Past NC ASA Events

Recently the ASA has updated their website so many of the previous NC ASA blog links are missing. You can search the ASA website for content related to our chapter or explore the summaries below about past events.

December 4, 2020 - NC ASA Professional Webinar Series
Bias, Equity, and Anti-racism in Data Science and Machine Learning, presented by Emily Hadley, RTI International Center for Data Science.

September 2, 2020 - Virtual Statistics and Data Science Career Information Fair

Over 130 statistics professionals and students attended our Virtual Career Information Fair on September 3rd.  Attendees learned about the variety of careers and opportunities available to statisticians and data scientists at twenty-two organizations and universities in the Triangle area.

Read more about the Fair and the participating organizations. 


August 20, 2020 - Third Virtual Pop Up Social

June 26, 2020 - NC ASA Professional Webinar Series
Project Cycles, Career Path, Soft Skills & Pitfalls in Data Science, presented by Dr. Ming Li, Senior Research Scientist at Amazon. 

June 25, 2020 - Second Virtual Pop Up Social
We had another great turn for our second virtual pop up social.  Thank you to everyone who joined and contributed to the very fun and thought provoking conversation. 


May 21, 2020 - First Virtual Pop Up Social
We had close to 20 chapter members join us for our first ever virtual pop up social.  It was great to see both familiar and new faces! 


April 24th, 2020 - NC ASA Professional Webinar Series
Harnessing the Human Visual System for Effective Visualization, presented by Dr. Christopher Healey, North Carolina State University Professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Goodnight Distinguished Professor in the Institute for Advanced Analytics. The recording of this webinar is available on NC ASA's YouTube channel.

February 28, 2020- NC ASA Professional Webinar Series
Essential Bayes: Paradigm, Techniques, and Software, presented by Fang Chen, Director of the Advanced Statistical Methods Department at SAS. The recording of this webinar is available on NC ASA's YouTube channel.

January 23rd, 2020 - Pop Up Social 
NC ASA members met at HWY 54 Public House (formally called Mattie B's) for chicken wings, a giant calzone and lively conversation. Keep an eye out for other upcoming social and professional events!

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December 6, 2019 - NC ASA Fall Dinner
Over 60 statisticians from the NC ASA community gathered for NC ASA's 2019 Fall Dinner.  Chapter Awards were presented followed by two very compelling talks by Dr. David Dickey and Dr. Sudipta Dasmohaptra on the topic of: “Statistics: Past and Future”. 
We would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support of NC ASA's Fall Dinner: ASA, Duke Master of Biostatistics, Red Hat, RTI International, SAS, and TARGET PharmaSolutions.

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November 1, 2019 - NC ASA Professional Webinar Series
Interpretability versus Explainability in Machine Learning for High Stakes Decisions by Cynthia Rudin, Friday, November 1, 2019 from 12-1pm.
Hosted by NC ASA's Industry Interests Group.  The recording of this webinar is available on NC ASA's YouTube channel.

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October 19, 2019 - NC High School Teacher Training
NC ASA partnered with the NC School of Science and Math, SAS JMP and RTI International to offer a 1-day workshop (9 am – 3 pm Saturday Sept 29 at the NC School of Science and Math) for High School Statistics teachers in NC. The activity was designed to provide training in topics relevant to the AP curriculum, as well as hands on training using SAS JMP.

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Demystifying Data Science (NC WiMLDS event hosted by GSK) 
NC ASA joined NC Women in Machine Learning and Data Science (WiMLDS) event on Tuesday, October 22nd at 5:30pm at the Frontier in RTP for a talk on Demystifying Data Science by Dr. Alyson Wilson, Professor in the Department of Statistics and Principal Investigator for the Laboratory for Analytic Sciences at North Carolina State University.  The talk was followed by a social and networking hour.

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September 27, 2019 - NC ASA Professional Webinar Series
"Part 2 to the Introduction to Machine Learning Techniques" presented by Funda Gunes, PhD - Principle Machine Learning Developer, SAS. 
Part 1 and Part 2 are both available to watch on NC ASA's YouTube channel.  Hosted by NC ASA's Industry Interests Group.

