Practical Significance

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

Practical Significance | Episode 69: Communicating Science in an Age of Uncertainty

In this episode of Practical Significance, co-hosts Ron Wasserstein and Donna LaLonde talk with Meaghan Parker of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing about the changing landscape of science journalism and why accurate, independent reporting remains essential to public understanding and trust.

09-01
32:57

Practical Significance | Episode 68: Pop Quiz: What Should Every Student Know About Data and Computing?

Data and computing shape nearly every aspect of modern life, yet K–12 education has struggled to keep pace. In this episode of Practical Significance, Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein welcome Nick Horton (Amherst College) and Anna Bargagliotti (Loyola Marymount University) to discuss the National Academies report, Data and Computing in K–12 Foundational Competencies 2026. Together, they unpack the report’s […]

08-03
32:10

Practical Significance | Episode 67: Behind the Numbers—Insights from the ASA Work and Salary Survey

What can a salary survey tell us about the current state of the statistics profession? Quite a lot as it turns out. In this episode of Practical Significance, cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein welcome Christine Filer and Gary Langer of Langer Research Associates to discuss the findings of the recent ASA Work and Salary […]

07-01
28:30

Practical Significance | Episode 66: Inside the New ASA Clinical Trials Certificate Program

What does it take to prepare statisticians for the realities of modern clinical trials? This month, “Practical Significance” cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein are joined by Ji-Hyun Lee (University of Florida) and Nolan Wages (Virginia Commonwealth University) to discuss the new ASA Clinical Trials Certificate Program. Lee and Wages explore the gap between traditional […]

06-01
38:32

Practical Significance | Episode 65: Behind the Button—Why JSM Docents Make the Difference

In this episode of Practical Significance, hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein are joined by longtime JSM docents Jessica Kohlschmidt (The Ohio State University) and Justin Jacobs (Oak Ridge National Laboratory). If you’ve ever walked into JSM and felt like you needed a translator, a map, and a friend all at once, docents are exactly that. Kohlschmidt and Jacobs […]

05-01
32:30

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