Recent Episodes

W.O.M.B.A.T. | Stats + Short Stories Episode 324

Would you be surprised if a wombat won a statistical achievement award? well our guest Noel Cressie is here to talk about the WOllongong Methodology for Bayesian Assimilation of Trace-gases and how it can impact the environmental landscape.

Noel Cressie is Distinguished Professor at the University of Wollongong, Australia, and Director of its Centre for Environmental Informatics, which is a vibrant interdisciplinary group doing research in spatio-temporal statistics, satellite remote sensing, and broader fields of environmental science; he is also Adjunct Professor at the University of Missouri and Affiliate at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the USA. Noel grew up in Western Australia, received a PhD from Princeton University, and shared a career between the US and Australia. He is author and co-author of four books, three of them on spatial and spatio-temporal statistics, and of more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. His recent research involves hunting for atmospheric-carbon-dioxide sources around the world and focusing on Antarctica’s environmental future. He has won a number of awards, including the Fisher Award and Lectureship from the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS), the Pitman Medal from the Statistical Society of Australia, the Barnett Award from the Royal Statistical Society, and the Matheron Award and Lecture from the International Association for Mathematical Geosciences. Noel is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, of the Royal Society of New South Wales, and of a number of other learned societies. (4/25/2024)

The Washington Post Climate Lab | Stats + Stories Episode 323

Newsrooms struggle with communicating climate data. Some worry about being too alarmist, while others worry about communicating the data clearly. One American newspaper has a column devoted to breaking down climate data, which is the focus of this Episode of Stats+Stories with guest Harry Steven.

Harry Stevens is the Climate Lab columnist at The Washington Post. He was part of a team at The Post that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for the series “2C: Beyond the Limit.” Stevens came to The Post from Axios, where he designed news graphics and worked on data-driven investigations. Stevens's journalism career has also included stints at the Hindustan Times in New Delhi, India, and the Salt Lake Tribune in Utah. (4/18/2024)

Statistics Behind the Headlines: Reproducibility and Reporting | Stats + Stories Episode 322

How do you learn about what’s going on in the world? Did a news headline grab your attention? Did a news story report on recent research? What do you need to know to be a critical consumer of the news you read? If you are looking to start developing your data self-defense and critical news consumption skills, this book is for you! It reflects a long-term collaboration between a statistician and a journalist to shed light on the statistics behind the stories and the stories behind the statistics. The only prerequisite for enjoying this book is an interest in developing the skills and insights for better understanding news stories that incorporate quantitative information. (4/11/2024)

Making Ethical Decisions Is Hard | Stats + Stories Episode 321

What fundamental values should data scientists and statisticians bring to their work? What principles should guide the work of data scientists and statisticians? What does right and wrong mean in the context of an analysis? That’s the topic of today's stats and stories episode with guests Stephanie Shipp and Donna LeLonde

Stephanie Shipp is a research professor at the Biocomplexity Institute, University of Virginia. She co-founded and led the Social and Decision Analytics Division in 2013, starting at Virginia Tech and moving to the University of Virginia in 2018. Dr. Shipp’s work spans topics related to using all data to advance policy, the science of data science, community analytics, and innovation. She leads and engages in local, state, and federal projects to assess data quality and the ethical use of new and traditional data sources. She is leading the development of the Curated Data Enterprise (CDE) that aligns with the Census Bureau’s modernization and transformation and their Statistical Products First approach. She is a member of the American Statistical Association’s Committee on Professional Ethics, Symposium on Data Science and Statistics (SDSS) Committee, and the Professional Issues and Visibility Council. She is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute, an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, and an American Statistical Association (ASA) Fellow. She received the ASA Founder’s award in 2022.

Donna LaLonde is the Associate Executive Director of the American Statistical Association (ASA) where she works with talented colleagues to advance the vision and mission of the ASA. Prior to joining the ASA in 2015, she was a faculty member at Washburn University where she enjoyed teaching and learning with colleagues and students; she also served in various administrative positions including interim chair of the Education Department and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. At the ASA, she supports activities associated with presidential initiatives, accreditation, education, and professional development. She also is a cohost of the Practical Significance podcast which John and Rosemary appeared on last year. (4/4/2024)

Opening Day Statistics | Stats + Stories Baseball Special

Christopher J. Phillips is a historian of science at Carnegie Mellon University. His research is on the history of statistics and mathematics, particularly the claimed benefits of introducing mathematical tools and models into new fields. He is the author of "Scouting and Scoring: How We Know What We Know about Baseball" and "The New Math: A Political History," and his work has been featured in the New York Times, Time.com, New England Journal of Medicine, Science, and Nature. He received his Ph.D. in History of Science from Harvard University.

Terence Moore (@TMooreSports) is a national sports columnist and commentator who is a regular television contributor to CNN, ESPN "Outside the Lines and MSNBC. He also is a columnist for SportsonEarth.com, MLB.com and CNN.com. In addition, he does television work for the NFL Network, and he appears every Sunday night on a locally top-rated show in Atlanta.

Jim Albert, co-author of Curveball: Baseball, Statistics and the Role of Chance in the Game , editor of the Journal of Quantitative Analysis and Sports , and professor of statistics at Bowling Green State University will join the Stats and Stories regulars to discuss why statistics and baseball have been linked for decades and how this connection has strengthened with the growing presence of sabermetrics in player and team management. (3/28/2024)

The Art of Writing for Data Science | Stats + Stories Episode 320

Communicating clearly about data can be difficult but it’s also crucial if you want audiences to understand your work. Whether it’s through writing or speaking telling a compelling story about data can make it less abstract. That’s the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Sara Stoudt.

Sara Stoudt is an applied statistician at Bucknell University with research interests in ecology and the communication of statistics. Follow her on Twitter (@sastoudt) and check out her recent book with Deborah Nolan, Communicating with Data: The Art of Writing for Data Science. (3/21/2024)

Health Benefits of Riding an Electric Bike | Stats + Short Stories Episode 319

Hybrid cars are everywhere now but what is your best option if you want to feel the wind in your hair, or at least under your helmet and you want to get a little exercise as well? Well, e-bikes are an answer and that’s the topic on this episode of Stats + Short Stories with guest Helaine Alessio.

Helaine Alessio, PhD, FACSM is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health at Miami University and is a past President of the MWACSM and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. She teaches Exercise Science-related courses and has received university commendations for her teaching. She has been funded by NIH, private foundations, and corporations to support research, teaching, and service projects. She has published 2 books, 13 book chapters, and 56 journal articles, as well as national and international peer reviewed blogs, infographics, and NPR broadcasts. She is listed in the top 2% of Exercise Scientists cited in the world by Stanford University researchers. Her work on academic integrity includes co-editing a special edition of a journal on the topic that was the most widely published for the Journal of Excellence in College Teaching. (3/14/2024)

Suffragette Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 318

The work of suffragettes in both the United Kingdom and the United States has been immortalized in textbooks, as well as in movies and TV. The women activists who helped women gain the right to vote are often portrayed as heroes and radicals. What's gotten less attention is the connection between the statistical world and the suffragette movement. That's the focus of a recent article in Chance magazine as well as an issue of Significance Magazine written and edited respectively by our guest Dr. Altea Lorenzo-Arribas.

