The ASA is often asked to comment about proposed policies, support policy positions, and provide amicus (friend of the court) briefs. Members of the ASA Scientific and Public Affairs Committee think there should be a transparent process for making the decision about the policy issues on which the ASA has been asked to take a public position and call on ASA members to provide their comments to ensure the process is transparent, open, and objective.
Additional Features
Simina Boca
Simina Boca grew up in Bucharest, Romania, and participated in many math contests as a kid. Her best result was fourth place nationally in the ninth grade, but she was pretty sure she didn’t want to focus on pure math as a career. When she attended a genetics class her senior year in high school in the United States, she discovered biostatistics and majored in math at the University of Illinois. Along the way, she realized she enjoyed working with data and thinking about data. From a professional perspective, her proudest moment was convincing collaborators to rerun an experiment because the initial one had pronounced batch effects that could not be fixed at the analysis stage.
Celebrating Women in Statistics 2021
In honor of Women’s History Month, we are celebrating 15 ASA women who work in statistics and data science. These accomplished women were chosen because they mentor and influenced other women in their field. Read their biographies and find out why they chose statistics, who influenced them, and what they have accomplished.
Celebrating Black History Month 2021
In celebration of Black History Month, we recognize 10 individuals from the Black/African-American collective who have made tremendous contributions to the field of statistics.
BBSW 2020 Finds New Ways to Collaborate Virtually
While the pandemic prevented a face-to-face event in 2020, the Bay Area Biotech-Pharma Statistical Workshop held two virtual symposiums—both related to COVID-19.
Emma Benn
Emma Benn has collaborated on a variety of health disparities-related research projects and teaches a graduate-level course, “Race and Causal Inference,” aimed at increasing the methodologic rigor by which health disparities are investigated, with a goal of finding effective causal targets for intervention. Benn’s contributions to diversity and inclusion in statistics and STEM have been celebrated by various organizations, including Mathematically Gifted and Black.
Simone Gray
After graduating from the University of Miami, Simone Gray became aware of the critical shortage of math and science teachers in high schools across the United States and became a tutor and mentor before going on to become a full-time mathematics teacher at a low-performing high school in southwest Florida. Gray wanted to continue learning about both math and science, however and decided to leave teaching to pursue a PhD in statistical science at Duke University. Today, she is a senior statistician in the Epidemiology and Applied Research Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.
Check Out These ASA-Sponsored Podcasts
ASA Biopharm’s Podcast, The Pod of Asclepius, Practical Significance, and Stats + Stories discuss statistical issues and provide learning opportunities for all.
Jesse Chittams
After graduating with an undergraduate degree in plant science, Jesse Chittams worked as a laboratory technician at the US Department of Agriculture. One of his first tasks was to perform a data analysis using SAS. It was then he fell in love with statistics and immediately pursued an advanced degree in mathematics and statistics. In 2000, Chittams established and directed the Biostatistical Analysis Center at the University of Pennsylvania and has trained and mentored more than 100 young professionals throughout his 30-year career.
CHANCE Highlights: Issue Looks at Black History Month, Slot Machines, and Crowd Funding
The February issue of CHANCE includes an interview with Emery Brown, as well as articles on crowd-funding, slot machines, statistics education, and misattribution.