Blogs

The Role of Statistics in Data Science – An ASA statement

By Ronald Wasserstein posted 10-01-2015
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The American Statistical Association (ASA) Board today released a statement on The Role of Statistics in Data Science . As ASA President David Morganstein stated in the accompanying press release , “Through this statement, the ASA and its membership acknowledge that data science encompasses more than statistics, but at the same time also recognize that statistical science plays a critical role in the fast-growing field. It is our hope the statement will reinforce the relationship of statistics to data science and further foster mutually collaborative relationships among all key contributors in data science.” (See the Amstat News article on this statement, ...
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Largest U.S. Master's Programs in Statistics and Biostatistics

By Steve Pierson posted 02-10-2014
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[6/19/18 update: The updated tables for universities awarding Master's Degrees in Statistics and Biostatistics from 2003-Most Recent Year (2017) can be found here: List of universities granting master's degrees in statistics for 2003-MostRecentYear List of universities granting master's degrees in biostatistics for 2003-MostRecentYear [2/26/18 update: See this December 2017 Q&A with Data Science/Analytics Programs , April 2017 Q&A with Data Science/Analytics Programs and this June 2017 Q&A with Data Science/Analytics Programs [Update 8/23/17: The tables below are now presented much more cleanly and neatly at this ASA webapge: ...
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Largest U.S. Doctorate Programs in Statistics and Biostatistics

By Steve Pierson posted 02-10-2014
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[Update 8/23/17: The tables below are now presented much more cleanly and neatly at this ASA webapge: http://www.amstat.org/asa/education/Statistics-and-Biostatistics-Degree-Data.aspx .] [6/19/18 update: The updated tables for universities awarding PhD's in Statistics and Biostatistics from 2003-Most Recent Year (2017) can be found here: List of universities granting PhD's in statistics for 2003-MostRecentYear List of universities granting PhD's in biostatistics for 2003-MostRecentYear ] [9/29/15 update: See the report of the 2014 data release in this Amstat News article and the accompanying blog entry . The reports include breakouts for biostatistics ...
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2014 Statistics and Biostatistics Degree Data Released (Updated with 2017 degree data)

By Steve Pierson posted 10-02-2015
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[Update 8/23/17: The tables below are now presented much more cleanly and neatly at this ASA webapge: http://www.amstat.org/asa/education/Statistics-and-Biostatistics-Degree-Data.aspx .] [Update 6/19/18: The tables below have been updated with the 2017 degree data from NCES, showing a 22% increase for bachelors degrees, a 4% increase for Master's, and 5% for PhD's.] [Update: 10/4/16: The October 2016 issue of Amstat News has this article on the 2015 data : Statistics, Biostatistics Degree Growth Sustained Through 2015 . 7/21/16: NCES has released the preliminary 2015 degree data and I've updated the first three tables below, showing a 19% increase ...
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ASA comment on a journal’s ban on null hypothesis statistical testing

By Ronald Wasserstein posted 02-26-2015
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An editorial published earlier this month in the journal Basic and Applied Social Psychology ” has raised concerns in the statistics community. The editorial declares that “the null hypothesis significance testing procedure (NHSTP) is invalid,” and states that authors of papers submitted to the journal, will--prior to publication--“have to remove all vestiges of the NHSTP (p-values, t-values, F-values, statements about ‘significant’ differences or lack thereof, and so on).” Bayesian alternatives will be considered on a case-by-case basis and “are neither required nor banned” from the journal. The statistical community is aware of problems associated ...
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Members of Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking being named; Include ASA Fellows

By Steve Pierson posted 05-23-2016
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[Updates to blog entry since original posting (with Commission members entered on rolling basis): 9/7/17: Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking Issues Final Report , 9/7/17 11/8/16: Third Meeting of the Commission for Evidence-Based Policymaking , Amy Nussbaum's blog entry on the 11/4 CEP meeting 11/7/16: Promoting policies that work: Six steps for the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking , 11/1 op-ed from JPAL 's executive director. 10/27/16: Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking: Public Hearing , Amy Nussbaum's blog entry on the 10/21 public hearing. 10/25/16: See ASA's comments to the Commission at the October 21 public hearing ...
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List of Statisticians Becoming Senior University Administrators Growing

