February

Join us for the February CCASA luncheon!

We are pleased to announce that our speakers will be Dean Malmgren, PhD and Mike Stringer, PhD of Datascope Analytics.

Their presentation is titled "Data-driven: The love child of statistics and design"

Abstract:

As a co-founder of Datascope Analytics, a data-driven consulting and design firm here in Chicago, Dean has learned first hand about how the modern data deluge makes statistics and design particularly valuable in today's marketplace. In this talk, he will share his experience as a consultant for a wide range of clients by walking us through a few of his engagements, from idea generation to delivery.

Lunch is $30 for CCASA members, $35 for non-members. Non-members, join CCASA for a year for only $15 and get the discount plus all of the other benefits of membership!

As usual, the Lucile Derrick Fund will purchase a limited number of tickets for student members of CCASA who wish to attend. If you are a student and would like to take advantage of this offer, please register online below, and contact Gerald Funk, expressing your interest 708-957-1923 or gfunk@luc.edu

Reduced fee parking available at EBC with validation.

Please register for the luncheon by Friday February, 17 2012.

Click the the link below to register for the luncheon!

The CCASA is pleased to present to you our March 30th workshop, "Tetrad: Machine Learning and Graphical Causal Models". This workshop should be of great use to researchers in many areas.

Abstract:
Tetrad (free software) contains over 20 algorithms for searching for a variety of model classes, e.g., path analytic models, Bayes nets, factor analytic and structural equation models, general latent variable models of conditional independence structures, and Markov blankets. In this workshop, we will briefly introduce graphical causal models, show how to build, simulate data from, and estimate such models in Tetrad, explain model search, teach how to use a variety of the search algorithms in Tetrad on real and simulated data including fMRI data to find causal relations between brain regions.

Who Should Attend:
Researchers in the social and behavioral sciences as well as in the life sciences could benefit from this class.
Note: wireless access will be available at the venue, participants are encouraged to bring laptops or tablets.

Speaker Biographies:
Richard Scheines is the Head of Philosophy, with joint appointments in Machine Learning and Human-Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. Along with Peter Spirtes and Clark Glymour, Scheines has published several books and dozens of articles on graphical causal models over the last 20 years. He has used model search in Tetrad to model the effect of lead on IQ, the effect of online courseware on student learning, and several other social scientific questions. Scheines has also served on several IOM committees reviewing the statistical evidence for causation in veteran's disability claims and for the effect of food marketing on childhood obesity.

Joseph Ramsey is a PhD in Philosophy of Science from the University of California, San Diego, and is currently the Director of Research Computing at Carnegie Mellon's Lab for Symbolic and Educational Computing, as well as the chief developer of the Tetrad programs. Ramsey has done extensive algorithm development and applied work in causal modeling, including spectral identification of carbonate content, and most recently the identification of causal pathways in brain processing from fMRI data, work that is recently published in NeuroImage.

The workshop is $200 for CCASA members, $250 for non-members, $50 for students. Non-members, join the chapter for a year for only $15 and get the discount plus all of the other benefits of membership Questions: contact Tony Babinec, for more information at: (708) 805-1409 or tbabinec@sbcglobal.net

Parking: Parking is located at Erie-Ontario Self Park, 321 E. Erie.

Please register for the seminar by Friday March 23rd, 2012.

Statistics and data analysis continue to be featured in the popular press. Two recent articles in the New York Times, prominently highlight the value of quantitative skills.

The first article, posted in the popular New York Times technology blog, Bits, discusses the increase in demand for statisticians and the academic programs that are growing to help meet this demand.

Go to Article

The second article, by Lawrence Summers, former President of Harvard University and Secretary of the Treasury, calls for a reforming of the American university undergraduate curriculum. Among his suggested reforms is a greater emphasis on statistics and the analysis of data.

Summers states "In an earlier era, when many people were involved in surveying land, it made sense to require that almost every student entering a top college know something of trigonometry. Today, a basic grounding in probability statistics and decision analysis makes far more sense."

Go to Article

Position Summary:

Provide research and statistical analysis of customer experience and operational data to drive process improvements that will positively impact the overall customer experience

Key Responsibilities:

*Analyze quantitative and qualitative data from a variety of sources to identify key drivers of customer loyalty and retention (e.g. survey and operational data)
*Performs and evaluates basic to moderately complex trend analysis using statistical methods
*Prepares reporting at enterprise, AOR and regional levels to track performance
*Evaluates business results, identifies significant variances compared to planned performance
*Analyzes causes of variance and recommends action for improvement
*Identifies and resolves basic to moderately complex data issues
*Assists in the formulation of strategies to achieve business objectives
*Communicates and presents analytical results and research findings
*Actively builds strong relationships across teams, team members and external vendors

Required Experience:
*1-3 years of experience using statistical analysis software (SPSS, SAS or R)
*1-3 years experience in the use of data sources and applications to conduct research
*1-3 years of relational database experience
*1-3 years experience with Microsoft Office - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

Personal Traits:

*Manage project execution of moderate complexity
*Integrates technical knowledge with business goals and strategy
*Breaks down complex information in a systematic format

Reserve Friday, May 4 2012 on your calendar now! CCASA will be hosting a conference titled

America the Predictable? Different approaches to understanding and forecasting political election results.

The following speakers have been confirmed:

Speaker: Allan Lichtman (Distinguished Professor of History, American University)

Title: The Keys to the White House: Forecast for 2012

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Allan J. Lichtman received his PhD from Harvard University in 1973 with a specialty in modern American history and quantitative methods. He became an Assistant Professor of History at American University in 1973 and a Full Professor in 1980. He was the recipient of the Scholar/Teacher of the year award for 1992-93. He has published seven books and several hundred popular and scholarly articles. He has lectured in the US and internationally and provided commentary for major US and foreign networks and leading newspapers and magazines across the world. He has been an expert witness in more than 75 civil and voting rights cases. His book, White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in nonfiction. His prediction system, the Keys to the White House, has correctly predicted the outcomes of all US presidential elections since 1984.

Speaker: John G. Geer (Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt University)

Topic: Political Attack Advertising

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John G. Geer (PhD, Princeton University) is the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. He has been a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University and a research fellow at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University. Geer is the former editor of The Journal of Politics. He has published numerous articles and several books, including In Defense of Negativity (2006), which won the Goldsmith Book prize from Harvard University in 2008. He has provided extensive commentary in the news media on politics, including live nation-wide interviews for FOX, CNN, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, ABC, and NPR. Geer has also written op-ed pieces for Politico, The Washington Post, LA Times, USA Today, and Chicago Tribune. His lecturing has earned him a number of awards at Vanderbilt, including the "Squirrel Award." In 2005, he won The College of Arts and Sciences' Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. In 2009, he won Vanderbilt University's Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching.

Speaker: Forrest Nelson (Professor, University of Iowa)

Topic: Iowa Electronic Markets

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