Wendy Martinez. Photo courtesy of Barbi Barnum, Studio B Photography

I’m a history buff, so, when I learned JSM 2020 would be virtual, I immediately started to think about other JSM history and trivia. In 1940, the world was ravaged by WWII, and two JSMs were canceled because of transportation issues and other considerations. Thus, there were no conferences in 1942 and 1943. Statisticians came together again in 1944 when the ASA President’s Address was, for the first time, delivered by a woman—Helen M. Walker—who also happens to have been the first female ASA president. At JSM 2019, the ASA was represented—again for the first time—by three women presidents: Lisa LaVange; Karen Kafadar; and me.

We are again facing a global crisis because of COVID-19, which is affecting how we will come together this summer. Although we will only be able to connect with each other virtually, I am looking forward to our first virtual JSM. We have the opportunity to do some unique and creative things by going virtual, besides keeping everyone safe. In this month’s corner, I want to share some of the activities I’m most excited about.

One of the duties of the ASA president is to select an invited speaker for JSM. Of all the decisions I have made during my term as president, this was by far the easiest. I wanted my colleague Erica Groshen, who served as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), to be my invited speaker. I am grateful Erica agreed and am looking forward to her talk—What Is the Future of Official Statistics?—August 3 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

During her tenure at BLS, Erica proved to be an exceptional and thoughtful leader, so I know her talk will be filled with insights. She probably does not know this, but she has been a role model for me as a leader, which makes her participation even more meaningful to me. I’m also happy to have her honored in another way this year by being recognized as a new fellow of the ASA.

When I look at the JSM program, I am filled with pride and amazement at the scope of the contributions to science and society made by our community. One of the benefits of the virtual program is I will be able to see many more presentations, since the session recordings will be available until the end of August and I won’t have to make the difficult choice of which sessions to attend. Of course, I will participate in many sessions during the week, including Clinical Visual Analytics: Past, Present, and the Future, which I had the privilege of organizing with the support of my colleagues in the Section on Graphics and the History of Statistics Special Interest Group.

Of all the events at JSM, the one I will miss the most is the opportunity to introduce and congratulate the newly elected ASA Fellows. The challenges of the past few months have been substantial, but reviewing the accomplishments of these talented members of our community makes me optimistic about our future. Since we will not be able to greet each other on the stage, I would like to ask you to share selfies of yourself and your family celebrating your achievement. Use the hashtags #ASAFellow and #JSM2020 so we can have a virtual recognition ceremony.

We are also planning a virtual walk/run challenge. Beginning August 2 and concluding August 6, there will be daily walk/run tasks. Besides getting your workout in, you will have the opportunity to win prizes. So, lace up your shoes and watch for more information about how to sign up. I promise the challenges will have a statistical flair!

Now back to being a history buff, which means I love trivia. We are going to have a JSM trivia contest, and we need your help. Please use this form to submit JSM trivia—serious, funny, or both. We will use your submissions to create the questions for our contest. I already have some great trivia questions after working on my address. Yes, it will have elements of history and statistics!

One positive aspect of a virtual JSM is I do not have to give my talk in person, live, and on the stage. Plus, the talk is always given late in the evening on the Tuesday of JSM after several days of sessions and meetings, and it’s past my usual bedtime. So, one benefit this year is I can record my talk ahead of time, leaving me “stress free” and able to sit back and enjoy virtual JSM. I am sure many of you can come up with more reasons why it is good I’m giving a virtual recorded talk, and we are asking you to submit them to us. Please enter your hopefully funny, but not required, reasons for why a virtual recorded talk is better than an in-person one. The top 5–10 reasons (as determined by ASA staff) will be announced each day prior to JSM, and winners will receive a prize (thanks to an anonymous donor).

SDSS 2020

The ASA Symposium on Data Science and Statistics is taking place as I write this column (with a lot of help from Donna LaLonde). I believe this is the first major virtual conference the ASA has organized, and I have to tell you it is fantastic. If this is an indication of how JSM will go this year, then I can only say it will be well worth your time.

I am attending sessions at SDSS and am impressed by how smoothly it’s going. We can see the speaker and slides via live streaming. There is a chat box for attendees to exchange comments and to say hi, along with a box for entering questions to be asked of the speakers. All of this will be available at virtual JSM (depending on the type of session), along with a virtual exhibit hall, mentoring conversations and activities, poster sessions, and much more. Kudos to SDSS 2020 Program Chair Dave Hunter, the SDSS program committee, speakers, attendees, and ASA staff (especially Naomi Friedman).

After having the privilege of chairing several sessions at SDSS (including a panel discussion), I know the ASA staff will ensure our JSM experience is one for the history books! So, I encourage all members, colleagues, and friends to be creative for this meeting, have some fun, learn something new, connect with others, enjoy yourselves, and make some wonderful memories.