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September 13, 2019 - NC ASA Professional Webinar Series
"Proper Model Validation: The Real Science of Data Science" presented by Aric LaBarr from NCSU's Institute for Advanced Analytics.  Hosted by NC ASA's Industry Interests Group.  The recording of this webinar is available on NC ASA's YouTube channel.

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September 12, 2019 - NC ASA Post-JSM Recycled Poster Session and Social
Do you have an old poster you'd like to show again? Do you have a new poster you'd like to practice with before a big conference? Or would you just like to spend an evening seeing what area statisticians are working on? The NC ASA Recycled Poster Session and Social, sponsored by SAS, provided a chance to gather for a bite to eat, mix and mingle, and learn about the statistical work being done by your fellow North Carolina statisticians.
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We would like to thank SAS, Rho and Sciome for sponsoring this event!  
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August 13, 2019 - Pop Up Social  
NC ASA, SAMSI's Deep Learning opening workshop, and the NC Chapter of Women in Machine Learning and Data Science all meet up at Clouds Brewing in Durham's Brightleaf Square.

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May 30, 2019 - Pop Up Social 
NC ASA members met at Societa for dinner and conversation. Keep an eye out for other upcoming social and professional events!

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May 17, 2019 - NC ASA Professional Webinar Series
"Introduction to Modern Machine Learning Techniques" presented by Funda Gunes, PhD - Principle Machine Learning Developer, SAS.  Hosted by NC ASA's Industry Interests Group. Part 1 and Part 2 are both available to watch on NC ASA's YouTube channel.

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May 13, 2019: LinkedIn and Your Professional Presence on Social Media -  Your professional presence on social media can help to create options and define your career path.  This mini-workshop was presented by Sarah Egan Warren, Head of Technical Communication and April Wilson, Head of Career Services from NCSU's Institute for Advanced Analytics.  It contained material from their Early Career Networking workshop and included take-aways from Networking 101 plus guidelines for creating and using LinkedIn for networking purposes.
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We would like to thank Sarah Egan Warren and April Wilson for generously volunteering their time and knowledge, in addition to SAMSI for hosting the event.
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April 3, 2019: Career Information Fair -  Over 75 statistics professionals and students attended the NC ASA Career Information Fair at the Frontier in RTP this April. The fair showcased the variety of careers available to statisticians and data scientists at different organizations. This was an opportunity for people with analytics skills to connect with companies who use those skills in the work they do. The Career Information Fair opened with a series of two minute talks by each organization present.  After that, attendees had a chance to visit with the companies and universities present.  NC ASA thanks the following corporate sponsors for their participation and generous support of the fair: Duke University Department of Statistical Science, G1 Therapeutics, Rho, RTI International, SAS, Sciome, and Xylem.
Other organizations participating in the fair included: Cato Research, Conduent, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), IQVIA (formerly Quintiles and IMS Health), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NC State University Department of Statistics, and UNC Chapel Hill Department of Biostatistics.

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March 19, 2019: Uncertain-Tea Seminar and NC ASA Social
Dr. Ralph Smith, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Mathematics at NCSU, presented "The Role of Uncertainty Quantification for Predictive Models".  After the seminar at SAMSI, NC ASA members (and one 4-year old future member) met at Societa for dinner and conversation.


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Feb 25, 2019: NC ASA Meet and Greet Social - with Eric Laber from NCSU and Laber-Labs
Over 25 NC ASA friends and colleagues gathered at Matti B's to reconnect and to talk with Eric Laber about his work with Laber Labs


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Feb 22, 2019: NC ASA's First Webinar in the new Professional Development Webinar Series -   "What Does Data Science Mean to an Executive?" By Aric LaBarr from NCSU's Institute for Advanced Analytics.  Hosted by NC ASA's Industry Interests Group.
Over 125 people registered for Aric's engaging presentation on bringing Data Scientists and Executives together!  If you missed it, you can catch it on the new: NC ASA YouTube channel.

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Jan 28, 2019 - Pop Up Social 
NC ASA members met at Raleigh Beer Garden for dinner and conversation. Keep an eye out for other upcoming social and professional events!


