AMSTATNEWS the Membership Magazine of the American Statistical Association •

January 2015 • Issue #451 AMSTATNEWS The Membership Magazine of the American Statistical Association • http://magazine.amstat.org

AN UPDATE to the American Community Survey Program

ALSO: Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in Statistical Science Updated Meet Brian Moyer, Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis

AMSTATNEWS JANUARY 2015 • ISSUE #451 Executive Director Ron Wasserstein: [email protected]

Associate Executive Director and Director of Operations Stephen Porzio: [email protected] features Director of Science Policy 3 President’s Corner Steve Pierson: [email protected] 5 Highlights of the November 2014 ASA Board of Directors Director of Education Meeting Rebecca Nichols: [email protected] 7 ASA Leaders Reminisce: Meet ASA Past President Managing Editor Megan Murphy: [email protected] Marie Davidian

Production Coordinators/Graphic Designers 11 Benefits of the New All-Member Forum Sara Davidson: [email protected] Megan Ruyle: [email protected] 12 ASA, STATS.org Partner to Help Raise Media Statistical Literacy

Publications Coordinator 13 White House Issues Policy Directive Bolstering Federal Val Nirala: [email protected] Statistical Agencies Advertising Manager 14 An Update to the American Community Survey Program Claudine Donovan: [email protected] 17 CHANCE Highlights: Special Issue Devoted to Women in Contributing Staff Members Statistics Jeff Myers • Amy Farris • Alison Smith 18 JQAS Highlights: Football, Golf, Soccer, Fly-Fishing Featured Amstat News welcomes news items and letters from readers on matters in December Issue of interest to the association and the profession. Address correspondence to Managing Editor, Amstat News, American Statistical Association, 732 North Washington Street, Alexandria VA 22314-1943 USA, or email amstat@ 19 NISS Meeting Addresses Transition amstat.org. Items must be received by the first day of the preceding month to ensure appearance in the next issue (for example, June 1 for the July issue). 21 IHIS Data Available Online Material can be sent as a Microsoft Word document, PDF, or within an email. Articles will be edited for space. Accompanying artwork will be accepted 21 Obesity Research Short Course Planned 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 22 Meet Brian Moyer, Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis Statistical Association, 732 North Washington Street, Alexandria VA 22314- 1943 USA. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia, and additional 23 Center for Statistics and Machine Learning Established mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Amstat News, 732 at Princeton North Washington Street, Alexandria VA 22314-1943 USA. Send Canadian address changes to APC, PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Rich Hill, 24 Ingram Olkin: Mentor to Many ON L4B 4R6. 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 ASA Member Services at (888) 231-3473. American Statistical Association 732 North Washington Street Alexandria, VA 22314–1943 USA columns (703) 684–1221 • FAX: (703) 684-2037 ASA GENERAL: [email protected] 27 STATtr@k ADDRESS CHANGES: [email protected] AMSTAT EDITORIAL: [email protected] How to Work with Data Scientists ADVERTISING: [email protected] STATtr@k is a column in Amstat News and a website geared toward people who are in a WEBSITE: http://magazine.amstat.org statistics program, recently graduated from a statistics program, or recently entered the Printed in USA © 2015 job world. To read more articles like this one, visit the website at http://stattrak.amstat.org. American Statistical Association If you have suggestions for future articles, or would like to submit an article, please email Megan Murphy, Amstat News managing editor, at [email protected].

Contributing Editor Ryan J. Machtmes, GStat, is an independent research consultant Promoting the Practice and Profession of Statistics® and mathematical statistician, member of the ASA Committee on Statistics and Disability, and accredited graduate statistician The American Statistical Association is the world’s largest of the American Statistical Association. He is a longtime mem- community of statisticians. The ASA supports excellence in ber of the American Statistical Association and the Phi Kappa Phi the development, application, and dissemination of statistical honor society. science through meetings, publications, membership services, Machtmes education, accreditation, and advocacy. Our members serve in industry, government, and academia in more than 90 countries, advancing research and promoting sound statistical practice to inform public policy and improve human welfare. SOCIAL CHATTER What followers are saying online departments What people are tweeting: 29 education Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in Statistical Carl Zimmer • @carlzimmer • Nov. 25 Science Updated @edyng209 I think a call to a statistician for comment is in order whenever reporting a psychology story. Ed Yong • @edyong209 • Nov. 25 @carlzimmer I agree! But Andrew Gelman is going to get really bored at some point ;)

Jason H. Moore • @moorejh • Nov. 24 RT @CompSciFact: “if you don't make mistakes, you're not working hard enough on problems. And that is a big mistake.” — Frank Wilczek

Rhonda Drake • @rkdrake • Nov. 4 LinkedIn: Most Misunderstood Jobs – Business Insider read.bi/1vEVWC #datascientist and #actuary among those. @amstatnews @pddrake member news Rasmus Bååth • @rabaath • Nov. 22 My “Brief Review of All Comic Books 31 People News Teaching Statistics” made it all the way to 34 Awards and Deadlines CHANCE magazine :) chance.amstat.org 35 Section • Chapter • Committee News

Beth Newman • @akathenerdygirl 38 Calendar of Events • Nov. 22 41 Professional Opportunities Chandra Erdman talks about how she uses her #stats degree @thisisstats @uscensusbureau http://bit.ly/1wAYPaj #WomenInSTEM #STEM

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2 amstat news january 2015 president's corner

Greetings and New Initiatives Happy New Year to all and a special thanks do so after we graduated. For some, a more experi- to the hundreds of members who contrib- enced colleague at work has shown an interest and ute their time supporting our chapters, provided important guidance at critical points in Asections, committees, meetings, and other ASA our growth. Beyond these, however, I believe the activities. Point of fact, since ASA must report ASA can increase opportunities to find a mentor, annually to the IRS regarding our 501(c)(3) sta- as well as to be one, serving many of our members tus, we estimate that almost 1,800 members pro- in the process! vide considerable volunteer time that benefits the We are fortunate to have the creativity and ener- association. I’d like to speak specifically about five gy of Eric Vance, assistant research professor and such volunteers for a moment. director of LISA (Virginia Tech’s Laboratory for As 2014 came to a close, the ASA Board gave Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis), to help expand a round of applause to these outgoing board mentoring within our association. Serving on both members who served the association with their the Conference on Statistical Practice (CSP) steer- energy and creativity: Marie Davidian, past presi- ing committee and the Committee for Applied dent; Martha Gardner, vice president; David Statisticians (CAS), he has helped form mentoring Banks, publications representative; Nick Horton, pairs in the ASA via the CAS Clearinghouse, as well Council of Chapters representative; and Janet as at the 2014 CSP and JSM. He’s already hard at Buckingham, Council of Sections representative. work planning similar activities for the 2015 CSP You’ve been wonderful colleagues to learn from, and JSM! Eric and I will talk more about mentoring, David Morganstein work with, and laugh with while on the board! both creating mentoring pairs and honoring notable I suspect we’ll all continue to hear about future mentors, in a future President’s Corner. efforts you undertake on behalf of the member- JSM Docents (which supports Meetings under ship and the profession. the “Big Tent” theme). Fortunately, JSM continues to grow! More members are attending, with a record Overview of Initiatives 6,800+ in attendance during JSM 2014 in Boston. I’d like to use this month’s column to give you an If you’re a regular attendee, you may feel comfort- overview of four new initiatives for 2015: expand- able coming to such a large event with so many ing and recognizing mentoring, providing docents activities and simultaneous sessions and networking at JSM to offer guidance for first-time attend- with familiar faces. However, can you remember ees, establishing a Stat 101 toolkit for instructors what it was like the first time you attended? Did it in non-stat programs, and providing a blog on all seem a bit formidable? things statistical. The first two are inward looking, Mary Kwasny, associate professor in preventive aimed at providing value directly to members. The medicine-biostatistics at Northwestern University second two will improve our professional visibility. Feinberg School of Medicine, remembers. She These four ideas were developed with valuable agreed to create a docent program that identified input from ASA Board members and former ASA dozens of volunteer members who had only been presidents, for which I’m appreciative. As with pre- to a few JSMs. She located colleagues who were vious years’ initiatives, they align with the ASA’s very much in touch with feeling overwhelmed and strategic plan, as I’ll describe below. who wanted to help make JSM more inviting for Mentoring (which supports Membership some of the more than 1,000 first-time attendees! Growth under the theme “The ASA as ‘The Big Her team of volunteer guides was identifiable by Tent for Statistics’ ”). Many of us were fortunate a new purple badge and introduced at the first- to have at least one person who affected our career timers’ mixer on Sunday afternoon. In an upcom- or professional development. This happens organ- ing column, we’ll talk with Mary about how the ically in many ways. Some of us had professors pilot worked in 2014 and her plans for the docent who took a special interest in us and continued to program in Seattle. january 2015 amstat news 3 Four new initiatives for 2015: expanding building blocks, the hope is that any instructor will be able to teach a more interesting and current mentoring, providing docents at JSM introduction to our field. We’ll hear from Dick and his team in a future article. Blog on All Things Statistical (Public Awareness ..., establishing a Stat 101 toolkit for under the theme “Increasing the Visibility of the Profession”). There is much that occurs in the world instructors in non-stat programs, and that has statistical content, events of great effect that would be more clearly understood by the public if providing a blog on all things statistical. viewed through a statistical perspective. Our profession might be served if we can quickly connect with journalists on important matters of the day. We should endeavor to provide a statistical, data-driven perspective and work with them so their reporting Stat 101 Toolkit (Education under the theme reflects the science we have to offer. Think of a blog “Increasing the Visibility of the Profession”). How on all things statistical not just for statisticians, but many people have you met who, upon learning for the widest possible readership. what you do, replied with something like, “Oh, yes, The ASA is in the process of implementing an I took a stat class once and it was terrible, very bor- agreement with Sense About Science USA and ing, all formulas!” STATS.org that we hope will improve our oppor- Dick De Veaux, C. Carlisle and Margaret Tippit tunities to meet this need. Our statisticians would Professor of Statistics at provide the background and statistical science, and Williams College, has their writers would provide connections to jour- spent much of his nalists, as many journalists subscribe to their web- career trying to under- sites (http://stats.org and www.senseaboutscience.org). stand how statistical We believe they present quantitative concepts in a concepts are best com- readable, easily understandable form. By working municated. Along the together, our profession can be visible to the public way, he’s developed quickly, especially when contributing information exciting and innova- about important topics of the day. tive ways of teaching Let me end with a reminder about the fourth statistics. Now, at my Dick De Veaux annual Conference on Statistical Practice, to be request, he’s taken up held in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 19–21. the challenge of build- The conference will provide opportunities for you ing a toolkit for instructors of Stat 101 in nonstatis- to learn new statistical methodologies and best tics departments such as psychology, engineering, and practices in statistical analysis, design, consulting, economics. In these areas, it’s often the least senior, and statistical programming through courses and most recent hire who is given this task. These indi- sessions with papers, panels, and posters. The con- viduals may be faculty who are not well equipped for ference provides opportunities for attendees to fur- the assignment and who would appreciate stimulat- ther their career development through courses and ing and current teaching tools. sessions on effective communication, management, While teaching a recent workshop for high- and leadership skills in addition to career placement school AP Statistics teachers, Dick realized most activities. If you are starting in your career, you’ll had never actually done a statistical analysis. They have the chance to find a mentor. If you would like had simply learned statistics from a textbook. So, to connect with someone early in his or her career Dick pulled together a few like-minded instructors and share your experience, you can serve as a men- (including Nick Horton, Deb Nolan, Julie Legler, tor. I hope to see you there! and Dave Bock) to identify a variety of data sets, create notes with stimulating ways of presenting statistical concepts, and possibly generate a few videos that can be woven into a course. With these

4 amstat news january 2015 Highlights of the November 2014 ASA Board of Directors Meeting

SA President Nat Schenker led the Board 2014 ASA Board of Directors through its final meeting of the 175th anniversary year November 14–15, 2014, Nat Schenker, President Aat the ASA offices in Alexandria, Virginia. David Morganstein, President-Elect Here are the highlights of the meeting. The board: Marie Davidian, Past President • Opened its Saturday session with a Martha Gardner, 3rd-Year Vice President moment of silence for Bob Newcomb. (replacing Morganstein) A memorial service for Bob was being Jim Rosenberger, 2nd-Year Vice President held later that day in southern California, where Bob served the ASA and area Jeri Mulrow, 1st-Year Vice President chapters for many decades. Incoming President-elect Jessica Utts and Nat David Banks, Publications Representative Schenker shared remembrances of Bob. Ming-Yen Cheng, International • Endorsed revised guidelines for the under- Representative graduate curriculum in statistical science, Nick Horton, 3rd-Year Council of Chapters the result of 18 months of effort by a work- Representative ing group chaired by board member Nick Horton. Please see Page 29 for details. Mary Kwasny, 2nd-Year Council of Chapters Representative • Received the report of ASA treasurer Mingxiu Hu on the status of ASA invest- Dan Jeske, 1st-Year Council of Chapters ments, including observations about invest- Representative ment policy. (The ASA’s investments are managed by a professional in accordance Janet Buckingham, 3rd-Year Council of with board-approved policy.) The board Sections Representative also heard the third quarter financial report Dick De Veaux, 2nd-Year Council of from Steve Porzio, who noted that the ASA’s 2014 net income will be positive. Sections Representative Cyndy Long, 1st-Year Council of Sections • Received a wrap-up report on the 175th Anniversary Celebration from steering Representative committee chair Christy Chuang-Stein. Mingxiu Hu, Treasurer She said the committee worked toward the goal of making the celebration some- Ron Wasserstein, Executive Director thing everyone could enjoy, whether or not they attended JSM, and included accredited by such partner societies can elements that helped ensure the ongoing receive a fast-track accreditation by the ASA. success of the ASA. Schenker thanked Christy and the committee for their work, • Heard updates by ASA Science Policy saying the anniversary celebration was an Director Steve Pierson on the wide range enormous success. of advocacy efforts by the ASA, including a discussion of ASA efforts in support of sci- • Began a discussion titled “Recruiting ence funding, forensic science, and privacy and Retaining the Next 1,000 Members: and confidentiality matters in statistics. How to Build a Sustainable Membership Base of at Least 20,000 Members.” • Heard updates by ASA Director of Membership retention and recruitment Education Rebecca Nichols on the ASA’s will be a focus of the board during 2015. education efforts, including DataFest, the Statistical Education of Teachers • Approved the Hong Kong Statistical Society report (due in the spring), the Census and Italian Statistical Society as accredi- at School Program, and the Educational tation partners of the ASA. Individuals Ambassador Program.

