Nan Laird explored languages and computer science before discovering statistics and its power to connect theory with the real world. At Harvard, she helped reshape how scientists analyze complex, imperfect data and changed modern biostatistics in the process.
Florida
Demystifying Apportionment Computations for the US House of Representatives
Basic arithmetic skill (multiplication, division, and taking square roots) is all one needs to remove any mystery concerning the details of the computations about how to determine the number of seats each state gets based on its population.
Emily H. Griffith
Emily Griffith took statistics in high school to avoid taking a “real” math class. Unfortunately for her plan to avoid math, she fell in love with statistics and ended up finishing college with a degree in statistics and a minor in math. She eventually earned her PhD, completed a postdoc at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and then worked as a survey statistician for the FBI. She was recently named director of the North Carolina State University’s Statistical Consulting Core.
Excitement and Momentum Follow ASA’s Conference on Statistical Practice
Another successful Conference on Statistical Practice is in the books! Warm and sunny Tampa, Florida, was the location for this year’s conference that took place from February 20–22 at the Hilton Tampa Downtown. Four hundred participants enjoyed the short courses, oral sessions, poster sessions, tutorials, and keynote address provided by 2014 ASA President Nathaniel Schenker.
CSP Attendee Finds Place in ASA’s Big Tent
Ashleigh Rhodes went to the Conference on Statistical Practice worried she would feel overwhelmed and inexperienced. Instead, she found a place where she blended in.
Conference on Statistical Practice Mentoring Program to Help Promote Statistics
The ASA Conference on Statistical Practice (CSP) to take place February 20–22 in Tampa, Florida, will provide attendees opportunities to learn new statistical methodologies and best practices in statistical analysis, design, consulting, and statistical programming. This year, CSP also will provide opportunities for attendees to further their careers and strengthen their relationships in the statistical community.
Forecasting Citrus Production in Florida
During the last decade, nearly three quarters of all United States citrus was grown in Florida. The relative size of the Florida citrus crop demands that statistically accurate forecasts be made starting in October of each year and continuing throughout the marketing year. To provide these statistically accurate forecasts, the National Agricultural Statistics Service developed a survey program based on objective counts and measurements (rather than subjective reporting from individual producers). Read about it here.