June


Parameter
The Official Newsletter of the Chicago Chapter of the American Statistical Association
June 2018
In This Issue
Luncheon
June 14, 2018  
East Bank Club 
500 N Kingsbury Chicago 

Title:
Neural Networks and Deep Learning: A Practical Application in Image Recognition

Speakers:
University of Chicago Masters in Analytics Capstone Project by Emily Coppess, Jay Ong, Shahbaz Chaudhry & Ashish Pujari
Abstract:
Developments in deep learning models have greatly expanded the range of problems that approached with neural networks, as well as, the range of problems we can hope to tackle.  Neural networks are increasingly being applied to problems related to object detection, natural language processing and generation such as identification of hate speech or adding sound to silent movies. 
For this talk, we will discuss an application of deep learning to the area of sports fitness - namely, using deep learning to augment the virtual learning experience for yoga.  Deep Learning can be used to develop a system capable of providing instructional feedback.  We compare two applications of deep learning to yoga pose classification: a one-step neural network classifier and a two-step model consisting of a pose-extracting neural network feeding into standard classification models like SVM and random forest. We show that by avoiding explicit feature engineering, the one-step model is not only more efficient to build but also performs significantly better than the two-step model for the problem of yoga pose detection. 
2018 Statistical Advocate of the Year Award Dinner
Tuesday June 19, 2018
Prof David B. Allison is being awarded the 2018 Harry V. Roberts Statistical Advocate of the Year for distinguished and longstanding contributions in sound methodology, research integrity, and clear exposition of complex statistical concepts, especially in the globally important fields of nutrition and obesity.
Please join us in recognizing Dr. Allison at the award dinner on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, at the East Bank Club, 500 N. Kingsbury, Chicago, IL 60610.
6:00 - 6:45 Registration and welcome reception
6:45 - 7:15 Dinner service
7:15 - 7:30 Award ceremony
7:30 -8:15 David Allison presentation
Dr. Allison's talk, "Advocating for Greater Statistical Rigor: Why, How, and Examples from Nutrition and Obesity Research", will highlight how his work has raised the standards in nutritional research and earned him the recognition of Statistical Advocate of the Year.
Click here to register.
Dean, Indiana University School of Public Health
President's Letter

 
It is hard to believe that this is the last letter I will write to you as president of the Chicago ASA. If you would allow me to recollect the past year, or better yet, go back a few more years to 2013, I was a new board member with limited scope of view on how this organization operated through the various events that I had attended. The luncheons provided insights about current topics in statistics, the Statistician of the Year (SOY) award dinner allowed me to listen to the leaders of our field, and the workshop taught me a statistical topic in great depth. Fast forward a few years to 2017, I now have a greater appreciation for each of the events held at our Chapter. The biggest takeaway is that the events are so much more than a place to learn. The Chicago Chapter is a platform where our members can connect and interact with other members in the community and engage in stimulating and thought-provoking conversations. It is a place to exchange and debate ideas--over a delicious lunch menu if you've attended our luncheons--with people who may or may not share similar views. Whether you are a frequentist or Bayesian, we all share the same goals of learning the truth from the data at hand.
 
Our chapter is going strong, showing steady membership growth. We have a healthy number of members attending our luncheons, conference, workshop and many other activities. This would not have been possible without our speakers and members. I take this opportunity to thank all of our luncheon speakers, conference speakers, workshop speaker, and all of the sponsors who were both visibly and anonymously supporting the Chapter activities. I would also like to thank all of our members who filled the seats and the board members who have tirelessly dedicated their time and effort to run the chapter. Finally, I thank my family for allowing me to spend time with a community that I dearly love so much.
 
With all of this positive news, I regret to share the news that our beloved past president (1972-73), Linda Clark, passed away last month. She was a woman of remarkable accomplishments, but I will best remember her for her big smile and warmth that she brought to the Chapter. We will greatly miss you Linda.
 
I will be looking forward to seeing many more members at the events scheduled for the year 2018-19. The Chicago Chapter is honored to award Dr. David Allison at the Harry V. Roberts Statistical Advocate Award Dinner on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. We look forward to seeing you there. 
   
Respectfully yours,
Kwang-Youn Kim, PhD 
Farewell Linda Clark, former CCASA president and longtime board member - by Edward  C.Hirschland, current board member and former president
 
  
Linda M. Clark, undated photo 

The Chicago Chapter of the American S  tatistical Association has lost one of its longest-term and most loyal members. Linda Marie Clark died on May 4, about a month shy of her 80th birthday. She was an officer or director for nearly half a century, starting in the early Seventies and retiring in 2015. She served as president in 1972-73, the second woman in the chapter's history to do so. The chapter was founded in 1928. In 1991, she won the Chicago Chapter's first service award and in 1994 became a chapter fellow, one of only five statisticians ever to receive this honor.  
She will be remembered for many accomplishments, but one of the most meaningful is her early promotion of what has morphed into the Harry V. Roberts Statistical Advocate of the Year Award, an international prize granted since 2015 by the Chicago Chapter and the National ASA.
Another of Linda's signal achievements was her organizing of several so-called StatFairs before statistical software was readily available on the web. Dozens of providers of such software descended on Chicago to ply their wares in halls rented by the chapter for the purpose.
Linda held a BS from the University of Michigan (1962) and an MBA from the University of Chicago (1969). Between her undergraduate and graduate degrees, she served as an analyst at the Biological Sciences Computation Center of Billings Hospital at the U of C and later as director of mathematics and statistical services at Armour & Co. of Chicago.
Since 1969 Linda provided help with computer systems as well as mathematical and statistical services under the aegis of LMC Consulting Co.
 
Linda's many professional pursuits included serving as delegate to the first White House Conference on Small Business under President Jimmy Carter (1980); member of the Illinois Small Business Delegation to China (1986); member of the board of governors of International House, University of Chicago, (1976-88); member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; director, women's group of the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry (1974-79); director and vice-president of state issues at the Indiana Business Association (1982-84); chapter president of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (1981-83); and member of Alpha Chi Omega.
In June 2015, to mark Linda's retirement from the board of the Chicago Chapter, she was honored with a framed proclamation. The text is as follows: "Linda M. Clark has provided boundless benefit to the Chicago Chapter of the American Statistical Association by serving on its board of directors for nearly half a century. She has been named a Fellow of the Chicago Chapter and has received the Chapter Recognition Award from the Council of Chapters. The Chicago Chapter honors and thanks her for her leadership, devotion, scholarship, business acumen, generosity, kindness and love of statistics."
Memorial services were held in Flossmoor on May 25. Representing the chapter were current and former board members Tony Babinec, Gerry Funk, Borko Jovanovic and Kathy Morrissey. Four family members from Sweden were also in attendance and sang in Swedish to honor her.
I fondly remember her calling herself Dino, obviously short for Dinosaur. She was a major factor in the organization and a wonderful colleague. She will be sorely missed.
 
News from the CCASA Board
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