Dr. Lorenzo-Arribas is a socio-economic statistician at Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS) working in collaboration with researchers at the Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutions. She is an elected council member of the Royal Statistical Society and secretary of the History of Statistics Section, as well as a member of the Women Committee of the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research, and the Spanish Biostatistics Network (Biostatnet). She is passionate about uncovering the hidden stories of women in the history of statistics, and firmly believes in the need for a more equal, diverse and inclusive discipline. (3/7/2024)

Math and Music | Stats + Stories Episode 317

Long after Harry Nilsson said, “one is the loneliest number,” and after Bob Seger sang about feeling like a number, music streaming services are using data to help of discover new music that connects to our frequent plays and preferences. Dr. Kobi Abayomi helps break that all down in this episode of Stats+Stories.

Dr. Kobi Abayomi is the Head of Science for Gumbel Demand Acceleration - a Software as a Service (SaaS) company for digital media. Dr. Abayomi was the first and founding Senior Vice President of Data Science at Warner Music Group (WMG). He has led data science groups at Barnes & Noble Education and Warner Media; as a consultant, he has worked with the United Nations Development Programme, The World Bank, The Innocence Project, and the NYC Department of Education. He also serves on the Data Science Advisory Council at Seton Hall University, where he holds an appointment in the Mathematics & Computer Science Department. He serves on the Advisory Council at the Ivan Allen College at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Faculty Council at Barnes & Noble Education, and the Advisory Council for Modal Education. (2/29/2024)

Statistics Behind the Headlines: Social Media and Mental Health | Stats + Stories Episode 316

The Info Graphic Visionary | Stats + Stories Episode 315

Good data visualization can catapult a news story or research article from ho hum to extraordinary. A new book series is exploring the careers of information graphic visionaries. And that's the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest RJ Andrews.

Data storyteller RJ Andrews is a practicing data storyteller and creator of several books on information graphics. He helps organizations solve high-stakes problems by using visual metaphors and information graphics: charts, diagrams, and maps. He recently produced designs for The White House, Google, and MIT. RJ’s recently published Information Graphic Visionaries is a new book series from Visionary Press celebrating spectacular data visualization creators. RJ's first original artwork, an elevation map of California created on an antique typewriter, was recently acquired for Stanford University. (2/15/2024)

The Algorithm of Love | Stats + Stories Episode 314

According to the Pew Research Center, three in ten US adults say they've used a dating app, with Tinder, Match and Bumble being the apps most likely to have been tried. Pew's research has also found that one in 10 partnered adults in the US met their significant other on a dating app or site. Dating app success is a focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Dr. Liesel Sharabi.

Dr. Liesel Sharabi studies the data science of love, including the ways that algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) help to facilitate intimate relationships. She has written about matchmaking algorithms for the Harvard Data Science Review and discussed their use in online dating with media outlets like TIME Magazine, WIRED, and The Wall Street Journal. She is currently an associate professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication and director of the Relationships and Technology Lab at Arizona State University. (2/8/2024)

Proctoring Problems | Stats + Stories Episode 313

Remember the pressure of taking a test when the teacher was glaring at you, daring your eyes to roam? Cheating was not a temptation unless you were desperate and willing to risk the ever-present teacher catching you. However, the offering of online classes exploded in recent years. So what happens when you’re testing during online classes that’s the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Dr. Helaine Alessio.

Dr. Helaine Alessio, FACSM is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health at Miami University and is a past President of the MWACSM and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. She teaches Exercise Science-related courses and has received university commendations for her teaching. She has been funded by NIH, private foundations, and corporations to support research, teaching, and service projects. She has published 2 books, 13 book chapters, and 56 journal articles, as well as national and international peer-reviewed blogs, infographics, and NPR broadcasts. She is listed in the top 2% of Exercise Scientists cited in the world by Stanford University researchers. Her work on academic integrity includes co-editing a special edition of a journal on the topic that was the most widely published for the Journal of Excellence in College Teaching. (2/1/2024)

Researching Human Trafficking | Stats + Stories Episode 312

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics the number of people prosecuted for human trafficking offenses has more than doubled between 2011 and 2021. The National Human Trafficking hotline reports that it has identified more than 82,000 instances of human trafficking involving close to 165,000 victims. Researching human trafficking is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with our guests Nancy Hagan and Margaret Henderson.

Nancy Hagan is currently a senior research associate at the University of North Carolina School of Social Work with a long history of engaging in both social science research and community centered programming. She came to UNC having served as a policy analyst on the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission, and prior to that as a senior research analyst on Project No Rest, a UNC-based, federally funded five year initiative designed to create awareness and response to human trafficking across North Carolina. She has also held faculty positions at North Carolina State University. For almost two decades, Nancy allied with others to design, direct, and deliver programming to underserved rural residents of North Carolina, with a focus on working alongside stakeholders from immigrant and farmworker communities. Through this work, she developed expertise around the issue of human trafficking, both sex and labor. She continues to work alongside vulnerable communities to address exploitation in her current role at the UNC School of Social Work.

Margaret Henderson is an expert on facilitation and human services, specifically in cultivating resources and strategies to reduce rates of elder abuse and human trafficking. As a faculty member, her current work primarily includes facilitating public meetings and assisting local governments to address human trafficking and elder abuse. As a former director of the Public Intersection Project, she worked on research and communication strategies that strengthen cross-sector working relationships for more effective public problem-solving. In facilitation work, she specialized in the practical implications of managing cross-organizational collaborations, community programs, and nonprofit organizations. (1/25/2024)

Statistics Behind the Headlines: Modeling "Flattening the Curve" | Stats + Stories Episode 311

Sizing Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 310

For some people, shopping for clothes can feel like a step into Dante’s Inferno, all suffering and punishment. Even for those that do enjoy shopping it can hard to find something that fits well. The data for size is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Jordi Prats who recently wrote an article about the issue in Significance Magazine.

Jordi Prats studied Biology at the University of Barcelona, where his interest for statistics was born. He then obtained my PhD at the Civil Engineering School of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia before becoming an environmental modeler, specializing in Hydrology, Freshwater Ecology, and Lake Hydrodynamics. He has worked in the public and the private sectors in France and Spain and has collaborated with Significance since 2011 where he is now a member of the editorial board. (1/4/2024)

A Bourbon for the New Year | Stats + Stories Episode 309

By the end of 2023 Bourbon is expected to be an almost 9 billion dollar industry. That’s a lot of mint julips and bourbons neat. But what makes bourbon so appealing, the chemistry behind this drink is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Michael Crowder.

Dr. Michael Crowder is a Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Dean of the Graduate School at Miami University. Dr. Crowder's research interests lie in bioinorganic chemistry, including metalloenzymes, antibiotic resistance, metal ion homeostasis and inhibitor design. (12/28/2023)

Skew the Script | Stats + Stories Episode 308

Stats educators are continually looking for ways to get students excited about the subject and help them understand all stats can help them do. One high school educator discovered one way to do that was to throw out a standard curriculum and connect lessons more closely to student interests. That's the focus of this episode of stats and stories with guest Dashiell Young-Saver .

