical methods and one is pressed to some improper expediency. It is information on which public policy decisions also actually appreciated by higher-level political are based. The committee serves as an appointees who want to ‘do the right thing’ in an integrative force for the nation’s decentralized federal statistical system through its wide- awkward situation, but have not been prepared by ranging studies on statistical applications their experience to see what that is. The endorse- in public policy and its ongoing review of ment by the American Statistical Association adds statistical policy activities of the executive branch and Congress. the force of the size and wisdom of that leading national organization of the profession. The committee convenes expert panels to conduct studies on the data and methodology ~ C. Louis Kincannon, U.S. Census” Bureau, needed to improve our understanding of Director 2002–2008 and Deputy Director 1982–1992 the U.S. population, economy, environment, public health, crime, education, immigration, poverty, welfare, terrorism, and other public policy topics. The committee also furthers the application of statistics to better implement and evaluate federal programs and works to t a recent meeting, the ASA Board of improve statistical methods for application to Directors voted to endorse Principles and public affairs; private sector decisionmaking; and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency social, economic, and other scientific research. A(P&P), 4th Ed. The publication is a project of the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT), a For more information about the committee, standing unit of the National Academy of Sciences, its reports, and its projects, visit www7. which issued the first edition in 1992. nationalacademies.org/cnstat. “Principles and Practices is the authoritative guide for federal statistical agencies,” said Sally Morton, ASA president and CNSTAT member. “It builds on years of experience observing, advising, P&P was developed in response to requests that and interacting with the federal statistical agencies CNSTAT provide advice on what constitutes an and represents a great wealth of accumulated wis- effective federal statistical agency. Second and third dom. The endorsement of the ASA Board signals editions of the publication were issued in 2001 and our strong support of the federal statistical agencies, 2005, respectively, updating the document to pro- and we will use P&P to provide guidance for the vide current editions to newly appointed cabinet ASA’s science policy initiatives.” secretaries at the beginning of each presidential

14 Amstat News JUNE 2009 administration. The fourth edition was published — They must achieve and maintain a strong posi- early this year. P&P has been widely cited and used tion of independence from the appearance and by the Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. reality of political control General Accountability Office, and many federal agencies. Principle 4 was added for the fourth edition to In the new edition, CNSTAT presents and com- underscore the need for statistical agencies to con- ments on four basic principles that statistical agencies trol their own programs so they can be impartial must employ to successfully carry out their mission: and trusted by all. The book also discusses 11 important practices that — They must produce objective data that are rel- enable statistical agencies to live up to the four princi- evant to policy issues ples. These practices include a commitment to qual- ity and professional practice and an active program — They must achieve and maintain credibility of methodological and substantive research. among data users Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency, 4th Ed., is available from The National — They must achieve and maintain trust among Academies Press at www.nap.edu. n data providers

Caucus for Women in Statistics to Host Breakfast During JSM

he Caucus for Women in Statistics will host a breakfast on Monday, August 3, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. at the Embassy Suites, 900 10th St. NW (located between I and K Streets) in TWashington, DC. The breakfast is open to both members and non- members of the caucus and those attending or not attending JSM. There will be the traditional roundtables with specific topics for discussion, as well as tables with no specific topics of discussion. The meal will be the full breakfast buffet offered by the Embassy Suites. Planned topics for discussion include work/life balance, negotiating salary and other job benefits, comparison of statisticians’ jobs across set- tings, and legal rights and wrongs in the workplace. Additional round- tables may be added at a later date, and topics are subject to change. The cost of the breakfast is $13 for members, $15 for nonmembers, and $8 for full-time students. To reserve a place at the breakfast, email Anna Nevius at [email protected] by July 22, 2009. For more information about the Caucus for Women in Statistics, go to http://caucusforwomeninstatistics.com. n

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 15 Algorithmic, Statistical Challenges in Data Analysis Focus of MMDS 2008 Michael W. Mahoney, Lek-Heng Lim, and Gunnar E. Carlsson

was originally motivated by the to tabulate and process the data at complementary perspectives hand to find interesting patterns, brought by the numerical linear rules, and associations. A differ- algebra and theoretical computer ent view of the data, more com- science communities to matrix mon among statisticians, is one of algorithms in modern informatics a particular random instantiation applications. of an underlying process describ- ing unobserved patterns in the Diverse Approaches to world. In this case, the goal is Modern Data Problems to extract information about the Graph and matrix problems were world from the noisy or uncertain common topics for discussion, data observed. largely because they arise natu- The two perspectives need not rally in data mining, machine be incompatible: Statistical and learning, and pattern recognition. probabilistic ideas are central to For example, a common way to much of the recent work on devel- model a large social or informa- oping improved approximation tion network is with an interac- algorithms for matrix problems. tion graph model, G = (V,E), in Much recent work in machine which nodes in the vertex set V learning draws on ideas from represent “entities” and the edges both areas, and, in boosting the in the edge set E represent “inter- regularization parameter (i.e., the actions” between pairs of entities. number of iterations), also serves Alternatively, these and other data as the computational parameter. sets can be modeled as matrices, Given the diversity of possible he 2008 Workshop on since an m x n real-valued matrix perspectives, MMDS 2008 was Algorithms for Modern A provides a natural structure for organized loosely around six Massive Data Sets encoding information about m hour-long tutorials that intro- T(MMDS 2008) was held at objects, each of which is described duced participants to the major Stanford University last June. The by n features. themes of the workshop. goals of MMDS 2008 were (1) to It is worth emphasizing the explore novel techniques for very different perspectives that Large-Scale Informatics: modeling and analyzing massive, have historically been brought Problems, Methods, high-dimensional, and nonlin- to such problems. A common and Models early structured scientific and view of the data, in particu- On the first day, participants Internet data sets and (2) to bring lar among computer scientists heard tutorials by Christos together computer scientists, interested in data mining and Faloutsos of Carnegie Mellon statisticians, mathematicians, and knowledge discovery, has been University and Edward Chang of data analysis practitioners to pro- that the data are an accounting, Google Research, in which they mote cross-fertilization of ideas. or record, of everything that presented an overview of tools MMDS 2008 occurred in the happened in a particular setting. and applications in modern large- wake of MMDS 2006, which From this perspective, the goal is scale data analysis.

16 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Faloutsos began his tuto- or Hadoop that supports data- large-scale social and information rial, “Graph Mining: Laws, intensive distributed computa- networks available, however, Generators, and Tools,” by tions running on large clusters generative models that are struc- motivating the problem of data of hundreds, thousands, or even turally or syntactically more flex- analysis on graphs. He described hundreds of thousands of com- ible are increasingly necessary. a wide range of applications in modity computers. By introducing a small exten- which graphs arise naturally, and sion in the parameters of a gen- he reminded the audience that Algorithmic Approaches erative model, of course, one can large graphs that arise in modern to Networked Data observe a large increase in the informatics applications have Milena Mihail of the Georgia observed properties of generated structural properties that are very Institute of Technology described graphs. This observation raises different from traditional Erdös- algorithmic perspectives on devel- interesting statistical questions Rényi random graphs. Although oping better models for data in her about model overfitting, and these structural properties have tutorial, “Models and Algorithms it argues for more refined and been studied extensively in for Complex Networks.” She systematic methods of model recent years and used to devel- noted that a rich theory of power parameterization. This observa- op numerous well-publicized law random graphs has been tion also leads to new algorith- models, Faloutsos also described developed in recent years. With mic questions, which were the empirically observed properties the increasingly wide range of topic of Mihail’s talk. that are not well reproduced by existing models. Building on this, Faloutsos spent much of his talk describing several graph- mining applications of recent and ongoing interest. Edward Chang described other developments in web- scale data analysis in his tuto- rial, “Mining Large-Scale Social Networks: Challenges and Scalable Solutions.” After review- ing emerging applications—such as social network analysis and per- sonalized information retrieval— Chang covered several other appli- cations in detail. In all these cases, he emphasized that the main per- formance requirements were “scal- ability, scalability, scalability.” Modern informatics applica- tions such as web search afford easy parallelization (e.g., the overall index can be partitioned such that even a single query can use multiple processors). Moreover, the peak performance of a machine is less important than the price-performance ratio. In this environment, scalability up to petabyte-sized data often means working in a software framework such as MapReduce

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 17 problem. A common choice for the penalty is the ℓp-norm of the coefficient vector a = (a1, a2, … , an). This interpolates between the subset selection problem (g = 0) and ridge regression (g = 2) and includes the well-studied lasso (g = 1). For g # 1, sparse solu- tions are obtained, and for g $ 1, the penalty is convex. Although one could choose an optimal (l, g) by cross vali- dation, this can be prohibitively expensive. In this case, so-called path-seeking methods that can be used to generate the full path of optimal solutions {â(l) : 0 # l # } in time that is not much The Geometric their application to natural image more than that needed to fit a Perspective: Qualitative statistics and data visualization. single model have been studied. Analysis of Data Statistical and Machine Friedman described a generalized path-seeking algorithm, which A very different perspective was Learning Perspectives provided by Gunnar Carlsson of efficiently solves this problem for Stanford University, who gave an Statistical and machine learning a much wider range of loss and overview of geometric and topo- perspectives on MMDS were penalty functions. logical approaches to data analy- the subject of a pair of tutorials Jordan, in his tutorial, “Kernel- sis in his tutorial, “Topology and by Jerome Friedman of Stanford Based Contrast Functions for Data.” The motivation underly- University and Michael Jordan Sufficient Dimension Reduction,” ing these approaches is to provide of the University of California at considered the dimensionality insight into the data by impos- Berkeley. Given a set of measured reduction problem in a super- ing a geometry on it. Part of the values of attributes of an object, vised learning setting. Methods problem is thus to define useful x = (x1, x2, … , xn), the basic such as principal components metrics—especially as applica- predictive or machine learning analysis, Johnson-Lindenstrauss tions such as clustering, clas- problem is to predict or estimate techniques, and Laplacian-based sification, and regression often the unknown value of another nonlinear methods are often depend sensitively on the choice attribute y. used, but their applicability is of metric—and two design goals In his tutorial, “Fast Sparse limited since the axes of maxi- have recently emerged. First, don’t Regression and Classification,” mal discrimination between two trust large distances. As distances Friedman began with the com- classes may not align well with are often constructed from a sim- mon assumption of a linear model the axes of maximum variance. ilarity measure, small distances in which the prediction One might hope there exists a reliably represent similarity, but . Unless the low-dimensional subspace of large distances make little sense. number of observations is much the input space X, which can be Second, trust small distances larger than n, however, empiri- found efficiently and retains the only a bit. After all, similarity cal estimates of the loss function statistical relationship between X measurements are still very noisy. exhibit high variance. To make and the response space Y. These ideas suggest the design the estimates more regular, one Jordan showed that this prob- of analysis tools that are robust typically considers a constrained lem of sufficient dimensionality to stretching and shrinking of or penalized optimization prob- reduction (SDR) could be for- the underlying metric. Much of lem. The choice of an appropriate mulated in terms of conditional Carlsson’s tutorial was occupied by value for the regularization param- independence and evaluated in describing these analysis tools and eter l is a classic model selection terms of operators on reproducing

18 Amstat News JUNE 2009 kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHSs). methods, dimensionality reduc- ple, nearly every statistician com- Interestingly, the use of RKHS tion and graph partitioning mented on the desire for more ideas to solve this SDR problem methods, and co-clustering and statisticians at the next MMDS; cannot be viewed as a kerneliza- other matrix factorization meth- nearly every scientific computing tion of an underlying linear algo- ods, participants heard about a researcher told us they wanted rithm, as is typically the case when variety of data applications. more data-intensive scientific such ideas are used (e.g., with In all cases, scalability was a computation at the next MMDS; SVMs) to provide basis expan- central issue, motivating discus- nearly every practitioner from an sions for regression and classifica- sion of external memory algo- application domain wanted more tion. Instead, this is an example rithms, novel computational applications at the next MMDS; of how RKHS ideas provide algo- paradigms such as MapReduce, and nearly every theoretical com- rithmically efficient machinery to and communication-efficient lin- puter scientist said they wanted optimize a much wider range of ear algebra algorithms. Interested more of the same. There is a lot of statistical functionals of interest. readers are invited to visit http:// interest in MMDS as a develop- mmds.stanford.edu, where pre- ing interdisciplinary research area Conclusions and sentations from all speakers can at the interface between com- Future Directions be found. puter science, statistics, applied In addition to other talks on The feedback received made it mathematics, and scientific and the theory of data algorithms, clear that MMDS struck a strong Internet data applications. Keep machine learning and kernel interdisciplinary chord. For exam- an eye out for future MMDSs. n

LATEX

LATEX LATEX

MacKichSOFTWARE,an INC.

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 19 Feds in Space JSM session highlights government survey research in cyberspace and outer space Janice Lent, Energy Information Administration

or statisticians seeking a career path, salary is and testing not the main issue. Had money been our top of the system goal (had we been … well … ‘pigs’), we would present huge chal- Fhave sought careers in commerce, law, or invest- lenges. But O’Neill ment banking. Let’s face it: We just don’t like the knows her work will aid daily grind of repetitive, routine work. We want the nation’s understanding of challenging abstract problems, opportunities to its energy situation for decades to come. stretch our minds, and a chance to leave our mark Darcy Anne Miller of the National Agricultural on the world. Statistics Service (NASS) will discuss the “Census by Hot Research Projects: A Taste of the Future Satellite” methods NASS uses to collect data about for Future Government Statisticians, a topic- American farms. NASS employs satellite imagery to contributed session at JSM 2009, will feature four create a cropland data layer for use in geographi- young statisticians who discovered the research cal information systems. Miller is also involved in projects they could tackle in federal statistical agen- exploring new uses of data-mining techniques to cies offered great outlets for their creative ener- refine remotely collected data and improve data gies. Organized by members of the Innovation quality. The innovations she will discuss aid in data Workgroup, which functions under the auspices of dissemination, allowing complex agricultural sta- the Interagency Council for Statistical Policy, the tistics to be displayed in easily understood formats. session will focus on hot research projects under way All in all, the new methods NASS is developing are in the federal statistical system. quickly putting the old, busy-looking data tables in These talks will show that data collection—and the “horse-and-plow” category. even analysis—is not just for humans anymore. Yes, Have you ever wondered what the IRS does with the U.S. Census Bureau has had to hire squadrons all that data you have to fill in on your tax forms? of enumerators to canvass the tough spots on the Believe it or not, you’re not wasting your time. decennial map, but many federal surveys can now Though your individual information is kept con- be administered online by computer—or even from fidential, some of it is aggregated with other data space by satellite. and used for statistical purposes. Ronald Walsh of Energy data is a case and point. As America’s the IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) Division will talk energy picture evolves, the Energy Information about how statisticians at the IRS are putting that Administration (EIA) is tooling up to collect more vast reservoir of tax data to good use for researchers data on the new energy sources and alternative fuels and the American people. Walsh will discuss several slowly gaining market share. To support the effort, innovative projects that the SOI Statistical Support Grace O’Neill, who recently joined EIA, is involved Section is currently spearheading. in developing a standardized Internet-based data Of course, the U.S. Census Bureau is the agen- collection system for the agency. cy that originally put government statistics “on Working with interdisciplinary teams—includ- the map,” so to speak. You may be interested to ing energy technology experts, IT specialists, and know that young statisticians there are still at economists—O’Neill finds herself consistently it—developing high-tech tools for integrating learning something new. The final system will sup- and visualizing geographically detailed data. port all phases of data collection, from questionnaire Matthew Graham will discuss and demonstrate design to data quality checks. Given the diversity OnTheMap, a dynamic new online mapping and data of users and types of data collected, development reporting software.

20 Amstat News JUNE 2009 OnTheMap takes inspiration from C. J. new technologies to gain fresh insight into America’s Minard’s impressive diagram of Napoleon’s march challenges from the data we collect. on Moscow. With interactive data manipulation Nancy Gordon, the associate director for stra- and graphics tools, however, OnTheMap reaches tegic planning and innovation at the U.S. Census beyond the 19th-century masterpiece, integrating Bureau, will serve as discussant. She will round out administrative records, decennial census data, and the session with an overview of the exciting research sample survey data to generate user-requested dis- opportunities available for statisticians in the federal plays while preserving respondents’ confidential- statistical system. Gordon will be happy to discuss ity. Graham will show us how the U.S. Census questions and issues raised from the floor. So, what Bureau is marrying creative minds with powerful is it like to be a government statistician today? Come and see—you may be surprised! n

Are You Seeking a Statistician?

Reserve an Executive Suite at the 2009 Joint Statistical Meetings and let us help you! Each Executive Suite employer receives: A PRIVATE, FURNISHED BOOTH for your exclusive use throughout the meeting. Use it as an office, interview booth, or meeting space. It will give you the freedom to schedule interviews with potential employees whenever you like, without the need to reserve space on an hourly basis.

REGISTRATION FOR THE JSM PLACEMENT SERVICE, which includes up to 10 Contact Amy Farris at position listings. Also, up to five representatives and three guests from your organiza- [email protected] for tion will have access for conducting onsite interviews. more information. ONLINE ACCESS TO APPLICANT DATA AND RÉSUMÉS IN ADVANCE. Beginning June 1 and continuing through September 30, search our online service Registration will for qualified candidates based on specific criteria. Print résumés and pursue contacts remain open before JSM starts, and continue to access this resource after the meeting for those through July 16. last-minute openings.

AN ONSITE COMPUTER AND PRINTER IN YOUR SUITE. Eliminate waiting in line at the message center. Research and communicate with new applicants as they register.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION ONLINE AND ONSITE. Executive Suites are designated in the online listing of employers and noticed by candidates. Leave your prospective employees with a lasting impression of your company’s commitment to hiring talented statisticians. You also will receive JSM Partners Program credit for your purchase! , PERSONALIZED SERVICE from JSM Career Placement staff members, who will answer your questions and help with your interview traffic.

To reserve your Executive Suite, register online as soon as possible. Executive Suites are limited and have sold out in each of the last four years! www.amstat.org/meetings/jsm/2009/placement

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 21 22 Amstat News JUNE 2009 CHANCE Highlights Baseball, Graphics Play Major Role in Newest Issue Mike Larson, CHANCE Editor

he two themes of CHANCE 22(2) are base- role can statisticians/biostatisti- ball and graphics. Mark Glickman’s Here’s cians play in design, modeling, to Your Health column, Jonathan Berkowitz’s and validation? TGoodness of Wit Test puzzle column, and a couple In his Goodness of Wit Test of letters to the editor complete the issue. column, Berkowitz gives us a For the baseball lover, there are three articles. For bar-type cryptic puzzle with one statisticians in general, issues of defining measures of additional solving requirement. performance, selecting a comparison group, adjust- Last, but not least, two read- ing for confounders, and modeling also appear in ers submitted letters. Susan these articles. Jim Albert compares the career trajec- Aref comments on Stephanie tories of pitchers. The rate at which pitchers allow Land’s article (21[4]), “‘We All hits and walks, adjusted for the pool of pitches and Survived’ and Other Failings of number of batters, is modeled using piecewise qua- Risk Perception,” and confirms dratic functions. Flexible, multilevel modeling is that it is, indeed, safer to be born used to create individual trajectories that adjust for now than in the past. Ray Stefani important factors and allow nuanced comparisons discusses efforts to reproduce across pitchers. results from tables discussed in Did drugs play a role in Roger Clemens’ later articles, also in 21(4), by Brian Clauser and Stephen career performance? Brian Schmotzer, Pat Kilgo, Stigler. The details presented here could be of use and Jeff Switchenko estimate the effect of perfor- to instructors and others working to understand and mance-enhancing drugs on offensive production in explain the tables. baseball. The outcome measure is runs created per In other news, CHANCE, working through the 27 outs. Information about drug use comes from ASA, conducted a survey of lapsed subscribers. the “Mitchell Report.” To address sensitivity to Approval for the survey was obtained from the ASA’s the statistical model, several models are estimated Survey Review Committee. An email message with a and contrasted. link to a web survey was sent to individuals who had Finally, Don Chance takes a look at Joe let their subscription to CHANCE expire in the last DiMaggio’s 1941 56-game hitting streak. Adjusting few years. The purpose of the survey was to learn for hit opportunities and making other assumptions, something about why people stopped subscribing does DiMaggio have the highest probability of ever and what they liked or disliked about CHANCE. having such a streak? Forty-four former subscribers responded. The three winners of the Will Burtin graphics According to them, the technical level is about right contest (announced in 21(4) are Mark Nicolich, and the amount and quality of graphics is accept- Dibyojyoti Haldar, and Brian Schmotzer. Their able, although there appears to be some room for graphs and biographies begin on Page 43. Howard improvement. Topics with the high response were Wainer’s Visual Revelations column presents sev- current events, education, environment, and health/ eral additional graphs and examines the lessons medical. Other topics of strong interest were clinical learned through the contest. We wish to thank the trials, economics, government, graphics, legal issues, 64 entrants to the contest for their efforts. Based and surveys. One respondent added the following on the positive response to the contest, we plan to comment: “I want to see interesting applications. conduct a similar one in the near future. The area doesn’t matter.” In Glickman’s Here’s to Your Health column, In summary, we interpret the results of the sur- Xiaofei Wang, Herbert Pang, and Todd Schwartz vey to support the mission of CHANCE: provide study cancer biomarkers: What are they? How are accessible and interesting articles on diverse topics in they used for prediction and classification? What which probability and statistics play critical roles. n

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 23 24 Amstat News JUNE 2009 ASA Online Journals Provide the Tools You Need

ou know the ASA’s journals represent the best PDF Plus is better than a web page in one respect. in statistical science, covering a broad range You can download the file and take it with you of application areas while advancing the lat- anywhere. All the links work. And you get links to Yest in theory. What you may not know is that the external web pages and internal links to figures, ASA’s online presence is now more robust, more tables, equations, and references. flexible, and more powerful than ever. The ASA now gives you the tools you need to access the lit- Short on Time? erature you want and need. And you can put this Download the abstracts you want and read access to use right away. them later. ASA members are already able to access the Journal of the American Statistical Association, the Journal Found an article you need to cite? Download the of Economic & Business Statistics, The American BiBTeX entry and put it in your BiBTeX database. Statistician, and Statistics in Biopharmaceutical It beats retyping every time. Research for no extra cost. Simply log in to the Members Only area of www.amstat.org to give these Got Supplements? journals a try. Here’s what you can expect: R code, data sets, extended appendices … What do you need? The ASA now posts article supplements Search Anyone? right next to the article in the table of contents. If Simple and advanced full-text searches of the ASA’s you are a subscriber, you can access all the good journals. Search across all journals, within a given stuff and put it to work for you with a simple click. journal, or even within a single issue. No more being rerouted to other web sites!

Want to keep on top of a research topic? Sign up Really, there isn’t room to list all the great features for an email alert when a paper matching your the ASA online journals provide. You need to see search term is posted. them for yourself by logging in to Members Only at www.amstat.org/membersonly. n PDF Plus When is a PDF like a web page? When it is a PDF Plus. Take a look at the references in an ASA journal PDF Plus article. If there is a blue arrow Don’t forget to let us know how we’re doing. Drop a line to next to the citation, you’ll find a number of ways [email protected] if you have a comment about the ASA’s to access that article, or at least its information. online journals. Better yet, if it is an article that appeared in an ASA journal since 2001, the link will take you right to the abstract.

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 25 JASA Highlights June Issue Filled with Diversity of Papers Len Stefanski, David Banks, and Dalene Stangl

he Journal of the American Statistical Association editors JASA Table of Contents Tare delighted to introduce Applications and Case Studies their new colleague, Hal Joint Models for the Association of Longitudinal Binary and Stern, from the Department Continuous Processes with Application to a Smoking Cessation Trial of Statistics at the Xuefeng Liu, Michael J. Daniels, and Bess Marcus University of California at Irvine. Stern is the incom- Bayesian Analysis of Cancer Rates from SEER Program Using Parametric and Semiparametric Joinpoint Regression Models ing coordinating editor Pulak Ghosh, Sanjib Basu, and Ram C. Tiwari and editor of the Applications and Case Nonparametric Priors for Ordinal Bayesian Social Science Models: Studies section. He has Specification and Estimation Jeff Gill and George Casella already begun to handle the new A&CS sub- missions. As is customary, David Banks will con- A Statistical Framework to Infer Functional Gene Relationships tinue to handle papers that are already in process from Biologically Interrelated Microarray Experiments through the end of 2009. Siew Leng Teng and Haiyan Huang The editors want to particularly thank Mark Assessing Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors of Young Women: Kaiser for chairing the search committee that select- A Joint Model with Nonlinear Time Effects, Time Varying ed Stern. There were many excellent candidates. The Covariates, and Dropouts Pulak Ghosh and Wanzhu Tu profession is fortunate to have such depth of strength among its members, and even more fortunate that so Inferring Optimal Peer Assignment from Experimental Data many are willing to volunteer for this job. Debopam Bhattacharya Looking to the future, the ASA is undertaking a Sensitivity Analysis for Equivalence and Difference in an review of its approach to electronic publication. Observational Study of Neonatal Intensive Care Units David Scott is heading up a committee charged Paul R. Rosenbaum and Jeffrey H. Silber with reporting to the ASA Board in June and Random Effects Models in a Meta-Analysis of the Accuracy of Two August on the financial and technical feasibility of Diagnostic Tests Without a Gold Standard significantly expanding the scope of journal ser- Haitao Chu, Sining Chen, and Thomas A. Louis vices members receive. Repeated Measurements on Distinct Scales with Censoring— A Bayesian Approach Applied to Microarray Analysis of Maize Applications and Case Studies Tanzy Love and Alicia Carriquiry The section contains its usual diversity of papers. Nonparametric Signal Extraction and Measurement Error in the There are two by Pulak Ghosh, one on Bayesian Analysis of Electroencephalographic Activity During Sleep analysis of cancer data and one on the assessment Ciprian M. Crainiceanu, Brian S. Caffo, Chong-Zhi Di, and of sexual attitudes and behaviors. Genetic analysis Naresh M. Punjabi is represented in three papers—by Val Johnson, by Nonparametric Residue Analysis of Dynamic PET Data with Tanzy Love and Alicia Carriquiry, and by Gilles Application to Cerebral FDG Studies in Normals Durrieu and Laurent Briollais. Finbarr O’Sullivan, Mark Muzi, Alexander M. Spence, David M. Chris Paciorek and Jason McLachlan use Mankoff, Janet N. O’Sullivan, Niall Fitzgerald, George C. Newman, data on pollen sediments to map ancient for- and Kenneth A. Krohn ests. Hongtu Zhu and a research team of eight Modeling Hazard Rates as Functional Data for the Analysis of coauthors develop a new noise model for magnetic Cohort Lifetables and Mortality Forecasting resonance imaging. Kristin Lennox, David Dahl, Jeng-Min Chiou and Hans-Georg Müller Marina Vannucci, and Jerry Tsai apply spheri- Density Estimation for Protein Conformation Angles Using a cal data methods to analyze protein conformation Bivariate von Mises Distribution and Bayesian Nonparametrics angles. Greg Ridgeway and John MacDonald study Kristin P. Lennox, David B. Dahl, Marina Vannucci, and Jerry W. Tsai racial bias in traffic stops. Debopam Bhattacharya

