Pedro Luis do Nascimento Silva - Statistics from the National Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics Association (1988) and Doctor in Statistics - University of Southampton (1996). He is a Researcher at the National School of Statistical Sciences. He has extensive experience in the following areas of Statistics: sampling and research methods, analysis of complex sample data, household sample surveys, variance estimation, calibration estimators, data criticism and imputation, estimation for small domains, sample surveys in the evaluation of public policies, and official statistics. He was president of the International Institute of Statistics (2015-2017).
Denise Britz do Nascimento Silva is a retired and voluntary Principal Researcher at the National School of Statistical Sciences (ENCE) of the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE), and Senior Associate Researcher at the Society for the Development of Scientific Research (SCIENCE). PhD. in Statistics (University of Southampton, 1997). She is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI), an associate editor of the Statistical Journal of the IAOS and the Revista Brasileira de Estatística, and was President (2019-2021) of the International Association of Survey Statisticians (IASS). Her main areas of interest are official/public statistics, survey methods, statistical modeling of survey data, small-area estimation, and statistical education.
Episode Description
At Stats and Stories, we love to have statisticians and journalists tell stories of their careers and give advice to inspire younger professionals and the next generation about what they can do with the power of data. However, we have yet to have a couple join us to talk about their careers and how statistics in Brazil have progressed over the past 30 years. That's the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories Pedro and Denise Silva.
+Full Transcript
John Bailer
On Stats and Stories, we love to have statisticians, journalists and scientists tell stories of their careers and give advice and inspire young professionals in the next generation about what they can do with the power of data and analysis in their fields. However, we have yet to have a couple join us to talk about their careers in statistics, and to reflect on how their work particularly in Brazil has progressed over the last 30 years. That's the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories where we explore the statistics behind the stories and the stories behind the statistics. I'm John Bailer. Stats and Stories is a production of Miami University's Department of Statistics and media, journalism and film, as well as the American Statistical Association. My guests today have been on the show before, but the careers of Denise and Pedro Silva are in need of a deeper dive. So let's get right into this with my talk with Denise. Denise, it is such a treat to be able to have you join us for a quick conversation on stats and short stories. You know, I've you know, I've loved our interactions over the years. And I'd love to hear about kind of peep also where people came from in terms of their trajectory of career in life. So how did you become someone with this passion for, you know, understanding the world using statistics?
Denise Silva
I love to tell the story. Thank you for asking. My mom was a nurse. And she used to talk to us about how Polly's Nightingale did them with the lamp. And she was talking about the Florence Nightingale and saying that, Oh, she would go to the war. And not only treating the patients but taking notes about statistics of the illness. And my mom used to be a nurse in a hospital that was close to the school, where I teach now, the National School of statistical science. I took my other first degree there. But as a statistician, I posted these discs. But before when I was young, 14 years old, they had higher school statistics like secondary school. So my mom and nurse came to me and said, Look, you like maps, and there are schools close to my work that are from the central Statistical Office. And they do statistics and statistics. It's close to maps. So I believe you should have a look at it. And perhaps take this course in your secondary in your high school. So it's my mom holding my hand that presented me with statistics the first time. And because both my mom and my dad were doctors, and they are both working in public services. They will always work with public health all the time. So this passion for information for the public good is something that was always in my mind. So I worked for some time in a private company, but I moved to the central statistical office as soon as I could. And that's where it's so now
John Bailer
Oh, I had never heard that story. What a wonderful story of of kind of what greats sort of serendipity to have, you know, this this great good fortune to have your mom's hospital so close to the school where you took your first degree what, and then you did continue your graduate studies after, did you do you did your graduate studies and continued after you had joined IBG?
Denise Silva
Yes, what I did is I got my high was in high school as a technician of statistics. Then I got my first degree in statistics. And then I started working in IDT already working in UBG when I decided to have much to master. So the master is statistics in the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and then also reading in IBG. They had a program to stimulate postgraduate studies. So we got a paid license to get our PG in University of Southampton.
John Bailer
Oh, wonderful. I want to ask just one as you reflect on your career and the work that you've done. Is there a particular study or a particular project that really stands out that gives you a code of sort of great pride and joy to think about?