Young-Saver is a Texas based high school stats teacher. While teaching at a Title 1 school on the southside of San Antonio, Dash threw out his traditional AP Stats curriculum and created lessons on topics his students cared about: voter power, food deserts, the Spurs’s chance at winning the NBA title, online dating, and more. That year, more students at the school took and passed the AP exam than in the previous 16 years combined. Borrowing from his class motto of “skew the script,” Young-Saver created this website and posted his lessons online for free. Now, he leads Skew The Script’s efforts to provide relevant math lessons to classrooms across the country. (12/21/2023)

Statistics Behind the Headlines: Tracking the Spread of "False News" | Stats + Stories Episode 307

How do you learn about what's going on in the world? Did a news headline grab your attention? Did a news story report on recent research? What do you need to know to be a critical consumer of the news you read? If you are looking to start developing your data self-defense and critical news consumption skills, this book is for you! It reflects a long-term collaboration between a statistician and a journalist to shed light on the statistics behind the stories and the stories behind the statistics. The only prerequisite for enjoying this book is an interest in developing the skills and insights for better understanding news stories that incorporate quantitative information. (12/14/2023)

Stats Tips for Your Trip to Everest | Stats + Stories Episode 306

It's been 70 years since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Mount Everest. Since then hundreds of people attempt to climb the mountain each year. Many of those climbers are injured during their attempts. And during the 2023 climbing season 17 people died. Preparing for Everest takes years of training. Though there's disagreement among mountaineers about how to best prepare for the climb, statistics might be able to help and that's the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Moinak Bhaduri as he shares his recent article in Significance.

Moinak Bhaduri develops change-detection algorithms for point processes through trend permutations and is an assistant professor with the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Bentley University. He heads the editorial board of the NextGen column of the New England Journal of Statistics in Data Science. Moinak’s research has found applications in computer science, finance, reliability and repairable systems, geoscience, and oceanography. (12/7/2023)

Is Anyone Even Winning in Ukraine | Stats + Stories Episode 305

It’s been almost two years since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine with the UN estimating that more than 27,000 civilians of Ukraine have been killed or injured in the conflict. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops have been killed or injured while Russian forces have suffered over half a million casualties. The current situation has many wondering, “who is winning?” That’s the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Martyn Hill as he shares his recent article in Significance.

Timothy Martyn Hill is a statistician who works in the private and academic sectors. (11/30/2023)

The Chief of Chasing Coral | Stats + Stories Episode 304

14 percent of the world’s coral has been lost since 2009, according to a report from the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. The loss of these reefs impacts the ocean environment. Coral Reefs support almost 30 percent of marine life as well as the world economy. The plight of coral reefs is the subject of the documentary Chase Coral who’s lead scientist we have joining us today Dr. James Porter.

Dr. James Porter is a Professor of Ecology at the University of Georgia. He is an expert in coral, climate change, and the connections between these issues and human health and social justice. He was the scientific advisor of the award-winning film “Chasing Coral” (presently on Netflix) and its educational and outreach materials. His testimony before Congress on the connections between coral and productive human society “greatly influenced the U.S.’s decision to sign this U.N. Ocean Biodiversity Treaty.” (11/16/2023)

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency | Stats + Stories Episode 303

More than 117-million people will be forced from their homes or stateless in 20-23 according to the United Nations Refugee Agency – that’s more people than live in the entire country of Turkey. Already vulnerable, refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced persons often experience human rights violations. The data of the human rights of displaced persons and refugees is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Volker Schimmel.

Volker Schimmel is the Head of the Global Data Service UNHCR. Having worked on conflict and displacement research and policy in London, he joined the UN in 2003 starting with UNHCR in the Great Lakes. He worked with OCHA, rolling out the Field Information and Data Management System, and with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on camp improvement projects and innovative solutions to protracted displacement. Since 2012, when he rejoined UNHCR, he has worked in the Middle-East region and was the Deputy Head of the UNHCR-World Bank Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement. He is currently UNHCR Chief Data Officer, heading UNHCR’s Global Data Centre in Copenhagen. (11/9/2023)

Statistics Behind the Headlines: One Governor, Two Outcomes and Three COVID Tests | Stats + Stories Episode 302

Quoth the Raven, “Please Sir, I Want Some More” | Stats + Stories Episode 301

While Edgar Alan Poe reported that the raven quoth, “nevermore,” crows may respond with, “more likely” when forced to choose between two options. That’s according to our guest on this episode of Stats+Stories Dr. Melissa Johnston

Dr. Melissa Johnston is a neurobiologist from New Zealand who investigates complex cognition in birds. Following the completion of her PhD at the University of Otago, Dr. Johnston was awarded a Humboldt Research Fellowship to continue her research in Germany at the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen. Her research focuses on the interplay between the brain and behaviors such as working memory, timing, and probabilistic reasoning in a range of avian species, including pigeons, jackdaws, and carrion crows. (10/26/2023)

Data Visualization Contest Winner | Stats + Stories Episode 300

After producing hundreds of episodes we have lots of data lying around. Data we made available to you, asking you to crunch the numbers for a contest that told the story of our podcast. The winner of that contest Nicole Mark joins us today on Stats+Stories

Nicole Mark is a visual learner and communicator who found her passion in the field of data visualization. She started out making maps of imaginary worlds and cataloging her volumes of The Baby-Sitters Club on her family's original Apple Macintosh. Now, she analyzes and visualizes data in Tableau and with code, always on a Mac! She writes about dataviz, life with ADHD, and the modern workplace in her blog, SELECT * FROM data. Nicole co-leads Women in Dataviz and the Healthcare Tableau User Group. She’s working on her master’s in data science at the University of Colorado, Boulder. (10/19/2023)

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 299

Brazil’s 2022 census shows its population is well over 203 million people with the most populace states in the southern part of the country. The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics is responsible for the nation's census, as well as the gathering of other official statistics. Today three members of IBGE are joining us for this episode of Stats+Stories.

Bianca Walsh is a technical assistant for the Director of the National School of Statistical Sciences (ENCE) at IBGE. She is currently the co-lead of the Statistical Literacy task team of the Global Network of Institutes for Statistical Training (GIST), and has been an active member of the Training, Competencies, and Capacity Development task team for the UN Big Data Project since 2021. She is also a member of the technical board of the Regional Hub of Big Data in Brazil, specifically conceiving and promoting capacity-building events in the area.

Ana Laura Azevedo is a Journalist with experience in social media management, video scripting and management, data journalism, press relations and internal communications. Currently, she is an analyst at the IBGE's Center for Information Documentation and Dissemination (CDDI), in the area of Journalism / Social Networks.

Agláia Tavares is a Journalist with experience in social media management, data journalism, press relations and internal communications, and children’s books. Currently, she is the manager of Content and Promotion Management (GECOP) at IBGE's Center for Information Documentation and Dissemination (CDDI) since 2022. (10/12/2023)

Statistics History Chronicles | Stats + Stories Episode 298

The history of statistics is filled with interesting facts about the development of the field and stories of the people who helped shape it. A new column at CHANCE magazine will explore the history of stats which is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Chiatra Nagaraja

Chaitra Nagaraja is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter. Her research interests are primarily in measurement, particularly macroeconomic and socioeconomic indicators, time series, and the history of statistics. Prior to joining Exeter, she was a faculty member at the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University in New York City where she wrote the 2019 book Measuring Society and a research mathematical statistician at the U.S Census Bureau, focusing on the American Community Survey. The book is a history of U.S. official statistics like unemployment, inflation, and poverty. In addition to her university research and teaching, she is the chair of the American Statistical Association’s Scientific and Public Affairs Advisory Committee, a member of the Royal Statistical Society’s History of Statistics Section, and the book review editor for the International Statistical Review. She also recently accepted a co-editorship position for the new history of statistics column in CHANCE magazine. (10/5/2023)

CAUSE Lesson Plan Contest | Stats + Stories Episode 297

This contest is a call for lesson plans that make use of the Stats + Stories podcasts. Along with cash prizes totaling $1000, the top winners will present their activity in a panel during eCOTS 2024 from May 28th to May 31st and have them posted on CAUSEweb.org and our website.