january 2015 amstat news 5 an overview of the plans for the ASA’s 2015 ASA Board of Directors development program. She said the David Morganstein, President goal is to create a long-term, sustainable development program based on exist- Jessica Utts, President-Elect ing and prospective constituencies, with three areas of focus: a membership giving Nat Schenker, Past President program, major gifts and planned giving, Jim Rosenberger, 3rd-Year Vice President and corporate giving. Jeri Mulrow, 2nd-Year Vice President • Discussed the status and activities of the committees in the Education Council. Rob Santos, 1st-Year Vice President These discussions help keep the board and David van Dyk, Publications Representative ASA committees operating in sync. Ming-Yen Cheng, International • Heard important reports of the ASA’s sec- Representative tions and chapters from representatives of their respective councils. These enti- Mary Kwasny, 3rd-Year Council of Chapters ties represent major points of contact for Representative members with their society and provide Dan Jeske, 2nd-Year Council of Chapters rich networking and professional development opportunities. The board, at the Representative request of the Council of Sections, had Wendy Lou, 1st-Year Council of Chapters vigorous discussion of the exciting oppor- Representative tunities and challenges associated with the substantial growth in the number of Dick De Veaux, 3rd-Year Council of Sections ASA sections. Representative • Received and accepted the report of the Cyndy Long, 2nd-Year Council of Sections Strategic Plan Review Committee, chaired Representative by Past President Marie Davidian. The annual review of the strategic plan allows Anna Nevius, 1st-Year Council of Sections the board to evaluate progress in strategic Representative planning and helps ensure the plan stays Mingxiu Hu, Treasurer fresh, dynamic, and relevant. Ron Wasserstein, Executive Director • Discussed the final report from the Presidential Initiative Workgroup on Developing Training in Statistical • Welcomed Susan Cantrell, senior vice Leadership. Janet Buckingham, chair of president and managing director of DIA the workgroup, described the highly suc- Americas, who provided an overview of cessful leadership course offered at JSM the DIA and opened a discussion about and discussed the future of the course, possible collaboration with the ASA. which includes plans to offer it at JSM • Heard an update on the status of the 2015 and the Conference on Statistical This Is Statistics campaign by Jeff Myers, Practice in 2016. the ASA’s public relations coordina- • Decided to discontinue the ASA-SIAM tor, along with Lori Russo and Sarah Book Series. The board expressed its grati- Litton of Stanton Communications. tude to the people who have worked hard This national campaign, launched as a on the series throughout the years. major initiative of the 175th anniversary, is off to a great start. The goal is to • Heard news of substantial progress already heighten awareness among high-school being made on the various strategic initia- and undergraduate students and those tives for 2015. See the President’s Corner who influence them of the great oppor- in this issue for details. tunities afforded by careers in statistics. See ThisIsStatistics.org. The board also • Approved policies and procedures for the discussed ideas for further advancing this management of the Center for Statistical effort during 2015. Education board-designated fund. • Welcomed Amanda Malloy, the ASA’s The board’s first meeting of 2015 is March new director of development, who gave 27–28 at the ASA office in Alexandria, Virginia. n

6 amstat news january 2015 ASA LEADERS REMINISCE Meet ASA Past President Marie Davidian James Cochran engineering school. The course s reported in the October followed the book Statistics for 2014 issue of Amstat Experimenters by Box, Hunter, News, the ASA’s quarto- and Hunter. Immediately, I Aseptcentennial celebration fea- was hooked. Talking with Dave tured the roundtable breakfast about the relevance of statistics “Past Presidents and Executive in the health sciences and the Directors Reminisce” that pro- realization that, in this field, vided past and current presi- I could use my quantitative dents/presidents-elect and exec- skills to make a difference iced utive directors an opportunity it for me. I changed my major reflect on their terms in office. to applied mathematics—there Because ASA members have was no statistics department shown a great deal of interest in at UVA back then—so I could this event and in these reflec- focus on statistics. Marie Davidian tions, Amstat News established a monthly column that will feature extended interviews of ASA past Marie Davidian is William Neal Reynolds Professor of Statistics at North Carolina presidents and executive direc- State University (NCSU) and adjunct professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at tors. In this initial column, we Duke University. She earned her PhD in statistics in 1987 from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). She is an elected member of the International feature an interview with 2013 Statistical Institute and has been named a Fellow of the American Statistical ASA President Marie Davidian. Association, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. Marie has served as chair of grant review panels for the : Marie, thank you for your National Institutes of Health (NIH), coordinating and executive editor of Biometrics, a Qwillingness to be interviewed member of U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committees, 2004 president of the Eastern North American Region of the International Biometric Society, and for the initial installment of this 2013 president of the ASA. Amstat News column. The intent of this interview is to learn about Marie’s interests include analysis of longitudinal data, methods for design and analysis your background and your expe- clinical trials and observational studies, methods for making statistical inference in riences as ASA president. Let’s the presence of missing or mismeasured data, and causal inference and dynamic treatment regimes. She is co-author of the 1995 book Nonlinear Models for Repeated start by talking about your inter- Measurement Data and is co-editor of the 2009 book Longitudinal Data Analysis. est in statistics. When and why She received the 2007 Janet L. Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement by did you first realize you wanted a Woman in the Statistical Sciences; the 2009 George W. Snedecor and 2011 F. N. to be a statistician? Did you start David awards presented by the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies; college studying to be a statisti- and the 2010 NCSU Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence, the highest honor the university bestows upon a faculty member. She also has delivered several cian, or did you come to statistics distinguished lectures, including a 2010 IMS Medallion Lecture. from another discipline? : As an undergraduate Since 2004, Marie has served as director of the annual joint NCSU-Duke Clinical A mechanical engineering Research Institute Summer Institute for major at the University of Training in Biostatistics, a six-week program to inspire U.S. undergraduates to pursue Virginia (UVA), I was bored, graduate training in biostatistics, funded by questioning if this field was for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. me, and looking for an interest- She is a principal investigator for several ing course to take. By luck, I research grants from the National Cancer took a statistics course taught by Institute, including a multi-institutional Dave Harrington, who was in (with Duke and UNC-CH) P01 Program Project devoted to statistical methodology his first position in the applied for cancer clinical trials. mathematics department in the

january 2015 amstat news 7 ASA leaders gather during the ASA’s 175 Anniversary Roundtable at JSM 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. First row, from left: W. Michael O’Fallon (President, 2000), Fritz J. Scheuren (President, 2005), Jessica M. Utts (President, 2016), Lynne Billard (President, 1996), Nancy Geller (President, 2011), Sastry G. Pantula (President, 2010), Marie Davidian (President, 2013), Ray A. Waller (Executive Director, 1995–2001). Back row, from left: Jonas H. Ellenberg (President, 1999), David R. Morganstein (President, 2015), Sally C. Morton (President, 2009), William B. Smith (Executive Director, 2001–2007), Robert N. Rodriguez (President, 2012), Nathaniel Schenker (President, 2014), Robert L. Mason (President, 2003), Jon R. Kettenring (President, 1997) and J. Stuart Hunter (President, 1993).

: I have known you for many analysis methods meant the results my new colleagues were active in Qyears, and I can say without were credible and they could move the chapter. I continued to attend question that you have always forward to learn from them with meetings regularly and became impressed me as someone who confidence. Likewise, developing a acquainted with members of the truly appreciates being a statis- new method to address a data-ana- local statistical community whom tician. What aspect of being a lytic challenge and seeing it used I would not have met otherwise. statistician gives you the greatest in practice to gain new insights This led to my first ASA volun- satisfaction or joy? has been the most satisfying part teer roles as at-large representa- : I am fortunate to have had of my statistical research career. tive, treasurer, and president of Aworked as a methodologist and the chapter during 1989–1991. a collaborator, and, in both realms, : What led you to your My chapter involvement the most gratifying thing is to be Qinvolvement as a volunteer inspired me to participate in the able to solve problems to advance with the ASA? In what volunteer ASA more generally. My first role science. I spent the first six years roles had you served the ASA was as program chair for the ASA of my career engaged in extensive prior to being elected president? General Methodology Section statistical collaborations with sci- : I joined the North Carolina for the 1994 JSM. I remember entists in a range of subject mat- AChapter of the ASA as a grad- receiving a huge stack of con- ter areas all over our campus, and uate student at The University tributed paper abstracts (in the nothing gave me more satisfaction of North Carolina at Chapel mail, on paper …) and sitting than working with them to design Hill in 1982 and I recall attend- on the floor of my office sorting experiments and analyze the ing chapter meetings with fellow them into stacks, hoping to create results. Even if things didn’t turn students in Research Triangle contributed paper sessions. The out as my collaborators hoped, I Park. When I took a position at following year, I was appointed was gratified knowing their use of North Carolina State University as an associate editor for JASA sound and appropriate design and in 1987, I found that several of Applications and Case Studies.

8 amstat news january 2015 I was ... president during the International Year of Statistics, which led to many invitations to speak Having gravitated toward biostatistics in the early 1990s, I about the past, present, and future of our discipline. also began to get involved in ENAR, and I was appointed to my second stint on the JSM Program Committee in 1998 as ENAR program chair. That same Committee, for which I served as were so many once-in-a-lifetime year, I was elected to the ENAR chair in 2007. I was appointed as experiences that it is hard to Regional Committee, through chair of the ASA Committee on identify the high point. I was which I became acquainted with Nominations in 2006 and had the uniquely fortunate to be presi- many colleagues who, because of delight of inviting two wonder- dent during the International their interests, were also active ful members of our profession to Year of Statistics, which led to in the ASA Biometrics Section, run for president; little did I know many invitations to speak about of which I was a member. This that just a few years later I would the past, present, and future led to my first major ASA elected be invited to do the same. of our discipline. Researching position as Biometrics Section the past and contemplating the chair in 2005. : What was the high point of future in preparation, and con- A few years earlier, I had the Qyour time as president of the sidering issues I had not previ- opportunity to broaden my ASA ASA? ously given serious thought, led participation through my appoint- : This is almost an impossible me to a whole new level of appre- ment in 2003 to the Wilks Medal Aquestion to answer! There ciation for our field. Having ASA

january 2015 amstat news 9 the journal Science. Through the tireless efforts of Steve Pierson, Jeff Myers, and Ron Wasserstein, we established what I hope is an enduring connection between the ASA and the leadership of AAAS, the editorial staff of Science, and especially Science Editor- in-Chief Marcia McNutt. The most satisfying outcome has been the Science reproducibility initiative announced by McNutt in January 2014, a major part of which is the creation of the Science Statistics Board of Reviewing Editors in July 2014, which is responsible for evaluating the statistical integrity of promising Science submissions.

: David Morganstein has just Qentered his term as the 2015 ASA president. As a past ASA president, what advice would you offer him so he can make the most of his term? Former ASA President Marie Davidian said one of her favorite events was : The most important advice having Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com (left) as the President's Invited Address speaker at JSM 2013. AI can give to David is to focus on a few key things he wants to accomplish and devote his energy members thank me for enlight- attendees, but the enthusiasm to them, because this year will ening or inspiring them was one of the audience and the atten- go by very quickly. In January, of the most rewarding aspects. tion this event brought to our it seems like you will have end- If I had to point to one spe- meeting in our profession and less time to see your initiatives cific event, it was being able to in the media were beyond any- come to fruition, and then all of Please return to get someone of Nate Silver’s thing I could have imagined. a sudden you are writing your this column next stature as the president’s invit- And I’d like to reiterate, Nate last Amstat News column! And be month, when ed speaker at the 2013 JSM. did not charge a speaker fee. prepared for surprises—you never we will feature an interview When I walked into the ball- The success the ASA has know what events or opportuni- with 2008 ASA room of the Palais des congrès had in engaging with the ties will arise suddenly, for exam- President Peter in Montréal with Nate and saw American Association for the ple, the chance to do a media Lachenbruch. the vast sea of 4,000 statisti- Advancement of Science (AAAS) interview or for the ASA to get cians filing in and the throngs and seeing more and more ASA involved in a new arena. Being of mostly young people at the members joining AAAS were ASA president is a tremendous front waiting to take his pic- also major highlights for me. amount of work, but is an unpar- ture and have him autograph One of my presidential initia- alleled opportunity that very few their copies of his book, I was tives was to raise the visibility of us are fortunate enough to have awestruck. I had hoped that of statistics within the AAAS, to learn so much about our disci- having Nate as the speaker the world’s largest general sci- pline and to have an impact on its would be a highlight for JSM entific society and publisher of future. So most of all, have fun! n

10 amstat news january 2015 Benefits of the New All-Member Forum Alison Smith, ASA Marketing Coordinator

he ASA Community recently introduced a new feature called ASA Connect, where membersT can interact with each other in a central forum. ASA Connect facilitates open dialogue, encouraging members to begin a new discussion or post ques- More online tions, comments, and advice. The new all-member forum includes the fol- Visit the ASA lowing benefits: Community at community. • Collaboration with other amstat.org/ ASA members home and • Exchange of resources check out the and best practices forum today. • Discussion of critical industry issues • Input from members outside of your current communities • Networking with other industry experts

Using ASA Connect is simple when keeping the following in mind: • All posts will go to the entire membership • Messages cannot be commercial by nature • Clear, informative subjects are more likely to elicit responses from experienced users • As much information as possible should be provided when asking questions

The ASA hopes to promote communication between members through this new forum. In the • PStat® coming weeks, discussion participants will be able to earn badges for their profiles, including the following: • GStat • ASA Board Member • New Member • ASA President • Longtime Member • Chapter Officer • Volunteer n

january 2015 amstat news 11 ASA, STATS.org Partner to Help Raise Media Statistical Literacy Jeffrey A. Myers, ASA Public Relations Coordinator

he ASA has embarked on an initiative to An approach to tackling this will be to connect help journalists and their editors become journalists with statisticians who are experts on spe- more statistically savvy. cific topics in addition to providing them general TThe association has partnered with the newly statistical advice and explanation. “The future of established Sense About Science USA to launch a journalism is one of collaboration between those new STATS.org website aimed at improving media who understand numbers and those who can trans- coverage of statistical matters. SASUSA is a branch of late them into prose,” said Rebecca Goldin, who is Sense About Science, a United Kingdom–based orga- professor of mathematical sciences at George Mason nization devoted to equipping the University and the director of public to make sense of evidence STATS.org. “While not every in science. journalist can be Nate Silver, This new project ties into the every journalist can benefit from ASA’s ongoing media outreach having access to a Nate Silver.” and public relations initiatives, Goldin has spent the past such as the “This Is Statistics” decade helping journalists from public awareness campaign (http:// leading news organizations—ABC thisisstatistics.org), to maximize its exposure to exter- News, The Economist, The New York Times, and nal audiences and establish the association as the Wired—think through the numbers on a wide range recognized authority on all topics related to statisti- of scientific issues ranging from whether you should cal science. buy insurance for your new tech product through “Data have permeated our global society to the fraught intricacies of cancer epidemiology and the point that journalists of all types are produc- jury voting bias. More online ing hundreds of data-related stories every day. Through this partnership, ASA member volunteers Visit the This new dynamic means the ASA needs a better will contribute their statistical expertise to create, as ASA-STATS.org way to connect with journalists who want to learn Butterworth describes it, “a new kind of media venture partnership site at www.stats.org. about statistical science,” said ASA President David that rises to the challenges of our information age.” Morganstein, who spearheaded the formation of The relationship with STATS.org is an invest- the joint project as a presidential initiative for his ment on the part of the ASA to improve public term. “This ASA-STATS.org partnership will work outreach and increase the visibility of statistical sci- in tandem with our other external communications ence in media circles, said ASA Executive Director initiatives to enhance the ASA’s visibility among Ronald L. Wasserstein. He encouraged association journalists and the people who read their stories.” members to support this new initiative by volun- STATS.org was launched in 1993, became affili- teering their time and expertise when asked to help ated with George Mason University in 2004, and with a STATS project. recently became part of SASUSA’s portfolio. In col- An ASA member who provides a statistical laboration with the ASA, it will create a statistics review will be offering expertise as an individual and informational and resource hub for journalists— can decide whether his or her name is used or they and anyone else interested in how numbers shape are quoted in the STATS story. science and society. “This new ASA initiative will be instrumental to “Innumeracy has long been identified in research raising media and public awareness and apprecia- literature and by journalism educators as a signifi- tion for statistical science,” Wasserstein explained. cant problem in the news media,” said SASUSA “We’re grateful for the contributions our members Director Trevor Butterworth, who will serve as the will be making to this effort.” project’s editor-in-chief. “For example, it baffles me Some member-provided reviews will require a how you could write an alarming news story about quick turnaround because of the need to respond a potent risk and then fail to explain its potency. If to a media story while the topic is fresh in the mind I am going to tell people that they are at risk from of reporters and a focus of public discourse. Topics something, surely I should—as a matter of ethics— deemed less time-sensitive would have a longer tell them what their risk is?” turnaround time, noted Wasserstein. n

