Jessica Utts

As I begin my year as ASA president, I would like to reflect on the year that has passed and tell you about some exciting opportunities for the coming year. It may seem strange that I would reflect on the past year when my presidency is just starting, but, in fact, the role of president-elect turns out to be quite a big job! As soon as the newly elected president is announced, the work (and fun!) begins. And so does the appreciation for the hundreds of members who contribute their time and energy to making the ASA a successful organization.

My first assignment was to appoint the program chair and choose the theme for JSM 2016. I chose “The Extraordinary Power of Statistics,” and was pleased Jeffrey Morris was willing to serve as program chair.

In the old days (five years ago), the president-elect made almost all the committee appointments for the coming year. Although the president-elect is ultimately responsible for the appointments, the work is now divided among seven entities, including three individuals (president-elect, executive director, publications representative) and four councils. With more than 50 committees and hundreds of volunteer members, I am greatly indebted to the council chairs and vice chairs—including Nat Schenker and Nicole Lazar (Awards Council), Jeri Mulrow and Roxy Peck (Education Council), Jim Rosenberger and Holly Shulman (Membership Council), and Rob Santos and Russ Lenth (Professional Issues and Visibility Council)—for making the bulk of those appointments. And thanks to all the members who agreed to serve on these committees, as well as to all of you who participate in section and chapter governance. The ASA truly is a membership organization!

I love to travel, meet new people, and learn about the activities of statisticians beyond my daily contacts. As president-elect, I had the opportunity to visit Virginia Tech and learn more about Eric Vance’s LISA project and to help Winona State launch their undergraduate data science major, fortuitously occurring at the same time my department at UC Irvine was initiating a similar program. I also had the opportunity to visit some local chapters and would particularly like to thank Deb Stiver from the Nevada Chapter and Thuan Nguyen and Mara Tableman from the Oregon Chapter for their invitations and hospitality.

And finally, by the time this column appears, I will have represented the ASA as keynote speaker at the International Indian Statistical Association conference in Pune, India, and the Second International Conference on Statistics in Dhaka, Bangladesh. I look forward to more of these trips and the chance to meet more of our members in 2016.

If you too love to travel, you will have two opportunities this year to travel with other ASA members on international exchange trips. You are invited to join an ASA delegation to Ecuador in May, which I will be co-leading with outgoing ASA Vice President Jim Rosenberger. One of the highlights of the trip will be a visit to Ecuador’s first technical research university, Yachay Tech, which just enrolled its first students in spring of 2015. We will be meeting with Yachay’s chancellor, Daniel Larson, who is also helping to arrange meetings with faculty and students for our visit. A program will be available for accompanying persons, and a four-day cultural extension to the Galapagos Islands will be available at the end of the trip.

The other trip, still in the planning stages, will be to South Africa in September. Both trips are being organized by Professionals Abroad, which also arranged a successful ASA trip to Cuba led by 2013 ASA President Marie Davidian.

If you are a regular reader of the President’s Corner in Amstat News, you will have noticed each president has introduced three or four initiatives for the benefit of the profession and membership. These initiatives are based on our strategic plan. It will come as no surprise to those who know my work that my initiatives will focus on education and public statistical literacy. This latter category is addressed through two media-related initiatives. I will outline the initiatives below and report on them in more detail in future columns.

Media Training for Statisticians

Have you ever been contacted by the media to explain your work? Have you seen a news story using statistics that didn’t quite get things right? Have you thought about writing an editorial or a media report about your work? If so, then this initiative is for you. Chaired by ASA Vice President Rob Santos, the Media Training for Statisticians Working Group is charged with developing a media training program for ASA members and making recommendations for delivering it.

Statistical Ambassadors

While having media training available to all ASA members would be helpful, our profession needs to be more proactive in promoting statistical literacy and working with the media. The ASA recently developed a successful collaboration with Sense About Science USA to make available the website Stats.org. The multiple purposes of the website include offering help to journalists who want to write about statistical topics and providing articles that directly address statistical issues in the news. The purpose of the Statistical Ambassadors Roundtable Working Group, chaired by ASA Board member Wendy Lou, is to develop a panel of selected statisticians who will serve as a point of contact for the media. There will be an application process to become a statistical ambassador, and those selected will receive more intensive media training. The ambassadors will also write material for Stats.org.

Information About Careers in Statistics for AP Statistics Students

The ASA recently launched ThisisStatistics, a campaign to educate students, teachers, counselors, and parents about career options in statistics. Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics classrooms provide a natural audience for this campaign. It is predicted that more than 200,000 students will take the AP Statistics exam this year, with many more taking the course but not the exam. These hundreds of thousands of students learn how to do statistics, but generally do not understand that statistics is a career option. The Careers in Statistics Working Group, led by ASA Board member Anna Nevius, is charged with developing plans for getting this career information into AP classrooms. The working group includes AP Statistics teachers and college faculty with extensive involvement in the AP program.

Statistical Education Research Priorities

Research in statistical education has received increased attention and funding from the National Science Foundation and other sources in recent years. While there are individuals doing great work in this area at their own institutions, the collective effort could benefit from strategic planning and setting of priorities. The purpose of the Statistical Education Research Priorities Working Group, chaired by ASA Director of Strategic Initiatives and Outreach Donna LaLonde, is to hold one or two workshops to develop a white paper on research priorities. The report will be shared with education researchers and funding agencies to help guide future research in statistical education.

And speaking of initiatives, the annual deadline for submitting member initiative proposals is February 3. ASA members and groups are invited to submit proposals for activities that support the ASA’s mission. Examples of proposals funded in the past are available on the website.

I wish you all a happy and successful 2016!