Denise Silva
Yes, one of the many, many years ago was my first survey that I developed and was the wholesaler when we To trade survey, so in 1988, Brazil didn't have a sample survey for retail, they called an activity. There was always an economic census. So I was from the team that did the first survey, the first sample survey on retainer and policy and projects. In fact, it's more recent, it's the redevelopment of our National Household Survey. That was really very nice.
John Bailer
You've been a great resource for your, for your university, for your department, for your, for your country. And that service has been brilliant. So thanks, and, and your time with us has been brilliant. Yes, it was. So thank you again, Denise, for coming on the program. Following up would be a task that would be difficult for a lot of guests. But one person whose career is equally expansive and dedicated to improving the world is our second guest, her husband, Pedro Silva. Ah, you know, I am so lucky to have the job that I do. I get to talk to people around the world. And today, I have the pleasure of talking to Pedro Silva. So Pedro, you know, one of the stories that I like to hear is how people got involved in doing what they do. So can you talk a little bit about the career trajectory that led you to doing what you've done as a career in a career in statistics?
Pedro Silva
Well, thanks, John, for having me. And, indeed, my story is somewhat similar to Denise's though I ended up at the National School of statistical sciences by accident. And let me explain, I had some good marks in math throughout my earlier schooling. And I was encouraged to do secondary school, which prepares people for engineering careers. So I set an exam to enter that particular degree, and I failed. My drawing skills were pretty poor. So I passed all the other parts of that particular exam, but not the drawing, the sort of part where you had to do articulate designs, geometric designs, and I wasn't successful. So a neighbor who had family working for IBG suggested that I should look for the School of statistics, where also education was heavily mathematical and they said they said you are, you will get a good mathematics education there, even if it's not towards engineering. So then I went, I set an exam to enter the National School of statistical science secondary school, I got in and it was love at first sight. I started learning about statistics. And I engaged with the ideas that were being presented at the time, Introduction to Computing, not necessarily using computers, but using calculators and so on, very early on in the 1970s. I'm that old, my friend. And I eventually followed to do the BSc in statistics there. And I was hired by the IBG, shortly after. But I had already started an MSc. So I started my MSc and started working for ABG. About the same time. And basically, the reason for staying at the IBG for this long until retirement, was that I can honestly tell you, working for a national statistics office for a statistician is like having a kid let loose on a playground with all those wonderful toys and other kids you like to play with. In terms of statistics, you have everything there from sampling to modeling to confidentiality, protection, you name it, it's all there.
John Bailer
Well, yeah. So you've mentioned getting the play with all the kids on the playground here. So as you think about this, this playground of projects that helped define your career. Were there certain projects that really stand out that you've really had great pride in the product or really feel a sense of, boy, I'm really glad I was able to be part of that.
Pedro Silva
Yes, I have been involved in working on two major census population census projects at the IBG. But the project I'm going to choose to talk about is another one. When Denise and I got back from our PhD in Southampton, I started getting involved with the staff at the school of statistics. We both worked at other areas of IBG at the time, but we thought that the time was ripe for the school to develop graduate education. So in 1998, we managed after two years of planning and making. We managed to start an MSc program, sort of modeled after the social statistics program in Southampton. This has now evolved, it has master's and Ph. D program. The current name is population, territory and public statistics. It has already produced over 350, masters and around 40 doctors. So it's something that I'm very proud to have been involved with from the beginning from the design of the program and have been teaching supervising students there since the beginning of the program. And it has had an impact on the IBG, because quite a few of the graduates of this program actually work at the IBG. So this is something I'm particularly proud of, in terms of my contributions to the organization.
John Bailer
That's a wonderful legacy. And you should take great joy and pride in seeing that have come to fruition. Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have for this episode of Stats and Short stories. Thanks again for joining.
Pedro Silva
Thank you, John.
John Bailer
Yes, thank you, Pedro. And also thank you to Denise and all of you at home for listening to this special two part episode of stats and short stories.
Stats and Stories is a partnership between Miami University’s Departments of Statistics, and Media, Journalism and Film, and the American Statistical Association. You can follow us on Twitter, Apple podcasts, or other places you can find podcasts. If you’d like to share your thoughts on the program send your email to statsandstories@miamioh.edu or check us out at statsandstories.net, and be sure to listen for future editions of Stats and Stories, where we discuss the statistics behind the stories and the stories behind the statistics.