12 amstat news january 2015 White House Issues Policy Directive Bolstering Federal Statistical Agencies Steve Pierson, ASA Director of Science Policy

he White House Office of Management and lists the following four responsibilities for federal Budget (OMB) finalized in late November statistical agencies: a new federal statistical policy directive, TFundamental Responsibilities of Federal Statistical • Produce and disseminate relevant and Agencies and Recognized Statistical Units. As OMB timely information Chief Statistician Katherine Wallman explained in • Conduct credible and accurate statistical the email announcing the action, “This directive activities affirms the fundamental responsibilities of federal statistical agencies and recognized statistical units in • Conduct objective statistical activities the design, collection, processing, editing, compila- • Protect the trust of information providers tion, analysis, release, and dissemination of statisti- by ensuring the confidentiality of their cal information. … [T]he proposed directive is responses intended to provide a unified, concise framework for governance of official statistics.” While there are more than 100 federal statistical The new directive was praised by leaders in the units, the new directive applies specifically to the federal statistical community, especially by the smaller 13 primary statistical agencies, the Federal Reserve federal statistical agencies and units. Recent National Board’s Microeconomic Surveys Unit, the Substance Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Jack Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Buckley commented, “Today, more than ever, the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality country is awash with data. But not all data are cre- (Department of Health and Human Services), and ated equal. Those collected by a small set of key the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s agencies are essential to an accurate understanding National Animal Health Monitoring System of virtually every important aspect of our govern- (Department of Agriculture) (in addition to “federal ment and economy and those agencies must never statistical agencies and statistical units newly recog- lose the trust of all Americans—regardless of party nized after the issuance of this directive.”) or position. This new statistical policy directive is an The May 21 Federal Register notice calling for important step in securing the independence of our comments on the then-proposed directive (http://1. federal statistical system and safeguarding that trust.” usa.gov/1GdQmxU) provides an overview of the Katherine Smith, former director of the Economic importance of the federal statistical system and Research Service and current executive director of protecting public trust in it, as well as the numer- the Council of Professional Associations on Federal ous legislative actions and executive orders cur- Statistics, stated, “Even though U.S. statistical agencies rently in place to maintain this public confidence. have long followed the principles and practices it out- The notice also summarizes the key points of three lines, the directive adds a sometimes needed extra layer documents from which the OMB drew guidance of protection for statistical agencies and units against for the directive: the National Academy of Sciences’ administrative procedures (like hierarchical clearance Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical processes, IT network administration, or hiring prac- Agency (the fourth and fifth editions of which the tices) that would interfere with the timely provision ASA Board endorsed), the European Statistics Code of accurate and objective federal statistics. This direc- of Practice, and the United Nations Fundamental tive exposition of the autonomy that is necessary for a Principles of Official Statistics. statistical agency to be trusted is clearer and has more In the ASA’s comments, Executive Director Ron expansive coverage than that outlined in previous Wasserstein strongly supported the proposed direc- directives. If I were running an unrecognized statisti- tive. To see Wasserstein’s letter and more informa- cal unit of the federal government, I would find this tion about the May 21 call for comments, see the a very good time to apply to OMB for recognition.” ASA blog entry at http://bit.ly/1z7tJI6. As implied in Wallman’s statement above, the Federal departments and agencies hosting a fed- new directive combines content of previous OMB eral statistical agency or unit are required to provide directives with additional guidance in a single, a report to OMB for implementation of this direc- more comprehensive document. The directive tive by March 25. n

january 2015 amstat news 13 AN UPDATE to the American Community Survey Program James Treat, American Community Survey Office Division Chief

t has been a decade since the U.S. Census three-month period. Based on the findings of two Bureau launched the American Community experiments conducted in 2011, the Census Bureau Survey (ACS). What is the status of the pro- changed the self-response option for the 2013 ACS gramI in 2015, and what are the significant develop- by adding an Internet response option and new mail- ments, challenges, and achievements that have ing strategy. Research conducted on the 2013 self- marked the ACS in the last decade? response check-in rates (the proportion of all cases that returned a questionnaire—via mail or Internet—of all Benchmarks in ACS Development, cases mailed) showed that such rates were significantly 2005–2014 higher than rates in 2012, when an Internet option Sample Design was not available to respondents (see “The Effects of Adding an Internet Response Option to the American Each year, from 2005 until 2010, we selected Community Survey,” http://1.usa.gov/1wgICbp. James Treat is the approximately 2.9 million housing unit (HU) division chief of the addresses in the United States and 36,000 HU Data Products and Data User Education American Community addresses in Puerto Rico. Beginning in 2011, we The ACS data release schedule for the 2013 ACS Survey Office at the U.S. Census implemented the following four key changes: estimates is typical of ACS release schedules in pre- Bureau, where he vious years. The ACS one-year estimates were is responsible for 1. We increased the sample selected to 3.54 released first, in September 2014, fol- the overall program million addresses lowed by the three-year, then the five- management of the year estimates. The ACS Public Use American Community 2. We added several new HU sampling Survey (ACS). rates that better control the allocation of the sample and improve estimate reliability for small areas 3. We increased the follow-up sample to 100% in select geographic areas 4. Starting in 2013, we restricted the assignment of the group quarters sample for college dorms to non-summer months (January–April and September–December)

The increase in the follow-up sample was made to increase the reliability of the ACS estimates for certain well-defined geographic areas: Hawaiian Homelands, Remote Alaska (all or parts of 14 Alaskan boroughs where access is difficult to the communities and fishing villages), Alaska Native Village Statistical Areas, and all American-Indian areas with at least 10% of the population responding to the 2010 Decennial Census as American Indian or Alaska Native. Data Collection From 2005 through 2012, the Census Bureau data collection for HUs consisted of three modes— mail, telephone, and personal visit—spread over a 14 amstat news january 2015 Microdata and the release of estimates for the Puerto ACS Program Review Rico Community Survey always follow the release In 2011, following the release of the first ACS five- of five-year estimates (the ACS data release sched- year estimates, the director of the Census Bureau ule is accessible at http://1.usa.gov/1urwPTa). Three commissioned a team to plan and implement a non-overlapping three-year estimates were avail- comprehensive assessment of the ACS program to able in October 2014 (2005–2007, 2008–2010, ensure it was meeting the needs of data users as effec- and 2011–2013). In 2015, two non-overlap- tively as possible. The scope of the review included ping five-year estimates will become available a comprehensive examination of the ACS program (2005–2009 and 2010–2014). These products to (1) ensure its products were meeting stakeholder will enable data users to compare ACS estimates needs, (2) ensure the survey methodology and pro- across times in ways not previously possible to gram management were technically sound and effi- better explore trends for characteristics of popu- cient, (3) examine and address concerns raised by lation and housing. survey respondents about their participation in the In 2012, with the support of advisory groups survey, and (4) identify and reduce program risks. A and professional organizations, the Census Bureau key challenge facing the ACS program was that the embraced the need for an online data user commu- program infrastructure had not kept pace with the nity to support the needs of ACS stakeholders by growth in size and stature of the survey within the launching the ACS Data Users Group (ACS DUG) federal statistical system. Accomplishments of the with the assistance of Sabre Systems, Inc. and the program review include overhauling the governance Population Reference Bureau (PRB). Detailed structure of the ACS program to make it more effi- information can be found at www.acsdatausers.org. cient and strengthening the research and evaluation New interactive tools developed to access ACS program. The final report for the review is available and other Census Bureau data sets are available at at http://1.usa.gov/1qAs4uf. www.census.gov/data/data-tools.html). An application programming interface (API) also is available ACS Content Review at www.census.gov/data/developers/about.html to let The ACS was launched as the replacement for the developers create custom apps based on ACS statis- long form survey. As was the case for that survey, tics that help business and local governments foster the value of each question on the ACS has been local economic development, promote job creation, confirmed each year with the federal agencies that or plan for disaster recovery. sponsor each question. Inventories of federal uses of ACS data have yielded hundreds of legal, required, and programmatic uses of data. With the assessment opportunity afforded by the ACS Program Review, the Census Bureau—working with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)—decided to launch an examination and confirmation of the value of each question as part of the most comprehensive effort ever undertaken to review content on the ACS. The purpose of the 2014 Content Review, which is under way, is to identify questions for possible removal or modification, while continuing to provide information to meet the nation’s needs. In 2012, the OMB and Census Bureau chartered the Interagency Council of Statistical Policy (ICSP) Subcommittee for the ACS to provide advice about how the ACS can provide the most useful information with the least amount of burden. The charter also directed the subcommittee to conduct regular period- ic reviews of ACS content with the goal of assuring a clear and specific authority and justification for each question on the ACS, the appropriateness of the ACS as the vehicle for collecting the information, minimi- zation of respondent burden, and appropriateness of the quality of data for its intended use. The subcommittee established two analysis factors—benefit as defined by the level of usefulness and cost as defined by the level of respondent burden january 2015 amstat news 15 or difficulty in obtaining the data. Federal agencies • Person Question No. 12 – Undergraduate were asked to document the justification for question Field of Degree This question focuses on this person’s use; the mandatory, regulatory, and programmatic Bachelor’s Degree. Please print below the uses; lowest level of geography required; frequency specific major(s) of any Bachelor’s Degrees this of use; funds distributed based on the questions; person has received. and characteristics of the population. They also were asked to identify alternative data sources for the ACS • Person Question No. 21a – Get Married and whether any ACS questions are used in creating In the past 12 months did this person get – another survey’s sampling frame. Census Bureau sub- Married? ject matter experts examined the coefficient of varia- • Person Question No. 21b – Get Widowed tion associated with an estimate for each question at In the past 12 months did this person get – the county level, providing insight into the equality Widowed? of the measure by geography. They also computed interquartile ranges associated with an estimate for • Person Question 21c – Get Divorced each question at the county level. In the past 12 months did this person get – Four data sets reflecting measures of cost or burden Divorced? were collected. ACS interviewers were surveyed to • Person Question No. 22 – Times Married identify which questions respondents find cognitively How many times has this person been married? burdensome or sensitive and which questions are the most difficult for respondents. Second, response times • Person Question No. 23 – Year Last to questionnaires via automated modes were mea- Married More online sured to determine how long it took respondents to In what year did this person last get married? For more answer each question. Third, allocation rates by ques- information tion were computed to determine which questions about the ACS, visit http://1.usa. were left blank such that imputation was required An ACS Federal Register notice of October 31, gov/1zU6r8j. due to more missing information. Finally, complaints 2014, invited comments by December 30, 2014, about the ACS received by email, letter, or telephone about the analysis described above and is accessible were examined to obtain a count of ACS questions, at http://1.usa.gov/1BAEKFs. so a count by individual question could be obtained. The Census Bureau will assess all comments Based on the analysis of information relating to a received in making a final recommendation to OMB question’s benefits and costs, each question received by early spring 2015 on whether to modify the con- a total number of points between 0 and 100 based tent of the ACS. The OMB will make the final on its benefits and between 0 and 100 points based determination on the Census Bureau's recommen- on its cost. The points were used to create four cat- dation and provide approval by early summer 2015. egories: (1) high benefit, low cost; (2) high benefit, high cost; (3) low benefit, low cost; and (4) Conclusion low benefit, high cost. Twenty-one questions that Other developments will shape the ACS program’s fell into either of the low benefit categories were future as the Census Bureau prepares for the next then reviewed further. This review involved iden- decennial census and the ACS is leveraged to the tifying questions designated by the Department extent possible to aid that preparation (e.g., ACS esti- of Commerce Office of General Counsel as falling mates were used to develop a 2020 Census planning into two categories—(1)NOT Mandatory and (2) database released in 2014). The Census Bureau will NOT Required (i.e., regulatory) with a sub-state submit to Congress the topics for the ACS and 2020 use—and excluding those questions from further Census in 2017 and the final questions for both in consideration for removal from the ACS. 2018. As leveraging the strengths of programs across Of the 21 questions that fell into the two Low the Census Bureau is a two-way process, the ACS Benefit categories and for which further analysis program will benefit from many of the preparations took place, seven questions remained. These ques- for the 2020 Census, including improvements to the tions, which follow (the text in italics reflects the Census Bureau’s Master Address File. 2014 questionnaire wording), are slated for removal The ACS has come a long way since it was imple- from the ACS, subject to the results of the Federal mented in 2005. Count on further initiatives to make Register notice and further review by the OMB. the program as efficient, cost effective, and innovative • Housing Question No. 6 – Business/ as possible. In the mean time, enjoy the bounty of Medical Office on Property data the ACS provides and join the Census Bureau Is there a business (such as a store or barber and its stakeholders to help ensure communities shop) or a medical office on this property? across our nation have the information they need. n

16 amstat news january 2015 CHANCE HIGHLIGHTS Special Issue Devoted to Women in Statistics Scott Evans, CHANCE Executive Editor

ears ago, women were discouraged from researchers, and opportunities and perspectives engaging in the mathematical sciences. on the role of women in today’s statistical fields. Women also faced prevalent issues of salary Dalene Stangl not only helped organize the con- Ydiscrimination and a lack of maternity leave alterna- ference, but also organized the plan for this spe- tives in the workplace. Fortunately, times are chang- cial issue. Other contributers include Stephanie ing. There is a refreshing evolution of attitudes Hicks, Kimberly Sellers, K. Nicole Meyer, Maria about women in science, one that welcomes young Terres, Samantha Tyner, Kaitlin Woo, Stacy women into promising fields and recognizes their Lindborg, Arati Mejdal, Joanne Wendelberger, contributions. In 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani Alyson Wilson, Sandra Stinnett, Brenda Gaydos, became the first woman to be awarded the Fields Jane Harvill, Kristen Tecson, Karen Kafadar, Medal, often termed the “Nobel Prize of Snehalata Huzurbazar, Jessi Cisewski, Bailey Mathematics"! Fosdick, and Xia Wang. Statistics, in particular, has Also featured in this issue is an interview become a promising field for with Janet Wittes, founder and women. In the October 2013 issue president of Statistics of Amstat News, ASA Director Collaborative, of Science Policy Steve Pierson Inc. Janet is a summarized data from a report past president issued by the National Center of the Society for Education Statistics (NCES) for Clinical Trials regarding degrees in statistics and Eastern North granted in 2012. More than American Region 40% of statistics degrees go of the International to women, a much larger Biometric Society. percentage relative to other In 2006, she received science fields. Nearly 50% the Janet L. Norwood of master’s degrees go to Award for outstanding women. For 2011 and achievement by a woman 2012 combined, 57% of in the statistical sciences. master’s degrees in bio- In this interview, Janet statistics went to women talks about the challenges (740 total biostatistics of being a woman pursuing degrees over the two an education and develop- years) and 55% of ing a career in statistics in the PhDs went to women (298 1960s. She also discusses clini- total degrees). cal trials, the Women’s Health This special issue of CHANCE is devoted to Initiative, and the future of recognizing and celebrating women in statis- women in statistics. tics and their contributions to statistical science. Elsewhere in this issue, Di Cook shows us how Many of the articles were born from the Women the gender gap in math is not universal in Visiphilia; in Statistics Conference, held May 15–17, 2014, Shannon McClintock Pileggi, Mine Cetinkaya- in North Carolina. Organizers included the ASA Rundel, and Dalene Stangl discuss a classroom Committee on Women in Statistics and the project for generation Z in Taking a Chance in the Caucus for Women in Statistics. The Conference Classroom; Rasmus Bååth and Christian Robert highlighted the achievements and career interests review all the cartoon books about statistics; and of women in statistics. Special sessions focused Howard Wainer discusses the causes and conse- on career development, the work of leading quences to happiness in Visual Revelations. n

january 2015 amstat news 17 JQAS HIGHLIGHTS Football, Golf, Soccer, Fly-Fishing Featured in December Issue

Mark E. Glickman, JQAS Editor-in-Chief, and James Albert, JQAS Past Editor-in-Chief

he December 2014 issue (volume 10, issue from the 2012 PGA Tour golf season and demon- 4) of the Journal of Quantitative Analysis in strate the use of their model to assess skill rankings Sports (JQAS) features four articles covering for players based on under- and over-performance Ttopics in American football, soccer, golf, and fly- relative to the expected number of strokes based on fishing. The issue contains a diverse set of topics the fitted Markov model. and highlights the breadth of issues that are salient “Scoring Rules, and the Role of Chance: for the application of statistical devel- Analysis of the 2008 World Fly Fishing opment to sports problems. Championships,” by Thomas W. Yee, inves- “Predicting the Draft tigates the current rules for competitive fly- and Career Success of Tight fishing and proposes a fairer scoring meth- Ends in the National Football od that does not disadvantage competitors League,” by Jason Mulholland who spend more time catching fewer, but and Shane Jensen, is the Editor’s larger, fish. The author also examines the Choice article and available for extent to which luck plays a role based on free download for the next 12 the fit of Poisson mixed models. months. The article focuses on Finally, “Gasping for Air: Soccer predicting position in the NFL Players’ Passing Behavior at High- draft and NFL career performance Altitude,” by Jorge Tovar, examines among tight ends using pre-draft the impact of playing soccer at high information. The authors apply elevations on passing behavior. The author fits a both recursive partitioning and linear regression to linear regression to estimate the effect of high alti- assess the impact of various factors in predicting tude and concludes that players tend to pass con- tight end success. servatively, which results in a greater proportion of The article “Stochastic Model of the 2012 PGA successful passes at high elevations. Tour Season,” by Erik L. Heiny and Robert Lowell These articles are available on a subscription Heiny, develops a discrete-state Markov chain model basis from http://bit.ly/1uspBhP. Prospective authors in which the states are based on the distance from also can find the journal’s aims and scope, as well as the hole. The authors fit their model using results manuscript submission instructions, there. n