By Steve Pierson posted 03-29-2016
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[I continue to update the list in this blog entry as we learn of more people but the lead text has not been edited since March, 2016. Please send any additions to me: pierson@amstat.org, preferably with a URL to a page showing the position or an announcement. I am not keeping each entry updated so many people may have rotated out of the positions listed below.] The statistical community is celebrating this week the news of Sally C Morton being named as dean for Virginia Tech College of Science . Morton will join a growing list of statisticians who are or have been in senior university administration positions, signifying the growing recognition of the importance ...
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Statistician Prosecuted: Latest Developments in Andreas Georgiou Case

By Steve Pierson posted 06-15-2017
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This blog entry is co-authored with Robin Mejia, acting Chair of the ASA Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights and Ron Wasserstein, ASA Executive Director. In consultation with them, Pierson will provide new developments after the original posting of this blog post by inserting updates at the beginning of this blog entry. The updates will appear in square brackets with a date for the update. [10/21/19: Please see this September 2019 update on the persecution of Georgiou entering a ninth year: Eight Years of Government Persecution of Greek Statistician .] [7/28/18: Gerry O'Hanlon and Hallgrímur Snorrason have updated their excellent summary of the ...
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Assessing Demand for PhD Statisticians and Biostatisticians

By Steve Pierson posted 04-14-2016
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[7/18/16 update: The 2015 new doctorate unemployment data were added to the first table from the Report on the 2014–2015 New Doctoral Recipients .] We recently received a couple inquiries on the demand for PhD statisticians and biostatisticians. A new piece in Inside Higher Education (IHE), The Shrinking Ph.D. Job Market , also addresses the broader market for PhDs and so I thought it would be helpful to share what we know on the statistics and biostatistics PhD market. I think it is true that the IHE piece's summarizing statement—“As number of new Ph.D.s rises, the percentage of people earning a doctorate without a job waiting for them is up”—doesn't hold ...
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NIH Funding Success Rates Slip in FY13 (Charts Updated through 2018)

By Steve Pierson posted 01-21-2014
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[10/25/19 Update: The Charts below were updated to include the data through FY18.] NIH just released the funding success rates for FY13 , revealing that R01 (and equivalent) funding rates slipped to about 17%. Success funding rates for other NSF grants also slipped though the F31 (predoctoral training) edged up slightly to almost 30% but the F32 (postdoctoral training) slipping to about 24%, as shown in this figure: For the perspective of Sally Rockey, NIH's Deputy Director for Extramural Research, on the FY13 funding success rates, see this "Rock Talk" blog entry . [1/24/14: See also the FASEB Analysis of the final FY13 NIH budget . 3/5/14 See also ...
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19 Students Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships for Statistics; Up from 12 in 2015

By Steve Pierson posted 03-29-2016
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According to an March 29 NSF press release , NSF announced 2000 recipients of the Graduate Research Fellowships (GRF) . 19 of these were awarded to statistics students, an increase from the 2014 and 2015 numbers of 11 and 12, respectively. Congratulations to these 2016 recipients: ​ Name Baccalaureate Institution Field of Study Current Institution Branson, Zachary Joseph Carnegie-Mellon University Statistics Harvard University Celentano, Michael ...
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Big Data and the Role of Statistics

By Steve Pierson posted 03-28-2012
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This piece is co-authored with Ron Wasserstein, Executive Director for the American Statistical Association (ASA). The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is hosting a “Big Data event” tomorrow, March 29, at AAAS and will feature representatives from NSF, NIH, NIST, DOD, DARPA and DOE. Other than the speakers, there is little available about what will be announced. We’ll keep you informed as information becomes available. In the meantime, we want your input. There is no question Big Data has hit the business, government and scientific sectors. Unfortunately, the role of statistics seems too often to be undervalued. Instead, computer science, ...
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Universities and Colleges Creating New Undergraduate Statistics (and Related) Programs

By Steve Pierson posted 12-08-2014
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This is a very exciting time to be in statistics and biostatistics. The number of undergraduate statistics degrees has nearly doubled in the last four years—making it the fastest growing STEM degree—and Master’s degree are also growing quickly. Further, the number of universities granting undergrad statistics degrees has increased from the 74 in 2003 to more than 110 last year. (See this Amstat News article for more on these developments.) Based on reports we have been hearing about colleges and universities establishing new undergrad statistics programs, this number will continue to grow. To highlight these developments, we assembled the following list ...
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ASA, with Statistical Community, Watching Carefully for the Integrity of Federal Statistical Data

