Jim Rutherford, CSP Steering Committee Chair
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The Conference on Statistical Practice (CSP) expanded its boundaries by visiting the West Coast this year. The ASA’s 5th meeting for statistical practitioners was the biggest yet, with more than 550 attendees at the Westin San Diego February 18–20.
Participants heard talks such as “Effective Data Visualization: Understanding What the Mind Sees” and “Machine Learning Variable Selection for Credit Risk Modeling.” CSP also featured short courses ranging from bootstrap methods and permutation tests to adaptive designs, as well as tutorials, exhibits, poster sessions, practical computing demonstrations, social events, and the keynote address provided by ASA President Jessica Utts.
CSP continues to grow each year, highlighting the importance of a conference dedicated to serving the needs of statistical practitioners by providing a forum to learn, share, and discuss statistical techniques, innovations, and best practices. Still, the small size allows for a more personal environment, making it easier for attendees to participate in discussion during the sessions and courses and connect with each other during the scheduled break times. The shortest talks are 45 minutes to allow thorough discussion. By design, the CSP conference space is generally one common area in which the exhibitor booths, opening mixer, poster sessions, continental breakfasts, and breaks are shared. Every year, we receive comments regarding the advantages of the unique set-up and small size that allow for enhanced networking.
One of the most popular themes continues to be “Communication, Impact, and Career Development.” The courses and sessions in this theme provide participants with tools that can be used to enhance communication with colleagues and customers, have a positive impact on their organization, and develop leadership skills.
The CSP Mentoring Program also continues to be a success. Developed by the Committee on Applied Statisticians, the program establishes 1:1 mentoring relationships to help provide an opportunity to enhance personal and professional development goals. The program was limited to 40 participants and filled quickly.
For the second year, we recognized outstanding student posters from great contributions. The CSP 2016 Best Student Poster Award went to Micah Thornton of Southern Methodist University Darwin Deason Institute for Cyber Security for “Sample Size Calculations Using Techniques from Power Analysis.” The runners-up were Brittney Bailey of The Ohio State University for “Classroom to Collaboration: A Grad Student’s Tips for a Successful Transition” and Sophi Yu-Pu Chen of the University of Michigan for “A Web-Based System for Randomized Assignment in Clinical Trials Using Minimization.”
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