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Nov 30, 2018 - NC ASA Fall Dinner
NC ASA's 2017 Fall Dinner was a big success, reconnecting members of our community!  This year’s theme for NC ASA State of Statistics Dinner is “Stories of Significance”. NC ASA was honored to host ASA President Lisa LaVange and Duke Univeristy’s Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel, Associate Professor of the Practice and 2016 ASA Waller Education Award recipient. President LaVange discussed her own Stories of Significance sharing her significant moments, and how they impacted her career trajectory.  Professor Çetinkaya-Rundel also offered her perspective from her experiences in Statistics Education and as a Professional Educator at RStudio.
We would like to thank our sponsors, SAS, Xylem, SAMSI, RhoWorld, RTI International, and ASA, for their generous support of NC ASA's Fall Dinner.

Keynote Speaker Lisa LaVange, current president of the American Statistical Association, is Professor and Associate Chair of the Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Department of Biostatistics and Director of the department’s Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center (CSCC). Dr. LaVange was previously at the UNC Gillings School from 2005 to 2011 as biostatistics Professor of the Practice and CSCC Director. Prior to returning to UNC, Dr. LaVange was Director of the Office of Biostatistics in the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) from 2011-2017.  She was also co-director of the biostatistics and bioinformatics cores of UNC’s Clinical and Translational Sciences Award (CTSA) at the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute.  In AmStat News' Feb 2018 President's Corner, President LaVange discusses her #LeadWithStatistics initiative:  I chose #LeadWithStatistics as the 2018 JSM theme to both acknowledge accomplishments of our community and signal my commitment to developing leaders. I happen to think many multi-disciplinary settings would benefit from having more strong statistical leaders. But statistics is such a critical component of effective leadership for leaders of any discipline—statistics helps us make sense of vast amounts of information, appreciate uncertainty in our predictions, and be better decision makers.

Featured Speaker Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel is the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor of the Practice in the Department of Statistical Science at Duke University. She also works as a Professional Educator at RStudio. Mine’s work focuses on innovation in statistics pedagogy, with an emphasis on computation, reproducible research, student-centered learning, and open-source education. Mine works on integrating computation into the undergraduate statistics curriculum, using reproducible research methodologies and analysis of real and complex datasets. She also organizes ASA DataFest, an annual two-day competition in which teams of undergraduate students work to reveal insights into a rich and complex data set. Mine works on the OpenIntro project, whose mission is to make educational products that are free, transparent, and lower barriers to education. As part of this project she co-authored three open-source introductory statistics textbooks. She also teaches the popular Statistics with R MOOC on Coursera as well as numerous courses on DataCamp. In 2016 Mine received the ASA Waller Education Award. She is also the recipient of the 2015 JSM Best Paper Award in the Section on Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences and the 2014 Duke University David and Janet Vaughan Brooks Award for Teaching Excellence.

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Mentoring and Early Career Development Workshop - November 30th, 2018
NC ASA was excited to offer the first Mentoring and Early Career Development Workshop for students and early career professionals.  It featured prominent statisticians from our community and included interactive sessions on goal-structuring and professional development.  Workshop participants also had the opportunity to meet with ASA President Lisa LaVange in a small group setting prior to the NC ASA "Stories of Significance" Fall Dinner that evening, as well as network with the NC ASA community at the dinner.


Speakers: (Schedule)

• Bob Starbuck spoke on “Some Thoughts on How to Be More Successful” based on his well-received keynote from ASA’s 2013 Conference on Statistical Practice.
• Sonia (Davis) Thomas discussed Leadership and “Presentation Best Practices” based on her Leadership in Biostatistics graduate course at UNC CH.
• Richard Zink, Senior Director of Data Management at TARGET PharmaSolutions, offered insights on Promoting Statistics from his popular ASA podcast
  SAMSI Director David Banks  gave insights from his career path and leadership journey with "Snakes and Ladders: Building a Career".