18 amstat news january 2015 NISS Meeting Addresses Transition

he National Institute of serving on at least one commit- to name a new director this spring, Statistical Sciences (NISS) tee (see www.niss.org/about/board- and that person will most likely held its annual board of trustees-committees for a list of com- start in the summer. trusteesT meeting November 7–8, mittees and the members of each); The communications direc- 2014, at its headquarters in and a new intranet was developed tor, Jamie Nunnelly, talked about Research Triangle Park, North to allow more communication to increased efforts to raise brand Carolina. NISS is a nonprofit flow among committee members. awareness of NISS and to commu- organization whose mission is to The Statistical and Applied nicate with the statistics commu- identify, catalyze, and foster Mathematical Sciences Institute’s nity more often. The organization high-impact, cross-disciplinary, (SAMSI) director, Richard expects to have more outreach to and cross-sector research involving Smith, also talked about the sim- its former postdoctoral fellows, the statistical sciences. About 25 ilarities and differences between of which there are about 70 who members of the board of trustees the two organizations. One con- have worked at NISS over the past and members of the corporation sensus was that SAMSI is a grant, 24 years. A new website is going attended the meeting. not a 501(c)(3) like NISS, and to be developed to meet the insti- Acting Director Nell Sedransk that SAMSI’s goal is to stimulate tute’s current needs better. gave historical perspective on how research, while NISS’s goal is to NISS held a special reception the organization was formed and conduct statistical research. Also, honoring former director, Alan grew to what it is today and talked SAMSI’s focus includes applied Karr. In addition to the board about ways the organization is mathematics and statistical sci- and corporation members, some reorganizing to prepare for a new ences, while NISS’ focus is much of Karr’s friends attended. director’s arrival: Infrastructure more on the statistical sciences. The board will hold a meeting such as the email system, serv- The search committee reported March 6–7 to discuss the mis- ers, and security system is being that the search for a new director sion and vision of NISS and the updated; every board member is is moving along well. They expect changes taking place. n

ASA, in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) under a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) is pleased to announce a Senior Research Fellow Program for 2015.

The Fellowship Program at BLS allows research fellows to come to the BLS and use BLS data and facilities, and interact with BLS staﬀ . More information is available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/osmr/asa_nsf_bls_fellowship_info.htm or in our brochure at www.amstat.org/careers/pdfs/ASANSFBLSFellowshipProgram.pdf.

The Fellowship Program at BEA oﬀ ers a unique opportunity to perform research at the Bureau of Economic Analysis. BEA produces key economic statistics that infl uence government policy, forecasting and business investment. Fellows will have access to BEA data and the expertise of BEA staﬀ . More information is available at: www.bea.gov/research/fellowship_program.htm or in our brochure at www.amstat.org/careers/pdfs/BEA.pdf

Eligibility An academically recognized research record and considerable expertise in the area of proposed research required. U.S. government employees are not eligible to apply. Applicants must be employed by a U.S. institution.

Condition of Appointment/Benefi ts Research will be conducted at the government agency. The stipend received is commensurate with qualifi cations and experience. Term of appointment is fl exible. Fringe benefi ts and travel allowances are negotiable.

Application Deadline: February 16, 2015

january 2015 amstat news 19 20 amstat news january 2015 IHIS Data Available Online

Julia A. Rivera Drew, University of Minnesota, and Jane F. Gentleman, NCHS (retired)

he Integrated Health • Adult and Child asthma was released at the end Interview Series (IHIS) Immunizations of 2014. In addition to more recently made the 2013 • Adult Internet Access and variables from the 2013 NHIS Tintegrated and harmonized data data, IHIS will release integrated Email Utilization based on 2013 National Health injury-level variables from 1997– Interview Survey (NHIS) public • Child Mental Health Brief 2013 NHIS data. use data available for free. SDQ and Adult Mental The IHIS program is part The NHIS is one of the lon- Health of the Minnesota Population gest-running federal surveys and • Child Mental Health Center, an interdisciplinary the principal source of informa- Services cooperative for demographic tion about the health of the U.S. research at the University of civilian noninstitutionalized pop- • Non-Cigarette Tobacco Minnesota. The NHIS is con- ulation. IHIS offers a harmonized Use ducted by the National Center set of data and documentation Additional 2013 data on for Health Statistics, which is drawn from public use NHIS imputed income, adult immuno- part of the Centers for Disease microdata files from 1963 to the supression, and child and adult Control and Prevention. n present. It also simplifies analysis of trends and change over time using NHIS data by allowing users to download a single file Obesity Research Short containing multiple samples and variables that are comparable over Course Planned time. These data are available at no cost from www.ihis.us/ihis. David Allison and Kevin Fontaine will lead a five-day short This latest release of 2013 course, titled “Strengthening Causal Inference in Behavioral IHIS data includes more than Obesity Research,” at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1,500 variables derived from July 20–24. the 2013 NHIS public use files Identifying causal relations among variables is fundamental (available at www.cdc.gov/nchs/ to science. Obesity is a major problem for which much prog- nhis.htm). Core NHIS variables ress in understanding, treatment, and prevention remains to be are included, as well as variables made. Understanding which social and behavioral factors cause based on questions from the fol- variations in adiposity and which other factors cause variations lowing 2013 NHIS supplements: is vital to producing, evaluating, and selecting intervention and prevention strategies. In addition, developing a greater under- • Health Care Access and standing of obesity’s causes requires input from diverse disci- Utilization: additional vari- plines, including statistics, economics, psychology, epidemiol- ables that can be used to ogy, mathematics, philosophy, and, in some cases, behavioral monitor the affect of the or statistical genetics. However, applying techniques from these Affordable Care Act disciplines does not involve routine and well-known ‘cookbook’ approaches, but requires an understanding of the underlying • Family and Adult principles so the investigator can tailor approaches to specific Functioning and Disability and varying situations. Test Questions The nine modules in this course are designed to provide rig- • Family Food Security orous exposure to the key fundamental principles underlying a broad array of techniques. In addition, through guided discus- • Heart Disease and Stroke sion using real examples in obesity research, participants will Prevention: questions gain experience in applying the principles and techniques. included as part of the U.S. Limited travel scholarships are available to young investi- Department of Health and gators who apply by February 27. Accepted applicants will be Human Service’s Million notified no later than March 6. Hearts initiative For details, visit http://bit.ly/1yEDtHa. • Adult Hepatitis Screening january 2015 amstat news 21 Meet Brian Moyer, Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis

Amstat News invited the director of the Bureau of Economic I actually joined BEA in 1993 Analysis, Brian C. Moyer, to respond to the following ques- and served as deputy director tions so readers could learn more about him and the agency before I was named director he leads. Look for other statistical agency head interviews in in September 2014. So I come past and forthcoming issues. to my current post with a deep appreciation for BEA’s mission Brian C. Moyer became the director and abroad. One of the most and its innovative spirit. We of the Bureau of What about this position exciting and appealing aspects not only measure the $17 tril- Economic Analysis appealed to you? of this job is the opportunity lion U.S. economy via our sig- in September 2014. I’m thrilled to serve as the head to interact with BEA’s custom- nature Gross Domestic Product He earned bachelor’s of a federal agency whose work ers, to hear firsthand how our statistics, but we also produce and master’s degrees is an important factor in the data impact people’s lives and statistics on how consumers and in economics from the University of decision making of millions of to learn how we can refine and industries are faring, how region- Maryland and a PhD Americans, business people, expand the data we provide to al economies are performing, and in economics from researchers, and policymak- make it even more relevant and how the United States is doing in American University. ers both in the United States useful. the global economy. Describe the top 2–3 priorities you have for BEA. My top priority is making sure that BEA remains innovative so we can continue to deliver economic statistics that accurately measure an ever-changing economy in a cost-effective manner. Another priority is to create new measures that are relevant to busi- nesses, policymakers, and the public. We also must continue to improve on disseminating our data and making sure it is accessible to sophisticated and casual data hounds alike. What do you see as your biggest challenge(s) for the BEA? Ensuring our economic measures keep pace with the effect of globalization, as well as an ever-changing U.S. economy, are certainly challenges. Figuring out ways to continue to leverage Big Data and to forge more integration across U.S. statistical agencies also are challenges. In addition, it’s

22 amstat news january 2015 One of the most exciting aspects of this job is the opportunity to interact with BEA’s customers. critical that we recruit and retain talented people. BEA’s successful track record of producing timely, the economic effect of industries spending on a disease-by-disease accurate, and relevant economic each quarter and the economic basis. We also are working on statistics in an objective and cost- performance of states each quar- income measures that will give us effective manner hinges on the ter. We are working on a more more insights into how different innovative work of its employees. accurate measure of health care households are faring. n What kind of support from the statistical community do you look for? Center for Statistics Getting feedback from outside experts like economists, statisti- and Machine Learning cians, and accountants, as well as from business people and the Established at Princeton public, about our work and our ideas is important to us. We have Princeton University recently established the Center for Statistics a BEA advisory committee that and Machine Learning. John Storey, a professor of molecular biol- meets twice a year, and we con- ogy at the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, has duct conferences with data users been named the center’s director. to get their thoughts and share The center will anchor the teaching of and research in statistics with them things we are doing and machine learning on campus, Storey said, offering an under- or exploring. Collaborating with graduate certificate and graduate training in the field. other statistical agencies on proj- “Given the growing importance and prominence of machine ects is not only an efficient use learning and statistics in both industry and academia, it is crucial of resources, but it also offers a for Princeton undergraduates to have access to a first-rate educa- wonderful way to cross-pollinate tion in these areas,” Storey said. “The interest from students here talent and ideas. Over the year, has gone up tremendously. They’re living in this data-rich world.” BEA has built even stronger col- The idea to establish a center at Princeton emerged from a cam- laborative relationships with the pus gathering in 2011 when faculty and others met to discuss their U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau common interest in statistics and machine learning. of Labor Statistics, Treasury “It’s kind of a beautiful thing how organically it happened,” Storey Department, and Federal said. The faculty and other researchers realized how much work they Reserve, among others. were doing, how much they had in common, and the increasing prominence of the field. Prior to your tenure, what Storey said data-driven scientific discovery is a significant do you see as the biggest component in a wide area of study—from politics and econom- recent accomplishment of the ics to neuroscience and his own field of genomics, where “we’re agency? sequencing everything we can get our hands on, generating mas- BEA has been able to produce sive amounts of data.” new, relevant economic products The university began offering undergraduates a certificate in despite a resource-constrained statistics and machine learning during the 2013–14 academic year, environment. We created a way a program that Kosuke Imai, a politics professor, directs. to adjust people’s incomes across Like many cross-disciplinary programs at Princeton, the states and metro areas so they Center for Statistics and Machine Learning will involve faculty can be compared across regions from various departments: Storey, Imai, and others, including and through time. We created Jianqing Fan, the Frederick L. Moore, Class of 1918, Professor in the first set of statistics measur- Finance and chair of the Department of Operations Research and ing how much consumers spend Financial Engineering. in each state. We produced statis- For more information about the program, visit the Princeton tics that, for the first time, tell us University website at http://orfe.princeton.edu.

january 2015 amstat news 23 Ingram Olkin: Mentor to Many Amy Munice, ALM Communications

said they needed people in radar and meteorology, rotona Park in the East Bronx of New York asking us to enlist to get into one of these City was known as the home of the Detroit Tigers baseball icon Hank Greenberg. To programs. A sophomore, I was inducted in 1943 to CIngram Olkin, however, who moved near Crotona study meteorology and became a forecaster in the Park when he was 10 years old, the improbable but Army’s Air Force until 1946, when I was discharged. true fact is this area was the incubator of statisticians, and that he can name a dozen prominent stat- The Army had sent me to MIT, which had many isticians who grew up within a mile or so of the park programs to train soldiers in specialties. I took a lot is what makes it of interest. Indeed! of math courses there and was able to get notes What’s not so improbable is that Ingram Olkin from my instructors that I had passed those courses came to know these Bronx boys—and they all were so that, when I got back to City College, I received boys then—because he became their friend, colleague, many credits and was able to graduate in one year, or collaborator over his 65-years-and-counting career. then going to Columbia for graduate school. Whether these other Crotona Park sons wrote in their high-school yearbook that they wanted to be a statistician is unknown, but Ingram did. Ingram As a meteorologist, I was an officer at different airports. notes this with a tinge of marvel today as he marks One station was in Stout Field, Indiana; another was his 90th year. Barely a week has gone by since 1947 LaGuardia, New York, and later I was in California. The when he has not been engaged in statistical work of key task for a meteorologist was to draw a weather one kind or another. map for a pilot who wanted to go from point A to Ingram’s accomplishments are legion in the world point B. I did think about continuing in meteorology, of statistics—from being instrumental in launching but, by then, I was already immersed in statistics. prominent statistical journals (Journal of Educational Statistics, Statistical Science, etc.) to oft-cited work Ingram quips, “There still is an affinity for mete- in multivariate analysis, inequalities, reliability, and orology here—my wife (Anita) likes to watch The meta-analysis. In some capacity, Ingram has men- Weather Channel morning, noon, and night.” tored many of today’s statisticians—possibly more than many other statisticians. Mentoring It could be that Ingram finds it especially amus- A mentor to many, there were mentors in Ingram’s life ing that he wrote of his statistical career aspirations who no doubt would have been disappointed if he had in high school because he knows it was in no way decided on a different life course. Selby Robinson, a a foregone conclusion that his life would work math professor, was an early influence. Jules Joskow at out as it has. He doesn’t hail from an academic the City College of New York also spent a lot of time family. Quite the contrary, he was the only son of with Ingram, spotting him as a student with deeper Lithuanian and Polish immigrants and the first in interest than others. It was at his urging that Ingram his line to go to college. went to graduate school at Columbia. World War II created the only other career temp- When pressed, Ingram will tell you his ultimate tation Ingram has experienced, but it also gave him mentor was Harold Hotelling, a name well known a leg up on completing his undergraduate math- in all statistical and economics circles and also to ematical studies and moving on to graduate work in automobile drivers in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, statistics. Ingram explains: where a street is named for him. Ingram followed Hotelling from Columbia to The University of I was born in 1924 and, when I was 18, it was World North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was one of the War II. I had started City College of New York in beneficiaries of Hotelling’s firm belief in paving the 1941 as a math major, which generally meant you way for others. Ingram reflects, “When you grow were deferred from the draft. But then the Army up, a lot of what you learn is by osmosis. You see