Dr. Dennis Pearl is a Professor of Statistics at Pennsylvania State University and Director of the Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (CAUSE). Dr. Pearl's education work centers on building a national infrastructure to support instructors of statistics, developing resources for instructors in both statistics and probability education, and developing and testing new pedagogical methods.

Megan Mocko is a lecturer who teaches Business Statistics for undergraduate and graduate students. Previously, she taught statistics in the UF Department of Statistics since 2001 and achieved Master Lecturer in 2013. In addition to her teaching, Megan has served as programming chair for the eCOTS (electronic Conference on Teaching of Statistics) 2020 and 2022. Megan’s involvement in the field of statistics education lead to her work as co-chair on the recently updated 2016 GAISE Guidelines report (Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education). Megan has taught introductory statistics in multiple formats: face-to-face, hybrid, and completely online. She has used different techniques to improve learning for students in face to face classes, with learning disabilities and in the online learning environment. She is interested in engaging all students through technology. (9/28/2023)

Just a Data Science Bill, Sitting Here on Capital Hill | Stats + Stories Episode 296

A number of organizations in the United States focus on statistics education, and now you can add the U.S. Congress to the list. A bill introduced in the house earlier this year seeks to help support and improve stats education for both Pre-K through 12, as well as higher education. It is also the focus of this episode of stats and stories with guests Donna LaLonde and Steve Pierson.

Steve Pierson is the Director of Science Policy for the American Statistics Association. In his role, he works to raise the profile of statistics (the scientific discipline), government statistics, and statisticians nationally. He also advocates on behalf of ASA members and for more engagement of statistics/statisticians and the need to invest in our data infrastructure, as it powers the economy and improves our health and wellbeing. (9/21/2023)

The Dark Statistical Story of the World Cup | Stats + Stories Episode 295

Women’s World Cup action in Australia and New Zealand has wrapped up and Spain’s been crowned the champion. After players and fans headed home, residents were left to clean up after them. Hosts of such tournaments are also left to tackle the human rights implications of hosting an event that massive. The human rights impacts of something like the World Cup are incredibly hard to measure and that is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Dr. Megan Price.

Dr. Megan Price is the Executive Director of the Human Rights Data Analysis Group, Price designs strategies and methods for statistical analysis of human rights data for projects in a variety of locations including Guatemala, Colombia, and Syria. Her work in Guatemala includes serving as the lead statistician on a project in which she analyzed documents from the National Police Archive; she has also contributed analyses submitted as evidence in two court cases in Guatemala. Her work in Syria includes serving as the lead statistician and author on three reports, commissioned by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR), on documented deaths in that country. (9/14/2023)

Statistics Behind the Headlines: Speedy Sneakers | Stats + Stories Episode 294

Viral Statistical Capacity Building | Stats + Stories Episode 293 (Live From the WSC)

Matthew Shearing is a private sector consultant working globally in partnership with the public, private and not-for-profit sectors on improving official statistics and other data systems, Monitoring and Evaluation, and embedding official statistics standards in wider international development.

David Stern is a Mathematical Scientist and Educator. He is a former lecturer in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences at Maseno University in Kenya and a founding board member of African Maths Initiative (AMI). (8/31/2023)

Survey Statistics: Where is it Heading? | Stats + Short Stories Episode 292 (Live From the WSC)

Natalie Shlomo is Professor of Social Statistics at the University of Manchester and publishes widely in the area of survey statistics, including small area estimation, adaptive survey designs, non-probability sampling, confidentiality and privacy, data linkage and integration. She has over 75 publications and refereed book chapters and a track record of generating external funding for her research. She is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI), a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and President 2023-2025 of the International Association of Survey Statisticians. She also serves on national and international Methodology Advisory Boards at National Statistical Institutes. (8/24/2023)

What Does a News Producer Do? | Stats + Short Stories Episode 291 (Live From the WSC)

Tim Macuga joined the QUT Centre for Data Science at the start of 2022 where he expands connections and amplifies research for the Centre and for the Australian Data Science Network.

Before he joined CDS, Tim served as Media and Communications Officer for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). There, he led the creation of all the content for news on the Centre’s website, social media, and YouTube channels. He also produced the ACEMS podcast, The Random Sample.

Prior to moving to Australia in 2014, Tim spent nearly 30 years in television news production and management in the United States. The last 20 of those years, serving as a Producer and then Executive News Producer for the FOX-TV affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona. (8/17/2023)

Are We Trustworthy? | Stats + Stories Episode 290

Communicating facts about science well, is an art. Especially if you are trying to reach an audience outside your area of expertise. A statistician in Norway however, is convinced that how you say something is just as important as what you say when it comes to science communication. That topic is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Jo Røislien.

Jo Røislien is a professor of medical statistics at the University of Stavanger, and has been involved in numerous research projects in medicine and health. As a medical statistician, he has worked to improve quantitative research methodologies in a number of fields from cancer research, clinical trials, nursing research, radiology, rehabilitation, obesity, drug research, addiction, public health and prehospital critical care. (8/10/2023)

Live From USCOTS 2023 Part 2 | Stats + Stories Episode 289

The Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education, aka CAUSE has held the United States Conference on teaching statistics, also known as USCOTS every other year since 2005. This conference enables teachers of statistics to exchange ideas and discover how to improve their teaching. The theme of this year's conference was communicating with and about data, a topic near and dear to us on the Stats and Stories podcast. Two sub-themes are explored as part of this conference, helping students to communicate the process and results of their statistical analysis, and helping teachers to communicate with students in order to develop their understanding of statistical concepts and their ability to implement statistical methods for conversations with leaders and speakers at the United States Conference on teaching statistics were recorded on site. And we are happy to feature these in a collection of episodes of Stats and Stories with guests Kelly Spoon, Amy Hogan and Daniel Kaplan. (8/3/2023)

Live From USCOTS 2023 Part 1 | Stats + Stories Episode 288

Measuring the Impact of Universal Basic Income | Stats + Stories Episode 287

What is the best way to support people living in extreme poverty? Could unconditional cash transfers and universal basic income be viable options? How can we know if such programs will work? Today's episode of stats and stories focuses on addressing the needs of people living in extreme poverty with Dr. Miriam Laker.

Dr. Laker is the Global Director of Research at GiveDirectly and a Senior Research Scientist and Epidemiologist with nearly two decades of experience conducting research. Amongst her extensive experience, she led the design of the evaluation plans for GiveDirectly’s recently launched Yemen Refugees program; the learning agenda for large cash for refugees in Rwanda, and the evaluation of cash transfers in a disaster (floods and landslides) response in Uganda. She was also involved in a recently concluded randomized controlled trial evaluation of the impacts of large lump-sum cash transfers on refugee and host households in Uganda. (7/20/2023)

FIFA 2.0 and Women's World Cup Bid | Stats + Stories Episode 286

The Women’s World Cup is about to kick off in Australia and New Zealand with the defending champion U.S. Women’s national team once again the favorite to win the whole thing. They will have to make it past the English, Spanish, and German sides though, before they raise the world cup trophy high. A new book new out now explores the tournament with guest Adam Beissel.