26 Amstat News JUNE 2009 develops a procedure for optimally assigning college Log-Linear Models for Gene Association roommates, exploiting estimated interaction effects Jianhua Hu, Adarsh Joshi, and Valen E. Johnson to boost academic performance. And Catriona Mapping Ancient Forests: Bayesian Inference for Spatio-Temporal Queen and Casper Albers study intervention and Trends in Forest Composition Using the Fossil Pollen Proxy Record causality in traffic flows. Christopher J. Paciorek and Jason S. McLachlan This does not begin to exhaust the range of appli- Regression Models for Identifying Noise Sources in Magnetic cations in this issue, nor does this short catalog do Resonance Images justice to the authors. It is an exciting collection of Hongtu Zhu, Yimei Li, Joseph G. Ibrahim, Xiaoyan Shi, papers, and showcases the broad impact of our field. Hongyu An, Yashen Chen, Wei Gao, Weili Lin, Daniel B. Rowe, and Bradley S. Peterson Theory and Methods Intrinsically Autoregressive Spatio-Temporal Models with The Theory and Methods Section leads with the Application to Aggregated Birth Outcomes discussion paper “On Consistency and Sparsity Jonathan D. Norton and Xu-Feng Niu for Principal Components Analysis in High Sequential Design for Microarray Experiments Dimensions,” by Iain M. Johnstone and Arthur Gilles Durrieu and Laurent Briollais Yu Lu. The authors argue that for principal compo- Doubly Robust Internal Benchmarking and False Discovery Rates nents analysis with large-p-small-n data “some ini- for Detecting Racial Bias in Police Stops tial reduction in dimensionality is desirable before Greg Ridgeway and John M. MacDonald applying any PCA-type search for principal modes, Intervention and Causality: Forecasting Traffic Flows Using a [and that] the initial reduction in dimensionality is Dynamic Bayesian Network best achieved by working in a basis in which the sig- Catriona M. Queen and Casper J. Albers nals have a sparse representation.” Discussion papers are by B. Nadler; D. Whitten, T. Hastie, and R. Theory and Methods Tibshirani; and J. Ramsay. On Consistency and Sparsity for Principal Components Analysis in Functional data are addressed in “Estimating High Dimensions Derivatives for Samples of Sparsely Observed Iain M. Johnstone and Arthur Yu Lu Functions, with Application to Online Auction Estimating Derivatives for Samples of Sparsely Observed Functions, Dynamics” by Bitao Liu and Hans-Georg Müller with Application to Online Auction Dynamics and “On the Concept of Depth for Functional Bitao Liu and Hans-Georg Müller Data” by Sara López-Pintado and Juan Romo, whereas shrinkage in high-dimensional problems On the Concept of Depth for Functional Data Sara López-Pintado and Juan Romo is the topic of “Partial Correlation Estimation by Joint Sparse Regression Models” by Jie Partial Correlation Estimation by Joint Sparse Regression Models Peng, Pei Wang, Nengfeng Zhou, and Ji Zhu Jie Peng, Pei Wang, Nengfeng Zhou, and Ji Zhu and “Shrinkage Estimation of the Varying Shrinkage Estimation of the Varying Coefficient Model Coefficient Model” by Hansheng Wang and Hansheng Wang and Yingcun Xia Yingcun Xia. Bayesian Mixture Labeling by Highest Posterior Density Bayesian contributions include “Bayesian Weixin Yao and Bruce G. Lindsay Mixture Labeling by Highest Posterior Density” Prior Distributions from Pseudo-Likelihoods in the Presence of by Weixin Yao and Bruce G. Lindsay and “Prior Nuisance Parameters Distributions from Pseudo-Likelihoods in the Laura Ventura, Stefano Cabras, and Walter Racugno Presence of Nuisance Parameters” by Laura Ventura, Confidence Intervals for Population Ranks in the Presence of Ties Stefano Cabras, and Walter Racugno. and Near Ties Theory and Methods is rounded out with inter- Minge Xie, Kesar Singh, and Cun-Hui Zhang esting contributions on confidence intervals in “Confidence Intervals for Population Ranks in the Computationally Efficient Nonparametric Importance Sampling Jan C. Neddermeyer Presence of Ties and Near Ties” by Minge Xie, Kesar Singh, and Cun-Hui Zhang; importance sampling A Class of Transformed Mean Residual Life Models with Censored in “Computationally Efficient Nonparametric Survival Data Jan C. Neddermeyer Liuquan Sun and Zhigang Zhang Importance Sampling” by ; survival analysis in “A Class of Transformed Mean A Multivariate Extension of the Dynamic Logit Model for Residual Life Models with Censored Survival Data” Longitudinal Data Based on a Latent Markov Heterogeneity by Liuquan Sun and Zhigang Zhang; binary lon- Structure Francesco Bartolucci and Alessio Farcomeni gitudinal data in “A Multivariate Extension of the Dynamic Logit Model for Longitudinal Data Based Hunting for Significance with the False Discovery on a Latent Markov Heterogeneity Structure” by Martin Posch, Sonja Zehetmayer, and Peter Bauer Francesco Bartolucci and Alessio Farcomeni; and

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 27 multiple testing in “Hunting for Significance with are intelligent opponents and uncertain outcomes. the False Discovery Rate” by Martin Posch, Sonja The paper describes several formulations of adver- Zehetmayer, and Peter Bauer. sarial risk problems and provides a framework that extends traditional risk analysis tools. Research Reviews challenges are outlined, examples from corporate In the Reviews section, David Rios Insua, Jesus competition illustrate ideas, and the topic’s rel- Rios, and David Banks present a paper titled evance to counterterrorism and national defense “Adversarial Risk Analysis.” The authors review meth- is highlighted. n ods for the analysis of decisionmaking when there

Norwood Award Proposals Due June 29

he University of Alabama their terminal degree, have made tical science. Self-nominations at Birmingham’s Section outstanding contributions to the are acceptable. on Statistical Genetics statistical sciences, and, if select- Send nominations to David B. Tand Department of Biostatistics ed, are willing to deliver a lec- Allison, professor and head of the in the School of Public Health ture at the award ceremony. For Section on Statistical Genetics, request nominations for details, visit www.soph.uab.edu/ssg/ Department of Biostatistics, the eighth annual Janet L. norwoodaward/aboutaward. RPHB 327, University of Norwood Award for Outstanding To nominate a candidate, send Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 Achievement by a Woman in the a full curriculum vitae accom- University Blvd., Birmingham, Statistical Sciences. The award panied by a letter of not more AL 35294-0022. To send elec- will be conferred on Wednesday, than two pages describing the tronic submissions, email Allison September 16, 2009. The recipi- nature of the candidate’s con- at [email protected]. ent will be invited to deliver a lec- tributions. Contributions may The deadline for receipt ture at the UAB award ceremony, be in the development and of nominations is Monday, all expenses paid. Additionally, evaluation of statistical meth- June 29, 2009. The winner will the award winner will receive a ods, teaching of statistics, be announced by Friday, July plaque and $5,000 prize. application of statistics, or any 4, 2009. n Those who are eligible are other activity that can arguably women who have completed be said to have advanced statis-

28 Amstat News JUNE 2009 NC State Dedicates Math, Stats Building $32M structure named SAS Hall after software company

orth Carolina State University formally Statistics of Department NCSU the of courtesy Hall, Marc By dedicated its new mathematics and statis- tics building on Friday, May 1. At a dedi- Ncation celebration attended by more than 200 fac- ulty, students, friends, and alumni, NC State Chancellor James L. Oblinger announced for the first time that the building will be named SAS Hall, in honor of the founders of the software company based in Cary, North Carolina. The 119,000-square-foot building will house state-of-the-art classrooms, computer labs, tutorial centers, and meeting and study space for students and faculty from NC State’s mathematics and sta- tistics departments. A partnership with Cisco will improve digital communications for students by providing access to live and on-demand video con- tent from anywhere on campus. From left: D. McQueen Campbell, chair of the board of trustees; Dan Construction of the $32 million building was Solomon, dean of the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Loek made possible by the Higher Education Bond Helminck, head of the Department of Mathematics; John Sall, cofounder Referendum passed by North Carolinians in 2000, of SAS; Jim Goodnight, cofounder of SAS; Sastry Pantula, head of the as well as by gifts from private donors, including a Department of Statistics; and Jim Oblinger, chancellor substantial contribution from SAS. SAS was born out of a research project that began in the NC State Department of Statistics in the early Statistics of Department NCSU the of courtesy Hall, Marc By 1970s. Since then, the company has grown into one of the largest software providers in the world. Two of the company’s founders, CEO Jim Goodnight and Executive Vice President John Sall, as well as their spouses, remain close partners and staunch supporters of the department and university. “At SAS, we believe it is vital for students in the mathematical and statistical sciences to learn in an environment that provides state-of-the-art facili- ties and instructional technologies,” Sall said. “It’s also critical that they participate in the kind of col- laborative initiatives they’ll experience in the work place. That type of environment produces the type of employee and person we want at SAS, and it’s the type we want to produce at NC State. That’s why we decided to make a significant contribution SAS Hall, named in honor of the founders of the Cary, North Carolina, soft- toward ensuring that this building would become ware company a reality.”

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 29 “The technology resources in this building will indeed have a very positive impact on teach- ing, learning, consulting, and [doing] research in our departments,” said Sastry Pantula, head of the Department of Statistics at NC State. “I must say, so will the physical layout of the spaces within this beautiful building. A lot of thought has gone into the overall sense of community and collabo- ration we wanted these spaces to convey.” Pantula continued, “We are very grateful to the donors for their support and for their vision, to the taxpayers of North Carolina, to Dean Solomon, and to every single person involved with this masterpiece, from the conception to completion.” NC State boasts a long-standing tradition of By Marc Hall, courtesy of the NCSU Department of Statistics excellence in teaching and research in statistics. Its Department of Statistics is among the nation’s old- est and most prestigious, having been founded by renowned statistician Gertrude Cox in 1941. The university currently ranks fifth nationally in total R&D expenditures and in competitive federal R&D expenditures in the mathematical and statistical sci- ences. It also received the Departmental Teaching and Learning Excellence Award at NC State a few years ago. “We now have a state-of-the-art facility that is worthy of the stature of our students and Jackie Hughes-Oliver, codirector of graduate programs, faculty,” said Solomon. n and Anthony Franklin, a PhD student

Library Slipped? t is no secret that libraries are under tremendous budget pressure right now. Who isn’t? But when the library where you work lets the subscription lapse on your favorite ASA journal, well that’s a Istep too far. And if your library doesn’t have a subscription, let them know you would like to have those vital journals available as soon as possible. You can now recommend ASA titles right from http://pubs.amstat.org. Click on any title and you’ll find a link to rec- ommend the title to your librarian at the top. Your ASA journals are a vital link for you. But they are also valuable resources to students and practitioners of many disciplines. Has your librarian heard from you? Maybe it’s time to let them know about sta- tistics, the ASA, and the journals you love. n

30 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Freeware for Statistical Computing Staff Spotlight Elizabeth Shwaery

FPL Statistics Unit Java and HTML forms/Perl information for statisticians www1.fpl.fs.fed.us/poster897.html

TeX Users Group www.tug.org

The R Project for Statistical Computing www.r-project.org

FreeMacWare Scientific software applications for Mac computer users While planning an event in Sydney, Australia, Elizabeth meets a koala bear. www.freemacware.com/category/ scientific-mac-freeware

s the newest member of I planned there took me all RDV the American Statistical over the world, allowing me to Free data viewer software Association team, I would spend several weeks in Australia, http://code.google.com/p/rdv/?gclid=CPb_ Alike to take this opportunity to Europe, and Asia. I look forward jLH06JgCFQFvGgod8xFm1g introduce myself. My name is to bringing my event planning Elizabeth Shwaery, and I joined skills to the ASA and, specifically, MD Anderson Cancer Center the ASA as a meetings planner to the Joint Statistical Meetings Department of Biostatistics & Applied about a month ago. this August. Mathematics Software Download Site In 2005, I graduated from On a personal note, I was http://biostatistics.mdanderson.org/ James Madison University with born and raised in Springfield, SoftwareDownload a degree in public relations and Virginia. I am recently engaged a minor in political communi- and planning my wedding in The web sites listed here are provided as a courtesy. The ASA does cation. After college, I moved to Washington, DC, in October. not control, monitor, or guarantee the information contained in any other entity web sites and shall not be liable for any damages of any Orlando, Florida, where I worked Being a professional event plan- kind. If you have a web site statisticians would find useful, and you for a retail property management ner is a definite asset when plan- would like to see it listed, please send it to [email protected]. company planning store grand ning a wedding! openings and shopping events. I am looking forward to meet- I decided to move back to the ing many of you this summer at Washington, DC, area after about JSM. Should you have any JSM- two years, and, in 2007, I joined related questions, please feel free the Corporate Executive Board as to contact me. I can be reached at a meetings manager. The events [email protected]. n

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 31 32 Amstat News JUNE 2009 ASA-SIAM Series Publishing with the Series Has Benefits

s our authors know, pub- while a proofreader also checks lishing with the ASA- the proofs. SIAM Series on Statistics Aand Applied Probability has many Worldwide marketing benefits. Highlighted below are The ASA and SIAM have a com- a few. bined membership of approxi- mately 30,000 individuals and a Personal service marketing database of more than When you publish with the 100,000 to whom series books ASA-SIAM series, you’re not just are marketed. Also, through a another author. You’re an ASA- partnership between SIAM and SIAM author. That means you Cambridge University Press will receive individual attention (CUP), our books are exhibited from our staff and not get lost in and distributed outside North the shuffle. Acquisitions Editor America by CUP staff. Sara Murphy will be your main contact, and other in-house staff Three-tiered pricing will work through Murphy or All books in the series have three directly with you to meet or exceed prices: a list price, a price for ASA your expectations. We are happy and SIAM members (30% dis- to accommodate authors’ special count), and a price for conference requests whenever possible. attendees who are not members of either society (20% discount). Competitive royalties Shipping fees are waived for onsite and complimentary or orders at conferences. discounted copies The series offers royalties that are Books that never go out competitive with commercial pub- of print lishers and escalate after a predeter- One of the key features of the mined number of copies have sold. book series is that the books do Upon publication, authors receive not go out of print unless they are a number of complimentary copies replaced by new editions. The time and a 40% discount on additional you invest in writing for the ASA- copies intended for personal use. SIAM series is rewarded with an indefinite shelf life for your book. Meticulous copy editing While some publishers print their Service to the profession books from camera-ready copy, Publishing with the ASA-SIAM each of our books undergoes a series not only gets your book thorough copy edit by an in-house into the hands of readers, but or United States–based freelance also serves the profession by per- editor to correct grammatical, petuating the work done by these stylistic, and punctuation errors. partner societies. The copy editor also addresses If you are interested in consid- the book’s layout to ensure an ering the ASA-SIAM series as the easy-to-read finished product. outlet for your next book, contact The copy editor’s work is then Sara J. Murphy at murphy@siam. quality checked by a production org. We look forward to working editor before proofs are created. with you. n Authors receive proofs to check

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 33 34 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Funding Opportunities Increased Funding for Science: What Does It Mean for Statistics? Keith Crank, ASA Assistant Director for Research and Graduate Education

n an address to the National Academy of Sciences, President Barack Obama reiterated his plans to double the budgets of the National IScience Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Originally, this doubling was to have occurred over a 10-year period, but with flat funding in fiscal years 2007 and 2008, it will need to double in eight years to meet that goal. (This may not happen. It is not clear whether the current goal is to double these budgets by 2016 or 2018.) How will this affect statistics? As academic fund- ing of statisticians by NIST and DOE’s Office of Science is small or nonexistent, we will focus on NSF. We start with what might be considered a typ- ical grant. Consider an award to a principal investi- gator (PI) with a graduate student (GS). The award period, but if this is a person near the center of the might look something like the following: award distribution now, he or she should be mov- ing into the upper tail of the distribution over the next 8–10 years. Instead, we will consider someone Salary ($90,000 for $20,000 at this stage of his or her career 8–10 years from now academic year) (i.e., someone who is probably currently in graduate Fringe Benefits (30%) $ 6,000 school). What are some reasonable assumptions for the changes in the award? GS Stipend $20,000 For a new associate professor (0–1 years in rank), GS Tuition $15,000 the salary at the 75th percentile increased by an aver- Travel $ 2,500 age of about 4% per year between 2003 and 2007. For the 90th percentile, the increase was about 5% Supplies $ 500 per year, and for the 95th percentile, the increase Indirect Costs (50%) $32,000 was about 6% per year. (As we are considering a Total One-Year Award $96,000 typical NSF awardee, the salary is likely to be in the upper tail of the distribution.) For my calculations, I used a 5% increase in salary per year. For the other items, it is more difficult to find data. I assumed the If the Statistics Program currently has $12 mil- fringe benefit rate and indirect cost rate would stay lion to spend, it could make 125 grants like this one. the same from year to year. I put in a 4% increase in (I don’t know the current budget for the Statistics GS stipend, an 8% increase in tuition, a 3% increase Program. The figure used here is for illustration.) in travel, and a 2% increase in supplies. Now, what happens over an eight- or 10-year This results in an award size of $146,000 after period? We could follow this person and see what eight years and $164,500 after 10 years. If the pro- his or her grant might look like at the end of the gram budget doubles to $24 million, this would

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 35 Program’s budget. This may not be the case, espe- cially if there is no increase in demand (in the form of more proposals to the program). So, while I have tried to caution against exuberance, I do not want to discourage statisticians from applying for funding. It is also appropriate to compare the results of doubling the budget with other alternatives. If the budget were to increase by 3% per year (i.e., keep- ing up with inflation), the number of awards would decrease by about one-sixth after eight years and by increase the number of awards to 164 over eight about one-fifth after 10 years. Being even more pes- years (31.5% for the period, 4–5 awards per year) simistic, if the budget were flat over that time peri- or 148 over 10 years (18.2% for the period, 2–3 od, the number of awards would decrease by about awards per year). 34% (eight years) and 40% (10 years). So, while a doubling of the NSF budget over an The bottom line: We should be optimistic, but eight- to 10-year period sounds really great, the real not euphoric. effect is much more modest. And if the number of To contact me, send an email to keith@ statistics faculty increases, the increasing number of amstat.org. Questions or comments about this article, NSF awards may not be able to keep pace. as well as suggestions for future articles, are I have assumed a doubling of the NSF budget always welcome. n would also result in a doubling of the Statistics

36 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Science Policy News This month’s guest columnists, Arlene Ash and Philip B. Stark, have been very active in election integrity work. I’m grateful for their instrumental role in shaping and guiding the ASA science policy work in this area, particularly when it comes to interacting with election officials. I especially appreciate their willingness to write this month’s column, which provides an update on this rapidly developing area and suggests a road map for further activity. ~Steve Pierson, ASA Director of Science Policy, [email protected] Thinking Outside the Urn Statisticians make their marks on US ballots Arlene Ash, Boston University School of Medicine, and Philip B. Stark, University of California at Berkeley

ree, fair, and accurate elec- — Designing, printing, and mail- tions are the cornerstone of ing election information, such as democracy, yet troubling sample ballots Ffailures of equipment, software, and procedures continue in the — Managing early, absentee, and United States. For example, Election Day voting we have all heard that some — Educating poll workers and ballots “went missing” in the public Minnesota’s 2008 famously close Senate race recount. — Allocating staff and equip- Elsewhere in 2008: Florida ment for polling places lost more than 3,400 ballots — Preparing and delivering poll initially counted on Election books and other voting materials Day; a bug in commercial elec- and equipment to election sites tion software dropped 197 bal- routine quality-control tests, lots from the totals in Humboldt — Maintaining a secure chain and—ultimately—assessing the County, California; the same of custody of all relevant mate- uncertainty in election outcomes. voting machines used in 34 rials while developing prelimi- The Help America Vote Act states lost votes in Ohio; several nary, first-reported, and certified of 2002, responding to problems states reported vote-flipping on vote counts in the 2000 presidential elec- electronic voting machines; and tion, encouraged jurisdictions to thousands of phantom votes were — Reporting Election Day results retire punchcard voting. Many switched to electronic voting. reported in Washington, DC, — Performing a full canvass and Unfortunately, most of the new inflating the apparent number of reporting final election results votes to 4,759 from a group of “direct-recording electronic” 326 actual votes. — Conducting routine audits, (DRE) voting machines pro- U.S. elections are complicated, and sometimes full recounts of duced no paper trail, so the only involving at least the following: election tallies possible checks on machine totals rely on the accuracy of the same — Quality checking and public — Registering voters and main- machines being tested. reporting taining up-to-date registries Independent verification is the keystone of good electoral audit- — Certifying (the usually many) Statisticians have much ing. Hand counting paper records candidates and measures to be on to offer election administration, is a good check on machine tal- each ballot including specifying data col- lies, as the two methods tend to lection and reporting require- err for different reasons and in — Designing, testing, and print- ments, monitoring the integ- ing (or programming) ballots, different ways. Jurisdictions that rity of data and data processing, scan voter-marked paper bal- with up to hundreds of variants designing and computing with by language and jurisdiction lots or use DREs that produce a large databases, conducting voter-verifiable paper audit trail

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 37 — To verify that vote-tallying inference from stratified samples, machines are functioning properly sampling with probability pro- portional to error bounds, mul- —To provide for continuous tiple testing, sequential testing, improvement in the conduct and combinatorially complex of elections games. Audit protocols must also meet constraints of cost, time, Statisticians can help. For exam- complexity, and transparency ple, they can do the following: to diverse audiences—the pub- lic, election integrity advocates, — Characterize the distribu- legislators, and election officials. tion and nature of vote-counting Because audits must work within errors for different voting tech- the practical limitations of elec- nologies and different methods tions and the legislative process, of hand counting statisticians should be prepared — Develop and improve the to collaborate across many disci- efficiency of practical methods to plines: political science, computer control the risk that an incorrect science, the social and behavioral outcome will go undiscovered sciences (usability studies and survey research), forensics, and — Estimate the cost and logis- “usable security”—security that tical requirements of various is adequate to the task without approaches to auditing and the impairing usability. Statisticians PhD student Luke Miratrix and Philip Stark (right) audit trade-offs among rigor, risk, time, must “think outside the urn.” the votes for Measure W in Yolo County, California, in and cost Methodological research in November of 2008. Miratrix works with Stark developing — Inform policy when there are election auditing is relevant to risk-limiting methods. competing risks and benefits—for financial auditing, experimental example, between the risk of dis- design and analysis, and many other fields in which one seeks (VVPAT) can independently enfranchisement and that of vote fraud, between cost and waiting to draw inferences about a finite check the accuracy of machine a priori time at the polls, between cost and population that satisfies subtotals, typically subtotals by bounds, but for which para- precinct. Vote-tabulation audits accuracy of vote-count technology, between security and ease of use metric approximations could be (also called post-election audits) inaccurate. Preliminary results that compare hand and machine — Identify processes and technol- suggest that techniques recently counts of a random sample of ogies that can improve accuracy or developed for election auditing subtotals can help ensure incor- enable less painful compromises are more efficient than those cur- rect outcomes are caught and rently used in financial auditing. corrected. Indeed, post-election — Develop a knowledge base audits uncovered many of the Risk-Limiting, Vote- problems cited above. The role of statisticians was Tabulation Audits discussed by David Marker, John Statisticians helped draft According to Principles and Best Gardenier, and Arlene Ash in the Principles and Best Practices for Practices for Post-Election Audits, June 2007 issue of Amstat News. Post-Election Audits (see http:// a risk-limiting audit has a pre- Here, we review recent progress, electionaudits.org/principles), specified, minimum chance of a propose a road map for further and the American Statistical full manual count whenever the progress, and suggest ways for Association Board of Directors outcome of the election is wrong. statisticians to contribute. endorsed its statistical content. By definition, an outcome is The document states the following “wrong” if it disagrees with the goals of vote-tabulation audits: A Challenging Statistical Problem outcome a full hand count would show. A risk-limiting audit is — To deter fraud At first glance, election audit- only as good as its audit trail. ing appears to be a straightfor- No trail, no audit. Only with — To promote public confidence ward sampling problem. In fact, in elections a complete and accurate audit audits raise questions about non- trail—ensured through a secure — To find error, whether acci- parametric tests for the mean of chain of custody—can any audit dental or intentional nonstandard distributions, exact provide real assurance.

38 Amstat News JUNE 2009 A risk-limiting audit can be four confirmed the provisional couched as a hypothesis test. outcomes without requiring a full The “risk” is the chance that the hand count. audit stops before a full hand Risk-limiting audits are typi- count when the outcome is cally performed in stages. Each wrong. To control that risk sta- stage involves drawing a probabil- tistically, it makes sense to take ity sample of batches, comparing the null hypothesis to be that a the preliminary results with hand full hand count would contradict counts of the audit trail for those the apparent outcome. A Type batches, and calculating a p-value I error occurs if the audit stops for the hypothesis that the out- short of a full hand count when come of the election is incor- the outcome is wrong. The goal rect. The calculation involves the is to efficiently control the Type reported votes by batch for the I error rate—that is, to count as entire race, the observed discrep- few ballots as possible while limit- ancies between the preliminary ing the risk of stopping too early counts and the hand counts, the when a full count would change sampling design (including sam- the outcome. ple sizes, stratification, and the Early statistical work on vote- protocol for advancing from one tabulation audits includes SAFE stage to the next), and the desired (statistically accurate, fair, and limit on the risk. If the discrepan- efficient), which gave the num- cies in a large enough sample are ber of audit batches to select by sufficiently small, there is strong simple random sampling as a evidence that the outcome is cor- function of the margin of victory, rect, so the audit can stop; other- precinct sizes, and a parameter wise, the audit progresses to the specifying the maximum plausi- next stage—to collect more evi- ble level of error in any precinct. dence, perhaps eventually requir- SAFE ensures that if the outcome ing a full hand count. is wrong, there is a large chance This sample-and-test strategy the audit will uncover at least requires a transparent, public, one precinct with an error, even trustworthy method of gener- if the error is concealed in as few ating random samples, public precincts as possible. SAFE is not counting, published procedures, a fully fleshed-out, risk-limiting and calculations and theorems protocol; it provides no guidance that few elections officials or for what to do when the audit others have the background to finds discrepancies, which are understand. Perhaps the biggest virtually inevitable even when the open problems for methodolo- outcome is right. gists in post-election audits now Philip B. Stark of the University concern logistical barriers to of California at Berkeley and his adoption: developing simpler, colleagues have developed several more efficient, and more usable methods for risk-limiting audits. methods; developing efficient In collaboration with county elec- ways to audit dozens of contests tion officials, they conducted four simultaneously; and developing risk-limiting audits in California data ‘plumbing,’ software tools in 2008: Marin County (a small and turn-key solutions that make Tally sheets for auditing Measure W, Yolo County, measure requiring a supermajor- the methods accessible to elec- California, November 2008 ity and a county-wide measure), tions officials and transparent to Santa Cruz County (County the public. Another important Supervisor, District 1), and Yolo task is to estimate the costs and County (a bond measure). The specific resources needed to sup- audits limited the risk—the Type port credible audits. I error rate—to at most 25%. All

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 39 Political Climate for outcome. Although no current procedures available. Legislators Post-Election Audits or pending legislation actually might be unwilling to revisit Some states have enacted vote requires risk-limiting audits, we election audits repeatedly, so tabulation audit laws that require commend states for moving jurisdictions that legislate meth- comparing machine tallies with a toward statistically motivated and ods can be stuck with poor meth- hand count of a sample of ballot justified audits. A common flaw ods indefinitely. batches. Other states are consider- of many bills is that they attempt to legislate details of sampling Collect election and audit data ing such laws. Federal legislation and make it accessible. A central requiring audits has been intro- and statistical calculations, rather than enunciating principles (e.g., repository for data—including duced several times. The laws and election results at the precinct bills vary in their goals and effect “the procedure shall have at least a 90% chance of requiring a full level or below, voting system fail- on election integrity. Some have ures, errors uncovered by audits, no enunciated goal, but require hand count whenever that count would show a different outcome”) etc.—would be extremely valu- that the audit trail receive some able. Metadata should include scrutiny. Some seek ‘quality con- and leaving implementation details to regulation. The push details about the voting technol- trol,’ in a loose sense. Some seek ogy, the vote-counting technol- to ensure that electoral outcomes for overly detailed prescriptions seems to arise from mutual sus- ogy, the audit, the hand-counting are correct. States draw their ini- procedures, and so on. tial audit samples differently; picion among the stakeholders, few require additional sampling including local, county, and state Help the public and elections if the initial audit finds errors. election officials, legislators, and officials understand basic sta- Some use a fixed number of election integrity advocates. tistical principles that apply to batches per county across all con- audits. For instance, it is a com- Vote-Tabulation Audit mon misconception that correct- tests, or a number that increases Road Map with population. Some require ing the error found in a random auditing a fixed percentage of From our experience in talking sample of batches corrects the error batches or votes. Some have with election officials, auditing in the entire contest—the idea tiered designs, whereby one of elections, and working with elec- that each item in a random sample three percentages of ballots are tion integrity advocates, we see stands for a larger number of items audited, depending on the appar- the following priorities: in the population is not universally ent margin of victory. appreciated. Similarly, jurisdictions A few bills now being con- Build the information infra- have passed laws requiring that the sidered seek to limit the risk of structure for good audits (i.e., audit sample be selected before the certifying an incorrect electoral data plumbing). Audits can only preliminary results are published. be done efficiently if data are Statisticians can help explain why promptly and publicly available that undermines the security the in machine- and human-readable audit would otherwise give. formats at the level of auditable ASA Science Policy Actions batches of ballots. Surprisingly, Statisticians possess the exper- this is rare. Commercial elec- tise to discover and characterize • The ASA sends a letter regarding tion management software seems the nature, frequency, and sourc- effects of IT consolidation on the IRS to be the bottleneck. Adopting es of problems in our elections Statistics of Income (SOI) Division and a standard terminology and data and reduce the risk that electoral letter regarding the next SOI director formats would help states ask outcomes do not truly reflect the • The 50 slots for the ASA congressional for useful data and make it easier will of the voters. The ASA as an visits filled in just two weeks, with for voting machine and software organization and several of its representatives being 25% students vendors to supply it. National members are working to develop and coming from 25 states or international standards should and disseminate model language, be considered. techniques, and best practices for • The ASA signs a letter to congressional our elections. Election officials Legislate auditing principles, leaders thanking them for their efforts have begun to come to us for not implementation details. to pass the Edward M. Kennedy guidance. We welcome your help Methods for risk-limiting audits Serve America Act (H.R. 1388) to meet the important challenge are evolving quickly. Overly pre- of measuring, improving, and Further information can be found at scriptive laws prevent jurisdic- ensuring the accuracy and integ- tions from using the most effi- www.amstat.org/outreach/scipolicyletters.cfm. rity of U.S. elections. n cient, reliable, and transparent

40 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Master’s Notebook A Learning Opportunity for Statisticians JSM Continuing Education courses provide spectrum of secondary learning Amarjot Kaur, ASA Committee on Applied Statisticians

eonardo da Vinci once said “Learning never In addition to attending conferences, there are exhausts the mind.” It is from that perspec- other venues where statisticians can reap the ben- tive that initiatives in continuing education efits of continuing education. Many ASA chapters Lseem to be so relevant to the statistical world. are active in sponsoring full-day symposia or short Continuing education represents a spectrum of sec- courses on current topics. Also, several ASA sec- ondary learning. It is an important facility that tions sponsor webinars delivered by subject-matter helps professionals keep up with the dynamic world, experts. These activities usually involve a fee, but the where change never stops and learning never ends. fees are nominal. Furthermore, many software ven- The Joint Statistical Meetings offers a variety dors offer informative webinars for free. of Continuing Education courses and Computer The form and objective of learning may vary, Technology Workshops. These courses and work- but there are many excellent avenues through which shops benefit statisticians by updating their knowl- statisticians can enrich their knowledge. Try some edge of existing techniques or helping them learn out for yourself. Visit the JSM online program at an entirely new technique. Speaking from experi- www.amstat.org/meetings/jsm/2009/onlineprogram to ence, I have learned a great deal from the variety view the scheduled Continuing Education courses of courses I have attended during JSM over the and Computer Technology Workshops. n years. For example, my first exposure to data-min- ing techniques, such as decision trees, was during a Continuing Education course several years ago. What I learned was something useful that I could contribute to my workplace. Glancing through the list of JSM offerings from the last five years, there seems to have been plenty from which to choose. At each of the recent meet- ings, there were approximately 30 Continuing Education courses and about 10 Computer Technology Workshops with applications in areas such as survival analysis, multivariate analysis, mod- eling, longitudinal analysis, Bayesian methodologies, data-mining techniques, spatial statistics, graphical displays, genetic sampling, adaptive designs, time series, survey sampling, and specific software orien- tation. The courses are offered in two-day, one-day, and half-day formats during the first four days of JSM, and the computer workshops are offered in two-hour intervals on the fifth day. There are other conferences that provide short courses and workshops, as well. These are great opportunities for master’s-level statisticians. Attending a course while at a conference or attend- ing a conference while at a course is like “killing two birds with one stone,” as it is more economical than attending the two events separately.

