ASA President Barry Nussbaum visited the San Antonio Chapter and department of management science and statistics at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) April 3. As part of his visit, he met with the San Antonio Chapter members, officers, and UTSA faculty. He also met with graduate and undergraduate students and the ASA UTSA Student Chapter members for an in-depth discussion about the practice of data science and career success factors.

During the reception hosted by the San Antonio Chapter, participants had an opportunity to interact with Nussbaum and enjoy an informative exchange of ideas about the current status and future challenges of statistics and the ASA. As an invited speaker in the department seminar series, Nussbaum delivered an open presentation, titled “What Did You Tell the President? Using Statistics to Make a Difference,” to an audience of about 150 local statisticians, faculty members, and students.

Using the analyses used in court cases and material presented to the U.S. president, Nussbaum described how statistics can influence decisions and actions in a variety of fields and how to succinctly explain statistical results so decision-makers can correctly integrate analyses into their actions. Further, Big Data was reviewed in the context of whether Uber is in the Big Data driver’s seat.

“As one of the most vibrant chapters in Texas, the San Antonio Chapter has been working hard to increase the visibility of the statistics profession as well as to raise awareness of the importance of statistics in this exciting era of Big Data,” said David Han, president of the San Antonio Chapter. “Dr. Nussbaum’s visit was very much appreciated by all the chapter members and UTSA community.”