David Corliss offers a review of presentations, meetings, and resources at JSM 2025 so readers can make the most of the event and find support for work in Data for Good. JSM’s theme this year is perfectly suited for that purpose: “Statistics, Data Science, and AI Enriching Society.”
federal government
Protecting Privacy and Preserving the Value of Federal Statistics for Research and Evidence-Building
As federal agencies update and combine their data systems, the ASA urges a careful balance between protecting people’s privacy and keeping data useful for research and decision-making, calling for more education, better communication, new methods, and strong funding support.
NSF Corner: Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
To strengthen the connection between the statistical community and National Science Foundation, we continue the series that poses questions to NSF program officers and awardees. This month’s program officer is Jemin George from the NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships and the awardee responses are from Yuzhou Chen of Temple University.
DHS Elevates, Expands Statistics Office
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas launched the Office of Homeland Security Statistics in a November ceremony. The office is an expansion of the statistical activities at DHS, where previously the Office of Immigration Statistics—the Office of Homeland Security Statistics predecessor—covered only immigration statistics.
Prescribing Privacy: Human and Computational Resource Limitations
Jingchen (Monika) Hu and Claire McKay Bowen look at how statisticians and data scientists can improve data privacy and confidentiality in our local—as well as federal—government and why they should.
ASA Applauds DHS Designation of Data Science as STEM Field
ASA Executive Director Ron Wasserstein says, “We applaud the decision by the DHS to include data science in its program degree list for STEM fields. With its foundational components of statistics, computing, database management, and math, data science rightfully belongs on this list. We thank members of the academic and data science communities who also urged its inclusion.”
Meet Peggy Carr, Commissioner for Education Statistics
On August 24, 2021, President Joe Biden announced the appointment of Peggy G. Carr as commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics in the Institute of Education Sciences at the US Department of Education.
Obituaries for April 2022
ASA members William Michael (Mike) O’Fallon, Thomas B. Jabine, Michael Woodroofe, and Charles R. Mann passed away recently.
‘Sailing Your Own Path’: An Interview with Jeri Mulrow
Jeri Mulrow found statistics to be a great foundation for her career and the federal statistics system to be a supportive environment for women, especially within leadership positions. She remarked that finding people who can advocate, mentor, or champion another person’s career is a mix of luck and hard work.
ASA Members Lead at Los Alamos
Amstat News regularly profiles government statisticians. For this issue, we feature two leaders from the statistics group at Los Alamos National Laboratory.