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 41 JSM 2009: Plan Now Play Later

With all there is to do in Washington, DC, it may be hard for ASA members to decide which sessions and activities to attend during JSM 2009. In preparation for this year’s meeting, the program chair and other ASA volunteers share their suggestions with Amstat News readers. Also, make sure to visit the ASA sections department in this issue to view the sponsored sessions, roundtables, and Continuing Education courses being offered.

4242 AmstAmstaatt NewsNews JUNEJUNE 20092009 MEETINGS

IOLs Open Eyes to the Basics Wendy Martinez, JSM 2009 Program Chair

ave you ever wanted to Spatial Data Analysis know the basics of a August 3, 8:30 a.m. new area of statistics? Noel Cressie of The Ohio State HHave you ever been baffled by University will present a lecture some of the talks at JSM and to get you thinking in a new wanted to have some background statistical way—spatially. He before you attended the sessions? will provide useful information Well, we have some opportunities about models for expressing spa- for you! tial dependence and emphasize Consider attending the hierarchical or multilevel statis- , Introductory Overview Lectures tical models. This IOL will help (IOLs) at the Joint Statistical attendees better understand and Meetings. These special invited ses- appreciate other spatial statistics will enable researchers to handle sions are open to all JSM attendees sessions at JSM. problems in many of the sciences. for no extra charge, and you do not have to sign up ahead of time to Designing Longitudinal Statistical Learning and attend them. There are five IOLs— Studies Data Mining one for each day of the meet- August 4, 8:30 a.m. August 6, 8:30 a.m. ing—so take advantage of these Donna Spiegelman of the Harvard David Hand of Imperial College, lectures and expand your School of Public Health will talk London, will provide an interest- statistical horizons. about the challenges involved ing lecture on statistical learning Largely About Largeness: in designing longitudinal stud- and data mining and examine the ies, along with various methods past, present, and future of these Models and Views for for addressing these problems. two domains. He will describe the High-Dimensional Data Software is available at www.hsph. nature of the current tools, as well August 2, 4:00 p.m. harvard.edu/faculty/spiegelman/ as the drivers for future develop- First, Antony Unwin of the optitxs.html to implement the ments. This IOL on the last day University of Augsburg will talk techniques to be described. of JSM will help attendees focus about ways to explore high- Spiegelman encourages attendees on the exciting future of statistics dimensional data through visu- to download it and bring their in these areas. n alization. His talk will include laptops to the lecture. well-known graphical tools adapted for this purpose and Causal Inference in new ideas to spark your interest. Statistics After you learn how to visually August 5, 2:00 p.m. Poster Presentations discover the structure in data, Judea Pearl of UCLA will intro- David Banks of Duke University duce causal inference in statistics. There are more than 500 poster will discuss the “curse of dimen- He will introduce basic principles presentations lined up for JSM this year. sionality” and how it arises and simple mathematical tools Every poster will be available for viewing whenever one does analysis in that are useful when solving prob- for four hours. Presenters are scheduled high dimensions. In particular, lems involving causal inference. to be there with their posters during this problem becomes worse The framework Pearl will describe one of the regular session times. Poster when the number of dimensions includes principles based on non- presentations encourage up-close exceeds the number of observa- parametric structural equation interaction with presenters, so make tions. Banks will describe some models and ideas from logic and sure to stop by, admire your colleagues’ theories and methods to help graph theory. The resulting calcu- work, and ask lots of questions. with these challenges. lus of causes and counterfactuals

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 43 44 Amstat News JUNE 2009 JSMProgram-at-a-Glance2009 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 am am am am am pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm am

FRIDAY Committee and Business Meetings and Other Activities 7:30am–9pm July 31, 2009 Registration 7:30am–7:30pm Cyber Center 7:30am–6pm SATURDAY Speaker Management Room 10am–6pm August 1, 2009 Career Placement Service Registration ONLY 9am–5pm ASA Marketplace 12pm–5:30pm Committee and Business Meetings and Other Activities 7:30am–6pm Continuing Education Courses 8:30am–5pm Registration 7:30am–8:30pm SUNDAY Cyber Center 7:30am–10:30pm Speaker Management Room 9am–7pm August 2, 2009 Expo 2009 1pm–6pm Committee and Business Meetings and Other Activities 7:30am–8:30pm Continuing Education Courses 8:30am–5pm ASA Marketplace 9am–5:30pm First-Time Career Placement Service 1pm–6pm Attendee Orientation & Reception Opening Mixer 6pm– Technical Sessions 2pm–5:50pm 7:30pm 8pm–10:30pm Registration 7:30am–6pm MONDAY Cyber Center 7am–10pm Speaker Management Room 7am–6pm August 3, 2009 Expo 2009 9am–6pm Committee and Business Meetings and Other Activities 7am–10pm Continuing Education Courses 8am–5pm Career Placement Service 8am–6pm Round- ASA Marketplace 9am–5:30pm tables Speaker & Technical ASA IMS with Technical Sessions Round- Sessions President’s Student Mixer Presidential Coffee 8:30am–12:20pm tables 2pm–3:50pm Invited Address with Lunch 6pm–8pm 7am– Poster Sessions 12:30pm– Poster Sessions Address 8pm– 8:15am 8:30am–10:20am 1:50pm 2pm–3:50pm 4pm–5:50pm 9:30pm 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 am am am am am pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm am Registration 7:30am–4:30pm Cyber Center 7am–10pm TUESDAY Speaker Management Room 7am–6pm Expo 2009 9am–6pm August 4, 2009 Committee and Business Meetings and Other Activities 7am–9pm Continuing Education Courses 8am–5pm ASA Career Placement Service 8am–6pm President's Round- ASA Marketplace 9am–5:30pm Informal Dance Address & tables Speaker & Technical Party Technical Sessions Awards with Round- Sessions Deming 9:30pm–12am 8:30am–12:20pm tables 2pm–3:50pm 8pm– Coffee with Lunch Lecture 7am– Poster Sessions 12:30pm– Poster Sessions 4pm–5:50pm 9:30pm 8:15am 8:30am–10:20am 1:50pm 2pm–3:50pm Registration 7:30am–4:30pm WEDNESDAY Cyber Center 7am–8pm August 5, 2009 Speaker Management Room 7am–6pm Expo 2009 9am–2:30pm Committee and Business Meetings and Other Activities 7am–7:30pm Computer Technology Workshops 8am–4:45pm Career Placement Service 8am–2:30pm ASA Marketplace 9am–5:30pm Round- tables Speaker & Technical Technical Sessions Round- COPSS with Sessions 8:30am–12:20pm tables 2pm–3:50pm Awards and Coffee with Lunch Fisher Lecture 7am– Poster Sessions 12:30pm– Poster Sessions 4pm–5:50pm 8:15am 8:30am–12:20am 1:50pm 2pm–3:50pm Registration 7:30am–10:30am THURSDAY Cyber Center August 6, 2009 7am–10:30am Speaker Management Room 7am–12pm Committee and Business Meetings and Other Activities 7am–11:30am ASA Marketplace 7:30am–10:00am Technical Sessions 8:30am–12:20pm

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 45 Washington, DC Triv a?

1. The Lincoln Memorial has 36 columns. 6. The National Archives houses the famous docu- What do the 36 columns represent? ments dedicated to American freedom and democ- A) Number of 10,000 of soldiers who died in the Civil War racy: Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Constitution. Who were the authors of these B) The number of president Lincoln was documents? (An individual can be chosen more C) The number of states Lincoln held together before his than once.) death on April 15, 1865 Declaration of Independence George Washington D) Number of 100,000 of slaves Lincoln freed when he Bill of Rights Benjamin Franklin signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 Constitution John Adams 2. How tall is the Washington Monument? James Monroe A) 444 feet James Madison B) 555 feet Thomas Jefferson C) 666 feet 7. What was Abraham Lincoln watching in Ford’s D) 777 feet Theater on the fateful night of April 14, 1865? 3. Who was the first president to serve a full term in A) “Our American Cousin” the White House? B) “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” A) George Washington C) “Ion” B) John Adams D) “King Lear” C) Thomas Jefferson E) “Macbeth” D) James Madison 8. If you were to run all the hallways of the 4. What famous politician sold his eclectic Pentagon, how far would you have run? book collection to the U.S. government, which A) 2.5 miles started the Library of Congress? B) 6.8 miles A) Thomas Jefferson C) 11.9 miles B) Benjamin Franklin D) 17.5 miles C) George Washington D) John Smith 9. Before Virginia took back the land they gave to make the District of Columbia, how many square 5. This individual was credited for helping to push miles was our nation’s capital? Congress to move the Supreme Court from the A) 10 miles2 basement of the Capitol to the building we see B) 100 miles2 today. Need more help? This individual has the dis- 2 tinction of being the only head of two branches of C) 1,000 miles the U.S. government. Still more? He has the distinc- D) 10,000 miles2 tion of being both the heaviest U.S. president and chief justice to date. 10. Only two people have the power to arrest the president. Who are they? A) William H. Taft A) The vice president and the secretary of state B) Grover Cleveland B) The secretary of war and his/her deputy C) James A. Garfield C) The Senate sergeant-at-arms and his/her deputy D) Rutherford B. Hayes D) The mayor of Washington, DC, and his/her lieutenant

mayor

10) C 10) B 9) D 8) A 7)

6)i. Thomas Jefferson ii. James Madison iii. James Madison Madison James iii. Madison James ii. Jefferson Thomas 6)i.

A 5) A 4) C 3) B 2) C 1) Answers:

46 Amstat News JUNE 2009 No Car, No Problem: Getting Around During JSM

The DC subway system, known as the Metro by locals The Circulator is a bus system that operates several routes in and near downtown Washington, DC.

he Joint Statistical Meetings will take place passes through the National Mall and ends at the in downtown Washington, DC, this year, Southwest Waterfront. Other Circulator routes go to which makes public transportation a good Georgetown and Adams Morgan, which are popular Ttravel option. The DC subway system, known as travel destinations in DC that do not have Metro the Metro by locals, has a station adjacent to the stations in the immediate area. The Circulator will Washington Convention Center called the Mount accept SmarTrip for payment of fare. Similar to Vernon Square Station. Metrobus, SmarTrip users automatically receive a Metro fare can be paid using either paper fare transfer when paying Circulator fare that allows free cards or a plastic SmarTrip Card; both can be pur- reboarding of any Circulator within a three-hour chased at vending machines at Metro stations. Paper period. For more information about Circulator, visit fare cards can be used for Metro travel only. The www.dccirculator.com. plastic SmarTrip Card has a one-time $5 charge in addition to the amount added to it to cover rides. Theodore Roosevelt Island and the It can be used for both Metro and Metrobus travel Mount Vernon Trail and is required to obtain transfer discounts between Just across the Potomac River from downtown DC Metro and Metrobus, or vice versa. Metrobus fare is the Mount Vernon Trail, a popular trail for walk- paid with SmarTrip is slightly less than cash fare. ers, runners, and bicyclists. The Mount Vernon Trail Metrobuses run from both BWI and Dulles extends 15 miles south to Mount Vernon. A map airports to Metro stations, offering an economical of the trail is available at www.nps.gov/archive/gwmp/ travel option. Reagan National Airport has an adja- mvtmap.html. Pedestrians, runners, and bicyclists cent Metro station. Schedules for the BWI Airport can access the trail from downtown DC using paths Metrobus (B30) and the Dulles Airport Metrobus on several bridges that cross the Potomac River. (5A) are available at www.wmata.com. Both routes The bridge that carries I-395 traffic from DC to terminate at a Metro station with Green Line ser- Virginia has a footpath that starts near the Jefferson vice, which is one of the two Metro lines that service Memorial. The Theodore Roosevelt Bridge near the the Mount Vernon Square Metro station adjacent to Lincoln Memorial also has a footpath. the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The northern end of the Mount Vernon Trail Paper copies of Metrobus schedules and Metro is at Theodore Roosevelt Island, which is accessi- and Metrobus maps are available in the lobby of ble only by footbridge. The island has a system of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit trails and an outdoor memorial to Roosevelt. More Authority (WMATA) headquarters building at 600 information about the island is available at www. 5th Street NW. nps.gov/archive/gwmp/tri.htm. The island is within walking distance of the Rosslyn Metro station, The Circulator via a path and bridge that link the northern end The Circulator is a bus system that operates several of the Mount Vernon Trail to a system of hiker- routes in and near downtown Washington, DC. biker trails in Virginia (the Custis-I-66 Trail and the One of the Circulator lines is a north/south route, W. & O.D. Trail). n with the northern end at the convention center. It

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 47 RTI Supports Cox Race, Honors Namesake Roy W. Whitmore, RTI International

This year, as RTI celebrates its own “50th anniversary, the institute proudly honors Cox and her contributions to the field of applied statistics. ”

Getrude Cox

elected into the International Statistical Institute in 1949, serv- ing as president of the American Statistical Association in 1956 (a position currently held by Sally Morton, who directs statistical and epidemiological research at RTI), and being elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1975. RTI has recognized Cox by naming a building on its main campus for her and, begin- ning in 2003, joining with the Washington Statistical Society From left: William G. Cochran, Gertrude M. Cox, George W. Snedecor, and C. P. to sponsor the Gertrude M. Cox Winsor in 1940 Award for contributions in sur- vey methodology, experimental design, biostatistics, or statistical n honor of the 20th anniver- early planning for a new research computing. sary of the Gertrude M. Cox institute in North Carolina. That This year, as RTI celebrates its Scholarship, sponsored by the institute became RTI. When the own 50th anniversary, the institute IASA Committee on Women in institute was fully formed, Cox proudly honors Cox and her con- Statistics and the Caucus for became director of the statistics tributions to the field of applied Women in Statistics, RTI research division, a position she statistics. We congratulate the International is lending support held until her retirement in 1964. organizers of the Cox Scholarship to this year’s Cox Scholarship Cox’s team was highly sought and the race on two decades of Race. An anticipated event dur- after from the beginning. All but supporting the future achieve- ing the annual Joint Statistical two of RTI’s first 20 research con- ments of women in statistics. Meetings, the race will take place tracts were in statistics, including For more information about on Tuesday, August 4. the institute’s first education proj- the scholarship or to register for RTI proudly traces its early ect, its first private-sector contract, the race in advance, visit http:// history to the “first lady of sta- and its first international project. caucusforwomeninstatistics.com tistical science,” who led the Cox’s notable achievements or www.amstat.org/committees/ committee that, in 1958, did the include becoming the first woman cowis. n

48 Amstat News JUNE 2009 RTI Supports Cox Race, The 20th Annual Honors Namesake GERTRUDE COX SCHOLARSHIP RACE Roy W. Whitmore, RTI International 5k Race and 2.5k Fun Run/Walk at JSM 2009, Washington, DC

The Caucus for Women in Statistics, in conjunction with the ASA, presents the 20th annual Gertrude Cox Scholarship Race at the Joint Statistical Meetings 2009 in Washington, DC. All proceeds will benefit the Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship in Statistics. This year, the race will be sponsored by RTI International.

The Race: Competitive 5k race and a 2.5k fun run/walk, running concurrently When: Tuesday, August 4, time to be announced (to start and finish before 8:30 a.m.) Where: Location and logistical information will be posted at e Caucus for Women in Statistics web site as it becomes available (www.caucusforwomeninstatistics.com) and at e Caucus for Women in Statistics hospitality table at the convention center during JSM 2009 How Much: e entry fee is $30.00 Registration ose interested in participating are encouraged to register early by mail, but Procedure: may also register during JSM at the hospitality table for the Caucus for Women in Statistics at the Convention Center, near the registration area. All participants must sign a registration form and waiver. T-shirts for all pre-registered runners will be distributed at the hospitality table.

REGISTRATION FORM (each participant must complete and sign)

______Name

______Address City

______State/Province ZIP/Postal Code Phone

Required for placement and timing in the 5k race: SEX: ❏ M ❏ F Age ______EVENT: ❏ 5 k Race ❏ 2.5 k Fun Run/Walk T- SHIRT SIZE: ❏ S ❏ M ❏ L ❏ XL

THE FINE PRINT: I understand that running a road race is a potentially hazardous activity. I will not enter and run unless I am medically able and properly trained. I agree to abide by any decision of a race official relative to my ability to complete the run safely. I assume all risks associated with running in this event, including, but not limited to, falls; contact with other participants; and effects of weather, traffic, and course conditions. All such risks are known and appreciated by me. Having read this waiver, knowing these facts, and in consideration of your accepting my entry, I, for myself and anyone entitled to act on my behalf, waive and release the race directors, the race committee, and all sponsors from all claims of liabilities of any kind arising out of my participation in this event, even though such liability may arise as a result of negligence or carelessness on the part of the persons named in this waiver.

______Signature Date

______Parent or guardian (if under 18)

Make check payable to The Gertrude Cox Scholarship Fund and mail with registration to: We regret to inform that we will not be able to accept registrations online this year. For questions, contact: Anna Nevius, Treasurer Marcia A. Ciol ([email protected]) or 7732 Rydal Terrace Anna Nevius ([email protected]) Rockville, MD 20855-2057

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 49 Practical Forum Brings Together Shop Industry, Academic Statisticians ASA Tammy Massie, FDA, and Carmen Mak, Schering-Plough he 13th annual FDA/ Bootstrap Methods and Industry Statistics work- Permutation Tests by shop is scheduled for Tim Hesterberg TSeptember 23–25 at the Capital Hilton in Downtown Washington, Three plenary sessions will DC. It is sponsored by the focus on regulatory and statisti- Biopharmaceutical Section of the cal issues in global harmonization American Statistical Association, and future directions in safety with cooperation from the Food analysis. Concurrent sessions will and Drug Administration cover timely topics in adaptive Statistical Association. More than designs, noninferiority trials, bio- 600 statisticians from academia, markers, quality of clinical pro- industry, and the FDA will gather grams, designs of integrated safety for lively discussions on topics of and efficacy analysis plans, CMC interest to all. issues, food safety, devices trials, The workshop will feature a vaccine trials, and veterinary trials. day of short courses followed by This year, the luncheon dis- two days of plenary and concur- cussions have been expanded to rent presentations, as well as lun- two days and follow a new for- cheon discussions on a variety of mat. Boxed lunches will be served; topics. Back by popular demand, workshop participants will be able the following eight short courses to pre-select lunch at the time of will offer practical solutions to conference registration. This will real-life problems: allow participation at the round- tables to be available on a first- come, first-served basis. In addi- Adaptive Design by Martin tion, roundtables will be smaller Posch and Sue-Jane Wang to foster better discussion. Purchase T-shirts, Data Monitoring Committee by The Capital Hilton is a pre- Tom Fleming and Janet Wittes mier meeting site, located in the books, JSM Proceedings, heart of downtown Washington, Analysis of Longitudinal Data DC. A block of sleeping rooms and gift items! with Missing Data by has been arranged for workshop Diane Fairclough attendees. To receive the spe- cial rates, attendees must book Visit the ASA’s online Cox Regression in Practice by their reservations by August 26. Brenda Gillespie marketplace at Visit www.amstat.org/meetings/ www.amstat.org/asastore Special Topics in Survival fdaworkshop for additional reg- Analysis by Lee-Jen Wei istration and hotel information. Conference organizers and others Bayesian Adaptive Methods by interested in up-to-date informa- SAVE 10 % Peter F. Thall tion, including the preliminary on your first purchase by Benefits: Risk Assessment by workshop programs and luncheon discussion topics, can visit http:// entering ASASTORE at checkout. Scott R. Evans fdaindustry09.blogspot.com. n

50 Amstat News JUNE 2009 REGISTRATIONFORM 2009 FDA/Industry Statistics Workshop Sponsored by the ASA Biopharmaceutical Section with cooperation from the FDA Statistical Association 3EPTEMBERn s#APITAL(ILTONˆ7ASHINGTON $# INSTRUCTIONS 1. Print or type all information and retain a copy for your records. 2. Use a separate form for each registrant. 3. Mail form with payment to FDA/Industry Statistics Workshop Registration, P.O. Box 221, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. Fax form (credit card only) to (301) 206-9789. www.amstat.org/ 4. Registration form must be received by August 26, 2009, to be processed at the reduced rate. meetings/fdaworkshop Forms Received Without Payment Will Not Be Processed.

ATTENDEE INFORMATION MEAL PREFERENCE Lunch on Thursday, September 24, and Friday, September 25, is included with your workshop registration. To assist in planning, please select the area of discussion that most interests you. See Page 2 of this form for the list of topics. Name 3ELECTONEOFTHEFOLLOWINGMENUOPTIONSFOREACHDAY Thursday, September 24 Friday, September 25 Preferred Name for Badge Topic:______Topic:______❑ Regular ❑ Regular ❑ Vegetarian ❑ Vegetarian ASA ID # (if known) ❑ Not attending lunch ❑ Not attending lunch (Regular=turkey sandwich; Vegetarian=veggie wrap) All boxed lunches include Organization chips, a piece of fruit, and a cookie.

REGISTRATION FEES Workshop Fee (required) Address By August 27– August 26 September 15 ❑ Registrant $270 $295 $______❑ Academic (nonstudent) $230 $255 $______❑ Biopharm Section Member $230 $255 $______❑ City State/Province ZIP/Postal Code Government $130 $155 $______❑ Student $130 $155 $______Short Courses—7EDNESDAY, September 23 Country (non-U.S.) Add-ons to Workshop Fee: $100 each before Aug. 27; $105 each Aug. 27–Sept. 15 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Phone ❑ SC1: Adaptive Designed Clinical Trials—Martin Posch & Sue-Jane Wang $______❑ SC2: Benefit: Risk Assessment—Scott R. Evans $______Email ❑ SC3: Analysis of Longitudinal Studies with Missing Data— Diane Fairclough $______In case of emergency, list the name and phone number of the person ❑ SC4: Cox Regression in Practice—Brenda Gillespie $______we should contact (remains confidential). 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Emergency Contact’s Name ______❑ SC5: Special Topics in Survival Analysis—Lee-Jen Wei $______Relationship to Registrant ______❑ SC6: Bootstrap Methods and Permutation Tests— Tim Hesterberg $______Telephone Number ______❑ SC7: Recent Advances in Bayesian Adaptive Methods for Clinical Tests—Peter F. Thall $______❑ Check here if you would like your ASA customer contact ❑ information updated with your meeting contact information. SC8: Data Monitoring Committees—Tom Fleming & Janet Wittes $______This meeting is ADA accessible. TOTAL FEES: $______❑ Please check here if you need special services due to a disability and attach a statement regarding your needs. PAYMENT ❑ Check/money order payable to the American Statistical Association (in U.S. dollars on U.S. bank) CANCELLATION POLICY #ANCELLATIONSRECEIVEDBY!UGUST  WILLBEREFUNDED LESSAPROCESS- Credit Card ❑ VISA ❑ MasterCard ❑ American Express INGFEEANDLESSAPROCESSINGFEEFOREACHSHORTCOURSE#ANCELLATIONSRECEIVED BY 3EPTEMBER   WILL BE REFUNDED LESS A  PROCESSING FEE AND LESS A  PROCESSING FEE FOR EACH SHORT COURSE 2EQUESTS FOR REFUNDS RECEIVED AFTER Card Number 3EPTEMBERWILLNOTBEHONORED!LLCANCELLATIONSMUSTBEMADEINWRITINGTO [email protected] VIAFAXTO   ORMAILEDTO&$!)NDUSTRY Exp. Date CVS# (3- digit number on back of card) 3TATISTICS 7ORKSHOP 2EGISTRATION 0/ "OX  !NNAPOLIS *UNCTION -$  *0URCHASE ORDERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED .O EXCEPTIONS !3!&EDERAL )$   Name of Cardholder

Authorizing Signature

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 51 GOVERNMENT NEWS

Tom Petska retired May 1 after 36 years of distinguished service in the federal statistical system, most recently as director of the Statistics of Income (SOI) Division of IRS. The following is adapted from a two-part column Petska wrote for the SOI Newsletter. In distributing Part I, he comments that he wasn’t sure if his career in the federal statistical system “was more of Disney’s ‘Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride’ or the Grateful Dead’s ‘Long Strange Journey’.” We will let the reader decide.

