Amstat News - American Statistical Association

meetings
34 amstat news april 2012
First ASA Conference on
Statistical Practice in
the Books
Phil Scinto
I
am happy to report that after nearly three years of planning
and organizing, the first ASA Conference on Statistical
Practice successfully took place from February 16–18 in
Orlando, Florida, at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
(www.amstat.org/meetings/csp/2012).
Nearly 300 participants were informed, and even entertained,
by invited speakers through courses, tutorials, sessions,
and the keynote address delivered by ASA President
Bob Rodriquez.
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise was that nearly 100 conference
attendees stayed for the feedback session late Saturday
afternoon, revealing that the objectives of the conference were
well met and the conference was thoroughly enjoyed. In addition,
there were many good suggestions for improvement that
will be highly considered for 2013. At the end of the feedback
session, everyone had a good time during the end-of-conference
prize drawing. In addition to several dozen coffee mugs, we
raffled off admissions to the 2013 conference, a beach blanket
and tote bag, and a two-night stay at the Renaissance Orlando
at SeaWorld.
I would like to thank everyone who made this first conference
a success, including the conference attendees, members of
the ASA Board of Directors, ASA staff members, and members
of our organizing and annual conference committee. We are all
looking forward to the second annual conference and hope to
see you all in New Orleans, Louisiana, from February 21–23,
2013. Check the ASA website for upcoming details.
The Conference on Statistical Practice aims to bring together
hundreds of statistical practitioners—including data analysts,
researchers, and scientists—who engage in the application of
statistics to solve real-world problems on a daily basis. The
conference provides an opportunity to learn about the latest
statistical methodologies and best practices in statistical design,
analysis, programming, and consulting and is designed to aid
applied statisticians in improving their abilities in consulting
with customers and organizations. Specific conference objectives
for attendees include the following:
• Learn statistical techniques that apply to your job as an
applied statistician
• Learn how to better communicate with customers
• Learn how to have a positive impact on your
organization n