Adam Beissel (@ExtraBeissHit) is a professor of sports leadership and management at Miami University. His primary research interests include: the political economy of Sport Mega-Events; Global Politics of International Sport; Sport Stadiums and Urban Development; Social and Economic (in)justice in College Sport; Sports Labor Markets and Global Athletic Migration. Beissel is currently working on two interconnected and interdisciplinary research projects critically examining the cultural and political economies of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup joint hosted by Australia and New Zealand and the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup joint hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. (7/13/2023)

Getting Better Data on Where We Live | Stats + Stories Episode 285

Where do you live? Who are your neighbors? Do you rent or own? What housing is available in your community? Today’s episode of stats and stories focuses on how and why we want to understand Americans’ experience with housing, with guest Dr. Emily Molfino.

Dr. Emily Molfino is the Special Assistant to the Chief Scientist at the U.S. Census Bureau. Her work focuses on improving data dissemination and the use of administrative data for the Census. While previously at the Census, Dr. Molfino worked extensively on modernizing the American Housing Survey using administrative data and process improvements. During this time, Dr. Molfino also produced research on the use of housing administrative data, which was published in Cityscape during her work at HUD. (7/6/2023)

Statistics Behind the Headlines: Investigating Series Binge-Watching | Stats + Stories Episode 284

How People Interpret Charts | Stats + Stories Episode 283

The news landscape is continuously in flux as new media technologies are developed and audience needs shift. This mix of new tech and new needs, has made it important that audiences be able to understand quantitive information. A research project between Knology and PBS NewsHour is studying just how people consume news and numbers. That project is the focus of this episode of Stats & Stories with guests Jena Barchas-Lichtenstein and Laura Santhanam.

Jena Barchas-Lichtenstein is a linguistic anthropologist who leads the media research at Knology, as well as Associate Editor of Public Anthropologies at American Anthropologist. They lead Knology's participatory collaborations with news organizations, including PBS NewsHour. Their research interests center on the relationship between scientific authority and questions of epistemic and probabilistic certainty. Their doctoral research focused on media circulation and socialization into the global community of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Laura Santhanam is the Health Reporter and Coordinating Producer for Polling for the PBS NewsHour, where she has also worked as the Data Producer. Santhanam uses narrative and numbers to tell stories. Her work at the NewsHour merged her career as a newspaper reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press and the Arizona Republic with her work as a media analyst at Pew Research Center. She previously worked as a senior climate researcher at Media Matters for America, where she wrote blogs that examined climate change and managed data-driven projects on the media’s coverage of issues related to energy and the environment. (6/22/2023)

Crime in the Community | Stats + Stories Episode 282

A recent blog post in The Hill stated, “reliable research on data and crime is more valuable than ever.” With more and more headlines about spiking crime rates, the question has to be asked. Do data back that up? Who better to answer that question than our guests who coordinate agencies to give us an accurate assessment of these questions, Nancy La Vigne Alexis Piquero.

Nancy La Vigne is the Director of the National Institute of Justice. She’s a nationally recognized criminal justice policy expert and former nonprofit executive whose expertise ranges from policing and corrections reform to reentry, criminal justice technologies, and evidence-based criminal justice practices.

Alexis Piquero is the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. He leads the Bureau’s activities on a range of data collection on matters related to crime and the justice system. Piquero is a nationally and internationally recognized criminologist with more than 25 years of experience. (6/15/2023)

Investigating Medical Murders | Stats + Stories Episode 281

Death happens in medical settings for all kinds of reasons. However, when a death is unexpected, it can leave loved ones grieving and investigators wondering whether it was a case of medical misconduct, or medical murder. When investigators decide to bring a case to trial, they often rely on statistics to make their argument. The Royal Statistical Society released a report this year about such cases, which is the focus of this episode of stats and stories with guest William C. Thompson.

William C. Thompson is Professor Emeritus of Criminology, Law, and Society; Psychology and Social Behavior at the UCI School of Social Ecology interested in human factors associated with forensic science evidence, including contextual and cognitive bias in forensic analysis and the communication of scientific findings to lawyers and juries. He has written about the strengths and limitations of various types of forensic science evidence, particularly DNA evidence, and about the ability of lay juries to evaluate evidence. (6/8/2023)

The Labour Market Impact of Brexit | Stats + Stories Episode 280

With Brexit and the United Kingdom’s severing of many formal connections to the European Union have come economic shocks. Trade between the two has become more complicated. Travel has become more difficult. The labor market could also take a beating because of Brexit and that’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Kristina Sargent.

Sargent is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Middlebury College. Her research is focused on macroeconomic modeling, usually in search & matching and international migration. Her current work focuses on the relationships between migration and labor markets, women's labor force participation, the gig economy, and the impacts of trade and automation on labor markets. (6/1/2023)

Myths on the Pitch | Stats + Stories Episode 279

There’s an idea in soccer that getting a red card and being down a player can actually make a team stronger. That going from 11 to 10 players forces a team to fight harder to protect their end and to hustle more quickly to score goals. But does that idea actually hold up on the pitch? Does the team actually become harder to beat? That’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Mat Dowsett.

Dowsett is a Senior Expert in Lean Six Sigma with Roboyo, a global company specializing in automation and process improvement. In his free time, he is fond of the statistics side of process improvement and as a sports lover enjoys using statistics to answer tricky problems or to explore well-known myths. He recently authored an article in Significance about whether red cards can actually make soccer teams tougher. (5/25/2023)

The Conduit of Persuasion | Stats + Stories Episode 278

Researchers have spent decades trying to understand why some messages stick with audiences while others are ignored. They’ve experimented with humor and anger, trying to figure out what emotions fuel engagement. Narrative connection is increasingly seen as a conduit to persuasion and that’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories,

Tchernev is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication at Miami University. Before academia, Tchernev worked in Los Angeles on shows like Reba, Class of 3000, and Futurama. His research examines the persuasive power of narratives and satire, audience psychology, and media multitasking. (5/18/2023)

Manipulating Media and Destroying Democracy | Stats + Stories Episode 277

Researchers around the world are tracking misinformation and disinformation as they move through media ecosystems. The explosion of disinformation in particular is not an accident. In fact, one researcher argues that it has been weaponized by some on the right to erode democracy. That claim is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Dr. Francesca Tripodi.

Dr. Francesca Tripodi is a sociologist and media scholar whose research examines the relationship between social media, political partisanship, and democratic participation, revealing how Google and Wikipedia are manipulated for political gains. She is an assistant professor at the UNC School of Information and Library Science (SILS), a senior faculty researcher with the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an affiliate at the Data & Society Research Institute. In 2019, Dr. Tripodi testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on her research, explaining how search processes are gamed to maximize exposure and drive ideologically based queries. Her research has been covered by The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Columbia Journalism Review, Wired, The Guardian, and The Neiman Journalism Lab. (5/11/2023)

C.R. Rao: A Statistics Legend | Stats + Stories Episode 276

The International Prize in Statistics is one of the most prestigious prizes in the field. Awarded every two years at the ISI World Statistics Congress, it’s designed to recognize a single statistician or a team of statisticians for a significant body of work. This year’s winner is C.R. Rao, professor emeritus at Pennsylvania State University and Research Professor at the University at Buffalo. Rao’s created and been honored for a number of contributions to the statistical world in his over 75-year career. That’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories, with our guests Sreenivas Rao Jammalamadaka and Krishna Kumar. (5/4/2023)

The Data We Gather from Bird Banding | Stats + Stories Episode 275

Three billion, that’s how many birds the United States and Canada have lost since 1970. That decline shows up among threatened species as well as among birds we might find in our backyards like sparrows or woodpeckers. One way scientists track the size and health of bird populations is through bird banding and that’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Dave Russell

Our guest today is Dave Russell. Russell is an Associate Teaching Professor in Miami University’s Department of Biology and co-founder of the Avian Research and Education Institute. He’s also a master bird bander, which means he can work with federally protected birds and train others to become bird banders. (4/27/2023)

Homegrown National Park | Stats + Stories Episode 274

As we prepare to mark Earth Day 2023, many of us are also coming to terms with the latest climate report from the IPCC which said the world is on the brink of catastrophic warming. News like that can make it hard for individuals to know what they can do to have an impact on the environment. One movement suggests we can all help with conservation efforts by planting local that’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Doug Tallamy.

Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 111 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 41 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His books include Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, Nature's Best Hope, a New York Times Best Seller, The Nature of Oaks, winner of the American Horticultural Society’s 2022 book award. In 2021 he cofounded Homegrown National Park with Michelle Alfandari. His awards include recognition from The Garden Writer’s Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, Allegheny College, Ecoforesters, The Garden Club of America and The American Horticultural Association. (4/20/2023)

School Shooting Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 273

By the end of March, Education Week had reported that 13 school shootings had already taken place in the US this year, that’s coming off of 2022, which saw 51 school shootings, the most since Education Week started tracking them in 2018. As communities recover and victims heal, experts, educators, and parents all search for ways of preventing gun violence in schools. That’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories, with guests Nancy La Vigne and Alexis Piquero.

La Vigne is the Director of the National Institute of Justice. She’s a nationally recognized criminal justice policy expert and former nonprofit executive whose expertise ranges from policing and corrections reform to reentry, criminal justice technologies and evidence-based criminal justice practices.

Piquero is the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. He leads the Bureau’s activities on a range of data collection on matters related to crime and the justice system. Piquero is a nationally and internationally recognized criminologist with more than 25 years of experience. (4/13/2022).

Misinformation Immunization | Stats + Stories Episode 272

The spread of misinformation is of increasing interest to researchers around the world. It’s been tied to the 2016 and 2020 US elections, Brexit, the COVID pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some have called the glut of misinformation a pandemic in its own right. A researcher at Cambridge University suggests that, as with other pandemics, the solution just might be a vaccine. That’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Sander van der Linden.

Van der Linden is a Professor of Social Psychology in Society in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab. His research interests center around the psychology of human judgment, communication, and decision-making. In particular, he’s interested in the influence and persuasion process and how people gain resistance to persuasion (by misinformation) through psychological inoculation. That’s the focus of his new book, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity. (Date: 4/6/2023)

Fighting TB with Music | Stats + Stories Episode 271

Pop stars are often involved in raising the visibility of public health issues. Elton John is one obvious example for his work on HIV/AIDS. Rarely, though are pop-stars involved in gathering public health stats. Ugandan pop star Bebe Cool is the exception and his work to combat tuberculosis is a focus of this episode of Stats and Stories.

Sandra Alba is an epidemiologist at KIT Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. She trained as a medical statistician in the UK and soon after moved to Tanzania to complete a PhD program on access to malaria treatment. For the past 15 years, she has applied statistical and epidemiological methods to evaluate public health programs in low- and middle-income countries. Her research focuses on data quality and good epidemiological practice - specifically the interplay between research integrity and fairness in multi-disciplinary international research collaborations.

Dr. Amera Khan is the Technical Officer at Stop TB Partnership in Switzerland whose goal is to reach TB-affected people and communities wherever they are to create innovative and new solutions for affected populations. (3/30/2023)

The Statistics Behind a Bank Collapsing | Stats + Stories Episode 270

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in early March left many wondering whether the global financial system was on the precipice of a 2008-style meltdown. Just as the waters seemed to calm after that, U-B-S stepped in to buy Credit Suisse as that bank collapsed and as we record, this regional First Republic Bank seemed to be teetering. The risks inherent to and the regulation of banking are the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Dr. John Liechty.

Dr. Liechty is a Professor at the Smeal College of Business, with a courtesy appointment as a Professor of Statistics at the Eberly College of Science. He is interested in the creation of public goods and the role that universities can play in these efforts. Past initiatives include leading an effort that resulted in a provision in the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 that creates a new Office in the U.S. Treasury, the Office of Financial Research, which has the mandate to provide better data and analytic tools to the regulatory community in order to safeguard the U.S. financial system. (3/23/2023)

Judging Words by the Company They Keep | Stats + Stories Episode 269

The close reading of texts is a methodology that's often used in humanities disciplines, as scholars seek to understand what meanings and ideas a text is designed to communicate. While such close readings have historically been done sans technology, the use of computational methods in textual analysis is a growing area of inquiry. It's also the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Collin Jennings.

Jennings is an Assistant Professor of English at Miami University. His work explores how computational methods produce new perspectives on the language and literature of the past. His book Enlightenment Links: Theories of Mind and Media and Eighteenth-Century Britain is expected from Stanford University Press in Spring 2024. (3/16/2023)

Stats+Stories 300th Episode Data Visualization Contest Announcement | Stats + Stories Episode 268

In the latest episode of Stats+Stories, we put out a call for YOU the Stats + Stories audience to participate in our 300th episode. We have put out a data set containing various information on over 280 episodes of Stats+Stories recorded over the past decade, which we want you to use to create visualizations and tell a story with our data!

You can submit your entries by filling out the form below. Static displays, dynamic dashboards, and insightful analyses are all invited to enter (the more unique the better). All entries must be submitted by June 30th at 12:00 AM EST. (3/9/2023)

News and Numbers on the East Palestine Train Derailment | Stats + Stories Episode 267

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio continue to worry about the health of their community after a Norfolk Southern train derailment. The train was carrying toxic chemicals and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources says more than 45,000 Animals have died as a result of the derailment. Residents are concerned that chemicals that leaked from the train and that entered the atmosphere as a result of a derailment-related fire have made their land and their water unsafe. Ohio authorities though say East Palestine water is safe to drink. news coverage of the crisis is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories featuring a conversation between John and Rosemary. (3/2/2023)

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living | Stats + Short Stories Episode 266

According to AARP, 70% of Americans who live to be 65 will need long term care at some point, though what kind of long term care depends upon an individual's physical, emotional, and mental health. A project at Miami University has been studying long term care and that's the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Robert Applebaum.

Dr. Robert Applebaum is Professor of Gerontology in the Department of Sociology and Gerontology and Director of Ohio Long-Term Care Project at the Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. He holds degrees from Ohio University (BA), the Ohio State University (MSW), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Ph.D.). He has been involved in the development and evaluation of long-term care programs across the United States for more than thirty years. he has worked with more than 25 states on innovations in long-term care service delivery and completed a series of state and national studies on long-term services and supports. (2/23/2023)

Careers in Rom Coms | Stats + Stories Episode 264

Romantic comedies are rife with plucky heroines. Small bookstore owners are being pushed out by big corporations, runaway brides, and Perpetual bridesmaids. But where are the scientists, microbiologists and engineers, and statisticians? One researcher went looking for them, which is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Veronica Carlan.

Veronica Carlan @carlan_veronica is the Lead Learning and Development Specialist at Elder Research. Her professional background is a non-linear mix of analysis, data science, research, and college math and statistics teaching. She is currently focused on helping individuals and organizations grow in technical, data-centered areas through strategic learning and development (L&D) visions and targeted, effective learning strategies that focus on personal enrichment. Part of these strategies involves depicting data science in a relatable way by demonstrating how people use statistical and probabilistic reasoning in everyday life. (2/9/2023)

Myaamia Data and More | Stats + Stories Episode 263

Native communities around the world are looking for ways to maintain their culture and their language. Meanwhile, some colleges and universities in the U.S. are trying to come to terms with the fact that their campuses are located on what were once tribal lands. The Myaamia Center at Miami University is a partnership between the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the university which works to preserve the Myaamia culture and language while also exposing undergraduate and graduate students to those efforts. The Center's work is the focus of this episode of stats and stories with guest Haley Shea.