Saying Goodbye to SOI Tom Petska, Former Director of Statistics of Income Division of IRS

ow that my SOI career of today). I knew I had a lot to manager candidate for several has ended, I’d like to say learn about SOI and its comput- SOI section chief positions. a final farewell and offer er systems, as well as the subject When an opening came avail- Na few parting thoughts. It’s been areas for SOI’s statistical studies, able for chief of the Corporation an interesting and exciting 28 and my first assignment was to Special Projects Section, I was years, and a lot has changed. As I finish consistency test and table offered the position and gladly write this, I’m thinking about specifications on the 1979 Private accepted. That job had respon- what I’ll most miss. As the lyrics Foundation Study. When I began, sibilities similar to the section from the Joni Mitchell song “Big I didn’t know what a foundation today, plus a number of record Petska Yellow Taxi” say, “Don’t it always was. I finished the specifications linkage studies, particularly seem to go that you don’t know and later flew to the Detroit Data partnerships and S corporations what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.” I Center to conduct editing train- matched to Schedules K-1 and know I will miss working on the ing. I think I may have been the individual returns, and corpora- important studies with many first person in SOI whose initial tion, partnerships, and propri- bright and talented people who exposure to a data editing training etorships linkages to Forms 941 have a “can do” attitude and ded- class was to teach all of it, but the and 943, employment and pay- ication to our mission. I will also editors were engaged and helpful, roll schedules. To say that I again miss our many customers who and the class went well. needed a lot of rapid learning is appreciate the challenges and dif- In under three years in the an understatement, since this was ficulties of our work and are sup- section, I authored the first SOI a period in which partnerships portive and understanding. Bulletin article on private founda- were creatively used as vehicles The years since coming tions; wrote and presented three for tax shelters. over from the Social Security American Statistical Association Later on, I authored and coau- Administration (SSA) in late papers; and took over all respon- thored some ASA papers and 1980 have been interesting and sibility for subject-matter work [SOI] Bulletin articles on part- exciting. Ronald Reagan had just on private foundations, chari- nerships, partners, and tax shel- been elected president, promis- table and split-interest trusts, ters with Treasury’s Susie Nelson, ing a government-wide hiring some residual work on farmers’ and even had the opportunity freeze to get government finances cooperatives, the Estate Income to present the results to then under control. One rumor was Collation study, and SOI’s first- Commissioner Goldberg, who that attempts were under way to time involvement in the Federal was seeking evidence that the make the hiring freeze retroactive Reserve Board’s Survey of 1986 Tax Reform Act had turned to the election so that my resig- Consumer Finances (SCF). I even the corner on tax shelters. nation from the SSA would be designed the high-wealth sample In 1988, I was selected for accepted, but my job offer to join supplement for the 1983 SCF. To a senior manager position, SOI could be rescinded. say that I quickly had a lot put on chief of the Coordination and Fortunately, that didn’t hap- my plate was an understatement, Publications staff. In addition to pen, and I came over as a GS-12 but I loved every minute of it. those two teams, the responsi- economist, assigned to the In 1983, I applied to the new bilities included senior manage- Wealth and Tax Exempt Section Management Careers Program ment of an administrative team, (that looked a lot like the Special and, along with Dave Paris, a newly formed Mathematical Studies Special Projects Section became certified as a front-line Statistics Section, the Statistical

52 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Support Section, plus the Tech horn,” but simply to say that SOI to make continual improvements and DPS teams. Eventually, the provided me with an abundance in everything we do. staff grew so large that it was split of what I most sought in my Whether it was my love for in two and Mike Leszcz became professional career—important macroeconomics (studying the senior manager for C&P II. and interesting work, challenges, economy as a whole) or my first SOI Director Fritz Scheuren left training and upward mobility, position as an economist at the SOI in 1993 and was later replaced and the opportunity to fulfill my BEA, I have always tried to main- by Dan Skelly, previously head of career aspirations to become—to tain a ‘big picture’ perspective. the Foreign Statistics Branch that some degree—an expert in some This perspective helped in many consisted of today’s Special Studies areas of taxation. ways, such as understanding our Returns Analysis, Special Projects, In my nearly eight years at the customers’ uses of data and brief- and Operations sections. At that Bureau of Economic Analysis ing foreign government officials, time, I was asked to manage a new (BEA) and SSA, I was afforded as documented in several SOI special studies and publications the opportunity to do research overview papers that I coauthored branch that consisted of these and innovation, but I wasn’t with Scheuren and later pub- three sections plus the Statistical given the opportunity to pub- lished in the Journal of Official Data Section. It was once again lish findings—other than esti- Statistics, Business Economics, and an exciting time, heading a new mates I made. However, at SOI, the Proceedings of the National organization and, in addition to writing research papers was not Tax Association. In this work, management duties, I was able to only allowed, it was encouraged. we described what we did at initiate a series of studies on busi- Among the ways I personally SOI, how we did it, and why ness organizational choice, which ensured that I would conduct we did it. We underscored the were the forerunners of today’s research—and to push my self importance of SOI in the fed- integrated business data. development—was to commit eral statistical system, as well as In 1998, I began additional to authoring applied statistics in tax policy and economic and analytical work on individual papers. I did so some 60+ times, demographic research. income and tax distributions and that, as much as anything I feel strongly that SOI must with Mike Strudler and my son, else, was the ‘icing on the cake’ understand its important roles in Ryan Petska, that continue to this in terms of my job satisfaction. the federal statistics community day. Some of the research high- Writing and presenting papers and the research community, in lights in both areas include sev- at professional meetings may not general. Administrative data from eral papers we presented at con- be what gets you up in the morn- tax and information returns are ferences of the ASA, American ing, but—as I have said on many too valuable a resource for SOI Economic Association (AEA), occasions—I hope all of SOI’s and a limited number of key cus- and National Tax Association, current staff can find something tomers to monopolize access to, as well as local meetings of the in their work that is fun, exciting, so continued efforts need to be Tax Economist Forum and and even inspirational, because made to assist additional users, as Washington Statistical Society. SOI needs a core of multidisci- well as to explore means to legally I helped organize a session at plined, team-oriented visionaries expand access. the January 1996 AEA meetings to ensure we stay ahead of the A big picture perspective has that included my business organi- curve and adapt to future chal- also been helpful as we have fre- zational choice work, which was lenges to stay effective, efficient, quently revisited our vision, mis- scheduled for the Sunday after- and relevant. sion, and goals and developed a noon when the “Blizzard of ’96” My 28 years at SOI, and par- strategic plan for the future, SOI hit the East Coast, leaving me ticularly my eight years in the 2016. The initial iteration of the stranded in San Francisco for a director’s office, could be appro- plan was a vision of SOI in 2016, few days (at government expense). priately described as something which we followed with three- I also organized an income and akin to Disney’s “Mister Toad’s year operational plans. wealth distribution session for Wild Ride” or the Grateful Dead’s A historical perspective is AEA in New York City in 1999, album “What a Long, Strange something I also believe is impor- presenting our latest income dis- Trip It’s Been.” But, in all seri- tant. Although today’s SOI was tribution data. The session was in ousness, my approach to leading created by the 16th Amendment memory of my late SSA colleague SOI has been dominated by seek- to the Constitution in 1916, my Dan Radner. ing the big picture, maintaining a detailed knowledge goes back to I have summarized some of my historical perspective, and striving just the 1960s and 1970s, and SOI highlights, not to “blow my much of that earlier history is

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 53 based on oral history from cur- technical work and more focused ASA Past President Fritz Scheuren rent and former staff. What I have on human capital issues. In fact, recited the following during learned is that, despite SOI’s proud one of the initiatives of which I am Petska’s retirement party history, our success has ebbed and most proud—that of delegating flowed over time. responsibility and creating cross- Notes on Tom’s Retirement For example, in the 1960s, functional teams—was largely the majority of SOI’s IT staff based on my faith in people’s good I will speak from my personal knowledge was moved to an IRS-centralized judgment and willingness to seek of Tom. In a way, though, I am a stand-in for group in Detroit, and, over time, more involvement and responsi- many others sitting here or wishing they were. the level of support began to bility, as well as my belief that no What a man. decline. Since the mid-1980s, one has a monopoly on vision and Tom and I have been professional colleagues under the joint leadership of that I simply needed to address for at least 25 years (at SSA and IRS and after). Scheuren and Mike Leszcz, those areas in SOI for which no He is a role model for the rest of us. I count we were able to procure hard- one had responsibility. I called this him [as] a friend. ware and software and rebuild my “white space” initiative because We share most of the same values. Tom, even our internal IT capabilities, the it was about addressing and man- before I knew him, was working on income results of which are evident today aging the white space on our distribution statistics. This may have begun in increased timeliness and qual- organizational chart—the areas about the time I was working at the OEO, on ity of SOI studies. Clearly, SOI is for which there were important poverty and related income estimates, an inter- performing at a higher level than issues to address but no one (other est we both continue [to be] committed to. ever in our 90+-year history, and than me) had the responsibility of Tom has a gift for listening that I have sel- having our own IT function has addressing them. dom seen in others in high positions. You always definitely been, and is, a signifi- Some of the white space ini- know he cares. He should not play poker! cant factor. tiatives that were most successful Tom is a scholar, too, and has the gifts of a Over these eight years, we were cross-functional teams that great communicator. His SOI News “letters” have had many challenges and addressed our publications and have been a treasure for all of us. I hope these successes on the technical side web site, improved our public-use will be collected and edited for posterity. and, often, on “people issues.” files, facilitated our software con- Tom understands the difference between On the technical side, SOI is a versions, and adapted programs complex program, largely because leadership and managership. I am writing a to efficiently assimilate electroni- we piggyback on IRS compliance book right now on statistical leadership and cally filed tax return data. In each operations and have to deal with will be including Tom among those inter- of these initiatives, visionary staff a decentralized system. Imagine, viewed (if he will let me). After all, those who came together in cross-functional for a moment, redesigning an teams to develop optimal solu- did not know him have much to learn, too. SOI program in which statistics It is time for others to speak, so let me sum- tions to significant challenges. were a high IRS priority so that all Although the white space ini- marize. I talked about Tom as a friend, a schol- work flow could be streamlined ar, a role model, a communicator, yet a listener, tiatives often worked well, I still to improve statistical processing spent many hours addressing too, a leader and not the hated manager that operations? For people at SOI, it Deming always railed against, who “thinged” other human capital challenges. is virtually impossible to imagine For example, since over time we people, rather than inspired them. this because the history of SOI lost many talented people, devot- Last point, and also number eight, since has been to develop rigorous and ing more time to recruiting, hir- Tom was the eighth SOI director. For those of systematic statistical information ing, developing, and promoting you who are Chinese here, I need not remind with minimal disruption to the became a major priority. I ben- you that eight is lucky, but not nearly lucky IRS tax return pipeline. Then, efited by having an extraordinary enough. I pray that SOI will continue long given our complicated logistics, one-person human capital advisor after this week and eventually that there will be we deploy and improve sampling, in Denise Herbert. In addition at least 88 directors (double happiness), though editing, and disseminating capa- to replenishing the ranks with none of us here will live to that day. So Carpe bilities; implement software con- talented people, we had many Diem—let’s celebrate this day and this man, versions; develop new products other human capital challenges, this Mensch. and services; and adapt to the new including the government-wide Thank you, Tom, and God bless you program for mandated e-filing. initiative to increase use of pri- Barbara, Ryan, and all the Petskas, both here The world of SOI really is com- vate contracts, limitations on today or coming soon. plex; but despite these complica- promotions and upward mobil- And may God bless all the rest of you tions, we do a good job. ity, dealing with an “NIH” (not here, too! When I became director, I invented here) mentality, and, became more removed from the most recently, addressing an

54 Amstat News JUNE 2009 initiative to centralize all IRS IT also trying to communicate this proud to have been a part of that. resources. For the most part, we to staff who may have to face However, the continued threat of succeeded in stepping up to these career setbacks. IT centralization reminds us that challenges, but not without some As I leave SOI, we are once what many have built over time pain and anguish. again facing a scenario similar to can be quickly dismantled if good It is important that people the 1960s. The IRS is seeking to judgment doesn’t prevail. work well together so that SOI is centralize all IT functions, which In conclusion, I have been ‘firing on all cylinders.’ However, could be devastating to the effi- honored to have been the SOI in any work environment, that ciencies, nimbleness, and resource- director for these many years. I doesn’t always happen, so some- fulness that permeate SOI today. If leave SOI knowing that, while times I had to intervene. In addi- we don’t learn from history, maybe there will always be challenges, tion, since people are SOI’s most it will, in fact, be repeated. we have many talented people valuable asset, I faced the big Ultimately, my goal as direc- who will ensure we successfully trade-off of wanting to reward tor was to do whatever I could address them. I thank everyone them, to the extent possible, to get the entire organization who shares my view that this is while maintaining high stan- working together effectively and a special place because of the dards. However, I have found to leave SOI in the best possible important and challenging work that promoting more people cre- condition. Today’s SOI produces and the many multi-talented ates a cycle of rising expectations. its highest-quality data, more people. In the future, I will do But, as President Harry Truman timely studies, and more data whatever I can to ensure success- once said, “The buck stops here.” products and research than ever ful continuity of operations and I found that it was imperative to done in a highly complex and transition to future leadership. n stand up for high standards while ever-changing environment. I am

Thinking of Your Future? Let the ASA help you realize your professional goals.

Visit the ASA’s JobWeb—The JobWeb is a targeted job database and résumé-posting service www.amstat.org/jobweb

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 55 56 Amstat News JUNE 2009 EDUCATION

CAUSE Presence Holds at JMM ‘10

he Consortium for the For most of the workshop, par- Advancement of ticipants will engage in many Undergraduate Statistics of the classic activities all sta- TEducation (CAUSE) will host tistics instructors should know. two pre-conference workshops Different types of available tech- the day before the 2010 Joint nology and choices of texts will Mathematics Meetings (JMM) in be explored, and Internet sources San Francisco, California. Both of real data, activities, and best ancillary workshops will be held practices articles will be exam- on January 12. There will be no ined. Participants will find out registration fee to attend, but how they can continue to answer advance registration is required. the three questions by becoming This is the third consecutive involved in statistics education– offering of pre-conference work- related conferences, newsletters, Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics shops by CAUSE. and groups. Education (GAISE) Carolyn Cuff of Westminster Joan Garfield, Bob delMas, and College and Michael Posner of Andy Zieffler of the University of Villanova University will present Minnesota, together with Allan content that follows in the unit. “Teaching Introductory Statistics Rossman and Beth Chance of The CATALST materials focus (for Instructors New to Teaching Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, will on important ideas of statistical Intro Stats).” In May of 2005, the present “Become a Catalyst for inference and the use of simula- American Statistical Association Change in Statistics Education.” tion throughout the course. endorsed the Guidelines for This one-day workshop will fea- Additional information and Assessment and Instruction in ture materials developed by the registration for these workshops Statistics Education (GAISE). The NSF-funded CATALST project is available at www.causeweb.org/ guidelines were created to give (Change Agents for Teaching and workshop. sufficient structure to instructors Learning STatistics). Working Additionally, CAUSE activists while allowing sufficient general- toward change in both content and previous workshop presenters ity to include good practices in and pedagogy of the introduc- Danny Kaplan and Victor Addona the many flavors of the first sta- tory, noncalculus-based statistics of Macalester College have been tistics course. This workshop will course, the materials to be shared selected by the Mathematical consider the implementation of are designed to help students Association of America to present those guidelines in a first-level achieve the learning goals listed a mini-course, titled “Remodeling statistics course by focusing on in GAISE (see www.amstat.org/ Data Analysis,” during JMM. three questions: education/gaise). The presenters This hands-on course will present have developed sets of hands-on a data analysis course that com- What are the big ideas of activities that form units based plements and builds on majors’ statistics? on a particular real-world prob- math aptitudes, reinforcing an How can those big ideas be lem (e.g., how to develop a spam understanding of linear algebra communicated to students? filter for email) and the related while providing advanced applied statistical ideas that emerge from statistical skills. In the course, sta- What are effective evaluation this type of problem. tistical methodology is built up in and assessment tools? The problems, called “model- an accessible way from first prin- eliciting activities,” are rich, ciples, without requiring previ- Workshop attendees will con- open-ended problems that stim- ous work in statistics. Modeling, sider ways to engage students in ulate statistical thinking; engage computation (using R), and sim- statistical literacy and thinking, students in creating, develop- ulation are used extensively. For and the contrast between concep- ing, and testing unique models more information, visit www.ams. tual and procedural understanding to solve problems; and prepare org/amsmtgs/2124_intro.html. n will be explained using examples. students to learn the statistical

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 57 BAPS – V Beyond AP Statistics Monday, August 3, 2009 4 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. l A WORKSHOP FOR EXPERIENCED TEACHERS Sponsor: ASA-NCTM Joint Committee on the Curriculum in Statistics and Probability b The ASA/NCTM Joint Committee is pleased to sponsor a Beyond AP Statistics 5 (BAPS) workshop at the annual Joint Statistical Meetings in Washington, DC, on August 3, 2009. The BAPS workshop is offered for AP Statistics teachers and consists of enrichment material just beyond the basic AP syllabus.

Presenters (organized by Roxy Peck, Cal Poly) Steve Miller of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Topics in Survey Methodology” Tom Short of John Carroll University, “Logistic Regression” Robin Lock of St. Lawrence University, “Multiple Regression” p Allan Rossman of Cal Poly, “Randomization Tests” $ Cost The course fee for the full day is $50. Lunch will be provided. Please note: Course attendees do not have to register for the Joint Statistical Meetings to participate in this workshop.

S Location Center City Public Charter School – Shaw Campus, 711 N Street NW, Washington, 6 DC 20001. Across the street from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Metro accessible via the yellow and green lines.

Provided u Lunch and refreshments, handouts, pass to attend the exhibit hall at the Joint Statistical Meetings, certificate of participation from the ASA certifying professional development hours, and optional graduate credit available

Registration D Online registration is available at www.amstat.org/education/baps. Registrations will be accepted until the course fills, but should arrive no later than July 15, 2009.

m Questions Contact Rebecca Nichols at [email protected] or call (703) 684-1221, Ext. 1877

58 Amstat News JUNE 2009 ASA Board Endorses Recommendations for Graduate Programs in Statistics

n April 4, 2009, the expertise in areas such as statistics, ASA Board of Directors educational and psychological endorsed a set of recom- foundations, educational research Omendations regarding the devel- methods, and statistics education. opment of graduate programs in statistics education, the offering —That every student earning a of statistics education graduate graduate degree in statistics edu- courses, and the support of fac- cation have faculty representing at ulty in statistics education posi- least two core disciplines serve on tions. The recommendations are the student’s committee. part of a report from an invita- tional workshop, funded by an —That a PhD dissertation in ASA Member Initiative grant. statistics education reflect the The workshop was held in unique coursework and research October 2008 at the ASA head- foundations in statistics educa- quarters (see Amstat News, tion. Ideally, the dissertation will December 2008). be supervised by a faculty member The report includes specific with experience in statistics educa- recommendations for the estab- tion research. lishment and support of new —That collaborations be encour- graduate programs in statistics —That every PhD program in aged between universities and education and outlines recom- statistics education have at least liberal arts colleges that provide mendations for the placement one course from each of the fol- college faculty—who have the and support of new PhDs in sta- lowing categories: practice of requisite expertise in statistics tistics education and new faculty teaching courses (focused on education—with appropriate hires in the area. pedagogy and ideas about the opportunities to serve on disser- Regarding graduate programs content of the introductory tation committees for students at in statistics education, the rec- course), foundations of statistics graduate institutions. ommendations included in the education courses (broader focus report state the following: on teaching and learning statis- The full report is available at tics at various levels), and statis- www.CAUSEweb.org/research/ —That graduate programs in sta- tics education research courses programs. The panel will meet tistics education be implemented (focusing on the statistics educa- again this summer to work on a in an interdisciplinary fashion. tion research literature). series of action items suggested Realizing the difficulty in starting in the report as the next phase new programs, they may be struc- —That statistics education cours- of these efforts. For more infor- tured as tracks of existing degrees es be offered to a wide variety of mation, contact Dennis Pearl at in statistics, educational psychol- degree and non-degree statistics [email protected] or Joan Garfield ogy, or mathematics education. and mathematics educators (e.g., at [email protected]. n current high-school, and two-year —That regardless of the depart- college teachers and future col- ment, each graduate pro- lege and university instructors) in gram in statistics education addition to those students earning should develop knowledge and degrees in statistics education.

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 59 PEOPLE NEWS

The complete list of newly elected members is available at www8.nationalacademies. org/onpinews/newsitem. aspx?RecordID=04282009.

Gunning Robbins Jianqiang Feng Xia Wang Zou Wang Robert F. Engle Robert F. Engle, the win- ner of the 2003 Nobel Prize part of a multi-institution the University of Maryland, NISS Fellows in Economics, was awarded research project led by NISS Gilbert Strang of MIT, the Hofstra University The National Institute of on biosurveillance. He will Hans G. Kaper of Argonne Presidential Medal on May 6, Statistical Sciences (NISS), help address fundamental National Lab (retired), 2009, in the Leo A. Guthart a research institute created issues of statistical theory and Tasso J. Kaper of Boston Cultural Center Theater, by the national statistical methodology and then help University, Rene A. Carmona Joan and Donald E. Axinn sciences community, has solve implementation issues of Princeton, Alexandre J. Library, South Campus. appointed six new postdoc- of algorithms and computa- Chorin of the University The Hofstra University toral fellows. The fellows will tional efficiency. The goal of of California at Berkeley, Presidential Medal is one of participate in several new this project is to enable rapid David Leigh Donoho of the most prestigious awards research programs at NISS. detection of disease spread by Stanford, Avner Friedman of given by the university to dis- Patricia Gunning (PhD monitoring readily available The Ohio State University, tinguished persons in recog- in statistics from Dublin information. The princi- Michael J. Todd of Cornell, nition of outstanding career City University), Michael pal product of the research Srinivasa R. S. Varadhan of achievement, scholarly excel- Robbins (PhD in mathemat- is a clear statement of the New York University, Grace lence, professional leadership, ical sciences from Clemson probability that a particular Wahba of the University of noteworthy public service, University), and Jianqiang disease is present some- Wisconsin-Madison, Michael or humanitarian endeavor. Wang (PhD in statistics from where in the United States S. Waterman of University Engle, the Michael Iowa State University) will or a particular city, together of Southern California, Armellino Professor of work on a research program with the associated level of and Philippe Tondeur of Finance at New York at NISS for the National uncertainty. According to the University of Illinois at University Stern School of Agricultural Statistical Service Alan Karr, director of NISS Urbana-Champaign. The Business, was awarded the (NASS). They will be in and leader of this project, complete list of newly elected 2003 Sveriges Riksbank Prize residence two consecutive “The emerging swine flu members is at http://fellows. in Economic Sciences in summers in Research Triangle pandemic illustrates perfectly siam.org/index.php?sort=last. Memory of Alfred Nobel for Park, North Carolina, and the need for this research.” spend the academic years at his work in methods of ana- NASS in Washington, DC. NAS Members lyzing economic time series with time-varying volatility Xiangdong Feng (PhD SIAM Fellows Five ASA members were (ARCH), an honor he shared in statistics from the Sixteen ASA members among the 72 elected as with Clive W. J. Granger of University of Illinois at were among the 183 indi- members of the National the University of California Urbana-Champaign) and viduals named as Society Academy of Sciences on at San Diego. Engle’s Xia Wang (PhD in statis- for Industrial and Applied April 28, 2009. The new research has introduced tics from the University Mathematics (SIAM) Fellows NAS members were elected some of the most influential of Connecticut) will join for their key contributions in recognition of their dis- concepts in modern econo- the Clinical Proteomic to applied mathematics tinguished and continuing metrics, including GARCH Technology Assessment for and computational science. achievements in original models, cointegration, weak Cancer (CPTAC), a program The ASA members named research. ASA members exogeneity, band spectrum funded by the National SIAM Fellows are Douglas include Charles F. Manski regression, common features, Cancer Institute. NISS is N. Arnold of the University of Northeastern University, autoregressive conditional providing statistical expertise of Minnesota, H. Thomas Adrian Raftery of the duration (ACD), and, most and guidance on this project Banks of North Carolina University of Washington, recently, the CAViaR model. and, over the next two and State University, Peter J. Gilbert Strang of the Before joining NYU in a half years, will develop Bickel of the University Massachusetts Institute 2000, Engle was the chancel- specific statistical methodol- of California at Berkeley, of Technology, Wing lor’s associate professor of eco- ogy for proteomics research. Murray Rosenblatt of the H. Wong of Stanford nomics at the University of Jian Zou (PhD in statis- University of California at University, and Yu Xie of California at San Diego and tics from the University of San Diego, G. W. Stewart of the University of Michigan. Connecticut) will become associate professor of

60 Amstat News JUNE 2009 economics at the of Misuse of Statistics Massachusetts Institute in Medical Research. of Technology. He is a A Fellow of the ASA and Fellow of the American Royal Statistical Society, STATISTICIANS Academy of Arts and Riffenburgh is chief of Sciences, the Econometric biostatistics at the Naval Society, the American Medical Center in San Diego, IN THE NEWS Statistical Association, California, as well as adjunct Read about your colleagues and the American Finance professor of statistics at San and friends in the news. Go to Association. He is also a Diego State University. member of the U.S. National www.amstat.org and click on Academy of Sciences. “Statisticians in the News.” Engle earned his Doctor Jean Opsomer of Philosophy in econom- The Washington Statistical ics and Master of Science Society (WSS) and RTI in physics from Cornell International are pleased University and his Bachelor to announce that Jean of Science in physics from Opsomer, professor in the Williams College. Department of Statistics at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, has been chosen Joseph Glaz as this year’s recipient of the Joseph Glaz, associate head Gertrude M. Cox Award. The and director of graduate award consists of a $1,000 programs in the Department honorarium, travel expenses of Statistics at the University to attend the WSS annual Defining Moment: British Scientists of Connecticut and Fellow dinner meeting, and a plaque Conduct First Randomized Clinical Trial of the American Statistical containing the WSS logo. Association, has been elected Since receiving his PhD Financial Times writer Clive Cookson looks at Fellow of the Institute of from Cornell University in the defining moment when a clinical trial, Mathematical Statistics. 1995, Opsomer has made designed by statistician Austin Bradford Hill, noteworthy contributions helped eradicate tuberculosis as a public health threat in the United Kingdom. Robert to the field of statistics in several areas, including sur- Red State, Blue State Riffenburgh vey research, environmental ASA member Andrew Gelman joins the Talking Robert H. statistics, and nonparametric regression. He will receive Points Memo Book Club for a discussion of Riffenburgh, Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why author of the award at the WSS annual dinner meeting on June 18, Americans Vote the Way They Do, a social science Statistics in analysis that dissects American voting patterns. Medicine 2009, and give the keynote served as address, “Aspects of Sampling Statistician Thinks 2010 Census invited Design: A Tale of Two Could Benefit Kentucky Riffenburgh keynote Natural Resource Surveys.” The Gertrude M. Cox Ron Crouch of the Kentucky State Data speaker at Center reports to WFPL News that population the Elsevier Prestige Seminar Award was established in 2003 through a joint agree- shifts in Kentucky indicate next year’s census on Medical Statistics in could be beneficial to the region. China, with repeat seminars ment between WSS and in Guangzhou, Shanghai, RTI to recognize statisti- Swine Flu: Statistical Model Predicts and Beijing. At each semi- cians in early to mid-career Spread in United States who have made significant nar, Riffenburgh presented Indiana University experts in statistical analysis four lectures: What Statistics contributions to statisti- cal practice. It is given in and computer modeling of epidemics, health law, Offers to Medical Research, and public health discuss statistical models for Choosing an Appropriate memory of Gertrude M. Cox (1900–1978), who, in U.S. cases, challenges to addressing the spread Statistical Method, Recent of the swine flu, and advice for staying healthy. Technology Transfers from the 1950s, when head of the Statistical Theory to Medical Department of Experimental Research, and Examples Statistics at North Carolina State College, played a

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 61 key role in establishing Berger, Francesca Domenici, him in 1998 for the design A. H. Robins in Richmond, Mathematical Statistics and and Thomas Lumley. and development of the Virginia. In 1977, he moved Biostatistics departments S language. The competi- to Burroughs-Wellcome at The University of North tion is open to small teams in Research Triangle Park, Carolina at Chapel Hill and Yihui Xie of developers (which must North Carolina. He was head a Statistical Division at the Yihui Xie of the Renmin include at least one student of the Clinical Information then newly founded not- University of China was or recent graduate) who have and Statistics Department for-profit RTI. She served as recently awarded the John designed and implemented a from 1981–1985 and then president of the ASA in 1957. M. Chambers Award for piece of statistical software. director of the Clinical Data This award is made pos- 2009 for his submission The award includes a Processing and Statistics sible by funding from RTI, “animation,” an R pack- prize of $1,000, a plaque, Division from 1985–1991. and the recipient is chosen age for using graphical and a travel allowance for He then moved to Parke- by a six-person committee. and other animations to attending JSM (with reg- Davis in Ann Arbor, This year’s committee con- communicate the results istration covered by the Michigan, where he was vice sists of Paul Biemer, Nabil of statistical simulations. Statistical Computing and president of technical opera- El-Khorazaty, Phil Kott, The John M. Chambers Graphics Section). Xie tions from 1991–1996 and Michael P. Cohen, John Award is endowed by John will be presented with his vice president of clinical plan- Eltinge, and Karol Krotki. Chambers’ donation of the award during the Statistical ning and logistics from 1996– Past recipients of the award Software System Award of the Computing and Graphics 1997. In 1994, Cummings include Sharon Lohr, Alan Association for Computing Section mixer at JSM 2009. received the Parke-Davis Zaslavsky, Tom Belin, Vance Machinery, presented to Career Development Managerial Award. Obituary Cummings practiced and supported effective leadership Walter Cummings and emphasized teamwork Walter through the integration of Bradley statistical, clinical data man- Cummings, agement, medical writing, 67, died and technical support activi- December ties. He invested energy in 4, 2008, at development of nontechni- cal, transferable ‘soft skills.’ Cummings Longwood Statistics Students Park in He resisted domination of Clarksville, the clinical data manage- Virginia. Native to Ithaca, ment function by corporate Inducted into New York, Cummings information technology and was a graduate of North strongly believed clinical Mu Sigma Rho Carolina State University support functions should (PhD, statistics, 1972; MS, be independent of market- applied math, 1966; BS, ing. Cummings prioritized leven undergraduate and 31 graduate statistics students applied math, 1962). the development of the were inducted into Mu Sigma Rho Honor Society on He served as a lieuten- skills of those who reported April 14, 2009, during a banquet at North Carolina ant in the U.S. Army from to him and created oppor- EState University. Charles Smith, a professor at the university, 1962–1965. He was a tunities at multiple levels presided over the banquet and entertained the audience with senior operations analyst for those with promise of several pre-dinner ice-breaking games. at General Dynamics from initiative, leadership, and/or Director of Undergraduate Programs Roger Woodard 1967–1969 and an assistant outstanding technical skills. introduced the undergraduate inductees, and Co-Director professor of biometry at the He made every effort to of Graduate Programs Pam Arroway introduced the gradu- Medical College of Virginia advance the careers of those ate inductees. Smith, the faculty advisor, distributed the Mu from 1972–1974, where he he managed, even when it Sigma Rho certificates to the new members. received the Outstanding resulted in the individual ASA President-elect Sastry Pantula gave a brief speech about Teacher Award in 1974 leaving his organization to the history of Mu Sigma Rho and the ASA. In his address, he from the Department of accept a better position. emphasized to the inductees the importance of being active Hospital Administration. Cummings’ managerial and engaged with professional associations and with the NC Cummings began his philosophy is best exemplified State Department of Statistics as they move up in their profes- career in the pharmaceutical by his work at Parke-Davis. sional careers. He ended his comments with how Mu, Sigma, industry in 1975 as a senior When he arrived there in and Rho are the bread and butter of statisticians. n research statistician at 1991, Technical Operations

