Featured
15 Years of DataFest: Celebrating the Celebration of Data
What started in 2011 as a single event at UCLA has grown into a global celebration of data. In this special collection, organizers, mentors, judges, data donors, and students share how DataFest has evolved, inspired careers, built partnerships, and broadened participation in data science over the past decade and a half.
Continue Reading 15 Years of DataFest: Celebrating the Celebration of Data
Additional Features
Vander Wiel Awarded 2025 Gerald J. Hahn Quality & Productivity Achievement Award
Congratulations to Scott Vander Wiel of Los Alamos National Laboratory, recipient of the 2025 Gerald J. Hahn Quality & Productivity Achievement Award.
Submit Your JSM 2026 Topic-Contributed Session Proposal Today
The Survey Research Methods Section is calling on members to submit topic-contributed session proposals for JSM 2026, especially those aligned with the “Communities in Action” theme.
Symposium Honors Legacy of Thomas R. Ten Have with Advances in Statistical Methods for Mental Health
The twelfth annual Thomas R. Ten Have Symposium on Statistics in Mental Health brought together an international group of experts this June in Cleveland, Ohio.
Member Feedback Sought on Proposed Changes to Voting, Fellows Eligibility
Per the rules set forth by the ASA’s constitution and bylaws, the board seeks comments from ASA members on proposed changes to voting and fellows eligibility.
This Month in Statistics History: September
These ASA Fellows were all born in September: Edith Abbott, Harold Hotelling, and Mary Gibbons Natrella. Discover more in This Month in Statistics History.
STATFEST 2025: Connecting Students with a World of Opportunities
In this month’s JEDI Corner, David Corliss spotlights StatFest—a free, virtual event for students from historically underrepresented groups in statistics and data science.
DataFest: Solving Big Problems with Big Data
David Corliss shares how ASA DataFest empowers students to use data for good, tackling issues from public health to pro bono legal aid to prescription drug misuse.
Reflections on JSM 2025: New Voices, New Energy
ASA President Ji-Hyun Lee shares her takeaways from JSM 2025 in Nashville, from the energy of first-time attendees to the inspiring conversations that unfolded across sessions and networking events.
Professional Opportunities
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Missouri University and the University of Singapore are hiring.
Shared Goals and Contrasting Objectives: Understanding DataFest Through Dual Perspectives
An NSF-funded research project allowed the authors to examine six DataFest sites over two years, surveying and interviewing both organizers and participants to understand their motivations, goals, and challenges.
Who Is DataFest For?
Surveys and interviews at six DataFest sites revealed what drives students to participate in the event–it was whether the students felt the event was “for me.”
Spending the Weekend with Data: The Appeal of DataFest for Students
What draws students to DataFest, where they tackle messy, real-world data sets during an intense, collaborative weekend?
DATA: The Engine That Drives DataFest
Rob Gould and Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel share their decade-plus journey of sourcing, cleaning, and crafting the real-world data challenges that make DataFest such a unique experience.
Mutual Benefits of Data Sharing: Insights from CourseKata and Savills
Who provides the data that fuels student projects—and what do they gain in return? Here, representatives from CourseKata and Savills Workplace Studio share why they chose to donate their data and how the experience shaped both their work and their perspective.
DataFest for Two-Year Colleges
In 2022, Rebecca Wong and Rachel Saidi created a virtual DataFest exclusively for two-year colleges so students from across the country can participate in a collaborative, weekend-long data challenge.
Judging DataFest: Insights from the Other Side of the Table
We caught up with Michael Sarkis, a data science manager at 2nd Order Solutions and returning DataFest judge, to hear what keeps him coming back year after year.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: The Leeds-Pretoria-Wits DataFest Hackathons
Pierre-Philippe Dechant shares the story behind International DataFest—how it came to be and the lessons learned from organizing it.
A Point of View: Five Colleges
As a DataFest host, Ben Baumer from Five Colleges reflects on what makes DataFest so valuable—from student creativity to community building.
A Point of View: Purdue University
As DataFest hosts, Mark Daniel Ward and Fulya Gökalp Yavuz from Purdue University discuss the surprises students find in working with real-world data during DataFest.
A Point of View: Pomona College
As a DataFest host, Jo Hardin, professor of mathematics and statistics at Pomona University, talks about how DataFest builds community and sparks collaboration.
A Point of View: Duke University
As DataFest hosts, Maria Tackett and Alexander Fisher from Duke University share their reflections on how the event challenges students to think critically and work collaboratively under pressure.
Up the Creek with Many Possible Paddles: How Students Cope with Being Awash in Data at DataFest
Jessica Karch, Jennifer Noll, James Hammerman, and Traci Higgins explored how teams cope with large, authentic and complex data sets for DataFest.
My ASA Story: Renée Hanson
Starting with degrees in African American studies and sociology, Renée Hanson discovered a love for statistics that led her to R programming, data visualization, and ASA workshops.
JEDI Resources for an Evolving Environment
Today is a time of rapid change, with so many federal programs shrinking or going offline altogether. In response, statisticians and data scientists are preserving at-risk federal diversity and inclusion data through grassroots initiatives like the Data Rescue Project, Climate Mirror Project, and Internet Archive.
Welcome New Members: Spotlight on Eric Spencer
New ASA member Eric Spencer’s nonlinear trajectory toward a master’s in statistics began with an undergraduate degree in math. Also, check out all the ASA’s newest members.
Bridging the Gap: A Clinical Trials Certificate Program for Statisticians and Data Scientists
ASA President Ji-Hyun Lee talks about her early experiences in clinical trial work and details the new Clinical Trials Certificate Program in this month’s President’s Corner.
Southern Regional Council on Statistics Hosts 60th Annual Conference
The Southern Regional Council on Statistics held its 60th annual Summer Research Conference June 9–11 on Jekyll Island, Georgia. The long-running event continues to promote the improvement of postsecondary education in statistical science and support the development of high-quality statistics instruction in elementary and high schools.
Application Open for SBB Research Group Foundation STEM Scholarship
Students currently enrolled full time at a university within the United States are eligible to apply for the summer SBB Research Group Foundation STEM Scholarship.
Take Two: The Power of Saying “Yes”— Volunteering & Service in the ASA
Susan Paddock and Bo Li are ASA members who often raise their hands when the call for association volunteers goes out. Read their interview and learn how you, too, can get involved.
Nominations Open for Robert V. Hogg Award
The Hogg award recognizes someone who has shown both excellence and growth in teaching introductory statistics at the college level.
Accountability Hour Offers Section Members Support, Time for Work
Throughout the 2024–2025 academic year, a group of statisticians shared how difficult it was to carve out time to finish tasks.
Applications Sought for National Academies Fellowship Program
This full-time, 12-week program places fellows at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC.
Guillermina Jasso Wins Lifetime Achievement Award
Guillermina Jasso recently won the 2025 International Society for Justice Research Lifetime Achievement Award.