Announcements

Call for Submissions: Journal for Survey Statistics and Methodology

Special Issue: Survey Research from Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean

Guest Editors:  Carolina Franco, Mamadou Diallo, Sunghee Lee, Denise Britz do Nascimento Silva

The Journal for Survey Statistics and Methodology seeks submissions for a special issue on survey research from Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean

Survey research stands to benefit from examining the richness of applications, ideas, and contributions from investigators around the world.  This issue aims to highlight work from locations that are typically underrepresented in JSSAM and other leading journals.  In keeping with the theme of the special issue, it is desirable for at least one of the authors in a submission to be working in one of the regions covered, and applications must use data primarily from these regions. The issue will showcase interesting survey papers from various countries.  

We seek papers from the targeted regions on the usual topics covered in the journal.   These include papers on Survey Statistics, Survey Methodology, and Applications.  The Survey Statistics section presents papers on innovative sampling procedures, imputation, weighting, measures of uncertainty, small area inference, new methods of analysis, and other statistical issues related to surveys. The Survey Methodology section presents papers that focus on methodological research, including methodological experiments, questionnaire design and testing, methods of data collection, interviewer effects, nonresponse and recruitment protocols, responsive designs, new data sources, and use of paradata. The Applications section contains papers involving innovative applications of methods and providing practical contributions and guidance, and/or significant new findings.  In addition to the general topics above, the issue also seeks papers on survey methods and statistics in multinational, multiregional, and multicultural contexts, and on capacity building efforts. 

Submissions to the special issue are welcomed through September 30, 2024. Upon submission manuscripts will be peer-reviewed in accordance with standard journal practice and will be published online soon after acceptance. See this information flyer.

 Electronic copies of the manuscripts should be uploaded at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jssam following the manuscript preparation instructions. To ensure consideration in the special issue, authors must include a cover letter that clearly states that the manuscript has been submitted for consideration for the special issue on “Survey Research from Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean.”  Queries about this special issue should be directed to Carolina Franco at franco-carolina@norc.org.

Announcements List

  • September technical talk - Partial Tensor Regression

    Join the Central Indiana Chapter for a virtual lunchtime meeting on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Dayu Sun who will be speaking on using partial tensor regression in the analysis of neuroimaging data.
     
        title:  Partial Tensor Regression with Application to Neuroimaging Data Analysis
        speaker:  Dayu Sun, Ph.D.
                         Professor of Biostatistics, IU School of Medicine
        date:  Wednesday, September 30, 2026
        time:  Noon - 1:00 pm ET
        cost:  FREE
        register:  register on Zoom 
    Abstract
    Tensors, characterized as multidimensional arrays, are frequently encountered in modern scientific studies. In this work, we propose several partial tensor regression (PTR) frameworks that novelly apply the core principle of the partial least squares technique to achieve effective dimension reduction for common regression problems with a tensor covariate. Specifically, we focus on partial quantile tensor regression and partial logistic tensor regression. The proposed algorithms are computationally efficient and scalable to a large-size tensor covariate. Moreover, we uncover an appealing latent variable model representation for the new PTR algorithm, justifying a simple population interpretation of the resulting estimator. We further investigate the connection of the PTR procedure with an envelope tensor regression model, which defines a general set of sparsity conditions tailored to tensor regression. We provide several asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators under the envelope model and demonstrate their superior finite-sample performance compared to benchmark methods through simulation studies. We demonstrate the practical utility of the proposed methods via an application to a neuroimaging study of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results derived from the proposed method are more neurobiologically meaningful and interpretable as compared to those from existing methods.
     
    Speaker
    Dayu Sun Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science at the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. He also serves as an Affiliated Scientist at the Regenstrief Institute's Center for Aging Research. Dr. Sun’s methodological research include high-dimensional tensor data analysis with applications to neuroimaging, as well as the joint modeling of intermittently observed longitudinal data and complex time-to-event outcomes. His methodological work supports diverse applications in mental health, pediatrics, critical care, AD, juvenile justice, and clinical trial design.
     
    Before joining Indiana University in 2023, Dr. Sun was a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Statistics from the University of Missouri. Dr. Sun also holds an M.Phil. and a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

  • Share your Communities in Action Story!

    ASA Mid-TN chapter members,

    We're forwarding the below ASA initiative to share stories on using statistical expertise in your community. We encourage you to participate, and if you do so, please list our Mid-TN chapter as your home chapter to help us compete for additional chapter funding!

    .............................

    Share your Communities in Action Story!

     

    Your skills. Your community. Your story. Every day, ASA members use their expertise to make a difference in schools, nonprofits, local governments, health clinics, and beyond. As part of the Communities in Action initiative, the ASA wants to collect and share these stories to inspire fellow members to take action themselves.

     

    Please take a moment to fill out a Community in Action Postcard and share a brief story about a time you put your skills to work to support your community. When you submit the postcard, please identify which section or chapter you want to represent.

     

    You will not only be inspiring others, but you will also be helping your Chapter or Section compete for a $500 award that will be given to the groups that collect the most stories. To be eligible for the award, postcards must be submitted by October 31, 2026.

     

    Interested in other ways to support Communities in Action Initiative? Show your support for the formation of the Communities in Action Outreach Group by filling out this Interest Form.

