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A podcast to inspire listeners with compelling stories from statistics and data science and to propel data-driven careers forward with learning opportunities for all
23 Episodes
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Building partnerships is at the heart of this month’s Practical Significance podcast, as cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein welcome American Statistical Association colleagues Amanda Malloy, director of development, and Amy Farris, director of membership development and marketing, to explore the vision and impact of the ASA Partner Program. This strategic initiative was designed to […]
What happens when you combine statistical expertise, cross-cultural collaboration, and a mission to build statistical capacity internationally? You get the ASA’s Educational Ambassador Program—and one inspiring episode of Practical Significance! Cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein sit down for a lively conversation with three dynamic guests: Carolina Franco (NORC at The University of Chicago); Andrzej Kosinski (Duke University School of Medicine); and Paulo Canas Rodrigues (Federal University […]
In this forward-looking episode of Practical Significance, co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein sit down with a powerhouse panel to explore where statistics is headed over the next decade. Kathy Ensor (Rice University), Lance Waller (Emory University), and Brittany Segundo (National Academies) dive into a major National Academies consensus study: Frontiers of Statistics in Science and Engineering: 2035 and Beyond. Ensor (chair) and Waller (vice chair) are […]
Practical Significance focuses on the passion and commitment members bring to advancing the ASA’s mission of promoting the practice and profession of statistics. Cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein chat with two guests—Susan Paddock, executive vice president and chief scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago, and Bo Li, professor at Washington University in […]
Thanks to generous support from Nan Laird, who was awarded the 2021 International Prize in Statistics in recognition of her transformative work, the ASA launched the Telling Our Stories video project to raise awareness of the profound impact of statistics and inspire a greater appreciation for its contribution to advancing science and society. The latest […]
On April 22, Claire McKay Bowen will deliver the inaugural Dionne Price Public Lecture. April is also Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month, so, to celebrate, Bowen joins “Practical Significance” hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein to explore what “statistics awareness” truly means today. As senior fellow leading data governance and privacy at the Urban Institute’s Family and Financial Wellbeing Division, Bowen […]
To mark the launch of ASA Career Connect, a site that will make it easier for employers and ASA members to connect, this month’s “Practical Significance” episode focuses on career advice. ASA past presidents Sastry Pantula and Wendy Martinez, along with SPAIG Chair Satrajit Roychoudhury, join cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein to share invaluable […]
In this milestone 50th episode, co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein continue their tradition of introducing the American Statistical Association’s incoming president. Ji-Hyun Lee, the ASA’s 120th president, joins them to share her vision for 2025, which is centered on “building bridges.” As she begins her presidential year, Lee shares both her excitement and jitters, […]
More than a decade ago, John Bailer and Richard Campbell launched Stats+Stories. Now, after more than 350 episodes, the podcast continues to explore the “Statistics Behind the Stories and the Stories Behind the Statistics.” In this episode of Practical Significance, hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein sit down with Stats+Stories current co-hosts John Bailer and […]
As we conclude our fourth year of Practical Significance, we’re overflowing with gratitude and excitement! Our heartfelt thanks go to our dedicated listeners who’ve been with us throughout this journey. We are grateful for the many members of the ASA community who give their time and talent in support of our mission. Particularly, the members […]
The November episode of Practical Significance features a fun twist as podcast producer Kim Gilliam takes her turn at the mic to interview her colleagues and Practical Significance co-hosts, Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein. Armed with insider knowledge and your burning questions about the ASA, Kim leads a lively conversation that’s equal parts informative and […]
The American Statistical Association’s Excellence in Statistical Reporting Award recognizes media professionals for their presentation of the science of statistics and its role in public life. During the 2024 Joint Statistical Meetings in Portland, Oregon, this summer, Harry Stevens of The Washington Post was honored with this award for his Climate Lab story series—which covers environmental change in a clear, personalized, transparent, and reproducible way.
Joining Practical Significance co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein, Stevens says he writes about compelling climate trends and their effect on the natural world, presenting the ...
The post Practical Significance | Episode 46—Data Is My Superpower: A Conversation with the Excellence in Statistical Reporting Award Recipient first appeared on Amstat News.
Statistics in the Community, or STATCOM, is a student-run community outreach program launched at Purdue University in 2006. It offers students a unique opportunity to apply their statistical expertise by providing pro bono consulting services to community organizations.
