The Links Lecture Award Committee is seeking nominations of candidates who have contributed to the advancement of official statistics and have the ability to share a compelling vision for further progress through an inspiring and engaging lecture.
The award’s focus encompasses forward-looking issues in official statistics such as increased use of administrative records and alternative data sources; record linkage; blended estimation techniques; and associated issues such as privacy, confidentiality, researcher access, and reproducibility of results. It should be noted that seniority in the profession is not a necessary criterion for selection.
The first of the annual series of lectures was held in 2018. Awardees include Frauke Kreuter of the University of Maryland/Michigan Joint Program in Survey Methodology, Bruce Meyer of The University of Chicago, Daniel Goroff of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and National Science Foundation, and Lisa Mirel of the National Center for Health Statistics.
The lectures have ranged in focus from relatively conceptual to relatively applied. In the most recent lecture, Mirel discussed the important innovations in data linkage at the National Center for Health Statistics to support evidence building. All the lectures have contributed to advancing our understanding of the possibilities for official statistics and motivating additional work.
The Links Lecture Award, the only ASA award specifically focused on official statistics, was created by the ASA Board in 2017 to honor three major links in the progress of official statistics: Constance Citro; Robert Groves; and Fritz Scheuren. In sometimes overlapping and sometimes independent ways, each of them has contributed to our advancing beyond the traditional methods of official statistics, especially in the incorporation of administrative data and other nontraditional data sources.
To nominate someone for the 2022 award, submit a nominating letter, supporting letter, and current CV using this form by July 1. Self-nominations are allowed.
The award comes with a modest honorarium and reimbursement of travel expenses. The lecture will take place in the autumn, at a time agreeable to the speaker. Normally, the lecture is presented in Washington, DC, to directly engage with the federal statistical community.
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