Haley Shea (kiišikohkwa) is a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. She obtained a PhD in Counseling Psychology at Iowa State University after her undergraduate career at Miami University. Today, she is a Research Associate at the Myaamia Center and a Visiting Assistant Professor in Educational Psychology at Miami University. In her role at the Myaamia Center, she is currently the co-chair of the Neepwaayoni Acquisition and Assessment Team (NAAT), examining the many factors that have contributed to positive outcomes (e.g. community engagement, attendance at tribal events, sense of belongingness, etc.) within the Myaamia community. (2/2/2023)

Rewards Points vs. Privacy | Stats + Short Stories Episode 262

Everyone can relate to being in a rush and needing to get just one last item from the store. However, upon reaching the checkout line, after being asked the all too often refrain of, “can I get your loyalty card or phone number” you may wonder why is this information so important to a store. The annoyance and potential ramifications of giving up your data so freely is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Claire McKay Bowen.

Claire McKay Bowen (@clairemkbowen)) is a principal research associate in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population and leads the Statistical Methods Group at the Urban Institute. Her research focuses on developing and assessing the quality of differentially private data synthesis methods and science communication. In 2021, the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies identified her as an emerging leader in statistics for her technical contributions and leadership to statistics and the field of data privacy and confidentiality. She is also a member of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee and the Differential Privacy Working Group, an advisory board member of the Future of Privacy Forums, and an adjunct professor at Stonehill College. (1/26/2023)

LISA ColLABorations | Stats + Stories Episode 261

In many countries in the Global South, partnerships and collaborations are crucial to moving forward projects of various kinds. A network based at the University of Colorado Boulder has facilitated the creation of statistics and data science collaboration labs in 10 countries, The LISA 2020 Global Network and it's efforts are the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guests Eric Vance and Olawale Awe.

Eric Vance is an associate professor of applied mathematics at the University of Colorado Boulder and the director of LISA (Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis), where he trains statisticians and data scientists to move between theory and practice to collaborate with domain experts to apply statistics to transform evidence into action. He is the global director of the LISA 2020 Network, which is a network of 30+ statistics and data science collaboration laboratories in 10 countries in Africa, South Asia, and Brazil. He is an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute and a Fellow of the American Statistical Association.

Olawale Awe is an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI) and a Fellow of the African Scientific Institute, USA. He is an Affiliate member of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and an immediate past Council Member of the International Society for Business and Industrial Statistics (ISBIS) (2017-2021). He is the First LISA Fellow and presently the Global Vice-President of Engagement and Public Relations in the LISA 2020 Global Network of the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.His research interests include Computational Statistics, Machine Learning, Time Series Econometrics and Statistics Education. He has served on some important ISI committees and has facilitated several capacity-building workshops and seminars globally. Olawale holds a PhD in Statistics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and MBA from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He is the lead editor (with Kim Love and Eric Vance) of the soon-to-be-released book titled “Promoting Statistical Practice and Collaboration in Developing Countries” by Taylor and Francis Group. (1/12/2023)

A News and Numbers Alum | Stats + Stories Episode 260

Data have always been important to the work of journalists. from Jacob Riis’ reporting on how the other half lived in late 1800s New York City, to stories about gun violence in 2022, journalists need numbers to tell their stories. But not every reporter is trained to find and work with data. For those who want to dive into investigative journalism which often depends on complicated data, learning the skills to clean and analyze statistical information is a crucial part of the job. That is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Austin Fast.

Fast is a journalist based in Phoenix with over a decade of radio, TV, print and web experience, currently focusing on data analysis and investigative work at National Public Radio. He specializes in data analysis on NPR's investigations team, often collaborating with reporters from NPR Member stations across the country. Before coming to NPR, Fast reported for KJZZ in Phoenix and covered the world's largest wild salmon fishery at KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska. He's also written breaking news at a Cincinnati TV station and taught English overseas with the Peace Corps. (1/5/2023)

Talking to a Statistical Knight | Stats + Short Stories Episode 259

Sir Bernard Silverman is an eminent British Statistician whose career has spanned academia, central government, and public office. He will discuss his wide-ranging career in statistics with Professor Denise Lievesley, herself a distinguished British social statistician. He was President of the Royal Statistical Society in 2010 before stepping down to become Chief Scientific Adviser to the Home Office until 2017. Since 2018, Sir Bernard has been a part-time Professor of Modern Slavery Statistics at the University of Nottingham and also has a portfolio of roles in Government, as chair of the Geospatial Commission, the Technology Advisory Panel to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, and the Methodological Assurance Panel for the Census. He was awarded a knighthood in 2018 for public service and services to science.

Inclusive Variables | Stats + Short Stories Episode 258

Inclusive Data Collection | Stats + Stories Episode 247

Measurement accuracy is something all quantitative researchers strive for, as you want to make sure you're measuring what you want to be measuring. When it comes to gathering gender and sex data, though measurements are complicated, beyond simply teasing apart sex and gender, there's also the imperative to ensure the language and measurement tools researchers use are inclusive of all experiences. That's the focus of this episode of stats and stories with guests Dooti Roy and Suzanne Thornton.

Dr. Dooti Roy is a people leader, global product owner and a methodology statistician at Boehringer Ingelheim who enjoys developing/deploying innovative clinical research and statistical visualization tools with expertise in creating and leading dynamic cross-functional collaborations to efficiently solve complex problems. She is currently focused on research and methodological applications of Bayesian statistics, artificial intelligence and machine learning on clinical efficacy analyses, patient adherence, and dose-finding. She is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion, mentoring, cross-cultural collaborations, and competent leadership development. She unwinds with painting, reading, traveling and heavy metal.

Suzanne Thornton professor of Statistics at Swarthmore College, a liberal arts undergraduate-only institution. As an educator, she strives to teach students to understand statistics as the language of science and prepare them to become stewards of the discipline. In 2020 she chaired an ASA presidential working group on LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion in the discipline and earlier this year, she was appointed to a three year term

A Shared Passion for Math and Statistics | Stats + Short Stories Episode 257

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.

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). I am 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). My main areas of interest are official/public statistics, survey methods, statistical modeling of survey data, small-area estimation, and statistical education. (12/15/2022)

Analyzing Wildfire Risk | Stats + Stories Episode 256

With each new wildfire season comes talk that the new season is worse than the last. With recent fires raging in the western u.s., the Australian bush, the Taiga of Siberia, and the forests of France. Many point to climate change as a cause of extreme fires, and scientists are creating more specificated ways of examining that relationship. That is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Dr. Jessica McCarty.

Dr. McCarty (@jmccarty_geo) is an Associate Professor of Geography and Director of the Geospatial Analysis Center at Miami University. She has 15 years' experience in applications of geospatial and data science to terrestrial and atmospheric studies. Her expertise includes wildland and prescribed fire, agriculture and food security, land-cover/land-use change, natural resources, and climate change. She has author/co-author of 27 peer-reviewed journal articles, 12 peer-reviewed conference proceedings, 3 book chapters, 4 technical reports, 3 data citations, and 1 NASA Technology Transfer. She has served as Principal Investigator and/or Co-Investigator on NASA, EPA, USDA, and NSF grants on use of remote sensing for prescribed fire, carbon emissions, air quality, LCLUC, and agriculture/food security.

