The Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has formed a partnership with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to develop the next generation of mathematical and statistical algorithms for the detection of chemical and biological threats.

The ASA announces the selection of candidates for the 2010 election. The winning candidates’ terms will begin in 2011. The ASA is emailing ballots this year, so look for your ballots in your email inbox. Paper ballots will be mailed only to those without email addresses on file with the ASA. Voting begins March 16, 2010, and ends May 17, 2010. Results will be announced after the election ends.

Click here for all of the candidates’ full biographies.

In honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences at the University of Washington, there will be a special issue of Statistical Methodology featuring statistical methods for the social sciences. Featured topics include multivariate categorical data, continuous outcomes, missing data, and social networks. The guest editors are Adrian E. Raftery and Michael Ward.

Jorge Luis Romeu, editor of the Colombian Journal of Statistics, invites papers for a special issue focusing on statistics in industry and industrial statistics. The goal of the issue is to engage researchers and practitioners in a dialogue that leads to more effective applications of statistics in industry.

The March Amstat News staff spotlight is on Lisette Werbowetzki, the newest member of the ASA’s meetings department.