ewsletter June 2006 Number 115 N statistical society of australia incorporated ASC/NZSA 2006 – Statistical Connections! Professor Peter Hall of the Australian National University will talk on “PCA For FDA”. In the closing plenary session on Thursday, Professor Xiao-Li Meng of Harvard University will talk on “(Data) Size Does Matter, But You Might Be In for a Surprise ...”. The remaining plenary session will be the Foreman lecture to be given by Professor Ray Chambers of the University of Wollongong. His talk will address Models and Auxiliary Information in Survey Sampling. The Foreman lecture will kick off a full day theme devoted to Official Statistics. The Foreman lecture will be followed by an invited session featuring Alastair Scott and Kirk Wolter. After lunch there will be an Official Statistics Forum featuring the New Zealand Government Statistician Brian Pink and the Australian Statistician Dennis Trewin, followed by a contributed session. Other contributed sessions on various aspects of official statistics will be held throughout the conference. The conference has attracted a wide range of leading invited speakers. The 25 Invited Speaker Sessions will ASC/NZSA 2006, the international joint conference feature leading international and local speakers presenting a between the SSAI and the NZSA to be held in Auckland wide range of the latest research in Statistical and Machine over July 3-7 has attracted substantial registrations to its Learning, Statistical Inference, Statistics in Ecology and the outstanding scientific program. Features of the program Environment, Statistics in Biological Sciences and Medicine, include 4 plenary addresses, a full day focussing on official Stochastic Processes, Statistical Inference Econometrics and statistics, over 50 invited talks and over 100 contributed Finance, Computational Statistics and High Dimensional talks as well as poster presentations. Complementing the Data Modelling. conference scientific program are workshops on specialist Support for the Contributed program has been topics and optional tours and social events. For up-to-date overwhelming. Over 30 contributed paper sessions and poster and detailed information on the 2006 Program visit: sessions have been organized to complement the Plenary <http://www.statsnz2006.com/program.asp>. and Invited Sessions. Young Statisticians have organized an Apart from its scientific program, the ASC/NZSA 2006 invited and contributed sessions and there will be a focal conference will provide a great opportunity for statisticians point for them at the Welcome Reception. from Australia and New Zealand to renew or develop links. There will be a Welcome Reception, included in registration, Associated workshops on Distance Sampling, Stochastic on Monday evening to allow delegates to get to know each Processes and the R-Fest Workshops on R Graphics, other. The optional Gala Dinner on Tuesday night will be S programming and Bioconductor. Find out more on the held in the Auckland Room at SKY CITY. This will be an workshops at the following link: ideal opportunity to mingle and meet fellow delegates while <http://www.statsnz2006.com/workshop.asp> enjoying a sumptuous three course meal and New Zealand A series of tours has been organized to allow delegates the wines. opportunity to experience first hand beauty of Auckland and The four Plenary Sessions will feature outstanding surrounding areas. Please visit the website: international speakers. On the first day, Professor David <http://www.statsnz2006.com/sprogram.asp> for more Donoho of Stanford University will deliver his lecture on details on these. “Sparsity in Estimation and Detection”. On the third day We look forward to seeing you in Auckland! SSAI Review of Statistics at Australian Universities – Follow-up Since the review report was • Issues relating to Statistics in the various stakeholders (government published in December 2005, it has Schools departments, universities, professional been distributed to all SSAI members • Issues relating to the Management bodies) as well as statisticians along with a broad range of other and Organisation of Universities representing a broad cross section of view stakeholders and interested parties. • Issues relating to the University/ points. Two main roles are anticipated: An electronic copy is readily available Employer Interface firstly, the groups will connect various from the SSAI website address http:// networks together so that there will www.statsoc.org.au/Review0405/ • Issues relating to Marketing, be well-informed discussion at various ReviewofStatsFinalReport.pdf Further Communications and Lobbying. levels and secondly, they will act as hard copy booklets are available from SSAI is setting up two implementation forums where ideas and proposals can Jane