David Corliss is lead, Industrial Business Analytics, and manager, Data Science Center of Excellence, Stellantis. He serves on the steering committee for the Conference on Statistical Practice and is the founder of Peace-Work.

With the Joint Statistical Meetings taking place August 6–11 in Washington, DC, the focus for this month’s column is helping Data for Good practitioners get the most out of the meetings. JSM marks a long-awaited return to meeting in person. Highlights will include keynote presentations, roundtables, networking, and lots and lots of great papers.

JSM’s theme for 2022 is Statistics: A Foundation for Innovation, making it the perfect place for your innovations in Data for Good!

There are so many events taking place at JSM that a little planning can go a long way. The search engine in the conference program is excellent and the best way to find the events that interest you most. It defaults to a basic search using title or activity number—in other words, what you probably want to use the search to find, not what you already know. There is an advanced search tool that is better for finding what you want. You can also search by author, affiliation, or keyword. In my experience, a lot of authors don’t do keywords well, so it’s often helpful to search using both keyword and session title. In the case of papers and posters, you will want to grab the session number and check out the other presentations in the same session. You can find these by clicking on the session number to the left of the title in the list produced by the search engine. Click on the blue “Add to My Program” button to add presentations and events to your personal conference schedule.

One of the best ways to find content is to search for the ASA section, committee, or other group sponsoring a session. The Social Statistics, Statistics and the Environment, and Health Policy Statistics sections; the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Outreach Group; and the Scientific Freedom and Human Rights, Professional Ethics, and Statistics Without Borders committees always have great D4G content. You can get a complete list of sections and interest groups and committees on the ASA website. Searching first by the section, committee, or other sponsoring organization can really help find the content you want most.

This year, highlights include a blue-ribbon panel sponsored by several groups on incorporating ethical thinking into research and innovation (Activity #48) and a panel from Statistics Without Borders on innovative practices developed for project collaborators (Activity #240).

Advocacy with Data for Good often requires work on policy to turn statistical practice into beneficial action. Examples include Activity #18, “New Models, Diagnostics, and Considerations in Evaluating Intervention and Policy Effects,” and Activity #523, “Eliminating Cholera in Haiti: Combining Dynamic Models with Data to Inform Vaccination Policy.”

Case studies that include policy action are some of the most helpful presentations because the solutions presented can be applied to many kinds of problems. This quality makes methodological sessions useful for D4G. For example, Activity #286, “Small Area Estimation and Survey Methods Sampler,” will have methods that can be used in many D4G studies.

Another great opportunity at JSM are the speed sessions. Each of these sessions feature 18–20 presentations just five minutes in length. This makes them great for getting ideas for your next project—be sure to follow with the authors of interesting papers.

JSM also offers roundtable discussions, which are available for an additional fee. These small group discussions allow registered attendees to learn about a topic presented by an expert in the field before participating in discussion and Q&A to develop a deeper understanding of the topic. D4G roundtables include one on gun violence research design by James Rosenberger, identifying hidden ethnic biases in mental health studies by Douglas Samuelson, and scientific integrity in statistical context by Christopher Marcum of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. I will also be leading a roundtable discussion about getting involved in Data for Good.

Remember that JSM is much more than presentations. Attend the keynotes and go to group and section meetings. Participate in discussions and Q&As at presentations and talk with the authors. Visit the ASA committee and outreach group tables. Network with colleagues and make new connections. We tend to think of the presentations first, but the best part of JSM and other conferences is the people. Interact with others at the event and gain inspiration for your next project. Make JSM 2022 your foundation for innovation in Data for Good!