On September 12, 2025, renowned statistician and author Nate Silver engaged in a public discussion titled "On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything" in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. Moderated by Department of Statistics chair Dan Nettleton, the event drew a diverse audience from across campus and the broader community to explore how statistical thinking can improve decision-making in an uncertain world.
In the discussion, Silver examined how professional risk takers – from poker players to hedge fund managers – navigate uncertainty and make strategic decisions when the stakes are high. Drawing from his dual expertise as both a leading statistician and professional poker player, Silver shared his analytical framework for assessing risk and making data-driven choices. While humans make approximately 35,000 decisions daily, Silver focused on strategies for ensuring sound judgment when decisions truly matter, offering practical insights for business, politics, and everyday life.
Silver, a pioneer in data journalism, is best known for founding FiveThirtyEight, the award-winning website he led as editor-in-chief 
until 2023. His statistical models for forecasting elections and sports outcomes revolutionized how the public thinks about prediction and probability. He currently publishes "Silver Bulletin," a Substack newsletter with nearly a quarter million subscribers, where he analyzes cultural and political phenomena through a statistical lens. The discussion drew from themes in his latest book, "On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything" (2024), as well as his bestseller "The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail—But Some Don't" (2012).
The event was co-sponsored by the Department of Statistics alongside the Ivy College of Business, Student Innovation Center, Economics Department, Political Science Department, Cyclone Civics, Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, and several university lecture funds. The broad support reflected the interdisciplinary appeal of Silver's work and its relevance across fields. The University Book Store was on hand selling copies of Silver's latest book, and attendees had the opportunity to hear firsthand from one of the most influential voices in modern statistical analysis.