Later this week, the ASA will host its third annual Conference on Statistical Practice (CSP) in Tampa. I’ll blog this week from the conference. As I anticipate the start of the conference, I’d like to share with you what this conference is, and is not.
Let’s take those in reverse order. CSP is NOT:
- A “mini-JSM”
- A research conference
- A winter ASA meeting
The conference is not a mini-JSM because the “J” in JSM is for “Joint.” JSM is a meeting organized by many societies. CSP is organized entirely by the ASA. It is not structured in any way like JSM. It has been built from the ground up to be a practice-based conference. And while it is a meeting organized by the ASA that takes place in the winter, it is in no way equivalent to the “winter meetings” (now defunct) that long time ASA members will recall. (Those meetings were “mini-JSMs.”)
The CSP is:
- Aimed at practitioners of statistics, people whose jobs involve the application of statistics (broadly defined) to solving problems as employees or private consultants in business, industry, and government.
- Designed to provide information and develop skills (including non-technical skills) that can be put to use immediately on the job.
- A networking opportunity for statisticians who might not have ready access to other networks.
You can get a sense of the first two points by looking at the 2014 conference themes, which were developed by the CSP Steering Committee, which organizes the conference:
- Communication, Impact and Career Development
- Data Modeling and Analysis
- Big Data Prediction and Analytics
- Software and Graphics
The themes change each year, depending on the needs of participants.
The networking opportunities are many, as the conference is relatively small (400 or so), with time between sessions to interact. This year for the first time CSP includes a career placement service and mentoring opportunities. You can find the details in this November 2013 Amstat News article.
If you are interested in the genesis of this conference, this November 2009 Amstat News article will fill you in.
If the CSP is the right meeting for you, I hope you’ll attend soon. If you’ll be in Tampa, see you there. If not, I’ll try to take you there vicariously through this blog.
In 2014, the American Statistical Association is celebrating its 175th anniversary. Over the course of this year, this blog will highlight aspects of that celebration, and look broadly at the ASA and its activities. Please contact ASA Executive Director Ron Wasserstein (ron@amstat.org) if you would like to post an entry to this blog.