Waslin at SSAI. advisory groups with one to focus be debated. As a professional body, The SSAI review was discussed by on the recommendations related to SSAI has a responsibility to ensure a number of people as part of their Statistics in Schools and a second that there is open constructive debate representations to the Review of group to focus on the second and third Mathematical Sciences during February main recommendations that concern along with a propensity to use objective this year. universities and the university/employer methods of validation. There are many ‘schools of thought’, passions, biases Discussions are planned with senior interface. The final recommendation and opinions and these must be heard DEST (Department of Education, will be looked after by a working party Science and Training) officials in that will focus on the more direct and considered but ultimately we must conjunction with the advisor (Dr aspects that SSAI and related bodies be swayed by what ‘works’. Of course Jade Sharples) to the new Minister of can do to improve the information defining what is meant by this is part of Education, Science and Training (Hon available to school students, university the debate and teasing out the various Julie Bishop MP). students and careers advisors. contexts will only help us all move There are four main recommendations The two main advisory groups will forward. in the SSAI review report: be made up of representatives from Neville Bartlett In this issue ABS Statistical Scholarships ASC/NZSA 2006 1 awarded in Canberra SSAI Review of Statistics at Australian Universities 2 On Thursday 4 May 2006, four statistical subjects in their first and President’s Corner 3 students at the Australian National second years. These universities University (ANU) were awarded are the University of Adelaide, ABS Statistical Scholarships an Australian Bureau of Statistics the University of Wollongong, the awarded in Canberra 3 (ABS) Statistical Scholarship. These University of Queensland, and the students were Matthew Beale, ANU. Each scholarship is to the Editorial 4 Taleitha Coon, Adam Franklin and value of $4000, and is offered for Jessica Twigg. The ceremony and a full year of study in statistics. Three Doors 5 accompanying lunch were hosted by Application forms for students who Notice of AGM 6 the School of Finance and Applied wish to apply for the next round can Statistics (FAS) at the ANU, with be obtained from the Careers Office Update on AusCan Scholar visit 7 well over 100 persons in attendance. or College/Faculty staff from the After an introduction by Dr Michael relevant universities, or by contacting ASC/NZSA Financial Assistance for Martin of FAS, the awards were the ABS, for example by emailing Young Statisticians 7 presented by Rebecca Cassidy and to [email protected]. The Eileen Fahey of ABS. closing date for applications in 2006 ABS Centenary Celebrations Several ABS Statistical is early September. The ABS places Conclude 8 Scholarships are awarded each year no restrictions of future employment by the ABS to students at selected on winners of the award. Branch Reports 10 universities who have excelled in Borek Puza 2 SSAI Newsletter – June 2006 President’s Corner Reduced student membership rates from 2006 ASC/NZSA 2006 At the end of last year the SSAI Executive Committee of I hope you have all Central Council took the decision to reduce annual membership seen the varied and fees for student members. This means that for $15 capitation interesting program for per year to the central body, student members receive copies the joint SSAI/NZSA of every issue of the SSAI Newsletter and electronic access Conference in Auckland to the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Statistics. I on 3-6 July. If you congratulate those branches that only charge this amount as haven’t already decided to they carry any additional cost at the local level. attend, you might like to reconsider that decision. SSAI encourages student involvement in its activities Contrary to my advice in and offers an opportunity for networking with experienced the last newsletter, the statisticians as well as other students and statisticians starting SSAI Annual General out in their careers. In recent years branches and sections of Meeting will be held on SSAI have organized workshops, short courses and symposia Wednesday, 5 July. Some of the major items for discussion on a wide range of topics. Members of SSAI are able to take will be the recommendations and resulting outcomes from advantage of reduced registration fees for all such events. our Review, the way we elect our office-bearers, capitation We also have an active Young Statisticians Section which is fees, and the future of our journal. 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