62 Amstat News JUNE 2009 was dysfunctional and at himself, had inserted. But, bachelor’s degree in math- Northern: one for men and odds with the clinical research to the merriment of all, he ematics from the University one for women. Because function. He developed and succeeded in convincing the of Manitoba in 1929. Upon Loutit had mathematical implemented his concepts of audience that his colleague, graduation, there were only and technical expertise, her multifunctional team sup- who was chairing the session, three avenues of employment manager appointed her as an port for clinical research and had sabotaged him. Still, open to women: teaching, engineer, though Northern built Technical Operations each of the points in his talk nursing, and secretarial work. Electric did not have a differ- into a highly productive, were clearly conveyed and Loutit went into teaching. ential pay scale for engineers. highly collaborative, and well understood. He believed During World War II, She remained an ‘engineer’ widely admired organization. laughter, fun, and good qual- she responded to an adver- throughout her career at Cummings was a strong ity work were completely tisement for women in the Northern Electric, eventually believer in the responsibil- compatible with strong and sciences, mathematics, and taking on managerial respon- ity of the statistician to serve powerful leadership. He was physics to help engineers sibilities. She retired in 1972. science and ethics in drug an advocate for the colleagues who were testing equip- Loutit was active in the development. With a pas- within his organization ment and material for the American Society for Quality sion for clear communica- and had a sense of fairness war effort. She was hired Control and was the pro- tion, he revised numerous that may be unequaled. as a quality control statisti- gram chair for the Quality drafts of reports to ensure the Cummings relocated cian at Northern Electric, Control All-Day Forum run truth of the data was accu- to Clarksville in 1997. In now Northern Telecom, in by the Montréal Section. rately conveyed. Although addition to being a sailing Montréal. Later, she became To read more about her life, he spent only two years as enthusiast, he enjoyed golf a government employee visit www.amstat.org/about/ a formal teacher of statis- and delighted in his grand- for Northern Electric. statisticiansinhistory. n tics, he always served as an children. He is remembered During that time, there educator and mentor for by his family as “the most were two pay scales at the statisticians he led. honest, most fair, and smart- He was an active member est man they will ever know” of the American Statistical and as a person who “did Association, the Society for not waste any of his days.” Clinical Trials, the Drug Cummings volunteered with Information Association, the Merifield Landowners Welcome to ASA and the Pharmaceutical Association, the Heritage Research and Manufacturers Foundation, the Cove Association (PhRMA). Project, and the revitaliza- Members Only He was chair of the tion of Clarksville. He was Biostatistics Subsection of Citizen of the Year in 1999. PhRMA from 1981–1984, His vision included what was Make the most of co-chair of Southern best for Clarksville as a whole. your ASA membership. Regional Education Board’s Committee on Statistics Visit the ASA from 1984–1985, and co- Obituary chair of the Midwestern Biopharmaceutical Statistics Isobel Loutit Members Only site! Workshop in 1983. Isobel Loutit, Above all, Cummings one of the Personalize your login ID was a master of mirth. He first women was exceptionally skilled at to work pro- Access all your ASA journal, CIS, creating situations where fessionally as and JSTOR subscriptions with one easy constructive fun was to be a statistician login had in the workplace. He Loutit in Canada, had a keen sense of humor passed Learn about partner discounts from Wiley, and a wonderful instinct for away April CRC Press, and others practical jokes that lightened 19, 2009. On July 18, the moment but did not she would have celebrated detract from the sense and her 100th birthday. Join ASA member forums mission of the group effort Loutit was born in Selkirk, For instance, he once gave a Manitoba, in July of 1909. Read the e-news archive talk at a statistical meeting She was one of four women with bogus slides that he, who graduated with a www.amstat.org/membersonly

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 63 Meeting Within a Meeting (MWM) Statistics Workshop for K-12 Mathematics and Science Teachers (www.amstat.org/education/mwm) Sponsored by the American Statistical Association (ASA) 2009 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM)*    Based on the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction of Statistics Education (GAISE) A Pre-K–12 Curriculum Framework (www.amstat.org/education/gaise ) Dates: Monday, August 3, 2009, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a visit to the U.S. Census Bureau and JSM activities Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Places: Center City Public Charter School—Shaw Campus, 711 N Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20001. Across the street from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Metro accessible via the yellow and green lines. Tuesday activities at the U.S. Census Bureau and Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Audience: K-12 Mathematics and Science Teachers. Multiple mathematics/science teachers from the same school are especially encouraged to attend. Note: Experienced AP statistics teachers should instead register for the Beyond AP Statistics (BAPS) workshop. See www.amstat.org/education/baps for more information.

Objectives: Enhance understanding and teaching of statistics within the mathematics/science curriculum through conceptual understanding, active learning, real-world data applications, and appropriate technology

Content: Teachers will explore problems that require them to collect, formulate questions, organize, analyze, and draw conclusions from data and apply basic concepts of probability. The MWM program will include examining what students can be expected to do at the most basic level of understanding and what can be expected of them as their skills develop and their experience broadens. Content is consistent with GAISE recommendations and NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Additionally, the MWM 2009 program will include a visit to the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday. The interactive presentations and activities will introduce teachers to the 2010 Census, Census in Schools activities, and Census’ data and on-line data access tools.

Presenters: GAISE Report authors and prominent statistics educators

Format: Monday: Parallel K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 strand sessions Tuesday: Field trip to the U.S. Census Bureau and activities at JSM (statistics education sessions, poster sessions, JSM exhibit hall) Activity-based sessions, including lesson plan development Monday lunch with speakers

Provided: Lunch and refreshments on Monday, August 3 Field trip to the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday, August 4 Complimentary one-day pass to attend the Joint Statistical Meetings on Tuesday, August 4 Lodging reimbursement (up to a specified amount) for teachers from outside the DC metro area Handouts Certificate of participation from the ASA certifying professional development hours Optional graduate credit available

Cost: The course fee for the full day is $30. Please note: Course attendees do not have to register for the Joint Statistical Meetings to participate in this workshop.

Follow up: Follow-up activities and webinars (www.amstat.org/education/k12webinars) ASA chapters network with local teachers to organize learning communities

Registration: Online registration available at www.amstat.org/education/mwm. Space is limited. If interested in attending, please register as soon as possible.

Contact: Rebecca Nichols, [email protected]; (703) 684-1221, Ext. 1877

*The Joint Statistical Meetings are the largest annual gathering of statisticians, where thousands from around the world meet to share advances in statistical knowledge. The JSM activities include statistics education sessions, posters sessions, and the exhibit hall. 64 Amstat News JUNE 2009 COMMITTEES

JSM CE Program: How It All Happens Eileen C. King, ACCE Past Chair, and Ronald E. McRoberts, 2010 ACCE Chair-elect

he responsibility of shaping the Continuing Education (CE) program at JSM each year falls to the nine mem- bers of the Advisory Committee on Continuing Causal Inference Course Planned TEducation (ACCE). To be representative of the interests of the for JSM 2010 entire ASA membership, the make-up of the committee is bal- anced among members from academia, government, and James Robins and Miguel Hernan will present a industry who have knowledge in various areas of statistical two-day course on causal inference during JSM expertise (e.g., sampling, biostatistics). Gender balance is also 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. desired. This attention to balance aids ACCE’s charge to pro- Robins is the Mitchell L. and Robin LaFoley vide a well-rounded CE program covering the range of statisti- Dong Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard cal topics the committee believes are of interest to the University School of Public Health. The principal ASA membership. focus of his research has been the development The CE program for JSM 2010 will have its beginnings at of analytic methods appropriate for drawing the upcoming JSM in Washington, DC, when section pro- causal inferences from complex observational gram chairs solicit course proposals from their members. Most and randomized studies with time-varying CE course proposals are cosponsored by ASA sections, though exposures or treatments. Hernan is associate proposals do not have to be cosponsored and sponsorship has professor of epidemiology at the Harvard no bearing on whether the course is accepted. The advantage University School of Public Health. His research to a section (or chapter) soliciting course proposals is that focuses on causal inference for longitudinal data. courses will be offered on topics of special interest to their members and they share the revenue, which is used to fund their own programs. The deadline for course proposals is late September. Immediately after the deadline, the course proposals are sent courses held in seven rooms over four days. It would be coun- to each member of the ACCE and CE Course Evaluation terproductive to have two courses on a similar topic on the Subcommittee for appraisal. Membership on the subcommit- same day at the same time, so the ACCE works hard to have tee consists of representatives from the Council of Sections, courses with similar topics on separate days. Council of Chapters, Committee on Applied Statisticians, An identical process is used to select the Computer and Committee on Career Development. The evaluations Technology Workshops (CTWs), which occur on the furnished by each subcommittee member for each course are Wednesday of JSM. CTW proposals are due in mid-January. given careful consideration before the ACCE members make At the conclusion of each course at JSM, evaluations are their final decisions. completed by the participants. The evaluations rate the quality Between the course proposal deadline in late September and of the instructor(s), quality of the course materials, and overall the final decision on courses for the CE program in December, quality of the course. They are then reviewed by the ACCE the ACCE meets at the ASA office. Here, committee mem- and used to select the course(s) that receive the Excellence in bers begin discussing the course proposals received and iden- CE Award. Instructors receiving the award are asked to pres- tify statistical topics they believe are of interest to the ASA ent the course again at the subsequent JSM, and the course membership but not covered in the proposals received. If the is recognized as an Excellence in CE Award winner in the committee determines there will be gaps in the CE program, JSM Program. accomplished instructors in the topics not covered by the pro- Being able to provide JSM attendees with high-quality posals are identified and asked to present a course. Continuing Education courses is rewarding. Based on the rise The number of course proposals received each year has in CE attendance over the last few years and the positive feed- been increasing, making the selection process competitive. back received on evaluation forms, the committee believes it is Many difficult decisions are made during the committee’s providing a valuable benefit to ASA members. For more infor- lengthy teleconference call in early December. When the final mation about submitting a CE course proposal, visit www. courses are chosen, the ASA staff liaison contacts those who amstat.org/meetings/jsm/2009 and click on the Continuing submitted proposals to let them know whether their proposal Education tab. n was accepted. The next part of the process is to make the CE course schedule, which can be tricky. Generally, there are 27–30 CE

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 65 66 Amstat News JUNE 2009 SECTION NEWS

Biometrics All Set for JSM 2009 Program Edited by Page Moore, Biometrics Section Publications Officer

he theme of this year’s Joint Organizer: Annie Qu of the Statistical Meetings, August 1–6 University of Illinois at in Washington, DC, is “Statistics: Urbana-Champaign TFrom Evidence to Policy.” The Biometrics Section’s mixer and business Recent Developments in meeting will be on Monday, August 3. Dimension Reduction Please join us for drinks, appetizers, and Organizer: Wensheng Guo of the mingling. This is a great networking University of Pennsylvania It is also time to start thinking about opportunity and an excellent way to invited sessions for next year’s Joint meet other Biometrics Section members. Statistical Issues and Second Code Statistical Meetings, which will In addition, the recipient of the 2009 of Life: Epigenomics be held August 1–5 in Vancouver, David P. Byar Young Investigator Award Organizers: Rebecca Doerge British Columbia. Anyone who is will be presented. The mixer is open to of Purdue University and interested in organizing an invited all JSM attendees. Come voice your Jaya Satagopan of Memorial session or who has ideas for one opinions about what activities you Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center would like the section to undertake. should contact the section’s 2010 program chair, Hormuzd Katki, at The Biometrics Section is proud Issues of High Dimensionality [email protected]. to cosponsor the following four short and Missing Data in Complex A typical invited session consists courses during JSM: Epidemiological Studies of three 30-minute talks followed Organizer: Samiran Sinha of August 1, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Texas A&M by a 10-minute invited discussion Missing Data in Longitudinal and 10 minutes of floor discussion. Studies: Strategies for Bayesian Statistical Challenges in Personalized However, other formats are pos- Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis Medicine and Genetic Guided sible. The 2009 program is a good Michael Daniels and Joseph Hogan Clinical Trials source for examples. Organizer: Colin Wu of the National Remember, the most mature August 1, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ideas will have an advantage when Longitudinal Data Analysis: competing for the limited number Semiparametric and Nonparametric The Biometrics Section would like of slots, so it is best to have your Approaches to thank Jerry Heatley, the section’s ideas in final form by the middle of Annie Qu and Peter Song JSM continuing education chair, and June. The Biometrics Section will Wensheng Guo, the section’s JSM pro- August 3, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. have at least four invited sessions, Methodology for Competing gram chair, for their work organizing the but if we generate enough good Outcomes: The Analysis of Multiple courses and sessions. Check the online ideas, we will be able to compete Mutually Exclusive Endpoints in a program at www.amstat.org/meetings/ for additional slots. Clinical Trial jsm/2009/onlineprogram for updates on Please also submit ideas for short David Naftel locations and times. courses to our 2009–2010 continu- ENAR 2010 ing education chair, Jerry Heatley, at August 4, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. [email protected]. Absolute Risk Prediction It is time to think about invited ses- Mitchell Gail and Ruth Pfeiffer sions for ENAR 2010, which will be held March 21–24 in New Orleans, discussion or four 30-minute talks. June The section also is sponsoring an Louisiana. Anyone who is interested in 11 is the deadline for proposals. It is exciting program of invited sessions and organizing an invited session or who best if you have a well-defined topic and talks spanning a range of topics in bio- has ideas for one should contact the sec- commitments from participants by June statistics, including the following: tion’s 2010 program chair, Liang Li, at 11. The more detailed the proposal, the [email protected]. better the chances are it will be selected, Nonparametric Approaches for A typical session consists of three as this is a highly competitive process. n High-Dimensional Data 30-minute talks followed by a 30-minute

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 67 Biopharmaceutical Section Preps for JSM ‘09

he 2009 Joint Statistical Meetings Invited Sessions will be held August 1–6 in August 2, 2:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. Washington, DC. The Bio- The Statistical Issues Surrounding Tpharmaceutical Section, one of the larg- Progression-Free Survival in Oncology est sections of the ASA, is sponsoring six Drug Development invited sessions, 15 topic-contributed sessions, and 19 contributed sessions Sunday, August 2 covering a variety of topics, from the dis- 4:00 p.m. to 5:50 p.m. covery to the late phase of drug and Issues and Challenges in device development. The section also is Dichotomizing Continuous Variables sponsoring 18 roundtable with lunch in Clinical Trials sessions: six on Monday, six on Tuesday, and six on Wednesday. Finally, for the Monday, August 3 benefit of its members, the section has 10:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. organized three Continuing Education Recent Advances in Missing Data and (CE) classes on relevant topics in drug Causal Inference development. Significant efforts have been made to distribute the large num- Tuesday, August 4 ber of section activities across the six 8:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. days, including Sunday afternoon and Adaptive Design: Where Are We Now? Thursday morning. CE courses and invited sessions orga- Wednesday, August 5 nized by the section this year include 2:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. the following: Issues in Translating Innovative Phase I CE Courses Designs Into Oncology Trials August 3, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Thursday, August 6 Dose-Finding Studies: Methods and 8:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. Implementation Pharmacokinetic and Instructors: Frank Bretz of Norvartis Pharmacodynamic Modeling Switzerland and Jose C. Pinheiro of Novartis Pharmaceutical In addition to the above sessions, the section is cosponsoring 21 invited August 3, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. sessions. Evaluating Probability of Success The Biopharmaceutical Section will for Internal Decisionmaking in Early again give awards to presenters for the Drug Development best contributed and best student papers. Instructors: Martin King, Narinder The awards from 2008 will be presented Nangia, and Jane Qian of Abbott at the Biopharmaceutical Section meet- Laboratories ing and mixer. Information about sec- tion activities will be available at the August 4, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. mixer, and members will have a chance Analysis of Clinical Trials: Theory to network with others and give feedback and Applications on section activities. We look forward to Instructors: Devan V. Mehrotra of seeing you in DC this August. n Merck Research Laboratories, Alexei A. Dmitrienko of Eli Lilly and Company, and Keaven Anderson of Merck & Co., Inc.

68 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Biopharmaceutical Business and Economic Statistics Rich Program Scheduled for JSM Barbara Rossi, Section Program Chair, and Graham Elliott, Section Program Chair-elect

he B&E Section is happy to fellow for economic studies at the 2009 Student Travel announce a rich program for Brookings Institution. Baily was chair JSM 2009 in Washington, DC. of the Council of Economic Advisers Award Winners TIncluded are the following five invited during the Clinton administration from Eric Aldrich, Duke University, and sessions: 1999–2001 and one of three members Irma Hernandez-Magallanes, of the council from 1994–1996. University of California, Berkeley, Large Systems of Accounts There also will be a lunch roundtable, are the winners of $500 travel titled “What Makes the Introductory awards to JSM 2009. Hernandez- Measuring Financial and Real Sector Course in Applied Statistics for Business Magallanes will present “Detecting Linkages Students Different?” Seasonal Volatility: A Banking On August 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 Recent Developments in Seasonal Application” in the topic- Adjustment Methodology p.m., there will be a short course, “State Space Time Series Analysis in Practice,” contributed session Topics in Statistical Techniques for Estimating presented by S. J. Koopman of the Free Seasonal Time Series on August DSGE Models University of Amsterdam. 5. Aldrich’s talk, “Computational Methods for Production-Based Statistical Methods for Forecasting Last, but not least, the program will benefit from a series of contributed ses- Asset Pricing Models,” is part of the contributed session In addition are the following 12 sions and topic-contributed poster ses- topic-contributed sessions: sions on a variety of topics, including Statistical Methods on August 6. the following: Advances in Time Series Analysis of Financial Time Series Econometrics DC. Invited sessions add to the quality of Bayesian Estimation of Diffusion Diffusion Processes and Financial the program and are a great chance to get Models Markets attention for a prominent research area. A proposal ideally consists of a para- Benchmarking and Reconciliation Education graph describing the theme of the session Inequality and Wage Differentials and a list of presenters who have agreed Forecasting and Real-Time Data to participate, along with tentative titles. Methods, Computing, and Labor Markets and Firm Typically, invited sessions consist of three Application of Copulas Competitiveness or four papers or three papers and a dis- cussant. Each speaker has 25–30 min- Macroeconomic Data Analysis and Multivariate Statistical Methods for utes, depending on the format, compared Forecasting Business Cycle Analysis to 15 minutes in a contributed session. New Approaches in Econometrics Our section has a guaranteed allot- Nonlinear Time Series in Economics ment of four invited sessions, plus the and Finance Unit Roots and Cointegration option of submitting one or two more Revisions and Regression Effects in proposals for a competition with other Official Time Series Thank you to all who contributed sections for additional invited sessions. papers and posters or offered to chair Proposals should be sent by July 24, Seasonal Adjustment Methodology sessions. We look forward to seeing you 2009, to Graham Elliott, Department in Washington, DC, in August. of Economics, University of California Temporal and Cross-Sectional at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0508 Consistency in PPP Planning for JSM 2010 ([email protected]) or Stuart Scott, Topics in Seasonal Time Series We would like to invite members to Bureau of Labor Statistics (scott.stuart@ develop proposals for invited sessions bls.gov). Trends and Forecasts in Time Series for JSM 2010 in Vancouver, British Our long-time section member and Columbia, Canada. Our section needs past chair, Sastry Pantula, will serve as The Economic Outlook Luncheon to have a draft slate of invited sessions ASA president in 2010. Hope you can will feature Martin Neil Baily, senior to submit at JSM 2009 in Washington, join us in Vancouver. n

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 69 Statistics and the Environment Topic-Contributed Sessions Outlined Jun Zhu, ENVR Publications Chair he Statistics and the Environment Undergraduate Statisticians: Statistical Methods and Theory for Section’s annual open business Developing Evidence to Improve Spatial and/or Temporal Data meeting/mixer is tentatively Environmental Policy Organizer: Jun Zhu of the University of Tscheduled for the evening of Tuesday, Organizer: William F. Hunt Jr. of Wisconsin-Madison August 4. Please join us, catch up with North Carolina State University old friends, and meet some new faces. Also highly recommended is Food and drinks will be provided, along Monitoring for Informed Natural Hierarchical Modeling and Analysis of with a few surprises. Resource Management Decisions Spatial-Temporal Data: Emphasis in In addition to the five invited ses- Organizer: Joel H. Reynolds of the U.S. Forestry, Ecology, and Environmental sions and two roundtables announced in Fish and Wildlife Service Sciences, a full-day CE course taught the May issue of Amstat News, ENVR is by Sudipto Banerjee of the University sponsoring several topic-contributed ses- New Research in Spatial and of Minnesota and Andrew Finley of sions at the upcoming JSM. Following Environmental Statistics Michigan State University. is a list of topics and organizers. For Organizer: Stephan R. Sain of the If you have ideas for invited ses- details, visit the JSM online pro- National Center for Atmospheric sions for JSM 2010—to be held July gram at www.amstat.org/meetings/jsm/ Research 31 to August 5 in Vancouver, British 2009/onlineprogram. Columbia, Canada—contact ENVR Program Chair Petrutza Caragea at [email protected]. n

Statistics in Defense and National Security JSM Sessions Look Promising Myron Katzoff and Jeff Solka, JSM 2009 and 2010 SDNS Program Chairs

he Section on Statistics in Defense and National Wednesday, August 5 Security (SDNS) has arranged a group of exciting ses- Quantitative Methods for Combating Bioterrorism sions for the 2009 Joint Statistical Meetings. SDNS is Roundtable Lunch on Statistics and Operations Research Tthe main sponsor of two invited sessions, two roundtables in Defense Analysis, led by Ron Fricker of the Naval with lunch, three topic-contributed sessions, and two contrib- Postgraduate School uted paper/poster sessions. The following is a schedule of the sessions in which SDNS is the main sponsor. Applications of Statistics in Defense and Biosurveillance

Sunday, August 2 Thursday, August 6 Statistical Topics in the Defense Industry Statistics at West Point: No Lies

Monday, August 3 We are also the proud cosponsors of six other sessions that Protecting Individual Privacy in the Struggle Against include presentations on graphical and network-based models, Terrorism building emulators for computer models, spatio-temporal data analysis, statistics in policy, and ways one can use an undergrad- Roundtable Lunch on Syndromic Surveillance, led by uate degree in statistics. All in all, this promises to be an interest- Henry Rolka of CDC ing set of sessions. For details, refer to the JSM online program Poster presentations at 2:00 p.m. at www.amstat.org/meetings/jsm/2009/onlineprogram and request sessions sponsored by the Section on Statistics in Defense and Tuesday, August 4 National Security. See you in Washington, DC. n Reliability Issues in the Department of Defense

70 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Statistics in Epidemiology Strong JSM Program Planned Amy Herring, Section Program Chair, and Dylan Small, Section Publications Officer

he Section on Statistics in Inference, featuring Susan Gruber, Marina Kondratovich, Thomas Gwise, Epidemiology is excited about Eric Polley, Ori Stitelman, Jeremy and Bipasa Biswas the strong JSM 2009 program. Rassen, and Catherine Tuglus TWe are sponsoring or cosponsoring 11 Contributed sessions invited, 16 topic-contributed, and 12 Contributed session New Statistical Methods in contributed sessions. We are also offer- Statistical Methods for Modeling Epidemiologic Studies, featuring ing a one-day short course—Applied Infectious Disease Risk, featuring Nanshi Sha, Yuanshan Wu, Guoyou Statistical Genetics for Population-Based Po-Yung Cheng, Hong Zhou, Qin, Xiaoru Wu, Nancy L. Glenn, Association Studies, taught by Andrea Shenghai Zhang, Hector Lemus, Inyoung Kim, and Michael Jones Foulkes of the University of Zheng Lu, Nicole B. Carnegie, Massachusetts—on Saturday, August 1. and Lawrence Lessner Applications in Cancer Epidemiology, A complete schedule of Statistics in featuring Bruno C. de Sousa, Wei-Ting Epidemiology Section–sponsored events Monday, August 3 Hwang, Chunling Cong, Marinela is provided below. Also check your pro- Roundtable with coffee Capanu, Chen Hu, Shih-Yuan Lee, gram for our section social mixer, with New Methods and Resources for and Negasi T. Beyene location and date yet to be determined. Gerontologic Biostatisticians, featuring Peter H. Van Ness New Developments in Epidemiologic Saturday, August 1 Methods, featuring Aasthaa Bansal, One-day short course Invited sessions Khairul Islam, Carol Y. Lin, Marco Applied Statistical Genetics for Statistical Approaches for Studying Carone, Beth A. Reboussin, Alomgir Population-Based Association Studies, Synergism of Genes and Environment Hossain, and Alastair Scott taught by Andrea Foulkes of the in Epidemiologic Studies, featuring University of Massachusetts Bhramar Mukherjee, Clare Weinberg, Tuesday, August 4 Nilanjan Chatterjee, and Invited session Sunday, August 2 Sebastian Zollner Impact of High-Dimensional Data on Invited sessions Molecular Epidemiology and Statistical Setting Particulate Matter Air Policy Continued Use of Family Data in Genomics, featuring Giovanni Standards: From Statistical Evidence Statistical Genetics, featuring Heping Parmigiani, Rebecca Doerge, and to Federal Policy, featuring Montserrat Zhang, Christophe Lange, Matthew Colin Begg Fuentes, Scott Zeger, Bryan Hubbell, McQueen, and Kathleen Merikangas and Michelle Bell Topic-contributed sessions Recent Advances in Missing Data Using SUDAAN for Analysis of The Issue of High Dimensionality and Causal Inference, featuring Epidemiologic Data, featuring and Missing Data in Complex Geert Molenberghs, Joe Schafer, Donna Brogan, John Preisser, Epidemiological Studies, featuring and Constantine Frangakis Nedra Whitehead, Yan Li, and Nick Jewell, Bin Nan, Rebecca G. Gordon Brown Betensky, and John Neuhaus Statistical Issues in Building and Evaluating Genetic Risk Predictors, New Developments in Causal Topic-contributed sessions featuring Mitch Gail, Nancy Cook, Inference, featuring Jing Cheng, Propensity Scores and Bayesian and Tianxi Cai Wei Wang, Tyler VanderWeele, Ben Methods for Historical Controls Hansen, and Rongmei Zhang and Observational Studies, featuring Making Statistics Go Viral: Visualizing Brad Carlin, Caroline Sabin, Michael Illness in Social Networks, featur- Statistical Methods in Reproductive Gaffney, Jian Huang, and Yun Lu ing Alessandro Vespignani, Thomas Epidemiology, featuring Bruno Scarpa, Valente, and James Moody Sungduk Kim, Kirsten Lum, Neil Machine Learning–Based Causal Perkins, and Zhen Chen Inference: Toward Robust Black- Topic-contributed session Box Algorithms for Causal Effects Study Designs for Diagnostic Devices, Statistical Analysis Issues for Diagnostic That Preserve Meaningful Statistical featuring Kristen Meier, Rong Tang, Devices, featuring Samir Lababidi,

