Ronald L. Wasserstein, ASA Executive Director

ASA members will find in their mailboxes within a few weeks an invitation to participate in the next ASA People to People Delegation, which will travel to Israel November 3–11 and be led by ASA President Nancy Geller. Plans are also in the works for a delegation to Russia in the early fall of 2012, led by ASA President-elect Bob Rodriguez. For additional information, contact Ron Wasserstein, ASA executive director, at ron@amstat.org.

Thirty-four ASA members and 12 guests participated in a 12-day professional and cultural journey to China in partnership with People to People Ambassador Programs from November 30 to December 11, 2010.

“The purpose of the trip was to discuss with statisticians in China matters of common interest regarding the development of statistical capacity in the work force and statistical literacy in the general population,” said Sastry Pantula, 2010 ASA president and a co-leader of the delegation. “Delegates had the opportunity to learn and share about these matters and much more during this exhilarating and very exciting experience.”

In the spring of 2010, ASA members received an invitation to participate in the program. More than 60 people expressed interest, and, in the end, 46 took part. The 34 delegates’ time was nearly equally divided among professional meetings, cultural activities, and transit. The 12 guests took in sights and had other cultural experiences during the days in which the delegates were in professional meetings. The delegation visited Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai.

The professional meetings, organized by the ASA and People to People, were the key activity of the program. “As an industrial statistician in a developed country, I take for granted the infrastructure that has been developed to capture the data needed to conduct meaningful work,” noted Dennis Kunimura, a statistician with Boart Longyear Company. “I gained a greater appreciation of the challenges facing China and the need for professional exchanges to help them face those challenges.”

Meeting size and type varied. Delegates met at statistics departments or schools at five universities: Renmin University of China in Beijing, Xi’an University of Finance and Economics in Xi’an, Northwest University in Xi’an, East China Normal University in Shanghai, and Fudan University in Shanghai. At the latter, the delegates participated in the Shanghai Biostatistics Forum.

Delegates also spent a full day with representatives from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the Chinese government’s statistical arm. On some occasions, the delegation met with a small number of people, and on others, many—including more than 400 who attended the meeting at Xi’an University of Finance and Economics. On most occasions, there was great opportunity for interaction between the delegates and the Chinese hosts. On all occasions, delegates were warmly welcomed and extended great hospitality.

“We were treated as royalty by our hosts in China,” said Frank DeMeo, a statistician with Abbott Labs.

At every location, Pantula had the opportunity to pass along greetings on behalf of the delegation and the ASA. He emphasized the ASA’s interest in building long-term relationships with the Chinese statistical community. He pointed out the key role Chinese-born statisticians already play at the ASA and in the world community of statisticians.

We were treated as royalty by our hosts in China.

As important as the professional meetings with Chinese statisticians were, the opportunity for delegates to interact with one another was at least as important. “The ASA People to People Statistical Delegation was a truly fabulous experience. It was the perfect mix of professional and cultural events,” said Jeri Mulrow, ASA Board member. “It was exciting to meet our Chinese counterparts and to learn more about the field of statistics in China. However, it was even more rewarding to meet and to get to know so many terrific ASA statisticians and their guests who were part of the delegation.”

Carol Lancaster, professor emerita of the Medical University of South Carolina, concurred and noted the importance of following up on the professional activities. “The trip was more than I could have ever imagined,” she said. “Not only did it offer a terrific chance to meet and network with new and old colleagues, but also the wonderful possibility to share information with international colleagues. It was great to hear, even shortly after our trip, that plans were already in the works for a variety of joint activities. Fantastic! How outstanding it is that our visit is already accomplishing its goals.”

The cost of the trip was not inexpensive, about $5,500 per person, and delegates were responsible for finding their own funding. But this was an all-in cost, including airfare, hotels (all five-star international hotels), in-country travel, and almost all meals. In addition to the professional work, delegates visited fascinating places such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall at Badaling, the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Shanghai Museum, and Yu Garden.

Renee Moore of the University of Pennsylvania described the ASA People to People Delegation to China as “one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, both professionally and personally.”

“I expected to learn from our Chinese counterparts,” she said, “but unexpected was how much I would learn from our own group of ASA delegates. I walked away with ideas on how to build upon my scholarship, my teaching, and my outreach goals of improving statistical literacy and education. Personally, I met lifelong friends and had unforgettable experiences in three different cities in China. I am very grateful to ASA and People to People for providing me with such an amazing opportunity and experience that I will never forget.”

Mulrow summed up the experience succinctly: “If given the chance, I would do it again. It was a blast.”

Each delegation leader keeps a journal documenting the delegation’s experiences. To view the journal written by Sastry Pantula and Ron Wasserstein visit the People to People website.

View a special picture album of the event on ASA’s Facebook page.