It is hard to believe it got here so fast, but the Joint Statistical Meetings are in full swing. In my role as executive director, I'm making the rounds at the conference, updating members on some of the exciting activities of the ASA in its 175th anniversary year. For those of you not able to join us in Boston, here is the summary I am sharing at various meetings:
- ASA leadership operates in accordance with the ASA strategic plan. Presidents base their initiatives on the strategic plan, and on the work that has been done in the years preceding.
- ASA President Nat Schenker has launched three initiatives for 2014.
- For 2014, a combined initiative of the three sitting ASA presidents is looking at the role of the ASA and the profession with respect to the emergence of big data/data science. Recommendations for desired outcomes for graduate programs in statistics in the age of big data will be available for review by the start of JSM 2014. Productive, informative meetings with industry leaders have taken place. A text analytics course has been added to the JSM CE program based on recommendations we received.
- ASA President-Elect David Morganstein is organizing four initiatives for 2015:
- Coordinating current mentorship programs and initiating new
- Developing a STAT101 course for non-statisticians
- Developing a JSM docent program (pilot program at JSM 2014)
- Creating a rapid-response blog to statistical items in the news
- As a result of ASA Past President Marie Davidian’s 2013 initiatives:
- The number of statisticians participating in AAAS Section U has increased. We are actively involved in the AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition. The statistics community in general and ASA in particular has been recognized in Science magazine, which has for the first time created a Statistical Board of Reviewing Editors. This group will review manuscripts flagged by Science’s Board of Reviewing Editors as having statistical content that needs additional scrutiny by experts. A perspectives article by David Spiegelhalter in the July 18 issue of Science is another direct result of this initiative, including the category “Statistics,” which did not exist before.
- Changes at JSM (such as SPEED sessions) have reduced the number of contributed paper sessions, allowing for the first increase in the total number of invited sessions since the JSM agreement was made a decade ago. Beginning in 2016, we will Increase the number of allocated sessions in even numbered years by 24 and 26 in odd numbered years. In so doing, we will
- Add 3 slots to outside groups competition
- Add 1 slot to SSC, 2 to IMS in even numbered years (4 in odd numbered years), and 2 to ENAR/WNAR
- Reserve 2 slots for possible new award lectures
- Add 14 sessions to ASA (the way these will be allocated has not been determined)
- Jessica Utts will be taking office in 2015 as ASA President-elect, and Rob Santos as Vice President. President-elect candidates for the Spring 2015 election (to take office in 2016) are John Eltinge, Bureau of Labor Statistics and Barry Nussbaum, Environmental Protection Agency. For Vice President, the candidates are Nick Horton, Amherst College, and Katherine Ensor, Rice University.
- The ASA has maintained an active and aggressive education agenda.
- We joined with the Mathematics Association of American in creating a statement on qualifications for teaching introductory undergraduate statistics courses.
- We’ve maintained active advocacy efforts as well, on a variety of subjects. Here are a few
- The International Year of Statistics was a big success, and the efforts are maintained through The World of Statistics. Just recently released is “Statistics and Science: A Report of the London Workshop on the Future of the Statistical Sciences.”
- Some progress has been made on the International Prize in Statistics, and this will be a post-JSM priority for the ASA Executive Director. There is a website, and are working through details, but the most important detail – funding – still needs to get going. A case statement has been developed to help start the fundraising.
- Major efforts at the ASA this year have focused on the 175th anniversary, with some major initiatives launched. Among these:
- Launching national public relations campaign to increase interest in statistical literacy and in statistics as a career.
- Developing a document entitled “Statistics Education of Teachers,” to assist in K-12 teacher preparation
- Focusing on membership growth. ASA membership is up, exceeding 19,000 members as of the end of May.
- Giving additional attention to fundraising, creating a position of Director of Development and working on the development of a campaign to promote education/statistical literacy and advocacy efforts.
- We’ve identified continuing professional development as one of the fundamental “big tent for statistics” activities. We are consolidating and rethinking our efforts in this area. One outgrowth of that is the implementation of a Personal Skills Development (PSD) program.
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.