Edited by Songthip Ounpraseuth, Biometrics Section Publications Officer

JSM 2013 Biometrics Section program chair, Wei Sun, is collecting proposals for topic-contributed talks. Topic-contributed sessions are a nice alternative to contributed sessions because they are organized around a central topic, the talks are longer (20 minutes rather than 15), and one can have discussants. All sessions consist of five speakers (e.g., four speakers and one discussant; three speakers and two discussants).

If you are interested in organizing such a session, contact Sun at wsun@bios.unc.edu. While the deadline for submitting topic-contributed session abstracts is February 4, 2013, proposals should be sent to Sun as early as possible.

Byar Young Investigator Award and Travel Awards

Do you know a young investigator who is planning to submit an abstract for the 2013 Joint Statistical Meetings? If so, you might mention that the ASA Biometrics Section is seeking applications for the 2013 David P. Byar Young Investigator Award. This annual award is given to a young investigator for best emerging work to be presented during JSM. The award commemorates the late David Byar, a biostatistician who made significant contributions to the development and application of statistical methods and was esteemed as an exceptional mentor during his career at the National Cancer Institute. The winner will receive a $1,500 award. Additionally, the section may provide travel awards to the authors of other outstanding papers submitted to the competition.

Applicants must have held a doctorate in statistics, biostatistics, or a related quantitative field for three or fewer years as of April 1 of the current year or be enrolled as a doctoral student in statistics or biostatistics and in active pursuit of a doctoral degree. They also must be current members of the ASA Biometrics Section and first author of the paper submitted. (Membership in the ASA does not automatically confer section membership. Applicants may join at the time of submission for a $5 [$3 for students] annual membership fee.)

The paper may be submitted to a journal or under review, but may not have appeared online or in print at the time of the application or have been accepted for publication as of December 1. Also, the paper may not have been submitted to any other ASA section student/young investigator award competition.

Finally, applicants must be scheduled to present the submitted paper at JSM 2013 in Montréal, Québec, Canada, as a talk or poster presentation.

Applicants must submit their JSM abstracts to the Biometrics Section by December 1 in addition to submitting them to the ASA by February 4, 2013. They also must contact Sun at wsun@bios.unc.edu prior to the abstract deadline. The section will organize a series of topic-contributed sessions to highlight the submitted papers.

Applicants should submit a cover letter certifying that they meet the eligibility requirements and are not submitting their paper to another ASA section student/young investigator award competition, a current CV, and one copy of the finished paper. All materials must be submitted electronically to Dianne Finkelstein, section chair, at dfinkelstein@partners.org.

The 2013 awards committee is composed of the current and past section chairs and chair-elect, as well as three individuals appointed by the section chairs.

For the 2013 competition, Byar Awards finalists will be announced by January 15, 2013. Finalists should contact Sun at wsun@bios.unc.edu and submit a topic-contributed abstract to the JSM.

Call for Proposals: Developing the Next Generation of Biostatisticians

The ASA Biometrics Section invites applications for funding to support projects developing innovative outreach projects focused on enhancing awareness of biostatistics among quantitatively talented U.S. students. Of interest are projects that will encourage students to pursue advanced training in biostatistics. Funding is anticipated for up to three projects, with total funding of up to $3,000 per project. All investigators are encouraged to apply.

A three-page application is due January 11, 2013, and should be in the following format:

• Title, Objectives and Specific Aims
• Background, Significance, and/or Rationale
• Design and Methods
• Budget

A project period with a start date no earlier than February 15, 2013, and an end date no later than December 31, 2013, also should be specified.

Applications should be submitted electronically to the Strategic Initiatives Subcommittee chair, Roslyn Stone, at Roslyn@pitt.edu. All investigators will be expected to submit a brief report at the conclusion of the project to the subcommittee chair.

The section is particularly interested in projects that provide generalizable models for outreach and/or materials that can be used by others.

Allowed expenditures include supplies, domestic travel when necessary to carry out the project, professional expertise (e.g., instructional designer or webmaster), and cost of computer time. Unallowable expenditures include secretarial/administrative personnel, tuition, foreign travel, and honoraria and travel expenses for visiting lecturers to the investigator’s home institution.