Several members of the Twin Cities Chapter volunteered their time on February 27 to talk with high-school students about potential careers in statistics at a career fair in Elk River, Minnesota. This second annual event was held for local students to meet and talk with various career professionals. More than 100 students attended to talk with professionals representing 15 careers.

Chapter members Lindsey Dietz (PhD candidate in the University of Minnesota Statistics Department), Thomas Erdahl (recent statistics MS graduate of St. Cloud State University), and Charlotte Bolch (biostatistician at Chronic Disease Research Group) enjoyed sharing aspects of their experiences within the field of statistics to students.

“I felt that we were able to open up many students’ minds to the possibility of what a degree in statistics is …”

The chapter members were able to promote the study of statistics and help students understand the many ways statisticians contribute to society through materials from the ASA’s “This is Statistics” campaign.

“I felt that we were able to open up many students’ minds to the possibility of what a degree in statistics is, as well as the wide variety of companies and organizations that are currently in demand for statisticians and data scientists,” said Bolch.

The Twin Cities Chapter hopes to represent and promote statistics as a career during the career fair next year.