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A Chapter of the American Statistical Association

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April 2002

Contents:


Activities of the Washington Academy of Sciences Affiliate Organizations

The Washington Statistical Society (WSS) and most other science, engineering, and science policy oriented organizations in the Washington DC area are affiliate members of the Washington Academy of Sciences (WAS). WSS members may be interested in the activities (e.g. lectures, meetings) of the other affiliated organizations. Many of these are displayed on the WAS Web site at

http://www.washacadsci.org/calendar.htm

The WAS also will e-mail out a description of activities by affiliate member organizations. If you would like to have such e-mails forwarded to you, contact Michael P. Cohen, the WSS representative to WAS, at michael.cohen@bts.gov.

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Education Announcements

JPSM / One-week courses at the University of Maryland's campus in College Park, Maryland

This summer, in conjunction with the University of Michigan's Summer Institute, JPSM is happy to offer the following one-week courses at the University of Maryland's campus in College Park, Maryland. If you are interested in receiving registration materials, please email JPSM at jpsm@survey.umd.edu.

These courses are different from the two-day short courses - there is a slightly more involved application process. All forms and instructions will be mailed to you upon request. Cost of the courses is $451 for Maryland residents or federal employees and $550 for out of state, non-federal students. All courses can carry 1 credit of graduate level credit. The title and dates of the courses are "Introduction to Questionnaire Design" (6/10 - 6/14)," Introduction to Survey Quality" (6/24 - 6/28), "Introduction to Small Area Estimation and Related Topics" (7/15 - 7/19), "Model-Based Small Area Estimation and Related Topics" (7/22 - 7/26), and "Event History Calendar Interviewing Methodologies" (6/17 - 6/21).

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Education Announcements

ASA/SRS-NSF Research Fellowship Program

The American Statistical Association (ASA) and the Division of Science Resources Statistics (SRS) of the National Science Foundation are proud to announce the ASA/SRS-NSF Research Fellowship Program. The Program will entail having an outstanding academic researcher/fellow conduct interdisciplinary research using SRS data on-site at the National Science Foundation for a three month period plus support for 10 percent of the researchers time at their home institution.

Possible topic areas include but are not limited to:

  • Analysis of science and engineering resources issues
  • Research related to the redesign of research and development surveys to increase the consistency and integration across separate surveys
  • Methodologies to improve the timeliness of data collections from institutional and individual respondent
  • Estimation techniques for state level estimates
  • Graphical displays and analysis of data
  • Web based survey development

Compensation is commensurate with the researcher's qualifications and experience. Fringe Benefits and travel allowances are negotiable. SRS will provide administrative support, office space, computer equipment, and access to SRS data and staff.

The researcher/fellow will be selected through a rigorous, competitive application process.

Deadline for summer program is May 15, 2002. Deadline for fall program is August 31, 2002.

For more information, including how to apply, please visit http://www.scs.gmu.edu/~wss/asa_nsf.html.

Visit the ASA Research Fellowships and Grants web page at http://www.amstat.org/research_grants/ for other fellowship opportunities.

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Education Announcements

Judges Need for the ASA Poster and Project Competition

Last year the WSS judged the ASA Statistical Poster Competition posters for the Washington DC area. We will be doing so again this year. Additionally we have our own set of prizes to award for the WSS Statistical Poster Competition which mirrors the ASA competition. For more information check the ASA Poster Competition web-site at:

http://www.amstat.org/education/poster1.html

The poster competition ends April 15th and the following week-end we will be judging the posters. The finalist of this judging will be sent to the national ASA office for the final round.

Ernst and Young has volunteered their conference space on Sunday April 21st. WSS will provide snacks and refreshments.

Depending on the number of judges and posters, the process will take up to 4 hours, but should be much quicker.. Quantitative Literacy among school children is a worthy cause and judging the statistical posters created by 1'st through 12'th graders should be interesting and fun. We will be meeting at the downtown Ernst & Young office at 2 in the afternoon. The address is:

1225 Connecticut Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20036

An Ernst and Young person will be downstairs to admit the judges to the second floor conference area.