Professional Panel: Artin Armagan (SAS), Heather Kopetskie (RhoWorld), Kelci Miclaus (JMP), Kristen Foley (EPA)
Moderator: NC ASA Vice President Emily Griffith

Other Sessions:

• Resume/Interviews/Salary - Kelci Miclaus, PhD (JMP)
• Branding/Networking - Elizabeth Mannshardt, NC ASA
• Career Next Steps - Elizabeth Mannshardt and Emily Griffith, NC ASA
• Imposter Syndrome - Elizabeth Mannshardt, NC ASA
• Mentor versus Sponsorship - Emily Griffith and Elizabeth Mannshardt, NC ASA
• Goal structure and development - Elizabeth Mannshardt, NC ASA

Feedback

-This was a fantastic event and I greatly benefited from it!
-It was a great way to start thinking about my goals in a new way.  I highly enjoyed this workshop.
-I found this incredibly worthwhile!
-I feel so much more confident in my future job and internship searches!
-This was a great workshop that covered concepts that matter throughout your career.
-very appreciative for this experience as it was pertinent to my success
-I gained a lot of insight and perspective
-learned a lot and feel more excited about defining my career/implementing the suggestions
-I had the opportunity to meet a few nice people as well as obtain information about summer internships

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Oct 29, 2018 - Meet and Greet Social 
NC ASA hosted a meet and greet with Duke University's Cynthia Rudin, an expert in Machine Learning, at Mattie B's Public House in Durham.
Details are on the NC ASA Blog: https://community.amstat.org/northcarolina/blogs/2018/blogs-2018-cynthiarudin

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Thurs Oct 11 6:30pm  - Asheville: NC ASA joint Mixer with ASA's Section on Statistics and the Environment Workshop at The Collider in Asheville, NC.  

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Oct 5-7, 2018: NC ASA Sponsors the AISC Conference
International Conference on Advances in Interdisciplinary Statistics and Combinatorics - October 5-7, 2018, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  (Note the date shift from Oct 6-8). The main objective of the conference is to promote interdisciplinary research involving statistical techniques. At the local level, the conference will provide an opportunity to NC researchers to interact with other researchers from all over the world. http://www.uncg.edu/mat/aisc/2018/ .

Sat Oct 6, 2018: NC ASA Annual Business Meeting
6:00pm at UNC Greensboro at the Elliot University Center during AISC.  Agenda items included voting on proposed ByLaws updates and an annual budget report.  Members received Business Meeting materials two weeks prior.  Further details can be found on the NC ASA Member Business website: http://community.amstat.org/northcarolina/aboutus/memberbusiness 


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Saturday Sept 29, 2018, 9am-3pm - Training for High School Statistics Teachers
As part of NC ASA's outreach activities, the NC Chapter of the ASA partnered with the NC School of Science and Math, SAS JMP and RTI International to offer a 1-day workshop (9 am – 3 pm) for High School Statistics teachers in NC. The activity was designed to provide training in topics relevant to the AP curriculum, as well as hands on training using SAS JMP. Attendants  received a certificate that could be used for any curriculum advancement (provided by the School of Science and Math), training in SAS JMP and a free JMP license. The fee was $10, and covered breakfast, lunch, cookies and coffee breaks. Registration: https://www.123signup.com/event?id=hhtrf  Contact information: Breda Munoz, breda@rti.org.
Schedule Overview:
8:30 - 9:00 Breakfast
9:00 - 11:15: Simulation and Probabilities (Floyd Bullard, NCSSM)
11:15-12:15: Lunch
12:15-3:00: Using JMP software for Statistical Analysis (Ruth Hummel, SAS/JMP)
Additional Notes:
1) Forms will be available to receive continuing education credit for workshop.
2) Laptops required!! (Either Mac or Windows)
3) All attendees will receive a 1-year license for JMP® Student Edition to use in their classroom
*Note: Windows XP is not supported by JMP.*
NC ASA - This is a great way to involve your local high schools in Statistics Education.  Parents - Talk with your kids’ high schools about involvement in the Teacher Training.

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In August 2018 NC ASA coordinated two joint socials in conjunction with SAMSI's 2018 program opening workshops. A social coinciding with the end of the first day of the opening workshop of the Program on Statistical, Mathematical, and Computational Methods for Precision Medicine (PMED) program at SAMSI met at Raleigh Beer Garden.  It was great to gather with statisticians from a variety of places as well as our local community.  The following week, a social coinciding with the Model Uncertainty: Mathematical and Statistical (MUMS) program at SAMSI's opening workshop met at the Devil's Krafthouse on Duke's campus.