This month, Annie Cohen and Hanna Venera join Practical Significance co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein to discuss their roles as co-presidents of STATCOM at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. They can’t contain their enthusiasm for this special initiative and the intrinsic reward of working within the community, although they acknowledge the ...
The post Practical Significance | Episode 45: Statistics in the Community (STATCOM)—Service in Action first appeared on Amstat News.
The American Statistical Association recently joined forces with Instats, an organization dedicated to enhancing global research practices by offering expert-led training to researchers through its online platform. The ASA/Instats partnership will bring members a broad set of learning opportunities.
Practical Significance co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein engage with Michael Zyphur, director of Instats, to explore this innovative learning experience—including the unique features that set the Instats platform apart.
ASA members will have access to live seminars, on-demand seminars, and structured courses. They can also easily filter these offerings based on their ...
The post Practical Significance | Episode 44: Lifelong Learning—New Opportunities for ASA Members first appeared on Amstat News.
For the first time, the Joint Statistical Meetings—taking place August 3–8—will be held in Portland, Oregon. In anticipation, Practical Significance podcast hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein welcome two special guests: JSM Program Chair Debashis Ghosh and Oregon Chapter President Yuan Jiang, who offer tips for making JSM a professional and personal success.
Ghosh, chair and professor at the Colorado School of Public Health Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, reflects on his experience as the 2024 JSM program chair. While acknowledging the conference’s daunting size, he emphasizes that JSM is a ...
The post Practical Significance | Episode: 43 —”Toto, I Have a Feeling We’re Not in Kansas Anymore”— Anticipating JSM 2024 first appeared on Amstat News.
In January 2024, ASA President Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar announced strengthening and expanding mentoring in the ASA community as one of her initiatives and launched a working group with co-chairs Carolyn Rutter and Ruth Etzioni. This month, they join Practical Significance co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein to discuss this endeavor.
Bonnie, Carolyn, and Ruth share their stories about the power of mentoring and their passion for bringing new mentoring program models to the ASA community. And, in the spirit of mentoring, they offer advice to their younger selves.
In their ‘day jobs,’ the ...
The post Practical Significance | Episode 42: With a Little Help from My Friends … Mentoring and the ASA first appeared on Amstat News.
The ASA has 70+ regional chapters that organize networking events, provide continuing education, conduct outreach efforts, and promote statistics as a career. They bring local flair to the ASA. By providing support in countless ways, the Council of Chapters Governing Board (COCGB) is the glue that connects chapters with each other and the broader ASA community.
This month, Practical Significance co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein bring listeners an audio version of Chapter Chatter, the newsletter for and by chapter members, as they are joined by COCGB chair, Jo Wick, ...
The post Practical Significance | Episode 41: ASA Chapters: Turning the ‘Page’ on Opportunities and Initiatives first appeared on Amstat News.
The title for this episode is a question familiar to ChatGPT users and signals the growing impact of artificial intelligence on the world around us. Tian Zheng, Hongtu Zhu, and Mark Glickman join co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein to discuss the implications of AI for our profession. Building on a 2023 workshop on statistics and AI in health care, Tian, Hongtu, and colleagues recently hosted an ASA townhall during which they discussed the impact of AI on the statistical community. Mark is chair of the ASA Committee on Data ...
The post Practical Significance | Episode 40: How Can I Help You Today? first appeared on Amstat News.
March 14 is Pi Day and the International Day of Mathematics (and Statistics), which has the theme “Play with Math” this year. Practical Significance co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein knew there was no better way to play with math and statistics than to talk with members of the ASA Statistics in Sports Section—chair Guanyu Hu and communications officer Denise Bradford.
Bradford, senior data scientist for the Detroit Pistons, and Hu, assistant professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, bring their “A” game to the show as ...
The post Practical Significance | Episode 39: Game On with ASA Statistics in Sports Section Leaders Denise Bradford and Guanyu Hu first appeared on Amstat News.
Fortunately, 2024 is a leap year and February has an extra day because David Matteson, professor and associate chair for the statistics and data science and social statistics department at Cornell University, has a full plate. He recently took on the role of director of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences and is leading the editorial team for Data Science in Science, the newest open-access addition to the ASA’s portfolio of publications.
This month, he joins Practical Significance co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein to discuss the purpose and scope ...
The post Practical Significance | Episode 38: New Year … New Initiatives first appeared on Amstat News.
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