Please contact Aljoscha Kapan (Aljoscha.Kaplan@ey.com) at 202.327.8325 or Joyce McNeill at (202) 327-77582 (Joyce.McNeill@ey.com) with any questions and to confirm if you are willing to help out.

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Education Announcements

New Wray Jackson Smith Scholarship

Supporting Work Towards a Career in Government Statistics

Deadline Extended Until May 15, 2002!!! Apply Now!!!

The Government Statistics Section of the American Statistical Association (ASA) is pleased to announce a new scholarship in memory of Wray Jackson Smith, a founding member of the Section and long-time contributor to Federal statistics. The Wray Jackson Smith Scholarship (WJSS), co-sponsored with the Social Statistics Section of ASA, the Washington Statistical Society, the Caucus for Women in Statistics, Mathematica Policy Research, and Synectics for Managements Decisions, Inc., is intended to reward promising young statisticians for their diligence, thereby encouraging them to consider a future in government statistics.

Accepting Applications Now

Type of Project -- The WJSS Award is designated for broad use in furthering the development of a career related to government statistics. Applicants are encouraged to be creative in seeking support for a wide variety of uses, including:

  • Tuition, board, and books for courses or short courses
  • Conference attendance
  • Purchase of books, software, data sets, or other supporting materials for research projects related to government statistics.

Activities may relate to any level of government, including Federal, state, and local governmental units. They must be statistical in nature, focusing on data, methodology, analysis, or data presentation.

Application -- To apply for a WJSS Award, the following information must be sent to the Wray Jackson Smith Scholarship Committee by May 15, 2002:

  • A completed WJSS Application Form (see http://www.amstat.org/sections/index.html, go to Section on Government Statistics, go to Wray Jackson Smith Scholarship)
  • A proposal of activity to be funded
  • Academic transcript (for current/recent students) or job performance reviews for the past 2 years (for nonstudents) or equivalent proof of superior academic and/or professional performance
  • Two letters of recommendation.

Please send material to:

Wray Jackson Smith Scholarship Committee
c/o Jana Lynn Asher
4115 Beehner Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15217

or electronically at: asher@stat.cmu.edu.

Selection Process -- The WJSS Committee, consisting of three Government Statistics Section members, will review each proposal, based on an established rating scheme, and select the awardees. Each application will be judged based on the following criteria:

  • Stage in Career
  • Past Performance
  • Quality of the Proposed Activity
  • Relevance of Activity to Government Statistics
  • Innovation/Ingenuity of the Proposed Project
  • Feasibility of Completion of Activity
  • Two Letters of Recommendation

Announcements of the awardees will be made by June 1, 2002. All applicants will be notified by mail.

Eligibility -- The WJSS is targeted at students and persons early in their career in government statistics. Applicants must have a Bachelor=s degree or equivalent level of education. Membership in the Government Statistics Section or in the ASA is not required.

For more information, contact Jana Asher by e-mail: A HREF="http://asher@stat.cmu.edu">asher@stat.cmu.edu.

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SIGSTAT Schedule: April, 2002 - June, 2002

April 10, 2002
 PROC GAM in SAS/STAT
May 8, 2002
 SAS INSIGHT
June 12, 2002
 PROC KDE in SAS/STAT


SIGSTAT is the Special Interest Group in Statistics for the CPCUG, the Capital PC User Group, and WINFORMS, the Washington Institute for Operations Research Service and Management Science.

All meetings are in Room 3056, 1800 M St, NW from 12:30 to 1:30. Enter the South Tower & take the elevator to the 3rd floor to check in at the guard's desk.

First-time attendees should contact Charlie Hallahan, 202-694-5051, hallahan@ers.usda.gov and leave their name. Directions to the building & many links of statistical interest can be found at the SIGSTAT website, www.cpcug.org/user/sigstat/

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Note From The WSS NEWS Editor

Items for publication in the June 2002 WSS NEWS should be submitted no later than April 30, 2002. E-mail items to Michael Feil at michael.feil@usda.gov. Any items received after this date will appear in the next issue of the WSS NEWS.

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First posted April 10, 2002
Last modified November 03, 2015

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