Practical Significance

The Coit Tower offers a 360-degree view of San Francisco and, this month, Practical Significance offers a 360 of the 2023 Conference on Statistical Practice, recently held in the beautiful “City by the Bay.” Co-hosts Donna and Ron took the show on the road and recorded this episode live at the conference, which brought together nearly 400 statisticians and data scientists who shared insights on and solutions to real-world problems.

On the conference’s final day, a gathering of brave souls stepped up to the podcast mic—including members of the CSP steering ...

The post Practical Significance | Episode 27: Donna and Ron ‘Go Live’ at CSP 2023 first appeared on Amstat News.

With a nod to Valentine’s Day, the February edition of Practical Significance embraces the theme, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” and features three couples who truly appreciate the perks of having a statistician as a partner. Co-hosts Donna and Ron welcome Emily and Eric Griffith, Jeri and Ed Mulrow, and Jack Miller and Melinda Baham to the show.

The three couples share a bit about their day jobs and how they met and offer strategies for maintaining that elusive goal of work-life balance. Also, don’t miss Ron’s traditional Top ...

The post Practical Significance | Episode 26: What’s Love Got to Do with It? first appeared on Amstat News.

Practical Significance kicks off the new year with its January tradition of featuring the new ASA president. Co-hosts Donna and Ron welcome to the show Dionne Price, the 118th president of the American Statistical Association.

Dionne—who is the deputy director of the Office of Biostatistics, Office of Translational Sciences, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration—shares aspects of her “day” job and her goals for the year ahead. Listen to how an internship sparked her passion for biostatistics and how she puts the FDA and ASA missions ...

The post Practical Significance | Episode 25: Meet the New ASA President, Dionne Price first appeared on Amstat News.

Practical Significance is celebrating its second year, and we are grateful to our devoted listeners—thank you! Over the last 24 months, we’ve developed a few traditions, including honoring our outgoing ASA board members. For the final episode of 2022, co-hosts Donna and Ron welcome to the show Scarlett Bellamy, Rebecca Hubbard, Ji-Hyun Lee, and Alexandra Schmidt, who will each end their tenure this month.

They share what they’ve learned from serving and how it’s influenced their view of the profession, favorite memories, and the opportunities and challenges they see ahead for ...

The post Practical Significance | Episode 24: Looking Back with an Eye on the Future: A Conversation with Outgoing Board Members first appeared on Amstat News.

Did you know the ASA is a member of the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA), a nonprofit advocacy organization working to promote and advance the social and behavioral sciences in federal policymaking? COSSA member benefits are available to all ASA members.

COSSA Executive Director Wendy Naus joins co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein for this month’s edition of Practical Significance to discuss the consortium’s mission and initiatives and the impact of its work on ASA members. COSSA offers resources and events like webinars, training, and opportunities to engage with policymakers—which ...

The post Practical Significance | Episode 23: Get to Know COSSA! first appeared on Amstat News.

In February 2022, the ASA Board of Directors approved revisions to the Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice, and this episode is a behind-the-scenes look at that process. Committee on Professional Ethics members Jing Cao and Stephanie Shipp join us to discuss their evolving understanding of the ethical practice and the two-year endeavor by the Committee on Professional Ethics to complete the revisions.

They share the process by which the committee approached the revisions, the rationale for adopting specific terminology, and the decision to add an appendix to the guidelines. During the ...

The post Practical Significance | Episode 22: What’s in the 2022 Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice? first appeared on Amstat News.

This edition of Practical Significance spotlights the National Data Mine Network, a project funded by a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to the ASA. The project enables undergraduate students at minority-serving institutions to learn data science via hands-on research or data science projects informed by industry partners or faculty mentors.

Our guests this month are Mark Daniel Ward, professor of statistics and director of the Purdue University Data Mine Network, and ASA President Kathy Ensor, Noah G. Harding professor of statistics at Rice University, who has ...

The post Practical Significance | Episode 21: Building the National Data Mine Network, with Mark Ward and Kathy Ensor first appeared on Amstat News.

Practical Significance co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein have known each other for more than 30 years—since their days at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. In 2015, he invited her to join the American Statistical Association as the director of strategic initiatives and outreach. This month, he turns the tables on her, providing a fantastic opportunity to get to know her a little better.

Donna discusses what she sees as the ASA’s biggest challenges, including “feeling connected.” She also talks about the various opportunities for our community in the education realm ...

The post Practical Significance | Episode 20: Ron Turns the Tables on Donna! first appeared on Amstat News.

The ASA’s initiatives ThisIsStatistics and Count on Stats serve to inform and increase public awareness of statistics⁠—from educating students about a career in statistics to fostering knowledge about the federal statistics system and the impact of data on all facets vital to society.

Lori Russo and Emily Wenstrom of Stanton Communications, who lead the teams working on these initiatives, join co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein on this episode of Practical Significance. They share the challenges behind their campaigns, explain the way social media enhances their work, and offer advice on ...

The post Practical Significance | Episode 19: Words Matter⁠—Raising Public Awareness of the Statistics Profession first appeared on Amstat News.

June is Pride Month and Practical Significance co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein welcome to the show the first ASA Pride Scholarship recipients, Holly Bossart and Evan Boyle.

The ASA Pride Scholarship was established to raise awareness for and support the success of LGBTQ+ statisticians and data scientists and allies. Through the scholarship, we celebrate the diverse perspectives of our community.

Evan, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Diego, and Holly, a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon, reflect on the past year and next steps in their career journeys ...

The post Practical Significance | Episode 18: Celebrating with the First Pride Scholarship Winners, Evan and Holly first appeared on Amstat News.