Update on the International Year of Statistics

Luiz Koodi Hotta

Brazilian Statistical Association

Here is the latest update on the International Year of Statistics.  Please share it with your colleagues, and anyone who might be interested.

·         Please check the announcements page (http://statistics2013.org/announcements.cfm) to read about plans for International Year of Statistics celebrations.  Please send us your announcements and we’ll post them to the page.

·         While you are online, take a look at the activities page (http://statistics2013.org/activities.cfm).  You’ll see there is already at least one activity every month during 2013.  Who knows, eventually there may be at least one activity every week, or every day!  Send us information about your activities, and we’ll post them online.

·         If you have statistical materials to share, materials that would be valuable to others as they prepare to celebrate the International Year of Statistics, please let us post them on the resources page (http://statistics2013.org/resources.cfm).  Send us the materials or a link to them, and we’ll post it.

·         Do you have a question that you would like to ask of the other participants in the International Year of Statistics?  Send me an email, and we’ll include the question in the next update to the participants.

·         We need your ideas!  We are developing posters to be used during 2013.

o   Once created, these posters will be available on the Statistics2013 website for everyone to use.

o   At http://www.amstat.org/misc/IYSTATPoster.pdf you will see one such poster idea.  Please send me a note with one example of an important contribution statistics has made in your part of the world.

o   We’ll select examples from around the world, put them in the “bubbles” on the poster, and make them available for translation into many other languages.

o   Please note these bubbles are placed just to illustrate the idea of the poster, and will be moved around as needed.

·         Please spread the word about the international video contest to help launch the worldwide celebration of the positive impact of statistical science.

o   We invite videos of four minutes in length or less that illustrate

§  how statistics impacts individual lives, improves society, or in general makes the world more a better place

§  how statistical thinking can be brought to bear on important issues of our day

§  interesting careers in statistics (tell the world why your job in statistics is a great job, or why it is interesting and fun to be a statistician)

o   Cash prizes of $250-$1000 US will be offered for the best videos, with special prizes for the best videos by a person or persons 18 years of age or less and the best non-English language videos.  (Providing us with a written translation or providing English subtitles would be especially helpful.)

o   Entries will be judged on their statistical content and their entertainment value. All submissions must be the original design and creation of the entrants and must not infringe anyone else’s copyright protections.  Submissions must be posted on YouTube with a link sent to Tom Short, chair of the Statistics2013 Video Contest review committee,tshort@jcu.edu, by October 31, 2012.

o   Winning and honorable mention videos will be posted on the International Year of Statistics website throughout 2013.

·         What can your organization do celebrate the International Year of Statistics?”  Perhaps you could:

o   Have a special conference, or add a component on the International Year of Statistics to your conferences already planned

o   Hold special workshops or symposia on important topics in statistics for your area

o   Host events or develop materials to promote to young people careers in statistics

o   Develop new educational materials to help improve some aspect of statistics instruction in your area.

o   Spread the word in your area about the positive impact of statistics (get in your local news, write blogs on the web, distribute brochures – whatever works best for you)

o   Have special editions of your newsletters, journals or magazines related to Statistics2013

o   Use the opportunity to make new partnerships and new friends

·         As of today, July 20, 2012, there are 570 organizations from 89 countries signed on as participating organizations.

·         If you have colleagues who would like to receive these updates, encourage them to go to http://statistics2013.org and click on the “Get the Newsletter” button.

That’s it for now.  Thank you for your support of the International Year of Statistics.

Thank you!

Ron Wasserstein, Executive Director, ASA, on behalf of the International Year of Statistics Steering Committee

•                    Richard Emsley, International Biometric Society

•                    Adam Jakubowski, ISI/Bernoulli Society

•                    Denise Lievesley, Royal Statistical Society

•                    David Madigan, Institute of Mathematical Statistics

•                    Vijay Nair, International Statistical Institute

•                    Sastry Pantula, American Statistical Association

•                    Ada van Krimpen, International Statistical Institute