24 amstat news january 2015 what others do and you grow up with it, many times adopting similar positions. But when you ask me who the real mentor was for me, I think, ‘It was Hotelling.’ I always think of him that way.” Osmosis of Hotelling’s ways then might help explain how Ingram came to be a mentor to so many during a career that included stints at Michigan State University and the University of Minnesota, followed by his years at Stanford dating back to 1961 and continuing to this day. He supervised 35 PhD students and served on many dozens of other doctoral thesis committees. Ingram is especially proud to report that many of his mentees later became chairs of other departments of statistics in the country. Many may know that Ingram has played a particularly strong role in mentoring female statisticians, but few know to credit the CIA for feeding his drive to make this happen. No, not the Central Intelligence Agency, but rather the Culinary Institute of America, which his eldest daughter left Stanford to attend in hopes of becoming a master chef. She later found herself unemployable in the high-end culinary field. That the culinary world is rife with sexism and ubiquitous sexual harassment in the kitchens was something the Olkin family had to grapple with firsthand. Ingram has not one, but three, daughters—Vivian (now 64), Rhoda (a polio Ingram Olkin blows out the candles at his 90th survivor and expert in psychology and disability, birthday celebration at JSM 2014 in Boston, now aged 61), and Julia (now 55 and the only one Massachusetts. of his daughters to become a mathematician). Ingram explains: years. We encouraged these women to interact with Stanford faculty. When they later came up All of my daughters faced little obstacles here and for tenure in their institutions, they could often there because they were female. It was clear that get letters of recommendation from the Stanford there was discrimination against women in small faculty with whom they had worked. These ways or bigger ways. weren’t necessarily women from the biggest name schools, but rather from places like Kansas, Texas, Years later—at The University of North Carolina, or Delaware. It was a very successful program, Stanford, and Columbia—it became apparent and the NSF created programs to entice women there were no women on the faculty, even though into the mathematical sciences. The NSF itself was a lot of the students were female. At one point, it changing, with many female program directors occurred to me that women were often alone—the within their own organization. only woman—in math and statistics departments in both small and big schools and they were having In fact, I was just asked to write a letter of difficulty getting tenure. recommendation by one of the women I had invited to Stanford 35 years ago who is now being At that time, I was working closely with the considered for a distinguished professorship. National Science Foundation (NSF) and was able to Overall, this was one of the most successful get them to sponsor bringing three to five women initiatives in my career and I consider it a major to Stanford during the summer for one to three personal achievement.

january 2015 amstat news 25 How Times Have Changed … One of the plusses of being in statistics is that it applies to all kinds of fields and it tends to make Ingram reflects upon this and other ways in which you more of a generalist in your thinking. You get the profession has changed a great deal. He says, an interest in medicine, sociology, psychology, “In 1948, when I started my graduate studies, I and so on. Personally, this has meant that I know was able to go to the math library and read every people from many fields, as does my family. math or statistics journal. Today, that’s an impos- Perhaps being a generalist in this way has helped sibility, and this is really a problem to some degree. make me more open to the paths each of my For example, in 1940, there were approximately daughters has chosen for her career. 2,500 biomedical journals and today there are about 80,000. There’s been a 15–20-fold increase in almost every field of applied or theoretical sta- The students of today are different, and the faculty tistics. Keeping up is now a problem. It’s difficult of today are different. Today, there are many more to browse. Now there are search mechanisms to two-career families, and that wasn’t the case 40 help you find something, but that isn’t the same years ago. Then, the university was more central as browsing where you would serendipitously find to the lives of faculty than it is now. Today, many materials that are of interest. commute to the university they teach in and have far more interests outside the university. When I was in graduate school, one of the faculty leaders—Gertrude Cox—had a vision of forming an Institute of Statistics, which would include The biggest change impacting students is theoretical and applied statistics as well as technology. Statistics is now coupled to computing psychometrics and biostatistics. Her advice, which and students tend to go into both fields jointly I didn’t follow but now see as being a very good now. Years ago, computer science abilities didn’t idea, was for statisticians to find an application or figure large in a statistical life. field to concentrate on. This makes sense because every field has unique statistical problems. In psychometrics, for example, the problems are No Regrets related to tests and measurement. In forestry, they Looking back, Ingram expresses no regrets. He have to estimate the amount of timber, which says, “I was blessed in my career. I had good men- presents a different problem to solve than assessing tors and colleagues and super students. It’s not if a drug works. Each field has its unique aspects. clear to me what I could have done differently to improve on any of those because it is your teachers, colleagues, and students—your friends—who If I were to give advice to students working towards become important in your life. I’ve been fortunate their PhDs, I would urge them to be closer to the to have a super group in each of those categories. faculty and find out the interests of each faculty “When I first started at Stanford, we all lived member before they decide what to work on. The on the Stanford campus and all our neighbors interaction between students and faculty is a very were faculty and staff or somehow university con- important part of the learning process. nected. It was very good—great in fact. The bad part is that I have now survived many of them. We Yet Ingram’s career path was anything but one of now have new friends of our vintage that come specialization. He recounts: from other walks of life. In my department, however, the next-oldest faculty member is 75. That’s I would get into new areas every 10 or 15 years a big gap in age. This is just one of the problems … and, during my career, I was always passionate of aging.” about the area I was working on at the time. Today, Then again, not many—any?—90-year-olds my focus is on meta-analyses, which is a particularly are invited to their students’ weddings or asked for hot topic in medicine. letters of recommendation. Ingram doesn’t quite know which relationships he has had with stu- … Generally, I’m a theoretician, so I don’t get dents that would qualify as mentor-mentee. Does involved in specific medical applications, but rather the fact that his work continues to be widely cited with how to analyze that kind of data. My papers count? Is it only PhD students, or undergradu- are theoretical papers that came out of actual ates as well? What about younger colleagues with applications. Like other theoreticians who work on whom he has collaborated and then written letters methodology, I hope that the methods will be used of recommendation for? However you define it, by others for their own data. Ingram Olkin has mentored many. n

26 amstat news january 2015 columns

STATTR@K How to Work with Data Scientists Ryan J. Machtmes, GStat

he emergence of data science as a significant and support those statisticians being mandated to field of interest in business heralds a chal- assume the roles of business intelligence and data lenge to the practice of statistics. How we, science. We need to determine how best to respond asT a profession, respond to this challenge will deter- to and work within this new paradigm. mine our individual and collective futures. Do we The unique contributions mathematical stat- evolve with modernity, or relegate ourselves to a isticians are prepared to make to Big Data proj- subset of potential outcomes and directions? ects cannot be understated. As indicated in the Data science poses an important shift to the recently released ASA whitepaper, “Discovery province of traditionally trained statisticians, par- with Data: Leveraging Statistics with Computer ticularly in business, as data scientists seem best Science to Transform Science and Society”: equipped with the technical skills necessary to har- ness the power of Big Data (as currently defined). Statistical thinking not only helps make scientific With the novelty of data science comes the procliv- discoveries, but it quantifies the reliability, ity for computer science, business, and statistical reproducibility, and general uncertainty associated science to claim it, while forcing some statisticians with these discoveries. Because one can easily be to adopt data science as their profession to remain fooled by complicated biases and patterns arising competitive in the job market. Responding to this by chance, and because statistics has matured emergent issue is incumbent upon the members of around making discoveries from data, statistical the statistics profession. thinking will be integral to Big Data challenges. As has been advocated by statistics leaders, including ASA presidents, practicing statisticians are This does not mean statisticians, data scien- data science. What could be more central to our role tists, and information technologists should not as data stewards than to advocate for appropriate use work together to solve important Big Data chal- of these data streams? The advent of new and com- lenges, but rather that statisticians must have plex problems of statistical inference is not cause equal presence on interdisciplinary teams asked to relegate such problems to the exclusive province to respond to such issues. The mandate is clear: of information technologists, but to both lead the Statisticians, data scientists, and information charge for appropriate use of these technologies technologists need to work together to resolve

january 2015 amstat news 27 columns

5. Compromise, without compromising The mandate is clear: Statisticians, your professional practice as a statistician. It is important that we share knowledge data scientists, and information between professionals and learn new skills, but it is also important that we under- technologists need to work stand when not to compromise sound application of statistical methodology (to say nothing of ethical guidelines, which together to resolve Big Data challenges. should never be compromised).

6. Actively share project leadership when Big Data challenges. I’ve worked with data sci- possible. Both data scientists and statisti- entists and information technologists. The work- cians work from different perspectives and ing relationships I shared with these professionals skill sets; as such, each contributes to mis- succeeded because of the interdisciplinary nature sion accomplishment. of the teams. They worked because we comple- mented one another’s strengths, respected each 7. Continue to discuss and debate (con- other’s contributions to the effort, and provided structively), as discussion leads to intel- assistance when needed. We formed cohesive lectual growth. Inherently, working rela- teams, and all members were able to share their tionships between statisticians and data respective knowledge and experience. scientists can be tenuous. Statisticians With these examples in mind, I consider the may think data scientists disregard following elements of my interaction tangible best important assumptions for analysis and practices other statisticians may apply when work- underlying theory in an effort to generate ing with data scientists: an optimal solution to a business intelligence problem, while data scientists 1. Respect one another professionally. may think statisticians are intractable Without mutual respect, there can be no and recalcitrant into obtuse theoretical lasting team structure to help balance the considerations. However, by continuing workloads. to debate such issues constructively, we are better able to produce analyses that are both efficient and accurate, and help 2. Don’t assume you know everything, or advance the science. that anyone does. Every member of the team contributes something. 8. Finally, joke together, as it helps get through the work day. 3. Develop one another’s skills and knowledge areas. If there is a data-related concept To be fair, no amount of my belaboring the point a statistician doesn’t know, or a statistical will resolve an issue that, much like the dawn of concept a data scientist doesn’t know, there data mining in the 1980s, will take more discus- is opportunity for professional growth. sion, debate, and research. While it is important for the debate to continue for long-term benefit of 4. Trust each other sufficiently to admit statistical science, I do hope this column provides when the other knows something you an example of the way forward for statisticians don’t and use it as a learning experience. working with data scientists. Beyond that, it is my It is humbling and exposes vulnerabilities, hope this column might positively contribute to the however fleeting, to admit gaps in one’s larger ongoing discussion by providing an example knowledge. But, by admitting one’s knowl- of ways traditional statisticians might work together edge gaps in confidence, we can not only in symbiotic relationship with data scientists for learn and eliminate those knowledge gaps, mutual benefit, each learning new skills from the but also help accomplish the mission. other, with an air of mutual professional respect. n

28 amstat news january 2015 education

Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in Statistical Science Updated

he widely quoted McKinsey & Company report, Big Data: The Next Frontier for Innovation, Competition,T and Productivity, predicts a shortage of up to 190,000 workers with deep analytical skills and 1.5 million managers and analysts to manage data projects. A number of these workers will be holders of bachelor’s degrees in statistics. How can we prepare these graduates to have the appropriate skills to make sense of the information around them? To help answer that question, 2014 ASA President Nathaniel Schenker appointed a working group to help ensure bachelor’s graduates have the necessary capacities to use data to make evidence-based decisions. Out of that working group came the updated ASA Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in Statistical Science. These guidelines were adopted in November by the ASA Board of Directors and The ASA report also notes enrollments in sta- replace guidelines adopted in 2000. The updated tistics classes have increased dramatically. The guidelines were developed by a group of ASA mem- Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System bers chaired by Nicholas Horton. Other mem- Completions Survey, conducted by the National More online bers included Beth Chance, Steve Cohen, Scott Center for Education Statistics, shows the number Visit http:// Grimshaw, Johanna Hardin, Tim Hesterberg, of bachelor’s graduates in statistics has increased bit.ly/1rfUFj6 to access the Roger Hoerl, Chris Malone, Rebecca Nichols, and more than four-fold since ASA guidelines were complete Deborah Nolan. first issued: from 380 in 2000 to 1,656 in 2013. undergraduate The guidelines call for adaptations to the The curriculum outlined in the Curriculum statistics undergraduate curriculum to account for the Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in Statistical guidelines and increased importance of data analysis, teamwork, Science stresses the integration of knowledge and related white papers and communications, and other relevant skills and skills in the following four key areas: webinars. experiences in today’s practice of statistics. • Statistical Methods and Theory: “These new guidelines recognize the increasing Statistical theory, exploratory and graph- importance of the practice of statistics to solving the ical data analysis methods, design of complex problems faced by business, industry, and studies and issues of bias, and statistical government entities,” said Horton. “These new cur- modeling riculum guidelines will help ensure graduates have the skill set to tackle the more rigorous data analysis chal- • Data-Related and Computation: Use of lenges that our society faces. These data-analytics skills one or more professional statistical soft- are needed by society and employers in our increas- ware environments and multiple data tools, data manipulation, programming, ingly information-rich world.” and simulation

january 2015 amstat news 29 education

These guidelines will ensure that • Mathematical Foundation: Calculus, linear algebra, probability, with empha- sis on connections between these cours- undergraduate statistics programs es and their application • Statistical Practice: Effective technical provide their students appropriate writing, visualization, and presentation skills; teamwork and collaboration; and training for a career in statistics. ability to interact with a variety of cli- ents and collaborators “These guidelines will ensure that undergraduate statistics programs provide their students appropriate training for a career in statistics,” said 2015 ASA President David Morganstein. “The ASA leadership and the members of the undergraduate guidelines work group strongly encourage the leaders and faculty of each undergraduate statistics program to read and apply these updated guidelines so their students are fully prepared to thrive in our increasingly data- centric world.” “There is a pressing need to ensure we have quantitative scientists, including statisticians, with the ability to bridge the technology and information transfer gap in order to accelerate our understanding of disease biology, etiology, and prognosis and innovations in disease prevention and treatment,” said Xihong Lin, professor of biostatistics at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and member of the Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics at the National Research Council. “These guidelines are very timely, insightful, and thoughtful. They can help to prepare this next generation of analysts to effectively translate these data into knowledge and contribute to making new discoveries in health sciences.” The report also includes recommendations for curriculum topics for minors or concentrations in statistics and discussions about the relationships of the undergraduate statistics curriculum with the growing number of high-school and community college courses in statistics and master’s programs in statistics. Horton also noted a variety of white papers are in development that will help steer undergraduate statistics departments through the process of implementing the new curriculum guidelines. Topics broached in these papers include “data science and the undergraduate curriculum,” “learning outcomes for undergraduate programs in statistical science” and “roadmap for smaller schools.” n

