Hello, ASA Colleagues,
Yet perversely, the nature of what we do is a major barrier to increasing visibility for our contributions. Our work is often complex, and it can be hard for a nonstatistician to understand. So, our myriad contributions across all areas of science are easy to overlook. We need to communicate our impact in ways a nonstatistician can appreciate (e.g., by storytelling about how statistics affects the lives of real people every day). However we approach this challenge, the responsibility to take action lies with us.
As a statistician working to inform public policy, I know it will take collaboration across disciplines to address society’s biggest challenges. … statisticians and data scientists are positioned to play a central role across application areas.
The American Statistical Association has consistently sought ways to showcase the impact of our discipline—and our individual contributions to society. The ASA’s vision is “a world that relies on data and statistical thinking to drive discovery and decisions”—to which 2022 President Kathy Ensor added “with statisticians leading the way.” I greatly admire this vision and how it is being operationalized.
Under Ensor’s leadership, the ASA launched the Influencing Discovery Exploration and Action (IDEA) Forum to bring together scientists, leaders, and policymakers to advance solutions to global challenges and identify opportunities in which statistics plays a critical role. The 2022 IDEA Forum focused on managing and mitigating the impact of climate change. An article in a special issue of CHANCE [36.1] titled “The Influencing Discovery Exploration & Action Forum: An Initiative of the American Statistical Association” highlighted outcomes of the forum and future opportunities.
Following the success of the 2022 event, the IDEA Forum in 2023 focused on open science. At the heart of the open science movement is the conviction that open science is better science. More rigorous. More inclusive. More efficient. More trustworthy. More reproducible. More impactful.
A salient recognition of the value of open science is the rapid proliferation of open-access journals, which are a powerful catalyst for transparent, ethical, and collaborative science. The ASA recently added the open access journal Data Science in Science (DSiS) to its portfolio of publications. This innovative journal will provide unrestricted access to scholarly research.
To highlight the contributions of open access journals, I want to share with you excerpts of an interview with DSiS founding editor David Matteson and Ensor, who had an initiative focused on data science and artificial intelligence. The full interview will appear in CHANCE 37.1. Here’s how the newest member of the ASA slate of journals will showcase statistical science as a core competency for interdisciplinary collaborations.
What specific niche or aspect of data science in scientific research does Data Science in Science aim to cover?
David: Our aim is to advance research in any broadly defined scientific domain through contributions inherently enhanced by thoughtful and careful application of modern data science methodology. We also aim to be a home for collaborative research newly enabled through data science that spans multiple scientific domains. Simultaneously, DSiS aims to advance research in data science, itself, through methodological innovations and novel model adaptations that provide a new means for reaching greater scientific understanding and discovery. We also appreciate seemingly small technical changes reached through deep contextual consideration, as these regularly can have major and lasting practical and scientific impacts.
What inspired the ASA to add Data Science in Science to its portfolio of journals?
Kathy: The ASA supports 16 journals, with our flagship journal being the Journal of the American Statistical Association. However, there was a gap in our offerings that did not adequately serve our community addressing interdisciplinary science. The applications section of JASA provides an outlet, as well as our specialty journals in topic areas, but we lacked this holistic journal dedicated to strongly interdisciplinary science, where data science is central to the scientific advancement. David has done an exceptional job of founding DSiS exactly in the style that will support a large component of our statistics and data science community.
Who is the audience for Data Science in Science?
David: DSiS was founded as open access, so everyone! More seriously, data science, itself, is transdisciplinary and its use spans all quantitative research. We consider that union our broadest potential audience. More specifically, any domain scientist with anything from data science interest to deep technical expertise and any perpetually curious data scientist who enjoys learning new science through a technical lens should feel part of our core community.
Could you provide examples of how the journal aims to encourage cross-disciplinary contributions?
David: We believe the data note article type and the collaborative collections and special issue launches have high potential to attract cross-disciplinary contributions. Consistently providing an excellent process and product and spreading that positive experience through authors’ peer networks may better help us maintain the quality of contributions and community we strive for.
What unique contributions or perspectives do you anticipate Data Science in Science offering to the ASA community?
Kathy: The ASA Board’s expectation is that DSiS will rise to the stature of our other prestigious journals, such as JASA, but with an eye toward collaborative science. By showcasing the essential and valuable contributions of our field to innovative scientific breakthroughs, we strengthen our ability to tell the story of our collective scientific impact.
What opportunities will DSiS provide for emerging scholars or researchers?
David: I have always been drawn to exciting new applications and motivated to collaboratively develop new methods and learn new things from both perspectives. And many new researchers have a similar passion for collaboration enabled through data science. For all of them, we are a space that celebrates and elevates their joint contributions to science and data science. There are also the early-career editorial positions …, as well as possible co-organization on a special issue and collection.
What are your long-term goals or aspirations for the journal?
David: Our vision is a radical collaboration to develop a shared foundation of data science that integrates transdisciplinary perspectives; catalyzes novel high-impact cross-domain collaborations; and advances the development of core principles for reproducible, interpretable, transparent, explainable, and ethical data science. Ultimately, we strive to establish an inclusive research community that better leverages our combined efforts and enables discovery and applications that can benefit our society.
How do you envision DSiS affecting the ASA community and broader scholarly community?
Kathy: Our collective goal should be to elevate DSiS to an internationally recognized journal publishing the highest caliber papers addressing data science’s contributions to science and society. David has clearly started the journal with this goal, and the progress in three years is nothing short of impressive. A big shout out to David and his extensive and top-notch editorial team!
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I look forward to this new journal and other exciting opportunities being organized by the ASA for our membership.
As I prepared to assume the role of ASA president, I reached out to my mentors and network of ASA colleagues for their perspectives. “Build on the success of your predecessors” was a common theme in the advice I received. Following that advice, I plan to focus on Influencing Discovery Exploration and Action to create solutions for important policy issues, highlighting statistical innovation and leadership with an eye toward maximizing impact through outreach. I will look to the Committee on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and all committees of the Professional Issues and Visibility Council to help identify pressing topics most relevant to our membership and society.
Even as we fix our eyes on future achievements, it is essential to recognize achievements that have—for far too long—been under-appreciated. February is Black History Month. It is an opportunity to celebrate and amplify the voices and achievements of Black men and women who have helped propel scientific understanding and innovation, breaking barriers and shaping the future of scientific inquiry. I hope after reading some of their biographies in this issue, you will take the opportunity to honor the legacy of trailblazer Annie T. Randall, who overcame blistering discrimination and overt racism to make extraordinary contributions as a mathematical statistician at the National Institutes of Mental Health. You can go the extra mile by nominating an early-career colleague for the Annie T. Randall Innovator Award.
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