Managed by the Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Education, GROW is intended to provide support for undergraduate students considering graduate studies in the mathematical sciences.
Additional Features
Julia Lane
As a labor economist, Julia Lane is driven by practical questions such as “What is the return on investment in on-the-job training?” Her interest in data and statistics led to innovative methods combining diverse data sources and addressing bias and measurement issues. Passionate about public good, she co-founded programs such as the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Program, PatentsView, and the Coleridge Initiative. Her latest is a data search and discovery platform called Democratizing Data. Lane’s significant contributions extend to empowering women with remote access facilities and eliminating child care barriers. Among her achievements, she takes pride in her Nature article, “Women Are Credited Less in Science Than Men,” emphasizing the crucial role of statistics in understanding selection bias and highlighting implications for science policy.
If Not You, Then Who?
Thank you to each member who donated, big or small—you are making a difference. In total, approximately $354,000 was raised from corporate and individual donors.
Susan Paddock
When Susan Paddock started her undergraduate degree, two pivotal courses—health care reform and women’s health—introduced her to epidemiological literature and cost–benefit analysis, steering her toward a major in math and biostatistics. After earning her PhD from Duke, Paddock joined the RAND Corporation, where she applied statistical methods to health policy research. Notably, she contributed to designing a Medicare payment system for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, affecting federal programs and congressional deliberations. Since 2019, Paddock has held a leadership role at NORC at the University of Chicago, overseeing a diverse team of statisticians, survey methodologists, and data scientists working on national issues. She was also involved in testing the safety of self-driving cars. Collaborating with Nidhi Kalra of RAND in 2016, she highlighted the inadequacy of existing road tests to ensure public safety, drawing attention from a US Senate committee. Their paper on this topic stands as her most frequently cited work, showcasing the power of statistical thinking in addressing crucial societal concerns.
Charmaine B. Dean
Hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, Charmaine B. Dean’s academic journey was shaped by her mother’s emphasis on getting an education, even though her mother was prevented from getting one herself. Dean’s affinity for mathematics, and particularly statistics, flourished during her undergraduate years and aligned with her desire to make a tangible impact. Currently, she provides strategic direction in research, innovation, and international collaboration at the University of Waterloo. She considers her engagement in interdisciplinary research one of her greatest achievements, particularly her research in fire science, which has allowed her to collaborate with scientists, government agencies, and fire crews.
Regina Liu
Regina Liu grew up in Taiwan with an interest in pursuing applied mathematics and actuary science, but she fell in love with probability and statistics instead. She earned a PhD in statistics from Columbia University and became an assistant professor at Rutgers University. Now a distinguished professor at Rutgers, she has established herself as an outstanding researcher and is praised for providing exceptional service to the statistics and data science profession. She has served as an editor for many journals and was president of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics from 2020–2021. She has dedicated much effort to the outreach and promotion of junior researchers and under-represented groups and is credited for making the Rutgers Statistics Department the well-known and nurturing place it is today.
Deborah Nolan
While a math student at Vassar, Deborah Nolan was first exposed to statistics during a summer internship during which she helped analyze data from a survey in a women’s magazine about how family life had changed as more women became breadwinners. That experience convinced her to stay away from statistics and stick with the comfortable world of theoretical math. After graduating, she worked for IBM and learned how to code in several languages. It was her work as an applications programmer that brought Nolan back to the world of statistics, and she went on to earn a PhD in the field. Since then, Nolan has earned multiple awards for her dedication to teaching, including the ASA Waller Distinguished Teaching Career Award and Berkley’s Distinguished Teaching Award. She co-developed the first data science course at Berkeley and played a pivotal role in designing the data science major, leading to the establishment of the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. Currently serving as the inaugural associate dean, Nolan is instrumental in meeting the growing demand for data science education, with nearly 1,000 students graduating annually with a data science major from Berkeley.
Maria DeYoreo
Maria DeYoreo developed a passion for swimming, running, and math when she was a child living in the Bay Area in California. While majoring in mathematics at UC Santa Barbara, she discovered her love for statistics when she attended an applied course using R. As a professional statistician at RAND, DeYoreo focuses on using statistical methods to inform public policy related to health and health care. In addition to her professional success, DeYoreo takes pride in her role as a parent to two young children and recently achieving a personal running record of a 1:35 half marathon.
Katherine Wallman
Her positions as chief statistician of the United States from 1992 to 2017 and 1992 ASA president only begin to capture her legacy as a leader, friend, and champion of government statistics and statistical literacy.
Social Science Advocacy Day to Return to DC
Advocacy day brings together social and behavioral scientists and science advocates from across the country to engage with policymakers.