By Steve Pierson posted 02-02-2017
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Concerns for the integrity of federal statistical data have been rising since President Trump’s election and more so since his inauguration gauging from recent articles. Known and trusted as objective, federal statistical data form the backbone of policymaking and decisionmaking in the public and private sector. A January 30 article in the Guardian has been widely circulated. Titled “ Statisticians fear Trump White House will manipulate figures to fit narrative ” and quoting former Chief Statistician of the United States Katherine Wallman, former BLS Commissioner Erica Groshen and former Census Director Ken Prewitt, it states “Wallman, like other statisticians ...
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Statisticians Prominent in Top 100 Cited Articles List

By Steve Pierson posted 11-10-2014
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The top 100 cited articles of all time are featured in the October 30 issue of Nature , and statistics is one of six areas the magazine calls out. The statistics paper in this elite list include: 11. Nonparametric estimation from incomplete observations. Kaplan, E. L. & Meier, P. Journal of the American Statistical Association. 53, 457–481 (1958). 24. Regression models and life-tables. Cox, D. R. J. R. Stat. Soc., B 34, 187–220 (1972). 29. Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Bland, J. M. & Altman, D. G. Lancet 327, 307–310 (1986). 57. Maximum likelihood from incomplete data via EM algorithm. Dempster, ...
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Leadership of the Federal Statistical Agencies

By Steve Pierson posted 12-23-2013
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This blog entry will help track the leaders of the 13 ICSP statistical agency heads by listing in Table 1 the current head, the previous head, and links to Amstat News Q&A's. I will also track updates as I learn of them. Table 2 lists the nature of the head position. Latest Updates : Ron Jarmin retires as deputy director of the US Census Bureau, May 15, 2026. Rolf Schmidt retires as deputy director of BTS, January 31, 2026. Ed Strocko named acting director. Brian Moyer retires as director of NCHS, December 2025; Carolyn Greene is acting director Kelly Maguire named administrator of Economic Research Service Table 1 : Current and Previous ...
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FY16 Statistical Agency Budget Developments

By Steve Pierson posted 01-15-2015
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The FY16 federal budget request was released February 2, 2015. This blog entry will track FY16 appropriations developments for the federal statistical agencies and so will be updated accordingly. (See update log below.) To receive notifications of updates, follow ASA Science Policy on Twitter: @ASA_SciPol. NB: The February 2016 Amstat News has an article summarizing the final FY16 budgets: Final FY16 Spending Bill Provides Increases for NIH, Census, Statistical Agencies . Because this blog entry covers everything from the budget request to the final determination of the budget, it can become quite long. To help with that, I'll try to partition ...
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Biopharmaceutical Section's Leadership Series: Interview with Kelly Zou

By Alex Dmitrienko posted 06-15-2016
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This is the second article in the leadership series that includes interviews with statistical leaders among the biopharmaceutical community. I am pleased to present an interview with Dr. Kelly H. Zou. Kelly Zou, PhD, PStat, ASA Fellow, is Senior Director and Analytic Science Lead, Real-World Data and Analytics at Pfizer Inc. She is an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association and an Accredited Professional Statistician. She received both her MA and PhD degree in Statistics from the University of Rochester and completed her post-doctoral fellowship training at Harvard Medical School. Her undergraduate major was Mathematics, along with a minor ...
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Nine Recognitions for Statistics in 2016

By Steve Pierson posted 12-29-2016
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Looking back at 2016, I think statistics had a very good year in terms of the recognition our scientific discipline received. We on the ASA staff continue to make the case for how statistics makes the science (and government, business, policy and much more) better and look forward to continuing to promote the practice and profession of statistics in 2017. Here are some of the highlights I identified but I'd love to hear your thoughts. (Please send them to pierson@amstat.org or add them to the comment space below or both!) The Inaugural International Prize in Statistics was awarded to Sir David Cox . I really liked Susan Ellenberg's compelling video ...
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The Emergence of Master's in Analytics and Data Science Programs

By Steve Pierson posted 08-12-2016
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[8/26/22 update: The chart and table below wer updated to include the 2021 data. The following may also be of interest: Amstat News Q&A's featuring new master's and doctoral data science/analytics programs Department of Education Adds New Program Classifications for Data Science, Data Analytics, and Applied Statistics , effective starting with 2020 data I blogged about the updated below here on 7/16/18: Master’s Programs in Data Science/Analytics Are Proliferating: How many students do these programs graduate? See also this NCSU Analytics post, Graduate Degree Programs in Analytics and Data Science See also the ASA Statistics ...
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