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 71 Lakshmi Vishnuvajjala, Waleed Yousef, Bob Lyles, Adam Szpiro, Ying Guo, Cao, Melvin Hooten, Junfeng Shang, Gene Pennello, and Yuying Jin Laine Elliott, Beverly Shirkey, Carmen Lianming Wang, and Song Zhang Tekwe, and Denka Markova Machine Learning and Computational Contributed sessions Inference for Diagnostic Devices, Case Studies in Epidemiology, fea- Statistical Methods in Epidemiology featuring Weijie Chen, Frank W. turing Simone Roberts, Tianhe Xu, (poster session) Samuelson, Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov, Panagiota Kitsantas, Charles Saltzman, and Wei-min Liu Hyokyoung Hong, Yating Yeh, and Methods for Genetic Association Xingyou Zhang Studies, featuring David Fardo, Ruth Contributed session Pfeiffer, Guolian Kang, Samsiddhi Analysis of Prevalence and Risk in Statistical Methods for Health Studies, Bhattacharjee, Jin-Hua Chen, Epidemiologic Studies, featuring featuring Sachiko Miyahara, Hoang Charalampos Papachristou, and Jungwha Lee, Stuart Gansky, Robert H. Nguyen, Charity Morgan, Binbing Yu, Mark J. Meyer Lyles, Jenny Sun, Peng T. Liu, Tanweer Novie Younger, Chengwu Yang, and J. Shapla, and Tasneem Zaihra Kit Ling Yang Epidemiologic Methods: Causal Inference, featuring Babette Brumback, Wednesday, August 5 Industry-Sponsored Science: Are Leonardo Grilli, Cassandra K. Wolos, Invited session Consultants Really Biased?, panel Xin Gao, Sherri Rose, Lev S. Sverdlov, Statistical Analysis in the Presence discussion with Michael Ginevan, and Yu-Jen Cheng of Measurement Error, featuring Stan Young, Allen Heller, Peter Ciprian Crainiceanu, Ying Wei, Susan Lachenbruch, and Bob Obenchain Modern Statistical Methods for Genetic Schennach, and Len Stefanski Studies, featuring Yung Hsiang Huang, Advancements in Principal Renfang Jiang, Swati Biswas, Arpita Topic-contributed sessions Stratification for Causal Inference, Ghosh, Xiaoyi Gao, and Yong Chen Analyzing Data on Copy Number featuring Hui Jin, Jason Roy, Variation, featuring Mingyao Li, Glen Julian Wolfson, Corwin Zigler, Thursday, August 6 Satten, Li Hsu, Adam Olshen, and and Michael Hudgens Invited sessions Christophe Lambert From Data to Decisionmaking: Novel Bayesian Advances in Public Applied Statisticians Protecting the Measurement Error and Misclass- Health and Epidemiology, featuring Jing Environment, featuring Rita Schoeny, ification in Epidemiology, featuring Barry Nussbaum, William F. Hunt Jr., and Elizabeth Margosches

Extending the Marginal Structural Model, featuring Miguel Hernan, DON’T MISS OUT! Maya Petersen, Marshall Joffe, and James Robins Topic-contributed session Abdominal Obesity: Searching for the Best Measure, featuring Fernando Guerrero-Romero, Rodolfo Valdez, Mark Woodward, Marike Vuga, and Ike Okosun Contributed sessions Survival Analysis Methods in Epidemiology, featuring Haimeng Zhang, Minya Pu, Hong Zhu, Pierre- Jerome Bergeron, Md Monir Hossain, Feifei Zhou, and David Todem

JSM 2009 Mixed Effects Models in Modern Epidemiologic Studies, featuring Washington, DC Xiaobi Huang, Lung-Chang Chien, Arun Krishna, Heather M. Bush, Registration Is Now Open Chengxing Lu, Yun Fang, and www.amstat.org/meetings/jsm/2009/onlinereg Chunling Liu n

72 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Government Statistics GSS Highlights JSM Invited Sessions Venue paves way for strong program Sunghee Lee, 2009 Section Program Chair, and Sonya Vartivarian, Section Publications Officer

iven that JSM 2009 is in the Groves of the University Survey, featuring Aaron Maitland nation’s capital this year, you of Michigan of the National Center for Health may expect a strong program Statistics, CDC Gby the Government Statistics Section Using the Fraction of Missing (GSS). There will be 18 paper sessions Information to Monitor the Quality Subunit Nonresponse in the this year, including three invited, 12 of Survey Data, featuring James National Health Interview Survey: topic-contributed, and three contribut- Wagner of the University An Exploration Using Paradata, ed. We also have six roundtables explor- of Michigan featuring James M. Dahlhamer of ing substantive and methodological top- the National Center for Health ics that are central to our work. For the Modeling the Difference in Statistics, CDC first time, the GSS will sponsor a “best Interview Characteristics for poster” contest to encourage both quan- Different Respondents, featuring Many government survey operations tity and quality of poster submissions. John Dixon of the Bureau of have begun collecting paradata—informa- The winner of the best poster will receive Labor Statistics tion about the data-collection process— $500 plus two years of free membership to better understand contact and coop- in GSS. Honorable mentions will receive An Evaluation of Nonresponse eration propensities, track interviewer $250. Winning posters will be re- Bias Using Paradata from a Health performance and survey costs, and guide displayed at the GSS business meeting and social. Details about roundtables and other section activities will appear in our July Amstat News article. GSS Invited Sessions The three invited GSS sessions touch on critical issues for government statisti- cians. Topics include the usage of survey paradata, innovations in federal govern- ment surveys, and the future of random- digit-dial telephone surveys. We thank invited session organizers James M. Dahlhamer of the National Center for Health Statistics, CDC; Lynda T. Carlson of the National Science Foundation; and Meena Khare of the National Center for Health Statistics, CDC. We also extend our appreciation to all those who made an effort to be part of GSS sessions this year. Sunday, August 2 The Use of Paradata in Federal Government Surveys Chair: Nancy Bates of the U.S. Census Bureau

Use of Paradata to Manage a Field Data Collection, featuring Robert

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 73 ongoing data-collection activities. This Tuesday, August 4 Constance F. Citro of The session will examine a wide array of The Agony and Ecstasy of Innovation National Academies paradata applications in government in Federal Surveys surveys, from managing day-to-day sur- Chair: Lawrence D. Brown of the Partnership for Innovation, featur- vey operations to evaluating the quality University of Pennsylvania ing Jeri M. Mulrow of the National of collected data. The session should be Discussant: Norman Bradburn of the Science Foundation of particular interest to survey managers, National Opinion Research Center methodologists, and anyone interested Overcoming Extremeness: The in evaluating survey costs and sources of The Importance of Goal-Oriented Survey Innovator’s Essential Task, survey error. Leadership for Innovation, featuring featuring Don A. Dillman of Washington State University

Innovation in the federal govern- ment on longstanding federal surveys is both overwhelming and exciting, and, in some cases, long overdue. Creating an environment of innovation in any Social Statistics organization is never easy, let alone cre- ating one across multiple organizations that share responsibilities for a project. Section Announces Speakers in this session will provide insight into partnering for innovation JSM 2009 Roundtables on various aspects of the survey design. Joseph Salvo, Section 2010 Program Chair Wednesday, August 5 Future of Random-Digit-Dial Telephone hy not attend a roundtable how to best educate data users to bet- Surveys with lunch at this year’s Joint ter address the challenges they face with Chair: Sunghee Lee of the University of Statistical Meetings in these new data. California, Los Angeles WWashington, DC? Roundtables with Panelists: Linda B. Piekarski of Survey Finally, for those who work in/with lunch offer the opportunity to explore a federal agencies, there is “Using Data Sampling International, LLC; Meena topic of interest in a less formal setting. from the American Community Survey: Khare of the National Center for Health This year, the Social Statistics Section is What Federal Agencies Need to Know.” Statistics, CDC; James A. Singleton pleased to sponsor five such sessions, This discussion will identify issues that of the National Center for Health which explore substantive and method- federal agencies should consider when Statistics, CDC; Michael P. Battaglia ological topics that are central to our making the transition to the ACS, of Abt Associates Inc.; Michael J. Brick of Westat, Inc.; and David Grant of the work in social statistics. Read on and including when to start using ACS data, University of California, Los Angeles learn the details, as you won’t want to how often to ‘refresh’ ACS data, and miss signing up for these excellent activi- how to prepare customers for data from The viability of traditional landline ties when planning your schedule for this new source. JSM 2009. random-digit-dial (RDD) telephone sur- Other roundtables include “Removing Given the sea change that the veys is being challenged due to declining the Veil from Publicly Released American Community Survey rep- response rates and a sharp increase in Polls: What Is the Statistician’s Role resents, three roundtables are being persons switching to cell phone services offered this year by the Social Statistics in the Fight to Improve Statistical by eliminating landline services. This ses- Section. The first is an ACS primer for Literacy?” and “Leveraging Advances sion will address these challenges and dis- statisticians: “What Every Statistician in Cyberinfrastructure to Provide cuss how to minimize their impact. The Should Know About the ACS: ACS for Secure Access to Sensitive Data, panel members will represent some of the Newbies.” This roundtable will focus on Preserve Data, and Create Virtual large-scale RDD surveys in the United key points of interest to statisticians on Scientific Communities.” States: National Immunization Survey, the content and methods of this survey. For complete descriptions of these Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Recognizing that the ACS represents roundtables, visit the JSM online pro- System, National Household Education a big shift in the collection, compilation, gram at www.amstat.org/meetings/jsm/ Survey, and California Health Interview and dissemination of socioeconomic 2009/onlineprogram. For questions or Survey. They also will discuss challenges data, the second ACS roundtable focuses to propose ideas for JSM 2010 invit- that each survey faces, findings on user training. The roundtable “Can ed sessions, contact Joseph Salvo at from studies examining challenges, and We Teach Data Users to Use Survey [email protected]. n future plans. n Data Wisely?” will discuss ideas about

74 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Health Policy Statistics Packed JSM Program Announced

he Section on Health Policy Tuesday, August 4 Topic-Contributed Sessions Statistics is pleased to announce Profiling Health Care Providers: The annual student paper award ses- its program for the Joint Statistical Emerging Issues, Statistical Methods, sion is a terrific opportunity to learn TMeetings. We have a packed program and Policy Implications about new work by young researchers that displays the range of topics associat- Organizer: Yulei He of Harvard entering our field. Topics of this year’s ed with health policy research and appli- Medical School winners include a Bayesian approach cations. This year, HPSS is the primary Discussant: Shaheen Halim of for learning from near misses in medi- sponsor for three invited sessions, four the Centers for Medicare and cation errors (Jessica Myers, The Johns topic-contributed sessions, and two con- Medicaid Services Hopkins University), sensitivity analy- tributed sessions, in addition to round- ses for omitted variable bias (Carrie tables with coffee and lunch and a speak- Hospital Report Card: Toward Hosman, University of Michigan), sur- er luncheon. These can be identified in Optimal Statistical Decisions, featur- rogate screening models for low physi- the JSM online program at www.amstat. ing Peter Austin of the Institute of cal activity (Sandrah Eckel, The Johns org/meetings/jsm/2009/onlineprogram by Clinical Evaluation Sciences Hopkins University), nonparametric selecting “Section on Health Policy inference for percentiles of the random Statistics” as the sponsor. Evaluating Composite Quality effects distribution in meta-analysis (Rui The HPSS student awards session Measures, featuring Mary Beth Wang, Harvard University), and identi- will be held Monday, August 3, at 10:30 Landrum of Harvard Medical School fication of ovarian cancer symptoms a.m. The section business meeting and in health insurance claims data (Sean mixer also will be held Monday, but Performance of Confidence Devlin, University of Washington). from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at RFD (a Intervals for the Ratio of Observed short stroll from the convention center). to Expected Numbers of an Event, Sunday, August 2 HPSS members, organizers, speakers, featuring Sean O’Brien of Duke Data Confidentiality: Do We Really discussants, and friends are invited. University Want to Disturb a Sleeping Bear? Invited Sessions Organizer: Ofer Harel of the University Thursday, August 6 of Connecticut Monday, August 3 Using National Center for Health Discussant: Rob Aseltine of the Advancing Health Outcomes Statistics Data to Study Access to University of Connecticut Measurement: The NIH Patient- Health Care Health Center Reported Outcomes Measurement Organizer: Jane Gentleman of NCHS Information System (PROMIS) Bayesian Multiscale Multiple Organizer: Bryce Reeve of NCI Using the National Health Interview Imputation with Implications to Discussant: Steven Clauser of NCI Survey to Monitor Health Insurance Data Confidentiality, featuring and Access to Care, featuring Robin Scott Holan of the University of Advancing Health Outcomes Cohen of NCHS Missouri-Columbia Measurement: The NIH Patient- Reported Outcomes Measurement Access to Care and Objective Summary of Methods and Information System (PROMIS), Measures of Health: Results from Preliminary Assessment of the SIPP featuring Bryce Reeve of NCI the National Health and Nutrition Synthetic Beta, Version 5.0, featur- Examination Survey, featuring ing Gary Benedetto of the U.S. Challenges and Advantages for Vicki Burt of NCHS Census Bureau PROMIS Instruments for Clinical Studies, featuring Dennis Revicki of Using National Center for Health Responsible Data Releases, featur- United BioSource Corporation Statistics Data to Study Access to ing Sanguthevar Rajasekaran of the Health Care, featuring Rosa Avila University of Connecticut Psychometric Evaluation of of NCHS PROMIS: IRT Calibration, DIF, Examining the Robustness of Fully Scaling, and Validity, featuring Using the National Health Care Synthetic Data Techniques for Data Wen-Huang Chen of United Surveys to Monitor Use and Access with Binary Variables, featuring BioSource Corporation to Health Care, featuring Nancy Gregory Matthews of the University Sonnenfeld of NCHS of Connecticut

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 75 Tuesday, August 4 Assessing Effects of Interventions in Longitudinal Naturalistic Data Section on Health Policy Organizer: Douglas Faries of Eli Lilly

Statistics Speaker with Lunch Assessing Causal Treatment Effects 2009 Joint Statistical Meetings, Washington DC, August 1–6 in Longitudinal Naturalistic Data, featuring Douglas Faries of Eli Lilly

Considerations in Applying Aligning Provider Incentives: Marginal Structural Models to Pay for Performance and Beyond Analyze Longitudinal Naturalistic Wednesday, August 5 Data, featuring Ouhong Wang of Amgen 12:30 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. Event #WL09, $40 per person Maximum Likelihood Estimation of the Structural Nested Mean Model, Meredith B. Rosenthal , Associate Professor featuring Daniel Almirall of Duke of Health Economics and Policy, Department University of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health Estimating Volume-Outcome Associations from Longitudinal Naturalistic Data, featuring Abstract: At the beginning of the decade, the Institute of Medicine Benjamin French of the University shone an unfavorable spotlight on the health care reimbursement of Pennsylvania system in the United States, highlighting its perverse reinforcement of patterns of care that result in high costs and patient harm. Since Data Mining Techniques for that time, there has been a surge in the adoption of performance- Longitudinal Naturalistic Data, fea- based incentives by a variety of payers. Experimentation with and turing Anthony Zagar of Eli Lilly debate about pay for performance has had an important side effect: Wednesday, August 5 renewed interest in broader payment reforms. In this presentation, I will describe the experience with pay for performance and survey Innovative Methods and Findings from the landscape of subsequent provider payment innovations in the Health Care Assessment Surveys Organizer: Alan Zaslavsky of Harvard United States (or renovations, perhaps). I will conclude with a dis- Medical School cussion about the strengths, weaknesses, and prospects for genuine reform along the lines of current proposals and pilot efforts. Using the Census Bureau’s Surname List to Improve Estimates of Race/ Meredith B. Rosenthal is associate professor of health economics Ethnicity and Associated Disparities, and policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management featuring Marc N. Elliott of RAND at the Harvard School of Public Health and a 2006 Sloan Industry Fellow. Rosenthal earned her PhD in health policy at Harvard Methodological Issues in the University in 1998. Her research examines the design and impact Analysis of Responses to CAHPS of market-based health policy mechanisms, with a particular focus Questions in the MEPS, featuring Paul Gorrell of Social & Scientific on the use of financial incentives to alter consumer and provid- Systems, Inc. er behavior. She is currently working on a body of research that examines alternative models for reforming physician and hospital Optimal Survey Design When payment. Specific empirical projects include evaluations of several Nonrespondents Are Subsampled Patient-Centered Medical Home pilots, pay-for-performance initia- for Follow-Up in a Comparative tives, and an episode-based payment system. Study, featuring A. James O’Malley of Harvard Medical School

A Simulation Study of Design Effect Approximations for Propensity-Score Weighted Data

76 Amstat News JUNE 2009 with Application to the MCAHPS the strengths, weaknesses, and prospects Predicting Health Care Costs of Survey, featuring Amelia M. for genuine reform along the lines of Individual Patients, featuring Xiao-Hua Haviland of RAND current proposals and pilot efforts. (Andrew) Zhou of the University of Washington, 12:30 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. Random Coefficients Models Roundtables for Subgroup Differences in Surveys A large part of our program takes place Tuesday, August 4 of Health Care Quality, featuring over food! Our speaker with lunch is Predictive Modeling of Health Care Alan Zaslavsky of Harvard the social high point for HPSS (you can Outcomes for Underwriting and Medical School check out the menu in the registration Disease Management: Industry’s guide; vegetarian options are available). Lessons, Trends, Comparative Studies, Contributed Sessions Roundtables with lunch are a great way featuring Ognian Asparouhov of Sunday, August 2 to learn about new topics while meeting MEDAI, Inc., 7:00 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Applications in Clustered Data, Risk other section members with similar inter- Assessment, and Health Surveys ests. Be sure to register before the meet- Drawing Evidence Using Multiple ing or soon after arrival; tickets must be Studies for Public Health Questions, Wednesday, August 5 purchased at least 24 hours before the featuring Chia-Wen Ko of the National Advances in Causal Inference and event, and luncheons do sell out. Institutes of Health, 12:30 p.m. to Health Economic Evaluations 1:50 p.m. Monday, August 3 Posters Challenges in Applying Regression Thank you to all session organizers, Monday, August 3 Methods to Preference Scored Indexes speakers, chairs, and discussants. We Statistics in Policy of HRQoL, featuring Mari Palta of the look forward to seeing you at our mixer University of Wisconsin-Madison, 7:00 in Washington, DC. n We also have many poster presen- a.m. to 8:15 a.m. tations in the sessions on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. Speaker with Lunch This year, we are excited to have Meredith Rosenthal, associate profes- sor of health economics at the Harvard School of Public Health, as our speaker on Wednesday, August 5, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. Rosenthal, a leading expert in provider payment and pay for performance, will give a talk titled “Aligning Provider Incentives: Pay for Performance and Beyond.” At the beginning of the decade, the Institute of Medicine shone an unfavor- able spotlight on the health care reim- bursement system in the United States, highlighting its perverse reinforcement of patterns of care that result in high costs and patient harm. Since that time, there has been a surge in the adoption of performance-based incentives by a vari- ety of payers. Experimentation with and debate about pay for performance has had an important side effect: renewed interest in broader payment reforms. In this presentation, Rosenthal will describe her experience with pay for performance and survey the landscape of subsequent provider payment innovations in the United States (or renovations, perhaps). She will conclude with a discussion of

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 77 Physical and Engineering Sciences Decline in Members Spurs Data Request Thomas M. Loughin of Simon Fraser University, SPES Chair, and Jeff Luner of The Boeing Company, SPES JSM Program Chair

people see the value in ASA or SPES speakers, ask questions, and start on the membership. path of networking. I’ve been involved It seems clear that the ASA has come in two departments that have hosted a to the same conclusion. Have a look at speaker, and I can attest that the stu- the ASA’s new strategic plan at www. dents received real value from these vis- amstat.org/about/strategicplan.cfm. Under its. Contact our Marquardt Industrial the section titled Membership Growth, Speakers Program chair, Mary Leitnaker, it is written that “… there is widespread at [email protected] to find out more concern that the ASA does not serve the about this program. needs of applied statisticians (including master’s-level statisticians) and other Meetings and Conferences nonacademic groups … . A challenge for We also formally cosponsor three con- the ASA is to reach out to underserved ferences: JSM, the Spring Research groups while continuing to serve our tra- Conference (SRC), and the Fall ditional constituencies.” Technical Conference (FTC). SRC When you think of the ASA, what and FTC target different, though per- first comes to mind? JASA? JSM? The haps overlapping, subgroups within “traditional constituencies” the ASA’s our section, while JSM endeavors to strategic plan refers to—PhDs and be a “something for everyone” kind of academics—are generally well served meeting. If you are looking for network- by these high-visibility items, but they ing opportunities, then the SPES/Q&P are likely of somewhat less value to the joint mixer at JSM is a great event. We majority of working statisticians. So the arrange the room, food, and drink; you he ASA is losing members. SPES ASA is aiming to add value to member- just need to show up and get started talk- is losing members. These are not ship by identifying ways to engage and ing with people. SPES will also cosponsor new phenomena, but the mem- serve the needs of a much broader group the 2010 International Symposium on Tbership trends for our section are now of potential members. Business and Industrial Statistics (ISBIS) clear enough that they can no longer be Similarly, I think it may be time to in Croatia. SPES members will receive a passed off as random blips around a consider how SPES can reinvent itself to discount on registration. positive slope. Our membership num- be more relevant, more interesting, and bers are going down, and have been more valuable to our potential constitu- Continuing Education since at least the start of the decade. ency. In saying this, I don’t want to give SPES typically sponsors Continuing Dues revenues are off by more than 25% the impression that SPES is “broken” Education courses at JSM that are likely from 1999–2006, with the decrease and needs to be overhauled. On the to be of interest to our members, and being nearly monotone with time. contrary, SPES already provides value this year is no exception. We will offer Why is this happening? Are we sim- to those with a wide range of interests. the following four courses: ply producing fewer statisticians so the Consider the following: rate of replacement in the work force Tolerance Intervals: Theory, is not matching the rate of retirement? Speakers Program Applications, and Computation, by I don’t think so. Here in the “informa- The Marquardt Industrial Speakers Thomas Mathew and Kalimuthu tion age,” the demand for professional Program is a fantastic outreach ser- Krishnamoorthy statisticians seems to be as high as ever. vice that connects real, live, practicing I admit I don’t have the numbers to industrial statisticians with university Experiences and Pitfalls in Reliability confirm this, but I would bet there are students who are learning the craft. The Data Analysis and Test Planning, by actually more statisticians employed in host department invites a speaker to give William Q. Meeker the North-American work force now an applied talk about life in industry than there were 10 years ago. If this is and interesting problems that are faced. Methods for Designing and the case, then a decline in society mem- Furthermore, the students in the depart- Analyzing Mixture Experiments, by bership means, quite simply, that fewer ment typically have time to visit with the John Cornell and Greg Piepel

78 Amstat News JUNE 2009 Monte Carlo and Bayesian Computation with R, by Maria Rizzo and Jim Albert

Newsletter We publish the joint newsletter with Q&P, written in a nontechnical style, as a means to bring the activities of the sec- tion to the attention of all our members and as a forum for articles and discus- sions on relevant topics.

So when I talk of “reinventing,” I am not thinking about abandoning ship and starting over. Rather, I want to research how we can develop activities that add figure out whether and how they can be concepts currently used to compare even more value to a membership in the implemented. Thanks in advance for images, including feature selection and section. Section officers are just begin- your input. I look forward to reading it. distance measures for medical, forensic, ning to explore this matter and have not and space-related images. yet established how the process should JSM Invited Sessions go. However, as statisticians, they know The four JSM invited sessions sponsored Advanced Reliability Methods they need to have data and measurable by SPES this year will cover a diverse set with Applications goals to help define any actions. of interesting topics and applications. Organizer: I-Li Lu, The Boeing This is where your help is needed. Read on for a brief overview of each. Company We need data! We need information, In this session, a group of researchers will ideas, suggestions, explanations … any- Are the Paradigms for Design of discuss recent developments in reliability thing you can provide to help guide Experiments Changing? methods and how they are being imple- our actions. I want to hear from SPES Organizer: Phil Ramsey, University of mented in various settings with view- members, people who are thinking about New Hampshire points from academia, a research institute, joining SPES, and people who have left Due to the existence of powerful mod- a national lab, and industry. The speakers SPES. Consider the following questions: ern statistical software and innova- will discuss accelerated life tests (ALTs) tive research, new methodologies and as predictors of field performance, reli- Why do you join an ASA section? approaches to design of experiments are ability methods used to support aircraft (Why did you join SPES?/ Why proliferating. Hear more about the pos- maintenance optimization, how emerg- are you considering joining SPES?/ sibilities of tailored computer-generated ing reliability issues for the world’s largest Why did you leave SPES?) approaches to design, a new algorithm supercomputers are being addressed, and for generating near G-optimal designs, the framework for data and policy analy- What does SPES (or any other ASA and a new graphical tool to evaluate sis for the detection of nuclear material section) do that is good? How does designs for screening experiments. entering our nation’s ports. SPES improve your professional life? Extracting Information from Chemometrics What could an organization such as Images Organizer: Kerby Shedden, University SPES (or more broadly, the ASA) do Organizer: Joanne Wendelberger, Los of Michigan to make your professional life better, Alamos National Laboratory In this biannual presentation, the or to make you more effective in your This session will explore statistical Chemometrics Committee of SPES will job? What could a section offer you approaches for extracting information discuss the latest advances in the appli- that would make you want to join? from scientific and engineering images. cations of statistics to chemical data, Hear about progress on the statistical including the effect of chemical probes You need not limit yourself to these analysis of the variation in a popula- on the heterogeneity of localization questions. We want to know how we tion of curves, comparisons of existing behavior in live cells, screening com- can improve. Whatever it is, let us know. and newly developed algorithms for pounds for monotone association with Contact me at [email protected] or anoth- analyzing mass spectrometry and two- convex combinations of activity predic- er section officer (see www.amstat.org/ dimensional gel electrophoresis images, tors over unspecified subpopulations of sections/SPES for a listing) with any and quantification of corrosion density cell-lines, and a co-training algorithm all ideas. We can only act on the ideas we based on spatial distribution and vol- for multiview data with applications in have (100% of the ideas we don’t think ume as a function of aging time through data fusion. n of will never happen). Leave it to us to the use of digital images, and tools and

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 79 CHAPTER NEWS Careers Day in Statistics San Antonio Offers Diversity, Direction

he Southern California Chapter Careers in Industry held their annual Careers Day in Chair: Statistics on March 1 at the City Rodney Jee of Fair Isaac Corporation Howard Monroe (right) congratulates Tof Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, Matthew Chang for his first-place award. California. The event was sponsored by Panelists: the City of Hope, SCASA, RAND Girish Aras, Director of Biostatistics, The Council of Texas Statisticians Corporation, and the University of Amgen (COTS) recently sponsored an award California at Riverside. The day began Paul Hance, Actuary, Transamerica for the best use of statistics in a science with three panels from which the 104 project at the ExxonMobil Texas Science students could choose two to attend. Keiko Powers, Senior Manager of and Engineering Fair. Matthew Chang, Each panel consisted of professionals Corporate Research, J.D. Power and from Westlake High School in Austin, from academia, government, and private Associates Texas, was awarded a $250 savings bond industry. The panels were followed by for his first-place project, “Simulating lunch and the career fair. As with the panelist sessions, the the Evolution of Camouflage Using The panels and panelists included career fair had a diverse mix of 13 exhib- Genetic Algorithms.” the following: itors from health care, the pharmaceuti- The fair was held in San Antonio, cal industry, academia, consulting, risk Careers in Academia Texas, on March 29. Keying Ye, Peter assessment, and government. The 13 Olofsson, John Schoolfield, Chris Chair: exhibitors included the following: Shang, and Howard Monroe from the Harold Dyck of California State San Antonio Chapter helped select three University, San Bernadino Amgen senior-high division projects that showed Panelists: Kaiser Permanente excellence in the use and knowledge of Mark Hansen, Associate Professor of City of Hope statistical methods. Statistics, University of California, Second place and a $150 savings bond Los Angeles SCASA/ASA were awarded to Eric Van Dyk from Churchill High School in San Antonio Andrew Schaffner, Professor of Baxter Healthcare Corporation for his project, “Multi-Tasking: Does Statistics, California Polytechnic State Transamerica Cell Phone Use Affect Performance?” University, San Luis Obispo Third place and a $50 savings bond UC Riverside Jessica Utts, Professor of Statistics, were awarded to the team of Juan Cano and Fernando Rosas, both from University of California, Irvine USC Biostatistics and Epidemiology The High School of the Americas in El program Theodore Younglove, Director of Paso, for their project, “The Riemann Institutional Research and Planning, UCI Zeta Function.” Antelope Valley College Los Angeles Chapter of the Association Careers in Government / of Computing Machinery Mid-Michigan Public Policy Research RAND Corporation The mid-Michigan Chapter of the ASA Chair: held its semi-annual business meet- Bob Newcomb of the University of U.S. Census Bureau ing and presentation on April 9, 2009. Christine Clark, past chair of the Council California, Irvine (retired) UCLA Department of Statistics of Chapters Governing Board gave a talk Panelists: titled “Data Monitoring Committees, This year’s Careers Day in Statistics John Adams, Senior Statistician, Expert Panels, and Statisticians.” was another success. It provided students RAND Corporation The next chapter presentation will be with help in deciding what statistical held at Saginaw Valley State University, Nancy M. Gordon, Associate Director career they would like to pursue, along and Sastry Pantula, 2009 president-elect for Strategic Planning and Innovation, with the opportunity to meet prospec- of the ASA, has agreed to be the guest U.S. Census Bureau tive employers in several fields. n speaker for the meeting. More informa- tion will be announced in an upcoming issue of Amstat News. n

80 Amstat News JUNE 2009 CALENDAR in finance. For more information, visit or more information about these events, visit www.amstat.org/dateline. http://bergenbier.math.stevens.edu/confer- Announcements are accepted from educational and not-for-profit ence2009 or contact Ionut Florescu, Dept.

organizations only. Commercial enterprises should contact the ASA of Mathematical Sciences, Castle Point on OF EVENT FAdvertising Department at [email protected]. the Hudson, Hoboken, NJ 07030; (201) 216-5452; [email protected].