July 2018: NC ASA's Industry Interests Group (IIG) is working to assess the community's needs for professional development.  NC ASA's IIG sponsored Statistician Interests Survey closed Jul 16.   

July 10, 2018, 1pm - Statistical Collaboration Webinar.  Consulting Connections and the IIG hosted an "In-Person Webinar" at SAMSI.  Statistical Collaboration was offered live by ASA's Community of Applied Statisticians (CAS) - NC ASA members joined in person for participation and community discussion led by Emily Griffith, Director of NCSU's Statistical Consulting Core.  Full details: http://community.amstat.org/northcarolina/blogs/2018/caswebinar

 

                       June 14 NC ASA Pop-Up Social provided a chance for friends and colleagues to catch up and relax
                       over a cool beverage.  Be on the lookout for future NC ASA Pop-Up Socials!





June 8 Consulting Connections Lunch -  To participate in future Consulting Connection events, contact Emily Griffith at emily_griffith@ncsu.edu.

Wed May 2, 2018 - NC ASA Social at Raleigh Beer Garden @ 5:30pm
NC ASA was excited to host the an NC ASA Social in the Raleigh area at Raleigh Beer Garden! It was a great chance to mingle and chat with friends and colleagues over a quick bite or brew after work. 

First NC ASA Speed Mentoring - featured in Amstat News!

NC ASA held our first Speed Mentoring opportunity Wed April 18.  We asked our younger members what they needed.  Their response was an opportunity to sit down with members from the professional community, specifically those with industry experience, to chat about their careers, their journey, and their advice for the younger generation.   Speed Mentoring is a chance to informally and quickly connect with several other professionals in an informal, small group setting over a bite or a beverage.  Actvities derived from professional mentoring programs were included.  Mentoring is  a great opportunity for networking and professional development.  It's also an chance to meet others in your field and to learn from others' career choices and paths.  More details including feedback and discussion points: http://community.amstat.org/northcarolina/blogs/2018/speedmentoring NC ASA mentor profiles can be found on NC ASA's Mentoring page.

First NC ASA Consulting Connections Event - Lunch at Page Road Grill in Durham on Friday April 13, 2018 at noon

Many statisticians consult whether it be their formal job title or informally with their colleagues.  NC ASA Consulting Connections will host roundtables, lunches, and other events to provide a place to network and exchange ideas with other statistical consultants.  If you are interested in Consulting Connections, you can contact Emily Griffith, NC ASA Vice President and Director, Statistical Consulting Core, North Carolina State University, at emily_griffith@ncsu.edu for more information.

NC ASA Social and Recycled Poster Session: Thursday March 29, 2018 - 6:30 at Mystery Brewing Company in Hillsborough
Come meet and mingle and see what other NC statisticians are up to in a relaxed setting.  Have a poster already printed that you'd love to use again?  Have a poster presentation coming up and want to give your poster a test run?  Don't have a poster but just want to hang out with other statisticians?  Our informal poster session and social was a great place to chat with friends and colleagues, and learn about the variety of topics NC statisticians tackle. 


The Social and Recycled Poster Session took place at Mystery Brewing Company, conveniently located in Hillsborough - a stone's throw from the Triangle and a short drive from the Piedmont area.  Food will be provided with drinks available for purchase. All career levels and ages welcome.
Special Bonus: A free brewery tour for participants!

March 16 2018: Understanding Statistical Leadership and Charting Your Leadership Journey
What is leadership, why is it important for our profession, and how do you develop as a leader?
Much has been written and discussed within the statistics profession in the last few years on these questions. This course will provide an understanding of leadership and its importance, as well as how statisticians can develop their leadership skills with a focus on business/organizational acumen & influence. It will feature leadership speakers from different sectors of statistics talking about their personal journeys and providing insights into how they developed as leaders.
Through personal reflection, group discussion and targeted exercises, you will develop a greater awareness of leadership and chart your path forward on your leadership development journey. 



