The ASA Section on Statistical Computing's mission is to promote computational applications that solve problems arising in statistics and data science. Through these efforts, we advocate efficient and user-friendly computational applications arising from methodological and software developments. In addition, we encourage the joint application of computational statistical and data science techniques in other fields, and act as a focal point for computational activities within the ASA. The importance of these activities is becoming even more critical with the advance of data technologies that challenge us with new problems.
The ASA Section on Statistical Graphics's mission is to foster understanding and proper use of statistical graphics in statistics, in other scientific fields, in the greater data visualization community, in the mass media, and among the general public. In addition, we encourage the teaching of statistical graphics in universities, colleges, secondary schools, and primary schools and we encourage research in statistical graphics and data visualization to provide a focus within the Association for it. The importance of these activities is becoming even more critical with the advent of enormous datasets of extremely high dimensionality.
If these activities interest you, please consider adding either or both sections to your ASA membership.
2026 Student Awards announced!
The review panel of the John M. Chambers Statistical Software Award consisted of Susan VanderPlas, Tiffany Timbers, Edward Ionides, Michael Kane, Heike Hofmann, Binbing Yu, Mohan Pant, Emily Robinson, and Arun Chind (Awards Chair). The 2026 John M. Chambers Statistical Software Award goes to:
- Harriet Mason, Monash University, for "ggdibbler," (https://harriet-mason.github.io/ggdibbler/) a R graphics (add-on for ggplot2) software package that enables visualising uncertainty in data on a variety of graphic outputs including raster plots, contour plots, stack plots and spatial plots.
The review panel of the Student Paper Award consisted of Susan VanderPlas, Tiffany Timbers, Edward Ionides, Michael Kane, Heike Hofmann, Binbing Yu, Mohan Pant, Emily Robinson, and Arun Chind (Awards Chair). The 2026 Student Paper Awards go to:
- Yujie Ran, Nanyang Technological University, for "A Propensity Score–Based k-Nearest Neighbor Approach for Estimating Individual Treatment Effect".
- Beenu Sareena, University of Nebraska‐Lincoln, for the paper "ggtwotone," describing the R graphics (ggplot2-add on) software package of the same name which ensures that text and lines remain readable on both light and dark backgrounds on plots.
- Adam Struzik, Adam Mickiewicz University, for "Capturing Small Discrepancies in Record Linkage: A Maximum Entropy Framework with Continuous Similarity Measures"
- Sarah Wang, University of Pittsburgh, for "Accurate and Ultra-efficient P-value Calculation for Adaptive Rank Truncated Product Test"
The student award recipients will present their work in a topic-contributed session of the 2026 Joint Statistical Meetings. They will also receive their certificate and cash prize at the mixer of the Section on Statistical Computing and the Section on Statistical Graphics.
Congratulations 2025 Data Challenge Expo Winners!
Student Winners
FIRST: Producing Estimates of International Migration for U.S. States
Andrew Forrester and Srijeeta Mitra (see pic), both from University of Maryland College Park
SECOND: Demystify Flight Data
Melinda Combs, Bao Anh Maddux, Winston-Salem State University
Professional Winner
The Effect of Delays on Airline Flight Pattern,
Sherry Zhang, Sarah Coleman, Lydia Lucchesi, Saptarshi Roy, University of Texas Austin
2025 JSM Mixer
The Joint Statistical Computing and Graphics mixer will be held at 5:30 pm PDT on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at the Omni Nashville Hotel Room: H - Cumberland 6. With many thanks to our sponsors CRC Press, and O'Reilly.