* Indicates events sponsored by the American Statistical Association or one of S 13–14—ARS ’09 Social Network its sections, chapters, or committees Analysis: Models and Methods for ›› Indicates events posted since the previous issue Relational Data, Salerno, Italy The aim of this workshop is to pres- ent the most relevant results and recent developments in social network analysis. and data analysis practitioners. For details, Conference topics include block modeling, 2009 visit mmds.imm.dtu.dk or contact Morten collaboration networks, dynamic networks, Mørup, Richard Petersens Plads, bld large networks, network applications, and July 321/118, Lyngby, International 2800, new methodologies for relational data. www.ars2009. 1—6th EudraVigilance Information Denmark; 004545253900; For more information, visit unisa.it or contact Maria Prosperina Day, London, United Kingdom [email protected]. Vitale, Via Ponte Don Melillo, Fisciano EudraVigilance Information Day will 7–9—LASR 2009: Statistical Tools for (Salerno), International 84084, Italy; provide a forum for marketing authori- Challenges in Bioinformatics, Leeds, +39089962211; [email protected]. zation holders and sponsors of clinical United Kingdom trials to gain a better understanding of The 2009 Leeds Annual Statistical 13–15—International Conference on the key activities of the EudraVigilance Research Workshop will focus on develop- the Interface Between Statistics and Expert Working Group and their 2009 ments in interdisciplinary statistics and the Engineering, Beijing, China program (see http://eudravigilance.emea. interface between statistical methodology This conference will focus on innovative europa.eu). For more information, visit and bioinformatics. For more informa- research on the interface between statistics www.diahome.org/DIAHOME/Education/ tion, visit www.maths.leeds.ac.uk/lasr2009 and engineering for the support of com- FindEducationalOffering.aspx?productID or contact Arief Gusnanto, Department plex system design and operation, quality =18483&eventType=Meeting or contact of Statistics, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, and reliability engineering, and optimal Senior Manager Marketing, Europe, International LS2 9JT, United Kingdom; decisionmaking. Authors are invited to DIA, Postfach, Basel, International 4002, +44 113 3435135; workshop@maths. submit abstracts. For more information, Switzerland; +41 61 225 51 51; leeds.ac.uk. visit http://icise.bjut.edu.cn/index.htm or [email protected]. contact Kwok Tsui, Industrial and Systems 7–17—SAMSI Summer ’09 Program on 1–3—International Conference of Engineering, 765 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Psychometrics, Research Triangle Park, ktsui@isye. Computational Statistics and Data GA 30332; (404) 894-2311; North Carolina gatech.edu Engineering 2009, London, . The goal of this program is to bring togeth- United Kingdom er researchers from quantitative psychology 15–16—Seminar on Innovative Held under the World Congress on and academic statistics to explore possible Approaches to Turn Statistics into Engineering and organized by the avenues for mutual collaboration. For more Knowledge, Washington, DC International Association of Engineers, this information, visit www.samsi.info/programs/ The OECD and U.S. Census Bureau are meeting serves as a forum for the research 2009psychometricsprogram.shtml or contact jointly organizing this seminar to contrib- community to meet and exchange ideas. Terri Nida, 19 T.W. Alexander Drive, ute to the development of tools that help For more information, visit www.iaeng.org/ RTP, NC 27709; (919) 685-9350; people transform statistics into knowledge WCE2009/ICCSDE2009.html or contact [email protected]. and decisions. The seminar will include the William Young at [email protected]. use of videos, as explored by GapMinder ››*10–12—Modeling High Frequency 1–4—European Workshop on and others, and participative approaches, as Data in Finance, Hoboken, New Jersey Challenges in Modern Massive Data seen in some web 2.0 initiatives. The focus The objectives of this meeting are to of the seminar will be on innovative appli- Sets (EMMDS 2009), Copenhagen expose current economic and modeling cations of tools. For more information, This workshop will address algorithmic, problems to mathematicians and graduate visit www.oecd.org/progress/ict/statknowledge mathematical, and statistical challenges in students and to strengthen the collabora- or contact Lars Thygesen, +33145248402; modern statistical data analysis. The goals tion between mathematicians, physicists, [email protected]. of EMMDS 2009 are to explore novel economists, and industry. The conference techniques for modeling and analyzing will focus on stochastic modeling and 15–17—Workshop on Statistical massive, high-dimensional, and nonlin- statistical analysis of high-frequency data, Inference for Lévy Processes with early structured scientific and Internet models in econophysics and application Applications to Finance, Eindhoven, data sets and bring together computer to the analysis of high-frequency data, and The Netherlands scientists, statisticians, mathematicians, systems and complex adaptive systems This workshop aims to bring together

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 81 S leading researchers in the field. They will curve or surface over space that describes Box 1504, Piscataway, CA 08855; discuss recent progress achieved in infer- an environmental process or summarizes [email protected]. ence methods for Lévy processes, identify complex structure. Moreover, drawing 10–12—It’s Online, Therefore It Exists! OF EVENT problems of interest, and outline future inferences from the estimate requires research directions. For more informa- measures of uncertainty for the unknown A Workshop on Technology-Enhanced tion, visit www.eurandom.tue.nl/events/ function. This course will combine ideas Probability and Statistics Education workshops/2009/Levy_processes/index.htm or from geostatistics, smoothing, and Bayesian Using SOCR Resources, Los Angeles, CALENDAR contact Shota Gugushvili, Den Dolech 2, inference to tackle these problems. For California Eindhoven, International 5612 AZ, The more information, visit www.samsi.info/ The 2009 SOCR aims to demonstrate Netherlands, +31 40 2478113; gugushvili@ workshops/2009spatial-summer200907.shtml the functionality, use, and assessment of eurandom.tue.nl. or contact Terri Nida, 19 TW Alexander current SOCR resources in probability Drive, RTP, NC 27709; (919) 685-9350; and statistics curricula at different levels. 20–22—International Symposium [email protected]. The SOCR tools, activities, and materi- in Statistics on GLLMM, St. John’s, als are openly and anonymously available Newfoundland over the Internet to the entire community. The objective of this symposium is to bring August This workshop will be of most value to together a set of speakers and discussants AP teachers and college instructors of ››1—Conference to Honor Joseph L. to describe the latest research in GLLMM probability and statistics classes who have Gastwirth, Washington, DC with applications to biostatistics, econo- an interest in exploring novel technology- A one-day conference will be held to honor metrics, and ecological and environmental enhanced approaches for improving sta- Joseph L. Gastwirth for his 45 years of studies, among others. For more infor- tistics education. For more information, contributions to statistics. The conference mation, visit www.iss-2009-stjohns.ca or visit http://wiki.stat.ucla.edu/socr/index. will be at George Washington University contact Brajendra Sutradhar, Department php/SOCR_Events_Aug2009 or contact the Saturday before the Joint Statistical of Mathematics and Statistics, St. John’s, Ivo Dinov, 8125 Math Sciences Bldg., Meetings and include six to eight invited Newfoundland A1C 5S7, Canada; Los Angeles, CA 90095; (310) 825-8430; presentations. For more information, visit 7097378731; [email protected]. [email protected]. www.gwu.edu/~stat/festschrift_jg.htm or 20–28—IMSM 2009, Raleigh, contact Gang Zheng, 6701 Rockledge 16–22—International Statistical North Carolina Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892; (301) Institute 57th Biennial Session, The objective of this workshop is to 435-1287; [email protected]. Durban, South Africa expose graduate students in mathematics, This session will include meetings of *1–6—2009 Joint Statistical Meetings, engineering, and statistics to challenging the Bernoulli Society, the International Washington, DC and exciting real-world problems arising Association for Statistical Computing, JSM (Joint Statistical Meetings) is the in industrial and government laboratory the International Association of Survey largest gathering of statisticians held in research. Students will get experience in the Statisticians, the International Association North America. Attended by more than team approach to problemsolving. They for Official Statistics, and the International 5,000 people, activities include oral pre- will be divided into six-member teams to Association for Statistical Education. For sentations, panel sessions, poster presenta- collaborate on industrial projects presented more information, visit www.cbs.nl/isi tions, continuing education courses, an by experienced scientists and engineers. or contact Shabani Mehta, 428 Prinses exhibit hall, a placement service, society During the workshop, each group is men- Beatrixlaan, P.O. Box 950, Voorburg, and section business meetings, committee tored by both the problem presenter and a International 2270 AZ, The Netherlands; meetings, social activities, and network- faculty adviser. For more information, visit +31-70-3375737; [email protected]. ing opportunities. For more information, www.ncsu.edu/crsc/events/imsm09 or contact visit www.amstat.org/meetings or contact Ilse Ipsen, Dept. of Mathematics, NCSU, 17–19—Measurement, Design, and ASA Meetings Department, 732 North Raleigh, NC 27695; (919) 515-5289; Analysis Methods for Health Outcomes Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; [email protected]. Research, Boston, Massachusetts (888) 231-3473; [email protected]. Taught in an interactive classroom setting, ››28–8/1—Summer School on Spatial this program is geared toward introductory 6–8—15th ISSAT International Statistics, Research Triangle Park, to intermediate learning levels to help par- Conference on Reliability and Quality in North Carolina ticipants design, implement, and analyze Design, San Francisco, California Determining the air quality at an unmoni- outcomes studies and critically review and This conference is an international forum tored location, characterizing the mean use outcomes data for clinical decision- for the presentation of new results, research summer temperature and precipitation over making, health-care planning, and technol- development, and applications in all aspects a region, and quantifying the changing ogy development. For more information, of reliability, quality in design, and statis- incidence of a disease across an urban area visit www.hsph.harvard.edu/ccpe/programs/ tics. The conference is typically attended are examples of where a function of interest MDA.html or contact Continuing by international participants and is char- depends on irregular and limited observa- Education, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, acterized by an intimate culture. For more tions. Prediction and scientific understand- MA 02115; (617) 384-8692; contedu@ information, visit www.issatconferences.org ing of environmental and epidemiology hsph.harvard.edu. or contact ISSAT RQD Conference, P.O. data often requires estimating a smooth

82 Amstat News JUNE 2009 CALENDAR 23–25—Salford Data Mining Conference, San Diego, California This conference is oriented to real-world Tenth Islamic Countries Conference on Statistical Sciences (ICCS-X): Statistics for Development and Good Governance applications, and all attendees will get OF EVENT a sense of notable uses of data mining. The 10th Islamic Countries Conference on Statistical Sciences (ICCS-X), orga- Keynotes will discuss the role of data min- nized by the Islamic Society of Statistical Sciences (ISOSS) and cosponsored by ing in advertising, credit card crunch, pri- the American University in Cairo (AUC) and the Egyptian Cabinet Information S vacy and human rights concerns, combat- and Decision Support Center (IDSC), will be held December 20–23, 2009, on the ing terrorism, venture capital, video games, AUC campus in New Cairo, Egypt. The biennial ISOSS conference, which brings politics, drug discovery, and telecommuni- together researchers and practitioners in statistical sciences from all over the world, cations. For more information, visit is open to all people interested in the development of statistics and its applications, salforddatamining.com or contact Aaron regardless of affiliation, origin, nationality, gender, or religion. Adams, 4740 Murphy Canyon Road, The theme of the conference is “Statistics for Development and Good #200, San Diego, CA 92123; (619) Governance,” but papers from all areas of statistics and its applications are welcome. 543-880; [email protected]. Papers will be accepted for presentation after peer review. The proceedings of the conference, which will include all papers presented at ICCS-X, will be published. ››30–9/2/10—SAMSI 2009–2010 Jim Berger and Edward Wegman are confirmed as the keynote speakers, and Opening Workshop on Stochastic several other prominent statisticians are expected to participate. Dynamics, Research Triangle Park, To know more about the conference, visit www.iccs-x.org.eg. North Carolina This 12-month SAMSI program is centered on the broad topic of stochas- tic dynamics, with particular focus on ›› analysis, computational methods, and 3–5—Workshop on Integer-Valued Paul Gentry, 12 Errol Street, London, applications of systems governed by sto- Time Series Modelling (WINTS09), International EC1Y 8LX, UK; 020 7614 chastic differential equations. Two applica- Aveiro, Portugal 3918; [email protected]. This workshop will feature the latest sci- tion areas to be emphasized are problems 9–11—CLADAG 2009, Catania, Italy in biological sciences and dynamics of entific developments in modeling time series of counts and their applications. The The Classification and Data Analysis networks. Researchers from statistics, Group of the Italian Statistical Society pro- applied mathematics, mathematical biol- program will cover a range of topics and include five keynote lectures presented by motes advanced methodological research ogy, and engineering will be involved, and in multivariate statistics with a special the program will promote the opportunity leading specialists. In addition, there will be contributed paper and poster sessions high- interest in data analysis and classifica- for interdisciplinary, methodological, and tion. CLADAG supports the exchange theoretical research. For details, visit www. lighting topics of current research interest. Contributions with detailed case studies of ideas in these fields, including the dis- samsi.info/programs/2009stochdynprogram. semination of concepts, numerical meth- shtml or contact Terri Nida, P.O. Box are especially welcome. For more informa- tion, visit http://sites.google.com/site/wints09 ods, algorithms, and computational and 14006, RTP, NC 27709; (919) 685-9324; applied results. For more information, visit [email protected]. or contact Manuel Scotto, Department of Mathematics, University of Aveiro, cladag2009.unict.it or contact Salvatore Aveiro, International 3810-193, Portugal; Ingrassia, Facoltà di Economia, Corso 351234370670; [email protected]. Italia 55, Catania, International 95129, September Italy; [email protected]. ››1–3—New Zealand Statistical 7–11—RSS 2009 Conference: Statistics ››13–9/16/10—SAMSI 2009–2010 Association 2009 Conference, in a Changing Society – 175 Years of Opening Workshop on Space-Time Wellington, New Zealand Progress, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Analysis for Environmental Mapping, The School of Mathematics, Statistics, and The 2009 International Conference of Epidemiology, and Climate Change, Operations Research at Victoria University the Royal Statistical Society forms part Research Triangle Park, North Carolina of Wellington will host the conference. of the society’s 175th anniversary cel- This 12-month SAMSI program will An optional one-day workshop on semi- ebration. Leading international speakers focus on problems encountered in dealing parametric regression, to be given by Matt from a range of sectors will reflect upon with random space-time fields, both those Wand of the University of Wollongong, the influence of the past, the statistical that arise in nature and those used as sta- will precede the conference on September methods of today, and future develop- tistical representations of other processes. 1. Submitted talks and conference and ments. Keynote speakers include Sir David Researchers from statistics, applied math- workshop registration are welcome at Cox, Denise Lievesley, Sally Morton, and ematics, environmental science, epidemi- msor.victoria.ac.nz/Events/NZSA2009. For Stephen Stigler. There will be a program ology, and meteorology will be involved, more information, contact John Haywood, for career-young statisticians, and social and the program will promote the oppor- School of Mathematics, Statistics, and events during the conference will include tunity for interdisciplinary, methodologi- Operations Research, P.O. Box 600, a welcome reception at Edinburgh Castle cal, and theoretical research. For details, Wellington, International 6140, New and the society’s anniversary dinner at Our visit www.samsi.info/workshops/ Zealand; +64 4 463 5673; John.Haywood@ Dynamic Earth. For more information, 2009spatial-opening200909.shtml or vuw.ac.nz. visit www.rss.org.uk/rss2009 or contact

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 83 S contact Terri Nida, P.O. Box 14006, RTP, information, visit www.federalforecasters.org 20–22—International Conference on NC 27709; (919) 685-9324; tnida@ or contact Jeff Busse, 12201 Sunrise Valley Modeling, Simulation, and Control samsi.info. Drive, MS988, Reston, VA 20192; (703) 2009, San Francisco, California

OF EVENT 648-4914; [email protected]. This conference is held under the World 14–16—S.Co. 2009, Milan, Italy Congress on Engineering and Computer The aim of the S.Co. conference is to *26—2009 New England Symposium Science WCECS 2009, organized by the provide a forum for the discussion of new on Statistics in Sports, Cambridge, International Association of Engineers, CALENDAR developments and applications of statistical Massachusetts a nonprofit international association models and computational methods for Statisticians and quantitative analysts con- for engineers and computer scientists. complex and high-dimensional data. The nected with sports teams, sports media, All submitted papers will be under peer conference will consist of invited lectures, and universities will meet to discuss com- review, and accepted papers will be pub- organized and contributed sessions, and mon problems in statistical modeling and lished in the conference proceedings. For poster presentations. For more informa- the analysis of sports data. The sympo- more information, visit www.iaeng.org/ tion, visit mox.polimi.it/sco2009 or contact sium format will include invited talks, WCECS2009/ICMSC2009.html or contact Eventi Mate, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci, a poster session, and a panel discussion. IAENG Secretariat, Unit 1, 1/F, 37-39 32, Milano, International 20133, Italy; The proceedings of the symposium will be Hung To Road, Hong Kong, International [email protected]. published in a special issue of the Journal HK, Hong Kong; (852) 3169-3427; of Quantitative Analysis in Sports. For [email protected]. 21–22—6th International Meeting on details, visit www.amstat.org/chapters/boston/ Statistical Methods in Biopharmacy, nessis09.html or contact Mark Glickman, 21–23—2009 Nonclinical Biostatistics Paris, France EN Rogers Memorial Hospital (152), 200 Conference, Boston, Massachusetts This meeting will focus on innova- Springs Road, Bedford, MA 01730; (781) The first conference in the United States tive statistical approaches to design and 687-2875; [email protected]. to be completely devoted to nonclinical analysis of clinical trials, specifically miss- biostatistics will provide opportunities ing data, flexible designs, multiplicity, to present and discuss current scientific and meta-analysis. Contributed papers October issues relevant to nonclinical biostatistics. are welcome if they are relevant to these 1–2—Recent Study Designs in Registration and a call for abstracts opened areas; contributed posters are welcome if Epidemiology (INSERM Workshop February 2, 2009. For more information, they describe unrelated, but innovative, 198), Saint Raphael, France visit www.ncb2009.org or contact Mathis research on the design and analysis of clini- The aim of this workshop is to discuss Thoma, 655 Huntington Ave., Boston, cal trials. For more information, visit www. recent epidemiological designs, with MA 02115; [email protected]. biopharma2009-sfds.fr or contact Claude observation limited to cases or with opti- Petit, 900 Ridgebury Road, Ridgefield, 25–30—9th International Congress mized complex sampling. It is intended CT 06877; (203) 798-4303; claude.petit@ on Plant Molecular Biology, St. Louis, for epidemiologists who are interested in boehringer-ingelheim.com. Missouri methodological problems and for biostat- The congress will feature more than 50 isticians at various levels. Examples will 21–23—ENBIS-9, Gothenburg, Sweden forums, abstract poster displays and pre- deal with pharmacoepidemiology, studies This year’s annual conference of the sentations, evening workshops, and other of gene-environment interactions, cancer, European Network for Business and events to chronicle the advances in plant and cardiovascular epidemiology. For Industrial Statistics will focus on quantita- molecular biology. Topics will include more information, visit www.inserm.fr/fr/ tive process analysis for creation of business agricultural productivity, phytotherapy for rh/ecole_inserm/ateliers or contact Cindy opportunities and solutions. For details, human health, generating biofuels, and Lincy, 101 rue de Tolbiac, Paris cedex 13, visit www.enbis.org or contact Kerstin the future of biodiversity, further reinforc- International 75654, France; +33 1 44 23 Vännman, Department of Mathematics, ing the need to find solutions for today’s 62 03; [email protected]. Luleå, International 97187, Sweden; global challenges. For more information, +46920491127; [email protected]. *8–9—53rd Annual Fall Technical visit www.ipmb2009.org or contact Sandi 24—The 17th Federal Forecasters Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana Strother, University of Missouri-Columbia, Conference (FFC/2009), Cosponsored by the Physical and 344 Hearnes Center, Columbia, MO Washington, DC Engineering Sciences and Quality and 65211; (573) 882-9558; ipmb2009@ The conference, themed “Forecasting and Productivity Sections of ASA, as well as missouri.edu. Risk,” seeks to highlight how forecasters the Chemical and Process Industry and 27–30—25th International account for low-probability, but high- Statistics Divisions of ASQ, this conference Methodology Symposium, will be held at the Hilton Indianapolis. For cost events. Participants will review how Gatineau, Québec more information, visit www.amstat-online. forecasters account for risk in economics, This anniversary symposium, titled org/sections/qp/2009-ftc-call-for-papers.pdf energy supply, food supply, health care “Longitudinal Surveys: From Design to or contact Donald McCormack, 2901 and epidemics, transportation disruptions, Analysis,” is for researchers with private Oakhaven Drive, Austin, TX 78704; and natural disasters. The conference will research organizations, governments, and [email protected]. examine the role of federal forecasters universities who are interested in statistical in the evolution of public policies that or methodological issues specific to longi- account for these rare events. For more tudinal surveys. The first day will consist

84 Amstat News JUNE 2009 CALENDAR of workshops, while the following days ››19–21—Challenges for Analysis of L85 4K1, Canada; (905) 525-9140, Ext. will consist of plenary and parallel sessions the Economy, the Businesses, and Social 23420; [email protected]. covering a variety of topics. Additional Progress, Szeged, Hungary

research and results will be presented via This conference is organized by the OF EVENT poster sessions. For more information, visit University of Szeged, Faculty of Economics March www.statcan.ca/english/conferences/ and Business Administration, and the 17–20—Conference on Frontier of symposium2009 or contact Caroline Hungarian Central Statistical Office for the Statistical Decisionmaking and S Rondeau, 150 Tunney’s Pasture Driveway, 10th anniversary of the foundation of the Bayesian Analysis R.H. Coats Building, Ottawa, Québec faculty. Selected papers will be published This conference consists of plenary, invit- K1A OT6, Canada; caroline.rondeau@ in reviewed conference proceedings. Papers ed, and poster sessions. Plenary speakers statcan.ca. from all areas of statistics, social science, include Donald Berry, Lawrence Brown, and economic science are appreciated. For Persi Diaconis, Stephen Fienberg, and Alan more information, visit www.eco.u-szeged. Gelfand. The conference will provide an November hu/conference or contact Peter Kovács, overview of the past, present, and future 9–13—Sixteenth Annual Kalvaria sgt 1., Szeged, International developments of statistical decisionmaking Biopharmaceutical Applied Statistics H-6722, Hungary; conference@ and Bayesian analysis. Prior to the confer- Symposium, Savannah, Georgia eco.u-szeged.hu. ence, short courses on various statistical This symposium provides a forum for topics will be offered. For more informa- pharmaceutical, medical, and regula- tion, visit http://bergerconference2010. tory science professionals to share timely December utsa.edu or contact Keying Ye at and pertinent information concerning *6–11—65th Annual Deming [email protected]. the application of biostatistics in bio- Conference on Applied Statistics, pharmaceutical environments. For details, Atlantic City, New Jersey 23–26—DAGStat2010: Statistics Under visit http://bass.georgiasouthern.edu or The purpose of this conference and the fol- One Umbrella, Dortmund, Germany contact Ruth Whitworth, P.O. Box 8015, lowing two-day short courses is to discuss DAGStat is a network of scientific and Statesboro, GA 30460-8015; (912) recent developments in statistical meth- professional organizations that develop 478-7904; [email protected]. odologies. The conference is composed and promote statistical theory and meth- of 12 three-hour tutorials on current odology. The aim of the working group 11–14—American Evaluation statistical topics of interest. Recognized is to offer a panel for shared activities Association (AEA) Annual Conference, experts in the field will give the lectures and public relations to reach a stronger Orlando, Florida and short courses based on their recently cognition of statistics. Lectures will cover This year’s conference, themed “Context published books. For more information, aspects of theoretical and applied statistics. and Evaluation,” is broken down into 41 visit www.demingconference.com or contact For more information, visit www.statistik. topical strands that include more than Walter Young, 16 Harrow Circle, Wayne, tu-dortmund.de/DAGStat2010/en or con- 500 presentations. Content will span the PA 19087; (610)989-1622; demingchair@ tact Jörg Rahnenführer, Vogelpothsweg breadth and depth of evaluation, from gmail.com. 87, Dortmund, International 44227, exploring traditional and emerging meth- Germany; +49 231 755 3121; odologies to addressing issues related to [email protected]. working internationally and cross-cultural- ly to delving into applications of evaluation to a range of disciplines. For more infor- 2010 May mation, visit www.eval.org/eval2009 or 19–22—Conference on Nonparametric contact Membership Director Heidi Nye January Statistics and Statistical Learning, at [email protected] or (888) 232-2275. *4–8—International Indian Statistical Columbus, Ohio ››14–16—GEOMED/SAMSI 2009, Association Joint Statistical Meetings This conference will bring together researchers in nonparametrics and statisti- Charleston, South Carolina and International Conference on cal learning from academia, industry, and GEOMED 2009 is the sixth international, Statistics, Probability, and Related Areas, government in an atmosphere focused interdisciplinary conference on geomedical Visakhapatnam, India on the development of both statistical systems. The program will consist of invit- The Joint Statistical Meetings, organized theory and methods. The areas are broadly ed speaker sessions covering clustering and by the International Indian Statistical defined, with nonparametrics encompass- surveillance, GIS health science, misaligned Association in partnership with the ing distribution-free statistics, rank-based data, ecological analysis and infection, and American Statistical Association and sta- and robust statistics, Bayesian nonparamet- disease mapping. There will also be a con- tistical associations in India, will be held at ric methods, permutation-based methods, tributed poster session. For more informa- Andhra University. For more information, nonparametric regression, and density esti- tion, visit www.musc.edu/dbbe/geomed2009 visit www.stat.osu.edu/~hnn/IISA.html or mation. Statistical learning includes a range or contact Andrew Lawson, 135 Cannon contact Naranyanswamy Balakrishnan, of methods focused on the general goals of Street, Charleston, SC 29425; (843) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, discovery, classification, and prediction. Six 876-1865; [email protected]. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario prominent researchers will present plenary

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 85 S talks relating to both fields. There also applications, including discrete, univariate, largest gathering of statisticians held in will be eight contributed paper sessions and multivariate continuous distributions; North America. It is held jointly with and two contributed poster sessions where copulas; extreme values; skewed distribu- the American Statistical Association,

OF EVENT junior investigators and graduate students tions; conditionally specified distributions; the International Biometric Society are expected to participate. For more infor- and life distributions in engineering and (ENAR and WNAR), the Institute of mation, visit www.stat.osu.edu/~nssl2010 or survival analysis. For more information, Mathematical Statistics, the Statistical contact Steven MacEachern, Department visit http://nzsa_cdl_2010.massey.ac.nz or Society of Canada, the International CALENDAR of Statistics, The Ohio State University, contact Narayanaswamy Balakrishnan, Indian Statistical Association, and 1958 Neil Ave., Cockins Hall, Rm. 404, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the International Chinese Statistical Columbus, OH 43210-1247; (614) Hamilton, International L8S 4K1, Association. Attended by more than 5,500 292-5843; [email protected]. Canada; (905) 525-9140, Ext. 23420; people, activities include oral presenta- [email protected]. tions, panel sessions, poster presentations, 23–26—38th Annual Meeting of continuing education courses, an exhibit the Statistical Society of Canada, hall, a placement service, society and Québec City, Québec July section business meetings, committee This conference will bring together 4–9—IWSM 2010, Glasgow, meetings, social activities, and network- academic, government, and industrial United Kingdom ing opportunities. For more information, researchers as well as users of statistics and The 25th International Workshop on visit www.amstat.org/meetings or contact probability. Featured will be workshops Statistical Modeling (IWSM 2010) will ASA Meetings Department, 732 North and invited and contributed sessions on be hosted by the University of Glasgow in Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; all areas of statistics and probability. About Scotland. For more information, visit or (888) 231-3473; [email protected]. 450 statisticians are expected to participate. contact Claire Ferguson, Department of For details, contact Thierry Duchesne, Statistics, 15 University Gardens, Glasgow, Université Laval, Département de mathé- International G12 8QW, Scotland; 0141 August matiques et de statistique, Pavillon Vachon, 330 5023; [email protected]. 30–9/3—Prague Stochastics 2010, Québec, Quebec G1K 7P4, Canada; (418) Prague, Czech Republic 656-2131, Ext. 5077; thierry.duchesne@ ›› *5–9—ISBIS-2010 (International Prague Stochastics 2010 is next in a series mat.ulaval.ca. Symposium on Business and Industrial of international conferences on stochas- Statistics), Slovenia tics organized in Prague since 1956. 25–27—Joint Research Conference The key themes of this conference are The scientific program will be aimed on Statistics in Quality, Industry, and industrial applications of statistical image at covering a wide range of stochastics, Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland analysis, future directions for handling with special emphasis on the topics of The Quality and Productivity Research large and complex data sets, financial ser- this lively field that have been pursued in Conference and the Spring Research vices, health services, quality and produc- Prague. For more information, visit www. Conference on Statistics in Industry tivity improvement, and decisionmaking in utia.cas.cz/pragstoch2010 or contact Lucie and Technology will be held jointly at business and industry. For more informa- Fajfrova, Pod Vodarenskou vezi 4, Prague the National Institute of Standards and tion, visit www.action-m.com/isbis2010 or 8, International 18208, Czech Republic; Technology (NIST). The goal of the con- contact Milena Zeithamlova, Vrsovicka 68 [email protected]. ference is to stimulate interdisciplinary 101 00, Prague, International 10, Czech research among statisticians, engineers, and Republic; +420 267 312 333; milena@ physical scientists in quality and produc- action-m.com. December tivity, industrial needs, and the physical 27–31—LinStat 2010, Tomar, Portugal ››6–10—Australian Statistical sciences. The conference will feature pre- The aim of this conference is to bring Conference 2010, Fremantle, sentations on statistical issues and research together researchers sharing an interest in a West Australia approaches drawn from collaborative variety of aspects of statistics and its appli- Delegates from all areas of work in statis- research. For more information, contact cations to discuss current developments. tics will be encouraged to communicate Will Guthrie, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop There will be plenary talks and sessions their knowledge and expertise and join 8980, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8980; with contributed talks, as well as a special world-class Australian and international (301) 975-2854; [email protected]. session with talks by graduate students. For statisticians to discuss new work. The more information, visit www.linstat2010. theme for the 2010 conference, “Statistics June ipt.pt or contact Francisco Carvalho, in the West: Understanding Our World,” Estrada da Serra - Quinta do Contador, provides opportunities for presentations 29–7/1—International Conference on Tomar, International 2300-313, Portugal; on a range of topics. For more informa- Probability Distributions and Related +351249328100; [email protected]. tion, visit www.statsoc.org.au or contact Topics in Conjunction with NZSA Promaco Conventions, Unit 10 22 Parry Conference, Palmerston North, *31–8/5—2010 Joint Statistical Avenue, Bateman, International 6150, New Zealand Meetings, Vancouver, British Australia; +61 8 9332 2900; promaco@ This international conference is devoted Columbia, Canada promaco.com.au. n to all aspects of distribution theory and its JSM (Joint Statistical Meetings) is the

86 Amstat News JUNE 2009 PROFESSIONAL Illinois rofessional Opportunity Listings may not exceed 65 words, plus equal nFaculty Biostatistician, Rush Section of opportunity information. Ads must be received by the first of the pre- Nutrition and Nutritional Epidemiology, ceding month to ensure appearance in the next issue (i.e., September 1 Department of Internal Medicine.

