In this final blog on the Big Tent for Statistics (for the moment, anyway), let’s focus on another major implication of the strategic role of the ASA as the Big Tent for Statistics. As noted previously, this role implies that we must do everything we can to recognize the diversity of our association and to provide opportunities under the Big Tent that meet the needs of that diverse membership.
But also implied is the responsibility we have to reach out to those who are not already under the tent. In particular, it is our responsibility to recognize the continual broadening of our profession, and attempt to connect with emerging areas of practice. For examples, many disciplines that have “omics” or “informatics” as a suffix have important ties to statistics. Business analytics and data science are two more examples. There are people in these communities who do not think of themselves as statisticians but who are doing work that is fundamentally statistical, yet have very little connection with the statistical community.
We need to facilitate that connection! We feel strongly that these emerging areas would advance still more rapidly if they were better connected to the current statistical community, and equally so in the opposite direction – the statistical community will develop more fully because of the interaction with these new areas of practice.
This is not about increasing numbers in the ASA, though that would indeed be a happy outcome. The significant loss of failing to connect is not the loss of membership but the lost opportunities for better science and practice.
Of course, this kind of outreach is not easy, and whatever else it involves, it fundamentally involves listening to and learning from the people who work in these emerging areas. To see an example of how the ASA is trying to do this, see the June 2013 President’s Corner in Amstat News.
Just to be clear, here I have focused on reaching out to areas of practice that are not yet represented in the Big Tent for Statistics. But we are well aware that successful outreach means bringing value to individuals, not just to groups. The value of ASA membership, to current and prospective members, is an important topic – for another 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.