     

    The Communities in Action Committee

  • 2026-27 Sports Analytics Conferences

    September 12, 2026: CASSIS (Vancouver, BC)

    October 23-24, 2026: Carnegie Mellon Sports Analytics Conference (Pittsburgh, PA)

    November 13, 2026: Football Analytics Symposium (College Station, TX)

    November 21, 2026: Midwest Sports Analytics Meeting (Virtual)

    February 26-27, 2027: MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (Boston, MA)

    March 20, 2027: Ontario Universities Sports Analytics Conference (Toronto)

    March 26-27, 2027: ASI Summit (Houston, TX)

    April 1-3, 2027: Ohio State Sports Analytics Conference (Columbus, OH)

    April 9-10, 2027: Connecticut Sports Analytics Symposium (Storrs, CT)

    August 4-8, 2027: SABR 55 (Birmingham, AL)

    Fall 2027: NESSIS (Cambridge, MA)

  • August meeting seminar!

    Ever thought about being a statistical consultant? The Albany Chapter of the American Statistical Association is excited to host a panel discussion on statistical consulting on Thursday, August 13th from noon-1pm. The event is virtual and free to attend.

     

    Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/aZnsUKCWQwi0F-N6cDlsyQ 

     

    Description:

    Our panelists will answer questions on statistical consulting, covering topics including building a client base, working with clients, setting a fee schedule, and how AI may affect consulting. We will also have time to take questions from the audience. If you have ever thought about statistical consulting (or are early in your career) please consider attending.

     

    Panelists:

     
    Frederick W. Faltin: Fred is a Professor of Practice Emeritus of Statistics at Virginia Tech, and a Fellow of ASA.  He is co-Founder of the Faltin Group, consulting internationally with major companies such as Agilent, Dell, Jones Lang LaSalle, and United Health.  Previously he founded and managed the Strategic Enterprise Technologies lab at GE Global Research. He holds an S.B. in Mathematics from MIT, and M.S. degrees in both Mathematical Statistics and Operations Research from Cornell University. He is a recognized expert in statistics, Six Sigma, and Design for Six Sigma, and has published extensively.  He was co-Editor in Chief of Wiley's Encyclopedia of Statistics in Quality and Reliability. Fred can be found on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/frederick-w-faltin/ .
     
    Dr. Richard Burke: Dr. Burke is Professor Emeritus of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering, SUNY Maritime College. He previously chaired the Engineering Department and led the Global Maritime Center for Research, Development, Education, and Training. His Ph.D. is in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research from UMass Amherst. Dr. Burke also holds an S.M. in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering from MIT and a B.Engr. in Naval Architecture from SUNY Maritime College. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Institution of Naval Architects in London and the Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers in Washington. His career includes teaching at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and supporting research at the Naval Reactors Program in the U.S. Department of Energy. He has also consulted extensively in manufacturing, new product development, and health care. Dr. Burke’s website: https://www.sunymaritime.edu/faculty/engineering/richard-burke
     
    Dr. Chris Ryan: Dr. Ryan is an academic physician, Air Force Veteran, American Statistical Association Accredited Professional Statistician, and is the founder and owner of Agency Statistical Consulting, which is focused on helping public service professionals. He practiced and taught family medicine for 25 years in New York's Southern Tier, including 15 years as a county health department medical director while also teaching public health and bioethics. Dr. Ryan earned his MD at SUNY Upstate Medical University, followed by medical residency at Scott AFB. He also holds an M.S. in Statistics from Texas A&M and an M.S. in Public Health via the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.  Dr. Ryan’s website: https://www.agencystatistical.com/index.html

  • Statisticians with Disabilities Offer Personal, Professional Insights

    The Committee on Statistics and Disability wanted to recognize and celebrate the contributions of statisticians and data scientists with disabilities—not just by highlighting their lived experiences but also their professional achievements and the perspectives they bring to the field. (Article was published in the October 2025 issue of Amstat News.)

  • 2026 ASA Traveling Course and Annual Meeting - August 14

    [Sent on behalf of Cindy Chen, apologies for duplicate notifications]

     

    Dear ASA Mid-Tennessee Chapter Members,

     

    We’re excited to announce that registration is now open for the American Statistical Association (ASA) Traveling Course we’re hosting on Friday, August 14, 2026, from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s titled Quick-thinking, Confident, Communicative, and Collaborative: Fundamentals of Applied Improvisation for (Bio)statisticians and Data Scientists, and taught by Dr. Richard Zink, an ASA Fellow with extensive experience in not only biostatistics for academia and industry (with clinical trials, medical product development, and data visualization among his research interests) but also professional improv. 

     

    The course introduces applied improvisation as a novel way to pursue interpersonal skills as a quantitative scientist, and it is capped at 20 participants. If we reach 20 sign-ups, we will add an afternoon session that will run from 2:15 to 6:15 PM. More information is available in the attached document and at the registration link below.

     

    We will also hold the ASA Middle Tennessee Annual Chapter meeting on the same day, Friday, August 14, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, with lunch available starting at 12:30 PM. Both members and non-members are welcome to attend. We encourage you to join us even if you are not participating in the course; please RSVP in the form below if not attending the course.

     

    Registration and Course Information: Eventbrite

    RSVP for ASA Middle Tennessee Chapter meeting (only need to RSVP if not attending the course): Forms

     

    An automatic 10% early registration discount is available through Wednesday, July 22. Chapter members and students receive additional discounts. Registration will close at the end of the day (11:59 pm CT) on Wednesday, August 12. If you have administrative questions, contact jena.altstatt@vumc.org.

     

    We look forward to seeing you there!

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Cindy Chen

    Middle Tennessee Chapter President