Pfor the October issue). Ads received after the deadline will be held until the PhD in biostatistics or related field. S OPPORTUNITIE following issue. Background in longitudinal analysis, Listings are shown alphabetically by state, followed by international listings. field epidemiologic studies and prior Vacancy listings may include the institutional name and address or be identified supervisory/consulting experience desir- by number, as desired. able. Excellent communication/computing Professional Opportunities Vacancies also will be published on the ASA’s skills required. Letter, curriculum vitae, and web site (www.amstat.org). Vacancy listings will appear on the web site for the 3 references: Martha Clare Morris, ScD, entire calendar month. Ads may not be placed for publication in the magazine Medical Services Building, 610 S. Maple, only; all ads will be published both electronically and in print. Ste 4700, Oak Park, IL 60304. Rush Rates: $320 for nonprofit organizations (with proof of nonprofit status), University Medical Center is an EOE. $475 for all others. Member discounts are not given. Display advertising rates are at www.amstat.org/advertising. nTwo, non-tenure track full/associ- Listings will be invoiced following publication. All payments should be ate/assistant professor positions in the made to the American Statistical Association. All material should be sent Biostatistical Collaboration Center to Amstat News, 732 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314- requires a doctoral degree in biostatistics/ 1943; fax (703) 684-2036; email [email protected]. statistics for collaboration, consultation, Employers are expected to acknowledge all responses resulting from publica- teaching, and research in biomedical field. tion of the ad. Personnel advertising is accepted only with the understanding Excellent communication skills are essen- that the advertiser does not discriminate among applicants on the basis of race, tial. At least one-year post-doctoral experi- sex, religion, age, color, national origin, handicap, or sexual orientation. ence. To apply, send CV and references Also look for job ads on the ASA web site at www.amstat.org/jobweb. to Thongsy Singvongsa, Department of Preventive Medicine, NU Feinberg School of Medicine, 680 N. Lake Shore Suite 1102, Chicago, IL 60611. Northwestern

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 87 University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Maryland

OPPORTUNITIES

nStatistical Programmer. IMS, Inc., in Rockville, Maryland, invites applications for candidates with a PhD in statistics or math. Knowledge of statistical packages, R, and C/C++ required. Background in

PROFESSIONAL genetic analysis a plus. Challenging career combining statistics and programming in cancer research for the National Cancer Institute. No work experience is required. Send your resume to [email protected] or see www.IMSWEB.com to apply. EOE.

nSeeking PhD/experienced master’s statisticians for Center for Devices and Radiological Health, FDA, HHS. Grapple with rich array of statistical issues in clinical trials for new technolo- gies, from LASIK and artificial hearts to genetic tests and robotic surgery. Review statistical designs/analyses issues in medical devices from invention to postmarket. Send CV to Greg Campbell, 1350 Piccard Drive, HFZ-550, Rockville

continued on page 90

88 Amstat News JUNE 2009 PROFESSIONAL

Mathematical Statistician S OPPORTUNITIE Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration/Center for Biologics Evaluation & Research Office of Biostatistics and Epidemiology

Closing Date: July 27, 2009

Mathematical Statistician The Food and Drug Administration Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), Office of Biostatistics and Epidemiology is soliciting applications from well-trained statisticians with interest or experience in statistical genetics, genetic epidemiology, pharmacogenomics or bioinformatics. New positions are being established that will offer opportunities for research and statistical collaborations using genomics and related technologies to advance the safety and development of biologic products such as cellular, tissue, and gene therapies; blood and blood products; and preventive vaccines. Candidates will work collaboratively with medical colleagues and expert laboratory scien- tists to apply their expertise to areas such as clinical, epidemiological or laboratory study design and analysis. CBER Mathematical Statisticians work in an environment dedicated to the public health and upholding the highest scientific standards in research and evaluation of new biological therapies and vaccines. Good written and oral communication skills are essential. Successful candidates will interact extensively with and actively foster collaborations with other FDA reviewers and scientists in other government agencies, industry, and academia. He or she will represent CBER at meetings and workshops focusing on methods and policies using genetic and genomic technologies to evaluate and advance biologic product safety.

Qualifications A degree that included 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, of which at least 12 semester hours were in mathematics and 6 semester hours were in statistics. OR A combination of education and experience: at least 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, including at least 12 hours in mathematics and 6 hours in statistics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Candidates for Civil Service or Commissioned Corps appointments must be U.S. Citizens. U.S. Citizens and non- U.S. Citizens may be eligible for service fellowship appointments.

Staff Fellow candidates must possess a PhD or equivalent degree plus two or more years of post-doctoral research experience.

Salary Range The salary range (GS-13) is $86,927-$113,007. Salary will be set commensurate with education and experience.

How to Apply Submit resume or curriculum vitae with cover letter to: Food and Drug Administration, CBER/Office of Biostatistics and Epidemiology Attn: Steven Anderson 1401 Rockville Pike, HFM-210 Rockville, MD 20852 or send e-mail to [email protected] or fax to (301) 827-5218. If you have any questions please call (301) 827-3034.

For further information please visit our website at www.fda.gov/cber/inside/vacancy.htm.

Department of Health and Human Services is an equal opportunity employer and has a smoke free environment.

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 89 MD 20850, [email protected]. gators and statisticians. Projects involve gov. FDA is a smoke-free environment the design, analysis and publication of and an Equal Opportunity Employer. clinical, laboratory or cancer prevention NORC conducts high quality social science Permanent residency required. research. Qualifications include excel-

OPPORTUNITIES lent programming skills, proficiency in research in the public interest from its head- quarters at the University of Chicago and Massachusetts database manipulation, and good verbal from its offices in Chicago, IL, Washington, n and written communication skills. Please DC, Bethesda, MD, and Berkeley, CA. Research Scientists, Biostatistics. Collaborate in cancer clinical trials with email cover letter and CV to: epibiostats@ We conduct research in economics, demo- an emphasis on laboratory correlative sci- mskcc.org. Memorial Sloan-Kettering graphics, education and child development, Cancer Center is an AA/EOE. PROFESSIONAL health, substance abuse, mental health, ence, the analysis and reporting of inter- justice, and survey quality both in the U.S. national breast cancer studies, and stud- and internationally. We offer full-service ies in pain and symptom management. nBiostatistician. Winthrop-University survey design and operations as well as Required: PhD in biostatistics/statistics, strengths in analysis, information technol- Hospital seeks an experienced bio- ogy, and technical assistance. NORC sup- 1–2 years’ experience, exceptional skills statistician. Requires related master’s ports the research needs of government in in data analysis and SAS/S/R, and excel- degree with 5 years experience or a doc- the U.S. and abroad, international donor lent written and oral communication torate with 1 year experience. Experience agencies, foundations, academic research- skills. Email CV and names of three ref- ers, and private organizations. must include collaborations with clini- erences to Research Scientist Job Search, cians or life scientists. Send CV and letter NORC is actively seeking statisticians, biostatistics.job-search@jimmy. survey methodologists, statistical program- summarizing research background, inter- mers, data managers, survey directors, harvard.edu. EOE. ests, and goals, along three references to and social scientists with advanced training Donald Brand, PhD, Health Outcomes or experience in survey research or survey New York Research, Winthrop-University Hospital, operations. New staff will be based in our 222 Station Plaza North, Suite 300, Chicago, IL or Washington, DC offices. To n learn more about NORC and to apply for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Mineola, NY 11501. dbrand@winthrop. employment, visit our website at: Center has positions available for mas- org. Winthrop-University Hospital is an http://www.norc.org/careers ter’s-level biostatisticians. The successful AA/EOE. applicant will engage in wide variety of NORC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer that values and actively seeks diversity in the workforce. collaborative projects w/medical investi- continued on page 92

90 Amstat News JUNE 2009 PROFESSIONAL

S OPPORTUNITIE

Risk Fellowship Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration/Center for Biologics Evaluation & Research Office of Biostatistics and Epidemiology

Risk Fellowship The Department of Health & Human Services, Food & Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) is soliciting applications for a RISK FELLOWSHIP position. CBER is responsible for the safety and efficacy of biologic products including vaccines, blood products, and cellular, tissue and gene therapies that have a major impact on public health. The CBER Risk Fellow will collaborate with statisticians and other CBER scientists to develop models that evaluate the impact of pandemic influenza on the blood supply. The successful candidate may conduct literature reviews, data analysis/simulation, research, and develop models. Applicants who have received a graduate degree in biostatistics/bioinformatics, biology, public health, chemistry, mathematics, bio- medical engineering, or related fields with a background in computation/simulation skills are encouraged to apply. Experience with statistical software and programming languages is desired. The candidate may interact extensively with others in the FDA, other government agencies, academia, and industry and should have good written and oral communication skills.

Qualifications Candidates must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident. However, non-citizens with appropriate visa status may be eligible. Applicants who have received their MS or PhD degree, with completing courses in the areas of biostatistics, mathematics, computation/simulation, and modeling are desired. This education requirement must be within five years or the degree received prior to the start date is preferred.

Salary Range Depending on your qualifications and experience the salary range starts at $50,000.

How to Apply Submit resume or curriculum vitae with cover letter to: Food and Drug Administration, CBER/Office of Biostatistics and Epidemiology Attn: Dr. Mark Walderhaug Office of Biostatistics and Epidemiology/Associate Director for Risk Assessment 1401 Rockville Pike, HFM-219 Rockville, MD 20852 or email to [email protected] or fax to (301) 827-3529. If you have any questions please call 301-827-6028.

For further information please visit our website at www.fda.gov/cber/inside/vacancy.htm.

Department of Health and Human Services is an equal opportunity employer and has a smoke free environment.

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 91 Oklahoma equivalent). Candidates should submit a letter stating professional accomplish- The U. S. Census Bureau nDepartment of Biostatistics and ments; CV; and the names, mailing announces an opening Epidemiology, College of Public Health, addresses, email addresses, and telephone for the position of

OPPORTUNITIES University of Oklahoma Health Sciences

numbers of five professional references. Mathematical Center, is recruiting tenure-track fac- Send applications and nominations to Statistician ulty. PhD by time of appointment in [email protected]. For further informa- biostatistics/related field and collab- tion, go to www.publichealth.pitt.edu. orative research experience required. Response to position announcement sought The University of Pittsburgh is an equal by August 1, 2009 Graduate teaching experience desired. opportunity, affirmative action employer. PROFESSIONAL Mathematical statistics and teach- Mathematical Statistician Women and minority candidates are ing statistical theory, survey-sampling, The U.S. Census Bureau is soliciting ap- strongly encouraged to apply. plications from well-trained statisticians with statistical genetics/bioinformatics, the interest and experience necessary to Bayesian statistics, or network analy- serve as a Mathematical Statistician on the sis expertise preferred. Attach letter of International National Longitudinal Mortality Study. The interest, CV, names of three references: unique database of this study provides the nResearch Statistician—Genetics. opportunity for research and analysis on S.K. Vesely, PhD, (sara-vesely@ouhsc. CSIRO (www.csiro.au) is Australia’s larg- the effects of demographic and socioeco- edu). The University of Oklahoma is an est scientific research agency, delivering nomic factors on national mortality rates and Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action benefit to the Australian economy, soci- survival by specific disease. Employer. Women and minorities are ety, and environment through excellence Major duties of this position would include encouraged to apply. in science and technology and services. 1. Statistically support the work of research- The role is ideally suited to a talented ers interested in analyzing the NLMS data- base by acting as their interface to the data, Pennsylvania statistical research scientist keen to join a team of statistical geneticists in Brisbane, serving as a statistical consultant, and, when n needed, developing software support for the Graduate School of Public Health Queensland (The Sunshine State). Find analytical purposes of researchers using the invites applications and nominations for out more! Position No 2009/280 www. NLMS database. the position of professor and chair of the csiro.au/careers CSIRO is an EOE. n 2. Conducting statistical and public health Department of Biostatistics. Candidate research on the NLMS database must have an advanced degree (PhD/ 3. Managing and designing the NLMS re- search database expansions and enhance- ments. 4. Participating, as required, in the develop- ment of manuscripts that result from the research conducted. LECTURER Knowledge, Skills and Abilities An advanced degree is expected with inter- DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS est or specialization/experience in the areas of: mathematical statistics, epidemiology, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE bio-statistics, data analysis, survival analysis and database management. The Department of Statistics at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) invites applications for a one-year full-time lecturer position, depending upon funding and with The incumbent should have a working the possibility of reappointment, for the 2009–10 academic year. A PhD in Statistics or knowledge of SAS/Stata/SUDAAN statistical software. Biostatistics is desirable with the minimum requirement as MS in Statistics or Biostatistics. The applicant must have a high quality teaching record with a strong teaching commitment. The incumbent is expected to have a strong interpersonal and technical communicative The Department of Statistics offers both BA and BS degrees in Statistics, an MS degree in skills, as well as strong writing skills. Statistics, and a PhD degree in Applied Statistics. The Department has an active Statistical Location Consulting Collaboratory. The Department website is http://statistics.ucr.edu. Washington, D.C. Metro Area (Suitland, MD) Please send your application with your vitae and evidence of high quality teaching Appointment level, GS-13 depending on commitment to: qualifications. Professor Dan Jeske Salary range Department of Statistics $86,927 to $113,007 Room 2626 Statistics-Computer Building Send resume to University of California 900 University Avenue Norm Johnson, Ph.D, U.S. Census Bureau email: [email protected] Riverside, CA 92521-0138, USA phone: (301) 763-4270 The applicants should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to Professor Deadline Jeske. Until the file is complete with the requested information, the application can August 1, 2009. not be given full consideration. Review of applications will begin by June 1st 2009 and will continue until position is Employment is restricted to U.S. Citizens only. successfully filled. The University of California is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

92 Amstat News JUNE 2009 PROFESSIONAL

S OPPORTUNITIE The U. S. Census Bureau and The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

The U.S. Census Bureau and the National In- stitute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) are soliciting applications from well- trained Statisticians to lead research and analy- sis on the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol Related Conditions (NESARC) data- base – a national database containing informa- tion on alcohol consumption and alcoholism. Major duties of this position include: * Provide statistical support to researchers interested in analyzing the NESARC database. * Serve as the interface between the NESARC database and researchers identified by NIAAA to conduct research on alcohol consumption and alcoholism. * Conduct statistical and public health research on the NESARC database. * Manage and design NESARC database expansions and enhancements. * Participate, as required, in the development of manuscripts resulting from research. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: The incumbent should have: * an advanced degree with interest or specialization/experience in the areas of: mathematical statistics, epidemiology, biostatistics, psychometrics, econometrics, data analysis, and database management. * working knowledge of SAS, STATA, and SUDAAN statistical software. * strong interpersonal skills as well as the ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. Location: Washington, D.C. Metro Area (Suitland, MD) Appointment level: GS-1529-11/12/13, depending on qualifications. Salary range: $66,389 to $113,007 This position is a funded, three-year term ap- pointment with anticipated extensions. The position will remain open through June 30, 2009 or until a suitable candidate is identified and hired.

If interested, send resume to: Norman J. Johnson, Ph. D., U.S. Census Bureau [email protected] Ph: (301) 763-4270 FAX: (301) 763-4310

The U.S. Census Bureau is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment is restricted to U.S. citizens only.

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 93 Contacts ASA Membership Member-Get-A-Member n Teaching Statistics: Resources ASA members receive Amstat Recruit your colleagues for ASA for Undergraduate Instructors Main News, enjoy a variety of discounts, membership! You depend on the is a publication of the ASA and build an invaluable network of ASA, and we count on you, too. We the Mathematical Association of American Statistical America. For more information, Association more than 18,000 members, and know our current members are expand their career horizons. To the best possible sources for new visit www.amstat.org/publications/ 732 North Washington Street join, go to www.amstat.org/join. members who could benefit from booksandcds.cfm. RE S OURCE S DIRECTORY Alexandria, VA 22314-1943 all the ASA has to offer. Visitwww. Phone: (703) 684-1221 amstat.org/membership/mgm. n Guidelines for Assessment ASA Member Services Toll-free: (888) 231-3473 and Instruction in Statistics Do you have an address change, Fax: (703) 684-2037 Sponsor an ASA Membership Education (GAISE) Report: A Email: [email protected] membership question, claim, or Pre-K–12 Curriculum Frame- general inquiry? Please call the Now you can sponsor the mem- work provides a conceptual ASA Member Service’s toll-free bership of a colleague, student, or framework for K–12 statistics ASA Departments direct line, (888) 231-3473, for K–12 school. You also can give ASA education and a coherent pic- all your ASA needs. If you prefer, membership as a gift! Visit www. ture of the overall curriculum. Advertising: advertise@ email Member Services at amstat.org/membership/SAM. For more information, visit www. amstat.org [email protected] or fax to amstat.org/education/gaise. Amstat News: amstat@ (703) 684-2037. Student Membership Drive amstat.org Students join the ASA at the Brochures Awards: [email protected] special rate of $10. Visit The ASA publishes brochures on Campaigns for the ASA www.amstat.org/join. topics of interest to professional Education: educinfo@ Giving to the ASA statisticians and those who want amstat.org to explore the field of statistics. Members and friends of the ASA Chapter-Get-A-Member Many brochures are available at Fellowships and Research may contribute to the statistics Chapters are the grass roots of no charge or for a nominal fee. For profession by financially support- Programs: the ASA, which is why we are more information and to order, ing our mission and goals. The [email protected] challenging our chapters to help visit www.amstat.org/ASAStore/ ASA is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit increase membership with the Brochures_C104.cfm. Journals: journals@ corporation. Contributions to the Chapter-Get-A-Member cam- amstat.org ASA are tax deductible. Please paign. Visit www.amstat.org/ CDs Meetings: meetings@ visit www.amstat.org/giving for membership/cgm. more information. amstat.org n 41 Years of Technometrics. Now you can have all articles pub- Membership/Member Host a Membership Social Publications & lished during the first41 years of Services: Technometrics at your fingertips. Host a membership social and Products For more information, visit www. [email protected] the ASA will reimburse up to Back Issues amstat.org/publications/ $100 to cover the cost of pizza, Web site: webmaster@ booksandcds.cfm. sandwiches, snacks, and soft Back issues of ASA publications amstat.org may be ordered by sending an drinks. Visit www.amstat.org/ n JSM Proceedings. Each year, email to [email protected]. membership/pdfs/ the ASA publishes papers pre- ChapterSchoolSocials.pdf sented at JSM. For more informa- to participate. Books tion, visit www.amstat.org/ General Information n Making Sense of Statistical publications/booksandcds.cfm. Information about any of the Member Demographics Studies provides hands-on inves- following may be found by linking tigations to help students design The ASA collects demograph- Ethical Guidelines to the web sites listed below or by and analyze statistical studies. Visit ics data to create summary Encourage ethical statistical work www.amstat.org/education/msss. contacting Member Services. reports of the ASA membership in morally conducive work envi- and develop services. All indi- ronments. Visit www.amstat.org/ Amstat Online vidual demographic information n The ASA-SIAM Series on about/ethicalguidelines.cfm or con- remains confidential. Visitwww. Statistics and Applied Probability tact Member Services to request Access up-to-date information amstat.org/membersonly and click provides works of general inter- a copy. at www.amstat.org. Updated “My Demographic Profile” under est to statisticians, applied often, the ASA’s web site gives “My Account” to participate. mathematicians, engineers, and you access to recent news; the scientists. The series is jointly ASA’s products and services; and published by the ASA and the section, chapter, and committee Society for Industrial and Applied home pages. Mathematics. Visit www.amstat. org/publications/booksandcds.cfm.

94 Amstat News JUNE 2009 ASA

Journals & Magazines Committees JSM is attended by more than Other Resources S DIRECTORY RE S OURCE 5,000 people each year. Visit www. The ASA offers a variety of pub- Since its founding in 1839, Advertising lications in print and online. Visit the ASA has depended on the amstat.org/meetings or email www.amstat.org/publications for invaluable service of dedicated [email protected]. Advertise in the ASA’s publica- more information. volunteers, working through tions or online. ASA corporate committees, to achieve its goals. JSTOR and institutional members receive Visit www.amstat.org/comm for significant discounts on display Video Series ASA members can purchase information. advertising. Visit www.amstat.org/ The Distinguished Statistician access to the JSTOR database of publications/advertising.cfm or Video Series offers the chance to JASA, TAS, Technometrics, JABES, email [email protected]. bring a lecture or discussion by a Education JBES, and JCGS. JSTOR is a web archive of every issue of these renowned statistician to any ASA With the help of knowledgeable ASA Calendar of Events chapter meeting, university class- and well-respected leaders in the publications, with the exception room, company archive, or home profession, the ASA’s Center for of the most recent five years. The ASA Calendar of Events is collection. For more information, Statistics Education is able to pro- To purchase access, visit www. a searchable online database email [email protected]. vide quality educational oppor- amstat.org/publications/pdfs/ of statistical events throughout tunities to statisticians of all levels JSTORSpecialOffer.pdf. the world. Visit www.amstat.org/ of achievement. Visit www.amstat. dateline. Member Benefits org/education or email educinfo@ Member Directory amstat.org. and Honors A full member directory is avail- Editorial Calendar able at www.amstat.org/ Awards The Amstat News editorial calen- E-newsletter membership/directory/index.cfm dar is available at www.amstat. Each year, a number of awards ASA members receive a monthly or via ASA Members Only. Only org/publications. are presented in recognition of e-newsletter, ASA Member members who choose to partici- pate are listed. outstanding contributions or News, full of updates and special Mailing Lists dedication to the field of statistics. announcements. View the lat- For more information, visit www. est issue at www.amstat.org/ Members Only The ASA membership list is avail- amstat.org/careers/awards.cfm or newsletters. able to rent from our list broker, email [email protected]. As a member of the ASA, you InFocus. Contact Jessecua Nairn have access to many additional of InFocus at JNairn@infocuslists. Fellows features and options, including ASA JobWeb/Career Center com for more information or to Annually, full members of estab- an enhanced searchable mem- order the ASA mailing list. Only The ASA JobWeb, a targeted job lished reputation who have made ber directory, the e-newsletter members who choose to partici- database and résumé-posting outstanding contributions to sta- archive, CIS, and discounts. You pate are listed. service, helps you take advantage tistics are recognized by selection also have the ability to manage of valuable career opportunities. for Fellow. Visit www.amstat.org/ your account online. Visit Check out the services available fellows for more information. www.amstat.org/membersonly. at www.amstat.org/jobweb or email [email protected]. Grant Program Reciprocal Societies If you reside in a developing Chapters & Sections Six major research programs and one grant program are country and are a member Network with thousands of col- administered by the ASA. Visit of one of the ASA’s reciprocal leagues through the ASA’s region- www.amstat.org/careers/ societies, you are eligible to al chapters and special-interest fellowshipsgrants.cfm or email receive an additional $5 off your sections. For more information, [email protected] for more developing country member- visit www.amstat.org/chapters or information. ship dues. Visit www.amstat.org/ www.amstat.org/sections. membership/devcountries/app/ index.cfm?fuseaction=ShowApp Joint Statistical Meetings for more information. Current Index to Statistics (CIS) JSM is the largest annual gath- ASA members enjoy free online ering of statisticians in North Salary Report access to the Current Index America. Sponsored by the ASA, to Statistics (CIS). To activate International Biometric Society An annual report of salaries of your CIS access, log in to ASA (ENAR and WNAR), Institute of academic statisticians is available Members Only at www.amstat. Mathematical Statistics, Statistical at www.amstat.org/careers/ org/membersonly and select the Society of Canada, International salaryinformation.cfm. CIS Web Access tab. Chinese Statistical Association, and International Indian Association,

JUNE 2009 Amstat News 95 JUNE 2009 • Issue #384

AMSTATNEWS ADVERTISING DIRECTORY

Listed below are our display advertisements only. If you are looking for job-placement ads, please see the professional opportunities section. For more job listings or more information on advertising, please visit our web site at www.amstat.org.

MISC. PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SOFTWARE Cambridge University Press...... p. 68 JMP, a business unit of SAS...... p. 22

Elsevier...... p. 12 MacKichan Software ...... p. 19

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES Minitab, Inc...... p. 32 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. . p. 88 NCSS...... p. 17 FDA/CBER...... p. 89, 91 RTI International/SUDAAN...... p. 44 Geisinger...... p. 90 Salford Systems ...... p. 34 NIAAA-U.S. Census Bureau ...... p. 93 SAS ...... cover 3, p. 36 NORC...... p. 90 SPSS ...... cover 4 Smith Hanley...... p. 87 Statistical Solutions ...... p. 77 U.S. Census Bureau...... p. 92, 93 StatPoint/statgraphics...... p. 66 University of California, Riverside...... p. 92 StatSoft ...... cover 2 Westat ...... p. 88 SYSTAT...... p. 73

XLSTAT...... p. 56

96 Amstat News JUNE 2009