30 amstat news january 2015 people news

Christine E. McLaren, professor in the department of epidemiology at the University of California, Irvine, has received National a $2.04 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Medal of Diseases to study genetic modi- fiers of iron status in hemochro- Science matosis, a hereditary disease in which affected persons suffer excessive dietary iron absorption. Awarded Some patients accumulate toxic levels of iron causing dam- David Blackwell was age to multiple organs and com- posthumously awarded the plications such as liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, heart National Medal of Science failure, diabetes, arthritis, and during a ceremony at the impotence. Others have less severe White House November 20. iron overload and do not experi- His son, Hugo Blackwell, ence such disease manifestations. and granddaughter, To understand the reasons Hugo Blackwell (David Blackwell’s son) displays David for this variability in disease Kasheen Blackwell, Blackwell’s National Medal of Science with ASA Past expression better, McLaren and accepted the award. President Nathaniel Schenker. colleagues will examine genetic factors in the susceptibility or resistance to iron overload in patients with hemochromatosis during the AAAS annual meet- • Clifford Spiegelman, Texas across a wide range of geo- ing in San Jose, California. A&M University The ASA members elected as graphic areas. For more information, visit fellows to the AAAS Section on A Fellow of the ASA and http://bit.ly/1r3Pg4J. n member of the ASA Committee Statistics are the following: on Professional Ethics, McLaren • Susmita Datta, University of ASA Past President is a program leader and mem- Louisville ber of the Biostatistics Shared Nathaniel Schenker has Resource at the Chao Family • Mark Andrew Espeland, been named deputy director Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center of the National Center for School of Medicine in Orange, Calif. Health Statistics (NCHS). In This NIH award will establish • Robert Jackson Hardy, announcing the news, Charles a U.S. consortium with interna- University of Texas School of Rothwell, NCHS director, said tional partners to collect infor- Public Health Schenker has been instrumen- mation from a broad collection tal in developing collaborative • William Q. Meeker Jr., Iowa of hemochromatosis patients and statistical relationships within State University subjects enrolled in screening NCHS and with other federal studies and clinical practice. • Dudley L. Poston, Texas statistical agencies. Schenker Read more about McLaren at A&M University currently is the agency’s asso- http://magazine.amstat.org. n ciate director for research • Paula Karen Roberson, and methodology. He joined NCHS after serving in several The American Association University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences capacities in the biostatis- for the Advancement of tics departments in UCLA’s Science (AAAS) council has • John P. Sall, SAS Institute School of Public Health and elected 401 members as fel- • James J. Schlesselman, School of Medicine. Schenker lows. These individuals will be University of Pittsburgh will assume his new role in recognized in February for their February. Visit the NCHS contributions to science and • Stephanie Shipp, Virginia website for details: http://1.usa. technology at the fellows forum Tech University gov/1GuNNpy. n

january 2015 amstat news 31 people news

Obituary Marvin Zelen Karen Feldscher and Zelen, along with his longtime collaborator Paul Carbone, established Marvin Zelen of the department of the standards and practice now used biostatistics at the Harvard School of in clinical trials of many diseases. Public Health (HSPH) passed away Along the way, Zelen formed the sta- November 15, 2014, at age 87 after a tistical laboratory at the University of battle with cancer. Buffalo, which was dedicated to over- Zelen was Lemuel Shattuck Research seeing and improving the statistical Professor of Statistical Science, as well as aspects of large, complex drug trials. a member of the faculty of arts and sci- ECOG would go on to become one ences (emeritus) at Harvard University. of the largest programs in the world He served for a decade in the 1980s as for testing various cancer treatments. chair of the school’s department of bio- “Marvin had a lot of guts and a statistics. He was known as a giant in vision for what was important,” said the field of biostatistics, as well as a man Mitchell Gail, senior investigator in the of vision, generosity, and warmth. He biostatistics branch of NCI’s Division is credited with transforming HSPH’s Marvin Zelen of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics. biostatistics department into a best in “He finagled NCI into supporting the the country. remedied by earning one at American use of DEC-10 computers in clinical Zelen was known for developing the University in 1957. trials, long before the study-section statistical methods and study designs In the early 1960s, Zelen spent supported it. He inspired the clinical used in clinical cancer trials, in which two years as a visiting professor at the trials community of statisticians.” experimental drugs are tested for tox- University of Wisconsin Mathematics Zelen also played a key role in icity, effectiveness, and proper dosage. Research Center, where he first worked President Nixon’s “war on cancer” in He also introduced measures to ensure with cancer researchers, helping them the early 1970s, serving as chair of a data from the trials are as free as possible address problems with study design. committee responsible for drafting the of errors and biases—measures that are After that, beginning in 1963, he led new program. His involvement in this now standard practice. Zelen helped the National Cancer Institute’s applied endeavor was “tremendous and lasting,” transform clinical trial research into a mathematics and statistics section for according to Lee-Jen Wei, professor of well-managed and statistically sophis- four years, where he delved further into biostatistics at HSPH. ticated branch of medical science. His cancer and clinical research. He spent a In the mid-1970s, Zelen’s pioneer- work in this area has led to significant year in London as a Fulbright Scholar, ing work in Buffalo brought him to the medical advances, such as improved after which he joined the biostatistics attention of HSPH’s then-biostatistics treatments for several forms of cancer. department at the State University of chair, Frederick Mosteller, who was His research also focused on improved New York in Buffalo. working to strengthen the biostatistics early detection of cancer; on model- During his decade in Buffalo, department. Zelen insisted he would ing the progression of cancer and its Zelen helped the Eastern Cooperative only come to Harvard if he could bring response to treatment; and on using sta- Oncology Group (ECOG)—one of with him the team he’d built in Buffalo. tistical models to help determine opti- several regional organizations estab- In the end, 27 faculty, researchers, and mal screening strategies for various com- lished by the National Cancer Institute staff moved from Buffalo to Boston mon cancers, especially breast cancer. (NCI) to test experimental cancer thera- in 1977, bringing with them a huge Born and raised in New York City, pies—with their studies. In an American DEC-20 computer and the ECOG Zelen attended New York’s City College, University alumni magazine article trials—150 cancer trials involving sev- where he became interested in statistics in 2008, Zelen said those early stud- eral thousand patients. Zelen’s lab was and probability. After college and a mas- ies were “terrible.” He said the studies established at the Dana-Farber Cancer ter’s degree in mathematical statistics were “poorly thought out; the data was Institute (DFCI), where, simultane- from The University of North Carolina wrong; they had poor quality control, ously with his tenure at HSPH, he built at Chapel Hill, he worked for 10 years not enough patients—everything you the cancer institute’s department of bio- at the mathematics lab of the National can think of that was antiscientific.” He statistics and computational biology. Bureau of Standards in Washington, suggested to the physicians in charge of Zelen’s colleague, biostatistics pro- DC. He was the only one working in the studies that they basically start again fessor Nan Laird of HSPH, recalled the lab without a doctorate—which he from scratch. The physicians agreed that “those first few years of integrating

32 amstat news january 2015 people news

Obituary

12 new faculty members from Buffalo Another of Zelen’s achievements around the world have benefited from with half as many from Harvard were was his establishment, in 1975, of Zelen’s innovative ideas and transforma- part of Marvin’s grand plan to make the Frontier Science and Technology tive effect on biomedical research, but Harvard the number-one biostatistics Research Foundation, a nonprofit devot- those of us associated with the Harvard department in the country—which it ed to advancing the use of statistical sci- Department of Biostatistics are particu- is and has been for quite some time. It ence and practice and data management larly grateful for Marvin’s commitment was an enormously exciting time when techniques in science, health care, and to educating students and advancing the we were united in working toward a education. Zelen served as president, careers of junior scientists.” common goal. Marvin’s genius was that and his wife, Thelma, was chief admin- Zelen’s work has been recog- he got all of us involved, then stepped istrative officer. Richard Gelber, profes- nized around the world through back and gave us all the credit.” sor of biostatistics of HSPH and DFCI, awards and other accolades. In 1997, On a more personal level, Laird said, “This is another excellent example in honor of his 70th birthday, the said Zelen was “a tremendous force of how Marvin established an environ- school established the annual Marvin in my personal and professional life. ment within which others could flour- Zelen Leadership Award in Statistical He was always in and out of my office, ish. Thelma’s contributions to Marvin’s Science, which has become one of the asking how things were going. Even as success cannot be overlooked. Their most prestigious awards in the field he was trying to convince me to do partnership is a role model of working and is meant to reflect Zelen’s con- something I absolutely did not want together, and she has been a major force tributions to quantitative science and to do, I always felt his intentions for in the formation and administrative beyond. In 2009, Zelen was awarded me were the best. Marvin was always leadership of Frontier Science as its chief the American Cancer Society’s high- honest and unpretentious.” operating officer for almost 40 years.” est honor—a Medal of Honor. He Zelen succeeded Mosteller as bio- Last but not least, Zelen has been received the Samuel S. Wilks Memorial statistics chair in 1981. He continued widely praised for his mentorship and Award, one of the most prestigious working on the ECOG trials, helped generosity. Gelber said, “During the awards from the American Statistical lay the groundwork for the depart- past 39 years, Marvin taught me much Association, in 2006, and the Fisher ment’s pre-eminence in AIDS clinical about the importance of collaborative Lecturer Award from the Committee trials, and improved the biostatistics research and how progress is fueled by of Presidents of Statistical Societies curriculum. As chair, he was the driv- statistical and clinical scientists work- (COPSS) in 2007 in recognition of his ing force that propelled the department ing together as partners.” outstanding contributions to statistical to its position as a leading center for Fellow biostatisticians from around science. A special issue of the journal biostatistical research. the country—people like Jack Kalbfleisch Lifetime Data Analysis was dedicated Zelen also achieved another level of from the University of Michigan, Ross to him in 2004. Three symposia have fame in the early 1980s, when he and his Prentice from the Fred Hutchinson been held around the world in his late colleague in the biostatistics depart- Cancer Research Center, and Norman honor. And he received an honorary ment, Stephen Lagakos, launched a Breslow from the University of doctoral degree from the Universite study of a possible connection between Washington—have all spoken of Zelen’s Victor Segalon in France. a cluster of childhood leukemia cases in huge influence. “Marvin was a tremen- Zelen is survived by his wife, Thelma; Woburn and the town’s water supply. dous force in the profession and a great two daughters, Deborah and Sandy Known as the Harvard Health Study, the mentor to so many of his colleagues and Zelen; and two grandsons, Matthew investigation showed, for the first time, students,” said Kalbfleisch. Prentice said and Toby Mues. a connection between Woburn’s con- Zelen “did much to define the biosta- Contributions may be made in taminated water and a variety of adverse tistical profession.” Breslow said he was Zelen’s memory to the Marvin Zelen health effects, including leukemia. The “greatly influenced by Marvin and his Education and Leadership Fund, matter made headlines, wound up in work.” Mitchell Gail of NCI put it this Department of Biostatistics, Harvard court, and was chronicled in the book A way: “So many people were helped by School of Public Health, c/o HSPH Civil Action, which was later made into Marvin, whether they needed assistance Office of External Relations, 90 Smith a movie. As the book notes, when Zelen with starting a company, with a personal St., Boston, MA 02120. They also may announced the study’s results in the base- matter, or with ideas and guidance in aca- be given online at www.hsph.harvard. ment of a Woburn church in February demic statistics. That is truly a legacy to edu/give. Please designate in the com- 1984, someone in the audience called be proud of.” ment field that your contribution is out, “Thank God for Marvin Zelen,” Current biostatistics chair of HSPH, for the Marvin Zelen Education and and the crowd burst into applause. Victor DeGruttola, said, “Scientists from Leadership Fund.

january 2015 amstat news 33 awards and deadlines Nominations Sought for 2015 Don Owen Award he San Antonio Chapter Nominees must be a member • Present position(s), followed is accepting nomina- of the ASA, but are not required by significant former positions from ASA chapters to be a member of the nominat- tions (with dates) inT North America for the 2015 ing chapter. In addition to a cover • List of major publications Don Owen Award, which is letter highlighting the accomplish- having statistical content presented to a statistician who ments of the nominee, the nomi- • List of activities related to embodies the three-fold accom- nation packet must contain the teaching and dissemination plishments of Donald B. Owen: following supporting information: of statistical knowledge excellence in research, statistical • Name of the nominee consultation, and service to the • List of consulting activities statistical community. • Degrees (titles, dates, related to statistical problems schools) or editorial contributions • List of activities support- Deadlines and Contact Information for ASA National Awards, ing the mission of the ASA and related professional Special Lectureships, and COPSS Awards organizations www.amstat.org/awards February 20, 2015 To nominate someone, send February 1, 2015 ASA Statistics in the Physical and the nomination packet as a Karl E. Peace Award for Outstanding Statistical Engineering Sciences Award PDF via email to David Han at Contributions for the Betterment of Society Nominations and Questions: Philip J. Ramsey Nominations: Pam Craven [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] with “Owen Questions: G. David Williamson [email protected] Award” in the subject field. February 23, 2015 Alternatively, six copies of the February 1, 2015 ASA Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship nomination packet can be mailed ASA W. J. Dixon Award for Excellence in Applications: Pam Craven [email protected] to David Han, Department Statistical Consulting Questions: Eloise E. Kaizar [email protected] Nominations: Pam Craven [email protected] of Management Science & Questions: Michael H. Kutner [email protected] Statistics, University of Texas at March 1, 2015 San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, ASA Edward C. Bryant Scholarship February 15, 2015 Applications: Pam Craven [email protected] San Antonio, TX 78249. Causality in Statistics Education Award Questions: Tapabrata Maiti [email protected] The deadline for nomina- Nominations and Questions: [email protected] tions is February 6, 2015. March 1, 2015 Before his death in 1991, February 15, 2015 ASA Excellence in Statistical Reporting Award Owen was distinguished professor ASA Samuel S. Wilks Memorial Medal Nominations: Pam Craven [email protected] of statistics at Southern Methodist Nominations: Pam Craven [email protected] Questions: Morteza Marzjarani Questions: Lynne Billard [email protected] [email protected] University in Dallas. He authored seven textbooks, seven mono- February 15, 2015 March 1, 2015 graphs, and more than 75 articles ASA Waller Distinguished Teaching Career Award ASA Fellows in refereed journals; trained 19 Nominations: Pam Craven [email protected] Questions: Stephanie S. Shipp [email protected] doctoral and master’s students; Questions: Bradley A. Hartlaub [email protected] served as an applied statisti- March 1, 2015 cian for 10 years at the Sandia February 15, 2015 ASA Outstanding Statistical Application Award Corporation; and operated a ASA Waller Education Award Nominations: Pam Craven [email protected] Nominations: Pam Craven [email protected] Questions: DuBois Bowman dubois.bowman@ private consulting firm that spe- Questions: Bradley A. Hartlaub [email protected] columbia.edu cialized in quality control. Owen was editor of Communications in February 15, 2015 March 15, 2015 Statistics for both Series A and B, ASA W. J. Youden Award in ASA Founders Award associate editor of Technometrics Interlaboratory Testing Nominations: Pam Craven [email protected] and JASA, and editor of more Nominations: Pam Craven [email protected] Questions: Nathaniel Schenker Questions: Blaza Toman [email protected] [email protected] than 50 textbooks. If you have questions about the award, call (210) 458-7895.n

34 amstat news january 2015 section • chapter • committee news sectionnews Biometrics A one-page application is due by February 15 in the following format: Summary of Request, Edited by Sheng Luo, Biometrics Section Publications Significance and/or Rationale, and Budget. Officer Expenditures are restricted to domestic travel and the cost of meeting attendance. A funding peri- Abstract submissions for regular contributed and od with a start date no earlier than March 1 and an topic-contributed papers will be accepted online end date no later than August 31, 2016, also should until February 2. See http://bit.ly/1vJyGSI for be specified. more information. Applications and questions should be submitted Topic-contributed sessions are a nice alternative by email to ASA Biometrics Section past chair, Mike to contributed sessions because they are organized Daniels, at [email protected]. Recipients around a central topic, the talks are longer (20 min- will be expected to submit a brief report within one utes, rather than 15), and one can have discussants month of the conclusion of the project. n as well as speakers. Sessions consist of five participants (e.g., four speakers and one discussant or three Defense and National Security speakers and two discussants). Those interested in organizing a topic-contribut- The Section on Defense and National Security ed session should notify the 2015 JSM Biometrics cosponsored the Conference on Applied Statistics Section chair, Rebecca Hubbard, at rhubb@mail. in Defense (CASD), which took place October med.upenn.edu. They also must submit a proposal 20–24, 2014, at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in online by January 15. See http://bit.ly/1AsnFcA for Washington, DC. instructions on organizing and submitting a topic- The CASD continues the traditions of the contributed session. Design of Experiments Conference (1955–1994) Also consider proposing a topic-contributed and Army Conference on Applied Statistics (1994– panel session. Panel sessions have 3–6 panelists, and 2013). It is a forum for the presentation and discus- the session submission format involves one abstract sion of theoretical and applied papers related to the for all speakers. Note that if each speaker wishes to use of probability and statistics in solving problems provide an abstract, speak on a specific topic, and of interest to the defense community. It provides submit an individual paper for JSM Proceedings, a unique opportunity for interaction between aca- then the session should be a paper session. demia, industry, and government researchers. The principal theme was reliability, with a sec- Call for Proposals ondary focus on text analysis. One of the distinc- The Biometrics Section invites applications for tive characteristics of CASD is an inclusive two- funding to support career-development efforts for day tutorial, which was on applied reliability and assistant professors or associate/full professors inter- given by William Meeker of Iowa State University. ested in moving into a new research area. Also, as part of the theme, John Eltinge of the The section is particularly interested in appli- Bureau of Labor Statistics gave a clinical ses- cations that will result in a benefit to the broader sion presentation titled “Prospective Application research community. For example, funding could of System Reliability Concepts and Methods to support attendance at a workshop to receive addi- Analysis of Survey Participation” and Meeker and tional training in an applied research area typically Shane Reese of Brigham Young University pro- underserved by biostatisticians. vided discussion. Applications will be accepted from individuals The keynote, “Shape Metrology,” was given interested in receiving additional training or from by Antonio Possolo of the National Institute of individuals or groups interested in recruiting bio- Standards and Technology. Other invited talks statisticians for training in a specific, underserved focused on model-based clustering of large net- research area. works, a time series analysis of Twitter graphs, and The section anticipates funding up to two pro- applications of the extremogram to spatial processes. posals this year, with total funding of up to $3,000- Special sessions on network science, heavy-tailed $5,000 per proposal to be spent within the next distributions, and network science also were given. 1.5 years. Applicants must be an ASA member and Selected papers will be published in the 2015 JSM Biometrics Section member at time of submission. Proceedings. In the meantime, slides have been posted to the conference website at www.CASiD.info. n

