Preparing Statisticians for Careers in Industry: Report of the ASA Section on Statistical Education Committee on Training of Statisticians for Industry

This report provides guidelines for universities to consider in developing programs for training statisticians who will work in industry. Useful information for students who are considering industrial employment is also included. The recommended programs focus on real problems and the statistical theory and methodology that are useful in their solution. Technical competence is only one of many factors that industry considers when hiring and promoting statisticians. When a statistician leaves school, his or her skills and experiences should include statistical knowledge, practical problem solving, consulting practice, and the ability to communicate orally and in writing with nonstatisticians. There are many details that must be worked out (e.g., content of specific courses and organization of consulting internship programs), and it is hoped that the statistical societies and universities will form committees, hold conferences, and develop programs to address these issues further. Many of our recommendations apply more broadly to the training of all types of practicing statisticians.     

Statisticians Can Matter

Statisticians fall far short of their potential as guides to enlightened decision making in business. Two important explanations are: (1) Decision makers are often more easily convinced by concrete examples, however fragmentary and misleading, than by competent statistical analysis. (2) The effective use of statistics in the process of decision making requires hard thinking by decision makers, thinking that cannot be delegated entirely to the statistical specialist. Modern developments in interactive statistical computing may help to reduce the force of these limitations on exploitation of statistics; used properly, computing can encourage, almost force, the student or business user of statistics to think statistically.     

On the Classification of Statisticians

The Editors of The American Statistician feel that the present effort of the U. S. Civil Service Commission to classify statistical positions in the Federal Service is a matter of interest to the entire profession. Dr. Deming was invited to present his views on this subject since he has been particularly concerned with the problem of definition and classification.     

Statisticians in European regulatory agencies

The UK body of statisticians in the pharmaceutical industry, PSI, has called on heads of European regulatory agencies responsible for assessing applications for marketing authorizations for new medicines in the EU to employ full time statisticians. In order to assess the present situation a survey has been conducted to identify the number of agencies employing one or more full time statisticians. Out of 29 responding agencies, 12 employed one or more statisticians on a full time basis, whereas 17 did not. Among these 17, 7 involved external experts on a regular basis, 5 involved external statisticians on a case‐by‐case basis, whereas 5 never involved external statistical expertise. Failure to involve statisticians in the assessment of efficacy and safety of medicines does not automatically lead to reports of low quality or invalid assessment of benefit‐risk. However, in depth knowledge of statistical methodology is often necessary to uncover weaknesses and potentially biased efficacy estimates. This might be of importance for the final opinion on granting a marketing authorization, and statistical review should therefore be conducted by those who are professionally expert in the area. A positive trend toward an increased involvement of statistical expertise in the European network of regulatory agencies is observed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Statisticians in stained glass houses

Statistics and stained glass may seem an odd combination, but the windows of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, say otherwise. Anthony Edwards explains.     

The Key Role of Statisticians in the Transformation of North American Industry

The role of Wikipedia for learning has been debated because it does not conform to the usual standards. Despite this, people use it, due to the ubiquity of Wikipedia entries in the outcomes from popular search engines. It is important for academic disciplines, including statistics, to ensure they are correctly represented in a medium where anyone can assume the role of discipline expert. In this context, we first develop a tool for evaluating Wikipedia articles for topics with a procedural component. Then, using this tool, five Wikipedia articles on basic statistical concepts are critiqued from the point of view of a self-learner: “arithmetic mean,” “standard deviation,” “standard error,” “confidence interval,” and “histogram.” We find that the articles, in general, are poor, and some articles contain inaccuracies. We propose that Wikipedia be actively discouraged for self-learning (using, for example, a classroom activity) except to give a brief overview; that in more formal learning environments, teachers be explicit about not using Wikipedia as a learning resource for course content; and, because Wikipedia is used regardless of considered advice or the organizational protocols in place, teachers move away from minimal contact with Wikipedia towards more constructive engagement.     

关于统计职业道德理论研究的若干思考

Two constructive points of views are proposed by the author on the study of professional ethics of statisticians : 1) Seeking truth should be taken as the core of ethics of statistics, which can cover all processes and aspects of statistical activities. 2) Study on professional ethics of statistics should be strengthened based on the reality of China while taking into consideration of international experiences. Outlining the immediate, mid-term and long-term objectives of professional ethics, the author emphasized systematic, stratified and realistic in-depth study on the issue.     

第二届全国青年统计科学讨论会纪要

中国统计学会、国家统计局统计科学研究所和天津财经学院联合举办的第二届全国青年统计科学讨论会,1989年11月1日至11月3日在天津召开。会议着重讨论了以下两方面的问题:(1)宏观经济统计实证研究与统计分析方法问题;(2)基层企业统计问题。一、宏观经济统计实证研究与统计分析方法问题。     

全国青年统计科学讨论会纪要

国家统计局统计科学研究所与东北财经大学联合召开的全国青年统计科学讨论会,1987年9月20日至23日在辽宁省大连市举行,参加会议的54篇论文是从350多篇应征论文中筛选出来的,其中统计实际部门和统计教学、科研部门的论文各占一半。会议的中心议题是:(1)建立宏观经济监测和预警体系;(2)加强统计分析研究,提高服务质量。现将主要情况综述如下:     

Re-Defining the Who,When, and Where of Mentoring for Professional Statisticians

Organizations tailor their mentoring strategies to accommodate internal resources and preferences, producing different approaches in academic, government, and corporate environments. Across these settings, three common barriers impede effective mentoring of statisticians: overspecialization, time constraints, and geographic dispersion. The authors share mentoring strategies that have emerged at their organization, Mathematica Policy Research, to overcome these obstacles. Practices include creating a methodology working group to unite researchers with diverse backgrounds, integrating mentoring into existing workflows, and harnessing modern technological infrastructure to facilitate virtual mentoring. Although these strategies emerged within a specific professional context, they suggest opportunities for statisticians to expand the channels through which mentorship can occur.