I love being a member of the ASA. I’ve had a wonderful career in statistics, and the ASA has been my professional organization all throughout, promoting the profession and practice of statistics. I joined the ASA when I was in graduate school at the behest of my professors at Colorado State. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to serve in a variety of roles at both the local and national levels. All have been great experiences in their own ways and have offered me chances to grow my leadership and networking skills, meet amazing leaders in the field, and make many friends.
I was asked to share a specific story about an ASA experience I found the most rewarding. Thinking back over my many experiences, there are two that stand out to me that I think are worth sharing. Both occurred during my terms on the ASA Board of Directors, first as a Council of Sections Governing Board member from 2009 to 2011 and then as vice president from 2014 to 2016. It was deeply rewarding to be part of the governing body of the ASA, helping to set strategy, supporting presidential initiatives, reviewing financials, and learning more about all the programs and activities of the ASA.
One rewarding experience stems from the ASA as an international organization that supports statisticians across the globe. The ASA has an international representative to the board, plus programs that focus on international members and activities such as Statistics without Borders and the Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights. I was fortunate to participate in the ASA People to People Ambassador Program to China in 2010.
Our statistical delegation consisted of 34 ASA members and 12 guests. We met with statisticians in China at five universities and visited the National Bureau of Statistics of China. My quote in the February 2011 issue of Amstat News sums it up: “The ASA People to People Statistical Delegation was a truly fabulous experience. It was the perfect mix of professional and cultural events. … It was exciting to meet our Chinese counterparts and to learn more about the field of statistics in China. However, it was even more rewarding to meet and to get to know so many terrific ASA statisticians and their guests who were part of the delegation.”
The other rewarding experience arose because of the ASA’s involvement in K–12 education via classroom resources, publications in statistics education, guidelines and reports, workshops and webinars for teachers, and student competitions. I had the opportunity to visit the 2015 Meeting Within a Meeting (MWM) at JSM in Seattle. The MWM program is designed to enhance educators’ understanding of statistics and provide them with hands-on activities they can use in their own classrooms to strengthen the teaching of statistics. I observed both middle-school and high-school sessions for math and science teachers who were excited to be at JSM and learn better ways to teach statistics. It was heartening to see their enthusiasm for teaching statistics and their appreciation of the ASA for support and resources. The ASA’s involvement in educational activities lay the groundwork for a robust future of the science of statistics, and I am proud to support these activities as a member.
The best thing about the ASA is it continues to grow and evolve as we, its members, adapt to meet the changing statistical needs of our times.
Jeri Mulrow is vice president and director of statistics and evaluation sciences at Westat.
Leave a Reply