january 2015 amstat news 35 section • chapter • committee news

Quality and Productivity (SRC) on Statistics in Industry and Technology will be hosted by Procter and Gamble and held The 2015 Quality and Productivity Research in Cincinnati, Ohio, May 20–22. The theme of Conference (QPRC), sponsored by JMP and the this year’s SRC is “Bridging Statistics Research North Carolina State University Department of and Application to Foster Innovation.” Visit the Textiles, will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, June SRC website at http://bit.ly/1zJhjHU.aspx for more 9–12. Papers for the conference can be submitted to information about the conference and abstract the program chair, Di Michelson, at di.michelson@sas. submissions, which are due April 1. com by March 1. The 2015 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) In conjunction with QPRC, the Mary G. will be held in Seattle, Washington, August 8–13. and Joseph Natrella scholarship offers a $3,500 The theme this year is “Statistics: Making Better grant and $500 travel stipend to students pursu- Decisions.” SPES will sponsor sessions, roundtables, ing full-time graduate work with demonstrated and short courses. And don’t forget about the fun- interest in quality and statistics. For more infor- filled mixer! Visit the JSM website at www.amstat.org/ mation, visit the scholarship website at http:// meetings/jsm/2015 for more information, and contact community.amstat.org/QP/ScholarshipsAwards/ the SPES program chair, William Li, at [email protected] MaryGandJosephNatrellaScholarship. for abstract submissions, which are due February 2. The section also will offer up to three $400 travel The 59th ASA/ASQ Fall Technical Conference grants to graduate students who wish to attend the (FTC) will be held in Houston, Texas, October Joint Statistical Meetings in Seattle, Washington, in 8–9. The theme of this year’s FTC is “Statistics and August. Visit http://bit.ly/1vZQVZd for details and to Quality: Solving Problems Today and Tomorrow.” download an application. Applications will be accept- The conference will include a new SPES-sponsored ed through March 31. panel discussion, “Success and the Statistician.” The The Fall Technical Conference, chaired this event will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and include year by Flor Castillo, will be held October 8–9 in refreshments. Visit the FTC website at http://asq.org/ Houston, Texas. If you are interested in presenting an conferences/fall-technical for more information, and applied or expository paper, contact Alix Robertson contact the SPES program committee chair, Zhen at [email protected]. The abstract submission dead- Wang, at [email protected] for abstract sub- line is February 28. missions, which are due February 28. These activities could not be completed without the help of volunteers. If you would like to volun- Marquardt Memorial Industrial teer, email the 2015 section chair, David Edwards, Speakers Program at [email protected]. n Consider hosting a speaker or presenting as part of the Marquardt Memorial Industrial Speakers Physical and Engineering Sciences Program. Through a donation by Margaret Stephanie P. DeHart, DuPont and SPES Chair Marquardt in memory of her late husband, Donald W. Marquardt (ASA Fellow and former Happy New Year! The New Year is a time of resolu- ASA president), SPES instituted this program in tion for many people, including me. We all know the 1998 to foster communication between industrial routine. We’ll promise to start exercising or eating statisticians and academic statistics programs. healthier this year. We’ll start off strong, but, within a The program’s objective is to familiarize stu- few weeks, we’ve lost our way to the gym and indulged dents with the role of statisticians in industry, an in all those Super Bowl party snacks. Our New Year’s application area to which students often are not promise to ourselves is long forgotten. Well, this year I exposed. The program seeks to fill this gap by encourage you to make a resolution that you can actu- bringing experienced industrial statisticians to ally keep by vowing to become more involved in SPES. campus to talk directly with students about their Now this does not mean you have to devote time as an work and industrial experiences. officer (though we are always looking for volunteers). If you would like to have a speaker visit your cam- Instead, pick one or two ways you can take advantage pus or if you would like to tell the world about life as of all your SPES membership has to offer. an industrial statistician, please contact the program’s chair, Greg Piepel, at [email protected]. Conferences Consider attending one of the annual confer- Even More Opportunities ences SPES cosponsors and take advantage of the If the previous activities sound interesting, but you opportunities to share and learn through techni- aren’t quite ready to make a promise that statistics cal presentations, roundtables, and short courses. will go beyond your office this year, then consider The 22nd ASA/IMS Spring Research Conference another engagement that allows you to stay at your

36 amstat news january 2015 section • chapter • committee news desk. Attend a SPES-sponsored webinar, start a dis- in statistics and quality. Invited sessions included cussion with fellow members in our LinkedIn Group Application of Statistical Engineering (ASA- (http://linkd.in/1IKmDPg), or even send me an email Q&P), Statistical Engineering and Big Data (ASQ- ([email protected]) with any ideas you STAT), George Box’s Contributions to Quality and may have about how SPES can better serve your Statistics and Definitive Screening Designs (ASQ- needs. I would love to hear from you! CPID), and Statistical Tools for Computational In closing, I encourage all of you to make a reso- Model Data (ASA-SPES). lution you can actually keep: Use your SPES mem- The W. J. Youden Memorial Address was given by bership and get more involved! I also would like to Connie Borror from Arizona State University. Also thank all the SPES officers who have already done noteworthy were invited sessions from Technometrics, this by volunteering. To our 2014 officers—espe- Quality Engineering, and the Journal of Quality cially our 2014 chair, Liz Schiferl—thank you for a Technology; contributed sessions on design of experi- successful year! And to our new 2015 officers, wel- ments, quality, and reliability; and a lunchtime presen- come! Your dedication and service makes SPES a tation by ASA Executive Director Ronald Wasserstein. valuable organization for our members. I am grate- On the day preceding the conference, four short ful for the opportunity to serve as chair this year courses were offered that spanned design of experi- and look forward to working with all of you. ments, text mining, reliability data analysis, and effective presentations for statisticians. Equally as valuable FTC Wrap-Up were the many opportunities to interact with col- Zhen Wang, The Lubrizol Corporation and FTC SPES leagues from the statistics and quality areas. The con- Representative ference provided a setting to network at meals and in the hospitality suite. The 58th Fall Technical Conference (FTC), co- SPES is accepting papers for the 2015 Fall sponsored by the ASA and American Society Technical Conference, to be held October 8–9 in for Quality (ASQ), was held October 2–3 in Houston, Texas. The abstract submission deadline Richmond, Virginia. The conference was well is February 28. Contact Zhen Wang at zhen.wang@ attended, with sessions covering a range of topics lubrizol.com for details. n

january 2015 amstat news 37 calendar of events

›› 26–27—SAMSI Undergraduate jmp.com/dae2015 or contact Katie February Workshop, Research Triangle Taylor, 100 SAS Campus Drive, Cary, * ›› 16–20—12th Workshop on Park, North Carolina NC 27511; (919) 531-2144; katie. Stochastic Models, Statistics, For details, visit http://bit.ly/1uJ6j6T [email protected]. and Their Applications, Wroclaw, or contact Jamie Nunnelly, 19 T.W. Poland ›› 10–12—New Techniques Alexander Drive, RTP, NC 27709; (919) and Technologies for Statistics For more information, visit 685-9350; [email protected]. (NTTS) 2015, Brussels, Belgium www.smsa2015.rwth-aachen. For more information, visit ntts2015. de or contact Annabel Prause, March eu or contact NTTS 2015 Secretariat, Wuellnerstrasse 3, Aachen, European Commission, Luxembourg, International 52062, Germany; * ›› 4–6—DAE 2015, Cary, North International L-2920; +352-4301-1; 0049-241-80-94775; prause@ Carolina [email protected]. stochastik.rwth-aachen.de. For more information, visit www. ›› 16–18—Discovering Patterns in Human Microbiome Data (HMD), Research Triangle Park, SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP North Carolina For details, visit http://bit.ly/1AcTVRm Statistics Instructors in or contact Jamie Nunnelly, 19 T.W. Alexander Drive, RTP, NC 27709; (919) Cyberspace 685-9319; [email protected]. ›› 18–20—International Statistics Instructors in about new methods and tools MultiConference of Engineers Cyberspace is a new ASA special appropriate for teaching online and Computer Scientists 2015, interest group that was estab- courses; and work toward an Hong Kong lished in October of 2014. The improvement in the quality of For details, visit www.iaeng.org/ purpose of this group is to sup- online statistics education for IMECS2015 or contact IAENG port statistics educators who students. The group plans to Secretariat, Unit 1, 1/F, 37-39 Hung To Road, Hong Kong, International teach online courses and/or have meet regularly at the Joint HK, Hong Kong; (852) 3169-3427; an interest in online teaching Statistical Meetings (JSM) and [email protected]. and online learning. Through maintain an electronic discus- participation in this professional sion list. ›› 23–25—JMP Discovery community, educators will have For details about becom- Summit Brussels 2015, Brussels, opportunities to meet, connect ing part of this group, contact Belgium with, and commiserate with Michelle Everson at everson.50@ For more information, visit www. other online educators; learn osu.edu. jmp.com/discovery-europe or contact Katie Taylor, 100 SAS Campus Drive, Cary, NC 27513; (919) 531-2144; [email protected]. ›› 27—Philosophy of Information and Information Processing, Oxford, United Kingdom For more information, visit http://bit. ly/12UrZXf or contact Aisha Khan, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Kreeger 104, Washington, DC 20016; (202) 885-3758; info-metrics@ american.edu. April * ›› 9–10—Robust Rank-Based and Nonparametric Methods,

38 amstat news january 2015 calendar of events

The following events are the latest additions to the ASA’s online calendar of events. Announce- ments are accepted from education and not-for- profit organizations only. To view the complete list of statistics meetings and workshops, visit www. Kalamazoo, Michigan ›› 25–28—The 24th International amstat.org/dateline. For details, visit www.stat.wmich. Workshop on Matrices and edu/mckean/RBconf or contact Statistics, IWMS-2015, Haikou, * Indicates events sponsored by the ASA or one of Magdalena Niewiadomska-Bugaj, Hainan, China its sections, chapters, or committees Department of Statistics, Western For more information, visit http:// Michigan University, Kalamazoo, bit.ly/1AcGLDW or contact Jeffrey ›› Indicates events posted since the previous issue MI 49008-5152; (616) 387-4542; Hunter, Auckland University of (616) 387-1421; m.bugaj Technology, Auckland, International @wmich.edu. 1142, New Zealand; +6421810282; Joint with Graybill Conference, [email protected]. Fort Collins, Colorado ›› 26–28—27th Annual For more information, visit www.stat. Conference on Applied Statistics ›› 26–29—UT Summer Statistics colostate.edu/graybillconference or in Agriculture, Manhattan, Institute, Austin, Texas contact Naitee Ting, 198 Spicer Hill Kansas For details, visit stat.utexas.edu/ Road, Ledyard, CT 06339-1534; (203) For more information, visit www. training/ssi or contact Sasha 798-4999; naitee.ting dce.k-state.edu/conf/applied- Schellenberg, 2317 Speedway, @boehringer-ingelheim.com. stats or contact Jo Blackburn, Stop D9800, Austin, TX 78712-1823; 101 Dickens Hall, Kansas State (512) 232-9217; sasha. ›› 21–24—International University, Manhattan, KS 66502; [email protected]. Symposium on Forecasting, (785) 532-0511; [email protected]. Riverside, California ›› 31–6/5—Workshop on For details, visit http://forecasters. ›› 30–5/2—2015 SIAM Statistical Learning of Biological org/isf or contact Pamela Stroud, International Conference on Systems from Perturbations, 53 Tesla Ave., Medford, MA 02155; Data Mining, Vancouver, British Ascona, Switzerland (781) 234-4077; [email protected]. Columbia, Canada For details, visit www.cbg.ethz.ch/ For details, visit www.siam.org/ news/ascona2015 or contact Niko ›› 29–7/2—Bayesian meetings/sdm15 or contact Beerenwinkel, niko.beerenwinkel@ Nonparametrics: Synergies Nicole Erle, 3600 Market St., 6th bsse.ethz.ch. Between Statistics, Probability, Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104; and Mathematics, Research (215) 382-9800, Ext. 305; erle@ Triangle Park, North Carolina siam.org. For details, visit http://bit. June ly/1yYuYqJ or contact Jamie * ›› 1–3—Uncertainties in Nunnelly, 19 T.W. Alexander Drive, Computational Hemodynamics, RTP, NC 27709; (919) 685-9300; May Research Triangle Park, North [email protected]. * ›› 14–17—AAPOR 70th Carolina Annual Conference, Boston, For more information, visit http:// Massachusetts bit.ly/1ITcu2S or contact Jamie For details, contact Lisa Kamen, 111 Nunnelly, 19 T.W. Alexander July Deer Lake Road, Ste. 100, Deerfield, Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC * ›› 1–3—2015 International MA 60015; (847) 205-2651; lkamen@ 27709; (919) 685-9300; Conference of Computational aapor.org. [email protected]. Statistics and Data Engineering, London, United Kingdom ›› 21–22—The 4th International ›› 7–13—Methods in Cancer For more information, visit http:// Conference on Quantitative Biostatistics Workshop: bit.ly/1zW4D0o or contact IAENG and Qualitative Methodologies Clinical Trial Designs for Secretariat, Unit 1, 1/F, 37-39 in the Economic and Targeted Agents, Lake Tahoe, Hung To Road, Hong Kong, Administrative Sciences California International HK; (852) 3169-3427; (ICQQMEAS2015), Athens, For more information, visit www. [email protected]. Greece AACR.org/Biostat or contact Virginie For more information, visit sites. Adam, 615 Chestnut St., 17th Floor, ›› 1–4—5th IMS-China google.com/site/icqqmeas2015 or Philadelphia, PA 19106; (215) 446- International Conference on contact Christos Frangos, Agiou 7266 [email protected]. Statistics and Probability, Spiridonos Street, Egaleo, Athens, Kunming, China ›› 14–17—International Chinese International 122 10, Greece; For details, visit ww.2015imschina. Statistical Association Year 2015 00306944162376; cfragos com or contact Qiwei Yao, London Applied Statistics Symposium @teiath.gr. School of Economics, Houghton

january 2015 amstat news 39 calendar of events

Street, London, International For more information, visit www. WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom; August mcp-conference.org/hp/2015 or 442079556767; [email protected]. * ›› 6–8—21st ISSAT International contact Ajit Tamhane, Dept. of IEMS, Conference on Reliability & 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL ›› 6–8—International Quality in Design, Philadelphia, 60208; (847) 491-3577; atamhane@ Symposium in Statistics Pennsylvania northwestern.edu. To view (ISS) 2015 on Advances in For details, visit www.issat the entire list Parametric and Semiparametric conferences.org or contact ›› 7–10—2015 Annual Analysis of Multivariate, Time Conference of the International of statistics Conference Secretary, P.O. Box 1504, Series, Spatial-Temporal, and Piscataway, NJ 08855; Association for Mathematical meetings and Familial-Longitudinal Data, St. [email protected]. Geosciences, Freiberg, Germany workshops, visit John’s, Newfoundland, Canada For details, visit iamg2015.de or www.amstat. For details, visit www.iss-2015-st- ›› 8–13—2015 Joint Statistical contact Regina van den Boogaart, johns.ca or contact Brajendra Meetings, Seattle, Washington Balthasar-Rößler-Str. 58, Freiberg, org/dateline. Sutradhar, Mathematics and For more information, visit http:// International 09599, Germany; Statistics, St. John’s, Newfoundland bit.ly/1peV0l7 or contact ASA [email protected]. A1C5S7, Canada; 1-709-864-8731; Meetings, 732 North Washington [email protected]. St., Alexandria, VA 22314; (703) ›› 28–10/2—ECAS Course on 684-1221; [email protected]. Statistical Analysis of Network ›› 6–10—30th International Data, Herrsching, Germany Workshop on Statistical For more information, visit http:// Modelling, Linz, Austria September bit.ly/12UREzcor contact Göran For more information, visit Kauermann, Ludwigstrasse 33, ifas.jku.at/iwsm2015 or contact * ›› 2–5—9th International Munich, International 80539, Helga Wagner, Altenbergerstr.69, Multiple Comparisons Germany; +49 89 2180 2220; Linz, International 4040, Austria; Procedures (MCP) Conference, goeran.kauermann@stat. 004373224686831; [email protected]. Hyderabad, India uni-muenchen.de. n SHOP STORE

