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!

Alicia Carriquiry's co-authored paper titled, "A clustering method for graphical handwriting components and statistical writership analysis," is one of the top 10 most downloaded articles on the Wiley Online Library.

Carriquiry co-authored the paper with Amy Crawford and Nick Berry, who are also alums of the department. 

On May 25, the Department of Statistics hosted a regional conference on teaching statistics in conjunction with eCOTS (electronic Conference On Teaching Statistics). 

The event was organized by Statistics faculty members Laura Ziegler, Anna Peterson, and Ulrike Genschel.  The conference’s keynote talk was given by Advanced Placement Statistics Chief Reader-Designate Barb Barnet, who is an ISU Statistics alum and professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin Platteville.

On May 12th, the Department hosted a gathering on the southwest lawn of Snedecor Hall to recognize the graduating MS and PhD students. The graduating students said a few words about their future plans while everyone enjoyed ice cream from the ISU Creamery.

Congratulations to our spring 2022 Research Excellence Award Winners:

Alicia Carriquiry, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Statistics, is one of three editors for the book, "Statistics in the Public Interest" which is out now. The book is written in memory of Stephen E. Fienberg and edited by Alicia, Judith M. Tanur, William F. Eddy, and Margaret L. Smykla.

The book explores a mix of original research and reviews in a wide range of topics. With applied and theoretical chapters, historical accounts, and policy-relevant discussions, there is something for everyone. It provides a tour of Steve Fienberg's most important contributions in statistics and policy.

On Monday, May 2nd the Department of Statistics gathered at Reiman Gardens to honor Sarah Nusser who retired in 2021 after more than three decades at Iowa State. Following her obtainment of both bachelor's and master's degrees in botany from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and North Carolina State University, Sarah earned MS and Ph.D. degrees in statistics at ISU. She joined the Department of Statistics as an assistant professor in 1992. By 2003, Nusser was promoted to full professor and named Fellow of the American Statistical Association. She served as Director of the Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology (CSSM) for many years and played a major role in making CSSM the strong unit it is today.

The Statistics Social Committee hosted a spring breakfast at Inis Grove Park on Saturday, May 30th.