Do University Rankings Really Tell Us Anything? | Stats + Stories Episode 255

University rankings are big business with highly ranked universities leveraging their ranking and marketing to prospective students, employees and funders. But the process of generating those rankings may not always be so sound that's the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guests Elizabeth Gadd and Adrian Barnett.

Dr. Elizabeth (Lizzie) Gadd (@LizzieGadd) is a Research Policy Manager at Loughborough University. She chairs the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) Research Evaluation Working Group and champions the ARMA Research Evaluation SIG. She founded the LIS-Bibliometrics Forum and The Bibliomagician Blog and was the recipient of the 2020 INORMS Award for Excellence in Research Management and Leadership.

Adrian Barnett (@aidybarnett) is a professor of statistics who has worked for over 27 years in health and medical research. He is passionate about using the best available evidence in national health and science policy. He is particularly interested in how we generate high quality scientific evidence that is of most value to the public and politicians, and how this evidence gets translated into policy and practice. He writes about statistical issues at Median Watch.

Keeping Individual Data Private | Stats + Stories Episode 254

The gathering of statistics of various kinds, is vital to our understanding the world around us. But some stats can communicate sensitive data about individuals even when statistical methods a have been thoughtfully designed. The ability to keep data private is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Dr. Claire McKay Bowen.

Dr. Claire McKay Bowen @clairemkbowen is a principal research associate in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population and leads the Statistical Methods Group at the Urban Institute. Her research focuses on developing and assessing the quality of differentially private data synthesis methods and science communication. In 2021, the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies identified her as an emerging leader in statistics for her technical contributions and leadership to statistics and the field of data privacy and confidentiality. She is also a member of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee and the Differential Privacy Working Group, an advisory board member of the Future of Privacy Forums, and an adjunct professor at Stonehill College.

Data Science Pedagogy | Stats + Stories Episode 253

In the past, Introduction to Statistics classes spent a lot of time covering distribution tables, teaching students to run stats by hand and focusing on statistical procedures. However, educators are continually considering new ways to teach stats, and the increasing popularity of data science makes it a more urgent prospect for some. That's the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel.

Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel (@minebocek) is a senior lecturer at University of Edinburgh, an associate professor of the practice at Duke University, and a professional educator at RStudio. She has author of three open source statistics textbooks and is an instructor for Coursera. Her work focuses on innovation in statistics and data science pedagogy, with an emphasis on computing, reproducible research, student-centered learning, and open-source education. She works on integrating computation into the undergraduate statistics curriculum, using reproducible research methodologies and analysis of real and complex datasets. In addition to her academic position, she also works with RStudio, where her focus is primarily on education for open-source R packages as well as building resources and tools for educators teaching statistics and data science with R and RStudio.

Political Statistics Beyond Polling | Stats + Stories Episode 252

Each election cycle experts appear in the news talking about polling data. Many of these experts are political scientists and are often the only contact audiences may have with political scientists. While polling research is important to the field, there are other kinds of quantitative research in political science that can get overlooked. We learned about some of them today on this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Kevin Reuning.

Reuning is an assistant professor of political science at Miami University whose work focuses on political parties and social movements in the United States and takes a particular interest in how political activity can be measured and quantified. He also maintains a website, mapping union elections in the United States.

The Career of the Chief Demographer of the U.S. Census | Stats + Stories Episode 251

Demographers study the way populations change. The things they might focus on include births and deaths, living conditions, and age distributions. In the United States, population changes are tracked nationally by the Census Bureau. A conversation with the retired chief demographer of the U.S Census Bureau with Howard Hogan is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories.

Hogan is the former chief demographer of the U.S. Census Bureau and studied at Princeton’s Office of Population Research, and its School of Public Affairs. He then spent two years teaching at the University of Dar es Salaam and working on the Tanzanian census. He joined the Census in 1979. He worked on household surveys, business surveys, and the population census. He led the statistical design of the 2000 Census. He served as an expert witness in Utah v Evans, in which the Supreme Court considered the use of imputation in the Census 2000. He served as Associate Director for Demographic Programs and later as Census Bureau’s Chief Demographer. He taught as an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Statistics of George Washington University. He is an Honorary Fellow of the American Statistical Association. He was awarded the 2018 Jeanne E. Griffith Mentoring Award. He retired from federal service in 2018.

Conducting a National Survey | Stats + Stories Episode 249

What is the nutritional status of children in your town? How many tourism and hospitality companies are in your community? Answering these questions at a small scale seems like a challenge. However, imagine scaling this to a country, with one hundred and twenty three municipalities, 26 states and a federal district. Answering these questions with survey methods is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Pedro and Denise Silva.

The Etymology of the Word Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 248

In the late 1600s, a book was published satirizing politics in Europe. Published two decades after the end of the 30 Years' War, it focuses on the power of the Holy Roman Empire. That book's impact on statistics is the focus of this episode of stats and stories, with guest Wallace Ferguson.

Wallace Ferguson has taught mathematics and statistics at Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School, Kent, England since 1994. He writes book reviews for the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications, which are published in their journal, ‘Mathematics Today’. His interests include statistical etymology and his article ‘Microscopium statisticum and the etymology of statistics’ was published in the February edition of Significance. Ferguson is currently working on a follow on article, ‘Literature, Politics and the Framing of the State, 1300 – 1648’. He was a member of The Royal Statistical Society History of Statistics committee from 2018 until this year.

The Third Thirty Years of Life | Stats + Stories Episode 246

Retirement is a threshold - crossing a finish line of sorts. As a new emeritus professor. this is at the front of my mind. Our guest today knows and has studied, this third age of life; a beginning of all kinds of new activities personal, professional, and more. The third age of life is the focus of this episode of Stats and Short Stories with guest Dawn C. Carr.

Dawn C. Carr (@DawnCCarr) is the Director of the Claude Pepper Center and an associate professor at Florida State University in the Department of Sociology. Carr is a thought leader in the field of aging, and regularly presents her research to a range of audiences through keynote speeches, policy-related presentations, and seminars with older adults and practitioners. Carr’s research focuses on understanding the factors that bolster older adults’ ability to remain healthy and active as long as possible. Much of her work is dedicated to exploring the relevance, purpose, and factors related to work engagement after age 50 and volunteer engagement. Her recent work focuses on understanding the complex pathways between health and active engagement during later life, including resilience and the impact of key transitions in health, productivity, and caregiving.

A Dog’s Impact on Loneliness | Stats + Stories Episode 245

At the COVID pandemic’s seeming height, social media were filled with images and stories of people adopting pets. Individuals who might not have had time for a dog or a cat before lockdown suddenly did. Needing to walk a dog also gave people a reason to leave their homes at regular intervals. For some older adults with dogs, those regular strolls around the neighborhood may have helped keep them from having increased feelings of loneliness. That’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Dawn Carr.

Dawn C. Carr is the Director of the Claude Pepper Center and an associate professor at Florida State University in the Department of Sociology. Carr is a thought leader in the field of aging, and regularly presents her research to a range of audiences through keynote speeches, policy-related presentations, and seminars with older adults and practitioners. Carr’s research focuses on understanding the factors that bolster older adults’ ability to remain healthy and active as long as possible. Much of her work is dedicated to exploring the relevance, purpose, and factors related to work engagement after age 50 and volunteer engagement. Her recent work focuses on understanding the complex pathways between health and active engagement during later life, including resilience and the impact of

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