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40 amstat news january 2015 professional opportunities

Professional Opportunity listings may not exceed 65 words, plus equal opportunity information. The deadline for their receipt is the 20th of the month two Arkansas months prior to when the ad is to be published (e.g., May 20 for the July issue). n The agricultural statistics labora- Ads will be published in the next available issue following receipt. tory, a unit of the Arkansas Agricultural Listings are shown alphabetically by state, followed by international listings. Experiment Station, has an opening for Vacancy listings may include the institutional name and address or be identi- a non-tenure track assistant professor. fied by number, as desired. A PhD in statistics is required. Duties Professional Opportunities vacancies also will be published on the ASA’s include statistical and collaborative website (www.amstat.org). Vacancy listings will appear on the website for the research, statistical consulting, and pro- entire calendar month. Ads may not be placed for publication in the magazine fessional service. Application procedure only; all ads will be published both electronically and in print. at www.uark.edu/depts/agstat. For ques- Rates: $320 for nonprofit organizations (with proof of nonprofit status), tions regarding the position contact $475 for all others. Member discounts are not given. For display and online [email protected]. Review of applications advertising rates, go to www.amstat.org/ads. will begin January 2 and continue until Listings will be invoiced following publication. All payments should be a suitable candidate is identified. The made to the American Statistical Association. All material should be sent University of Arkansas division of agri- to Amstat News, 732 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314- culture is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. All applicants 1943; fax (703) 684-2036; email [email protected]. are subject to public disclosure under Employers are expected to acknowledge all responses resulting from pub- the Arkansas Freedom of Information lication of their ads. Personnel advertising is accepted with the understanding Act and persons hired must have proof that the advertiser does not discriminate among applicants on the basis of of legal authority to work in the United race, sex, religion, age, color, national origin, handicap, or sexual orientation. States. This position is subject to a pre- Also, look for job ads on the ASA website at www.amstat.org/jobweb. employment criminal background check.

is a center for health outcomes research n The department of statistics and the California and education. A PhD/DSc/DrPH in National Center for Forensic Science n Applications are invited for an assistant biostatistics or related areas of graduate at UCF have an opening beginning professor of statistics at the University training is required. Previous experience August 8 for a nine-month, tenure- of California, Riverside. The position as a statistical collaborator is desirable. track assistant professor of statistics. targets candidates in one or more areas: Details and application at: www.jobsatcu. Preference will be given to those with bioinformatics, imaging analysis, large com/postings/91187 EOE. a willingness to teach and conduct scale data analysis, statistical methodol- research in statistical applications in ogy for clinical trials, Bayesian analysis, forensic science. Apply online at www. discrete data analysis, nonparametric or jobswithucf.com/postings/39943. Review semiparametric statistics, longitudinal Florida of applications will begin immediately data analysis, or survival analysis. A PhD n The department of statistics at UCF and continue until the position is in statistics or biostatistics is required. For expects to hire two nine-month, tenure- filled. UCF is an equal opportunity/ detailed information, go to http://statistics. track assistant professors of statistics affirmative action employer. All quali- ucr.edu/employment.html. The University beginning August 8. Preference will be fied applicants are encouraged to apply, of California is an equal opportunity/affir- given to those with expertise in data including minorities, women, veterans mative action/disability/veterans employ- mining and Big Data analytics and a and individuals with disabilities. As a er. The university has family-friendly poli- willingness to teach courses in these Florida public university, UCF makes cies and is committed to accommodating areas. Apply online at www.jobswithucf. all application materials and selection the needs of dual career couples. com/postings/39942. Review of applica- procedures available to the public upon tions will begin immediately and contin- request. ue until the positions are filled. UCF is an equal opportunity/affirmative action Colorado employer. All qualified applicants are Massachusetts n The Adult and Child Center for encouraged to apply, including minori- n Statistics faculty position, Health Outcomes Research and Delivery ties, women, veterans and individuals Massachusetts Institute of Technology Science (ACCORDS) at University of with disabilities. As a Florida public uni- (MIT), Cambridge, MA. MIT is launch- Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is versity, UCF makes all application mate- ing a cross-Institute center focusing recruiting an assistant research professor rials and selection procedures available to on research and education in statistics for the biostatistics core. ACCORDS the public upon request. and information systems and is seeking january 2015 amstat news 41 candidates for a faculty position start- working with large or complex data sets the site of position #0402 at https://jobs. ing in September 2015 or thereafter. To preferably in genomics/genetics are pre- msu.edu. Review will begin 01/15/2015, view a complete position listing with ferred. For more information, visit http:// and continue until positions are filled. application instructions, visit https:// stt.msu.edu/Job_Postings.aspx. Michigan Michigan State University is an affirma- school-of-enginseering-faculty-search.mit. State University is an affirmative action, tive action, equal opportunity employer edu. Responses received by 12/15/14 will equal opportunity employer committed committed to achieving excellence be given priority. MIT is an equal oppor- to achieving excellence through cultural through cultural diversity. The university tunity employer. diversity. The university actively encour- actively encourages applications and/or ages applications and/or nominations of nominations of women, persons of color, women, persons of color, veterans and veterans and persons with disabilities. Michigan persons with disabilities. n The department of computational n The department of mathematics mathematics, science, and engineering, n Two teaching specialists, department and statistics at Oakland University, together with the department of statis- of statistics and probability, Michigan Rochester, Michigan, invites applications tics and probability, at Michigan State State University – see www.stt.msu.edu/ for tenure-track assistant professor posi- University invite applications for one Job_Postings.aspx for more information tion in statistics beginning fall 2015. To tenure-stream open-rank faculty posi- and the needed application material. apply, go online to http://jobs.oakland.edu/ tion. Candidates with a background in Required PhD in statistics, at least 3 years postings/2896. A cover letter, a vita and statistics/biostatistics or related fields, teaching experience at the university publication list, graduate transcripts (cop- focusing on theoretical and practical level of service/undergraduate courses in ies acceptable for application), a research aspects of statistical computation, and statistics. Submit application material to statement and a teaching statement

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42 amstat news january 2015 must be uploaded at this site. Oakland University of Michigan and the Lecturers’ Nevada University is an affirmative action/ equal Employee Organization. n The department of mathematical sci- opportunity employer. ences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas invites applications for the position n The University of Michigan Nebraska of chair, beginning July 1. Candidates Department of Statistics is seeking to n Tenure-track assistant professor must possess a PhD in mathematics or fill a lecturer I position. The initial (9-month), department of statistics, statistics from an accredited college or appointment will be for the period of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, start university and an established record of September 1, 2015–April 30, 2016, with August 2015. See http://employment. scholarship meriting a tenured appoint- the possibility for spring/summer teach- unl.edu (requisition # F_140139) for ment at the rank of Professor. For coming. Candidates should submit a letter complete application information. plete position description, visit http://jobs. of application, current CV, description Submit letter of interest, CV, gradu- unlv.edu or call (702) 895-2894. EEO/ of qualifications, teaching philosophy, ate transcript(s), research and teaching AA Employer. evidence of teaching excellence, and three statements (each one page), and arrange letters of recommendations. The letter for three reference letters to be sent to should be sent to [email protected]. [email protected]. Application review is New Hampshire The University of Michigan is a nondis- 1/15/2015. The University of Nebraska n University of New Hampshire, math- criminatory, affirmative action employer. is committed to a pluralistic campus ematics education-tenure track. The Terms and conditions for this position community through affirmative action, department of mathematics & statistics are subject to the provisions of a collec- equal opportunity, work-life balance, and invites applications at the assistant pro- tive bargaining agreement between the dual careers. fessor level in mathematics education.

Assistant Professor/Associate Professor of Biostatistics The Baylor College of Medicine and Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center (DLDCC) seek highly qualifi ed candidates in Biostatistics to join the Division of Biostatistics, and the Biostatistics and Informatics Shared Resource. Interest in translational research, clinical trials and bioinformatics are especially desirable. Baylor College of Medicine is one of the world’s leading medical institutions, ranking 19th among US medical schools in total NIH funding ($192 million) this past year and also topped the nation's list for funding in the biological sciences. The DLDCC received its NCI Cancer Center designation in 2007 and recently submitted its second competitive renewal. There is $143 million in cancer related research currently being conducted by DLDCC members and more than 3,000 new cancer patients are seen per year by our hospital affi liates. We are seeking individuals who are interested in full-time tenure and non-tenure track faculty positions. The successful candidates will be employed by the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center with an academic appointment in the Department of Medicine/Section of Hematology and Oncology. Applicants with interests and experience in collaborative research, as well as personal research interests in statistical methodology, and bioinformatics are encouraged to apply. Faculty applicants must have a PhD or equivalent degree in biostatistics, statistics, bioinformatics or related fi eld. Excellent communication skills and ability to work as a member of a multidisciplinary team are essential. Hiring is contingent on eligibility to work in the United States. The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world, oﬀ ering tremendous scientifi c and collaborative opportunities. Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the US and a wonderful community for work, family, and play. www.houston.org/living Minimum Education: Doctorate in Biostatistics, Statistics, or related fi eld Please apply to job posting #257952 at www.medschooljobs.org and please send CV, Professional References, and Personal Statement to:

Susan G. Hilsenbeck, Ph.D. Director, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Shared Resource Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center Division of Biostatistics Baylor College of Medicine One Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM600 Houston, TX 77030

Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity/Affi rmative Action/Equal Access Employer

january 2015 amstat news 43 The full position announcement and information on the application process, visit our posting at www.mathjobs.org/ jobs/jobs/6554. UNH is an AA/EEO Employer. UNH is committed to excellence through the diversity of its faculty and staff and encourages women and minorities to apply.

New York n NYU Stern School of Business statistics group, tenure track assistant professor appointment in statistics. Candidates should have evidence of boundary-span- ning interests across fields that reflect significant interfaces of statistics with areas of relevance in a business school. Expected that candidate will be produc- tive researcher and effective teacher at both undergraduate and graduate levels. See apply.interfolio.com/25737 for full details, including information on application procedure. New York University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution.

n Assistant professor, mathematics – Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Pace University. Full time, tenure-track position begins September 2015. PhD in mathematics or statistics, with preferred specialization in any area of statistic/ applied mathematics. Email single PDF file: letter of interest; curriculum vita; statement of teaching philosophy; statement of research interests; and arrange to have 3 reference letters including one that addresses teaching to mathsearchplv@pace. edu. EOE/AA.

Ohio n The department of quantitative health sciences at Cleveland Clinic is searching for a faculty member. Candidates should have considerable experience collaborating on clinical research and a proven record of collaborative publications. A PhD in bioinformatics or a related field is required. Candidates must have at least 2 years of

44 amstat news january 2015 experience beyond the doctoral degree. Details and application instructions are at www.lerner.ccf.org/qhs/jobs EOE.

Oklahoma n Tenure-track assistant professor position focusing on statistical education beginning August 2015. PhD in statistics, demonstrated excellence in teaching and research potential in the subfield of statistical pedagogy required. Review of applications begins 01/12/2015 and continues until position is filled. Send letter, CV, transcripts, and arrange to have three recommendation letters sent to Chair, Search, and, Hiring Committee, Statistics Dept., Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078-1055. Visit http://statistics.okstate.edu. OSU is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and desires priority referrals of protected veterans for its openings. Pennsylvania n The Wharton statistics department, University of Pennsylvania, seeks candidates for a postdoctoral researcher position. The position is for two years beginning in summer 2015, with a possible extension to three years. The primary focus is for a new scholar to develop her/ his research program; a light teaching load will also be involved. Please visit our website to apply: https://statistics. wharton.upenn.edu/recruiting/postdoc positions. Please direct questions to stat. [email protected]. The University of Pennsylvania is an EOE. Minorities/women/individuals with disabilities/protected veterans are encouraged to apply. n The Wharton statistics department, University of Pennsylvania, seeks applicants for a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor position, appointment beginning July 2015. Candidates should show outstanding capacity and achievement in research, along with excellent teaching skills. Applicants must have a PhD

january 2015 amstat news 45 (expected completion by June 30, 2016 is Teaching graduates/undergraduates. n PhD biostatistician. Assistant or acceptable) from an accredited institution. Develop viable and externally fundable associate professor to work in divi- Please visit our website to apply: https:// research program. For additional informa- sion of clinical and translational sci- statistics.wharton.upenn.edu/recruiting/ tion and to apply, please visit https://javjobs. ences (DCTS), within internal medi- facultypositions. Questions can be sent to tamuk.edu. An equal opportunity/ affirma- cine (IM) at The University of Texas [email protected]. The tive action/veterans/disability employer. Health Science Center at Houston University of Pennsylvania is an EOE. (UTHealth). All areas of statistics Minorities/women/individuals with dis- n The department of mathematics and are considered. Interested candidates abilities/protected veterans are encouraged statistics invites applications for two should send copies of their tran- to apply. tenure-track assistant professor positions scripts, CV, and names and contact in statistics and biostatistics beginning information for three references to fall 2015. A PhD degree is required. M. H. Rahbar, Director, DCTS, IM, Texas Apply for requisition ID 1818BR at UTHealth, via Mohammad.H.Rahbar@ n Texas A&M University Kingsville. www.texastech.edu/careers. Include AMS uth.tmc.edu. The University of Texas assistant/associate professor – statistics. standard cover sheet and vita. Have three Health Science Center at Houston is The department of mathematics invites letters of reference sent to Alex Wang, an EO/AA employer. M/F/D/V. This is applications for one full-time tenure- Hiring Committee Chair, Department a security sensitive position and there- track faculty position to start from fall of Mathematics and Statistics, Texas Tech by subject to Texas Education Code 2015. A PhD in statistics or a closely University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1042, 51.215. A background check will be related field is required from a region- [email protected]. Texas Tech is an AA/ required for the final candidate. ally accredited university or institution. EO employer.

46 amstat news january 2015 Nationwide n SAS is seeking a biostatistics, industry lead to support our life sciences team. Come join a dynamic team that helps life science organizations improve their business analytics through industry- leading software! Apply now: Visit www.sas.com/careers and search for job #20004970. SAS is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

International n The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen is a research-intensive university established through a main- land-Hong Kong collaboration, with campus and infrastructure provided by the Shenzhen government. The school of science and engineering now invites applications for faculty positions in all related fields: statistical and data sciences, computer science and engineering, electronic and electrical engineering. Please go to the website www.cuhk.edu.cn/Zhiwei/index189. html (Ref.#1415/053/01) for more details. EOE. n Tenure-track assistant professor for business statistics, dept. of ISOM, HKUST. Demonstrated excellence in research and teaching, and a doctoral degree by July 1 are required. Prior business school experience or interests in business related statistical research are especially welcome. Excellent computational skills in handling large and complex data sets is a plus. Submit CV and three references to: statrecruit@ust. hk jobs.amstat.org/hr/jobdetail.cfm?job_ id=6623262. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is an equal opportunity employer. n

january 2015 amstat news 47 JANUARY 2015 • ISSUE #451

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 about advertising, please visit www.amstat.org.

professional opportunities Baylor College of Medicine...... p. 43 Bureau of Labor Statistics...... p. 19 McLean Hospital...... p. 44 North Carolina State University...... p. 47 Penn State Altoona...... p. 46 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...... p. 47 U.S. Census Bureau...... p. 45 Westat...... p. 44

software Cytel Inc...... p. 9 Minitab Inc...... centerfold NCSS...... p. 22 Salford Systems...... p. 20 SAS Institute, Inc...... cover 3 SAS JMP software...... cover 4 Wiley...... p. 37

48 amstat news january 2015