Emily Berg, Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics, began a two-year collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) this fall.  Dr. Berg is using her expertise in small-area estimation to improve the National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by BJS.  She will be working from Ames and splitting her time split evenly between Iowa State and BJS.  Congratulations to Dr. Berg on being selected for this important and impactful project!

Assistant Professor Danica Ommen led a successful effort to create an interest group within the American Statistical Association focused on forensic science applications.  The opportunity for statisticians to apply their expertise to problems in forensic science is continuing to grow following two important reports, one by the 2009 National Research Council and the other by the 2016 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, both of which called for improvement in the foundations of forensic science.  Statisticians have responded to these calls for reform by performing new research, and this research has been received positively by the forensic science community. This interest group will enhance the professional development and growth of its members by provi

The DEI Committee in the Department of Statistics has started joining efforts to get students of diverse backgrounds interested in Statistics. On October 27^th and November 1^st, we participated in the Go Further Conference organized by the Program for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). The conference is for 8-10^th grade girls.¹

Ph.D. student Federico Veneri Guarch won second place at the Joint Statistics Meetings Statistical Significance poster competition. 

The poster highlights the work of Fede, Danica Ommen, and the Center for Statistics Applications in Forensic Evidence. Titled, "Ensemble of SLR Systems for Forensic Evidence," the project introduces a sampling algorithm that remediates the dependence structure in forensic comparisons. 

Several members of the Department of Statistics attended the 2022 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM)    in Washington, D.C. from August 6th-11th. On August 10th, friends and alums of the department gathered to reconnect with current and former scholars from the Department of Statistics. 

The JSM is one of the largest statistical events in the world with more than 6,400 attendees from 52 countries. The conference includes 600+ sessions, more than 1,000 students, 75+ employers, 100+ exhibitors, and more than 40 professional development courses and workshops. 

The Office of the Vice President of Research is welcoming 26 Iowa State University faculty members to the 2022-2023 Research Collaboration Catalysts (RCC) cohort designed to train the next generation of research team leaders. Jarad Niemi, Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics, was selected to join this group of leaders.

Using evidence-based training, tools and resources, participating Iowa State faculty develop strong leadership skills and learn how to manage challenges that are specific to interdisciplinary collaborations to foster high-performing research teams. Participating tenured, tenure-eligible, and research term faculty were nominated as individuals who have demonstrated potential to lead future high-impact interdisciplinary research teams.

We are pleased to announce that University Professor Mack Shelley will return to the Department of Statistics beginning this fall.  In one sense, Mack never left, but he has had a 0% appointment in Statistics since he became chair of the Department of Political Science in 2014.  With his current service as chair of Political Science coming to an end, Mack will return to a positive (15%) appointment in Statistics.  He will help the Department of Statistics with our teaching of students majoring in social sciences. Welcome back, Mack!