The Philadelphia Chapter’s Annual Spring Welcome Gathering was held March 29 in the Sedgeley Club, a historic boathouse dating back to 1903 and sitting along the famous Boathouse Row on the Schuylkill River. The event—featuring a social hour, dinner, keynote address, and the famous boathouse dessert: bananas foster—is a highlight for chapter members, and the room was filled to capacity.
This year’s keynote speaker was Barry Nussbaum, former chief statistician of the Environmental Protection Agency and the 112th president of the ASA. Nussbaum presented an enlightening and humorous talk titled, “It’s Not What We Said, It’s Not What They Heard, It’s What They Say They Heard.” Included were interesting examples from his career of communicating statistical concepts, including those used in court cases, executive documents, and material presented to the US president.
In addition, this year’s event featured the chapter’s inaugural Award for Excellence in Teaching, presented to Ned Wolff from Arcadia University. The Philadelphia Chapter plans to also give annual awards for the practice of statistics and research in statistics starting next year.
It is an exciting time for the Philadelphia Chapter, as it has launched many new initiatives and programs in the past two years. A new mentorship program has been successful and continues to expand. Last year, a one-day big data symposium was held. The event was well-received, and there are plans for making it an annual event. The chapter’s membership has increased, student chapters have been created in the area, and several educational outreach events have taken place.
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