Category: News
Commemorating Human Rights Day
December 08, 2017
Human Rights Day, celebrated worldwide on December 10, is the anniversary of the United Nations adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The American Statistical Association (ASA) and its members support this initiative throughout the international community. In an article highlighting the many ways statisticians advocate for human rights around the world, This...
Police Data Challenge: Congratulations to our Winners!
December 06, 2017
In this fall’s Police Data Challenge competition, more than 70 incredible teams submitted their thoughtful analyses, using crime data sets from Baltimore, Seattle, and Cincinnati. Just like the real statisticians working with today’s police departments, these teams leveraged joint problem-solving skills to analyze the data sets from real police departments in Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Seattle...
World AIDS Day: Statisticians Making a Difference
December 01, 2017
In honor of World AIDS Day, we are recognizing how vital statisticians are in combating the disease and improving the lives of AIDS patients. Data analysis leads to understanding the disease, the populations involved, and ways to progress treatment. Even a cure is possible, according to statisticians based at the Center for Biostatistics in AIDS...
Statistics: A Lot to be Thankful For
November 22, 2017
During the season of Thanksgiving, we are thankful to have a lot to celebrate within the field of statistics. We live in an era of big data, and as the key to turning that data into actionable information, statisticians are in high demand. That’s why the salaries and opportunities for statisticians are high, with a growth rate five...
Data Scientist: Top Job in America
November 16, 2017
Who said science isn’t cool? According to Glassdoor, data scientist is the top job in America. The overall job satisfaction that comes with being a data scientist ranks 4.1 out of 5 and beat out a number of other careers for the title of best job. Statistics is a foundation of data science. Framing questions...
What’s Going On In This Graph?
November 14, 2017
ASA and The New York Times Learning Network released a brand new “What’s Going On In This Graph?” this morning. Each month of the academic year (September to May), this ongoing feature shares a graph from a recent New York Times article, but stripped of its contextual information. Then it’s up to you to use...
Celebrating National STEM Day
November 08, 2017
In honor of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) community, we are celebrating National STEM Day. These disciplines play a vital role in the advancement of scientific innovation and economic growth. One of the most rapidly growing STEM majors in the U.S. is statistics, and demand for employees with statistical skills is soaring. To keep up,...
Police Data Challenge: One Day Left to Submit
November 02, 2017
If you declared intent to enter the Police Data Challenge, then time is almost up to submit your entry! The deadline to complete and submit your presentation is tomorrow, Friday, November 3. Your submission should be in the form of up to 10 PowerPoint slides to explain your findings and recommendations, and a written technical statement detailing your methods and analysis in 500 words...
Police Data Challenge: Meet the Judges
October 30, 2017
As the American Statistical Association (ASA) and Police Data Initiative’s first-ever Police Data Challenge draws near, we’d like to introduce the contest’s judges. Using the criteria described here, expert judges will evaluate the quality of your entries, including your assessment of the data and any implicit biases. Meet the Police Data Challenge judges: Jeri Mulrow...
Video: Meet Statisticians in Other Fields
October 26, 2017
Think statistics isn’t used in your field? Think again. For fields as varied as journalism, sports, healthcare, agriculture, video game development, and many others, statistics is integral. In our newest video, you’ll hear first-hand from individuals in these fields who find statistics essential to their work, including: Carl Bialik, journalist and data science editor at Yelp...