The Leadership Development course will be a 1-day version of the course featured in AmStat Magazine.
Instructors - Gary Sullivan (Global Statistical Sciences).
Local Leaders - David Banks (Duke University) and Abie Ekangaki  (Head, Global Statistical Sciences - Immunology, UCB)
For more information about this and other NC ASA Leadership opportunities, contact NC ASA Past-President Weston McManus at Weston.McManus@sas.com

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First NC ASA Social of 2018!  NC ASA was excited to host the first NC ASA Social of 2018 at Hope Valley Bar and Grill (http://www.hopevalleybrewingcompany.com/) on Tuesday, Feb 20^th.  It was a great chance to mingle and chat with friends and colleagues.  NC ASA is excited to bring several new Executive Board members in for 2018 - the social was a chance to meet the Board and share your ideas for NC ASA in 2018!

Tickets are now available for the NC ASA's Panel Discussion and Fall Dinner!

The North Carolina Chapter of the American Statistical Association is excited to host "North Carolina: The State of Statistics". Have you ever wondered what statisticians in different kinds of jobs do all day? Have you ever seen a statistician's name in an article or a textbook and wondered how they got that opportunity? Our panelists will answer these questions and more. The panel includes NC ASA members from academics, industry, and government across North Carolina.  There will be time for questions and general discussion.


The event will be Friday December 8th at The Frontier in RTP beginning at 6pm with food and drink. The program will start at 6:45pm and will include a brief overview of upcoming events and exciting new initiatives for NC ASA.  There will be time after the panel discussion to mingle and chat over dessert.

Panelists:

David Banks, Professor of the Practice of Statistical Science, Duke University (Moderator)
Jim Blum, Professor of Statistics, UNC Wilmington
Kirsten Doehler, Associate Professor of Statistics, Elon University
Kristen Foley, Statistician, National Exposure Research Laboratory,
    US Environmental Protection Agency
Joe Ibrahim, Director of the Biostatistics and Data Management Core
       at UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Ashley Kesler, Programming Team Leader, Biostatistics at PPD
Bob Rodriguez, Senior Director, Statistical Research & Development, SAS Institute

This dinner is not a fundraiser for NC ASA (it is subsidized by both ASA and NC ASA), rather it is a "Thank You!" to our members as well as an introduction of NC ASA to possible future members. Bring a friend!  

At registration, guests who are not yet NC ASA members will have a chance to add an NC ASA membership to their existing ASA membership along with a reduced ticket price.  Early bird pricing, $22 for NC ASA members & students and $25 General, runs through November 17th with regular pricing through December 1st or until sold out.  Due to venue restrictions tickets will not be sold at the door, so be sure to get your tickets early!

We hope to see you at the NC ASA Panel and Dinner!

9pm Dec 7^th - weather update for NC ASA's "The State of Statistics" Panel Discussion and Dinner on Dec 8^th: No snow or adverse weather conditions are currently in forecast for tomorrow.  Regardless of any change in possible weather conditions or forecasts, the event will take place as planned.  We look forward to seeing you there! 

Social October 2017
Over a dozen NC ASA members got together at the NC ASA Oct 2017 Social!




Social and "Meet the NC ASA Board" July 2017
Several NC ASA members got together at the NC ASA July 2017 Social to meet the NC ASA executive board and exchange ideas for NC ASA events and initiatives.  The NC ASA Board is very interested in your input. 


Events in 2014:

• Fall 2014 NC-ASA Chapter Meeting at AISC Conference--October 10-12, 2014

The North Carolina Chapter of the American Statistical Association will hold its annual meeting at the International Conference on Advances in Interdisciplinary Statistics and Combinatorics, October 10-12, 2014, at UNC-Greensboro. The meeting will take place on October 12 at 1 PM. The conference includes research sessions by many prominent statisticians in North Carolina. More details are available at the AISC 2014 conference web page.

• Workshop--Effective Presentations for Statisticians--May 10, 2014
  Click here for more information

Events in 2013:

• Fall 2013 NC-ASA Chapter Symposium--October 12, 2013

The North Carolina Chapter of the American Statistical Association will sponsor a one-day symposium on October 12, 2013. The symposium will bring together researchers and students to celebrate statistics in North Carolina, as well as the International Year of Statistics, 2013. More details are available at the conference web page: http://www.stat.ncsu.edu/events/2013_NC-ASA/