The American Statistical Association praised Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) for the introduction of a resolution designating this year as the International Year of Statistics.

“ASA and its more than 18,000 members are extremely grateful to Sen. Hagan for introducing this special Senate resolution,” said ASA President Marie Davidian, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Statistics at North Carolina State University and a constituent of Hagan’s. “Sen. Hagan’s resolution will help educate her Senate colleagues, Hill staffers, and untold numbers of people around the country about the growing, beneficial contributions that statistics and statisticians are making to improve our way of life and inform the policy decisions of our elected representatives at every level of government.”

Hagan introduced the resolution in the Senate May 21. The measure was referred to the chamber’s Judiciary Committee for further consideration.

The International Year of Statistics (Statistics2013) is a worldwide campaign promoting the power and impact of statistics on everyday life and introducing young people to careers in statistical science. Statistics2013 is supported by 2,000 organizations in 122 countries. The campaign is organized in the United States by the ASA. Other founding organizations are the Royal Statistical Society, International Statistical Institute (and the Bernoulli Society), Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and International Biometric Society.

In part, the Hagan resolution recognizes that “the science of statistics is vital to the improvement of human life because of the power of statistics to improve, enlighten, and understand” and that “statisticians contribute to the vitality and excellence of myriad aspects of United States society, including the economy, health care, security, commerce, education, and research.”

In addition to designating 2013 as the International Year of Statistics, the resolution calls on the Senate to support the goals and ideals of Statistics2013 and recognize the need to educate the public on the merits of statistical sciences and promote interest in the sciences among youth. It closes with an appeal for U.S. citizens to participate in the ASA-backed campaign.

Statistics2013 participating organizations include national and international professional statistical societies, colleges and universities, primary and secondary schools, businesses, government statistical agencies, and research institutes.

Throughout 2013, participating organizations will promote the importance of statistics to the scientific community, business and government data users, the media, policymakers, employers, secondary school and college students, and millions of people around the world. Many participating organizations are conducting seminars, media outreach, and other educational and promotional activities in their countries.

Visit the International Year of Statistics website to learn more.

UPDATE: On June 27, Congressman Jerry McNerney from California, read the Statistics2013 one-minute speech on the House of Representatives floor. With this one-minute speech, both chambers of Congress now have recognized Statistics2013.