Statistical Science
We as a department would like to congratulate the 38 students who graduated with a Master's in Statistical Science (MSS) in Spring 2021! While earning an MSS degree at Duke is challenging enough on its own, the MSS Class of 2021 had to complete approximately three-quarters of their degree during a pandemic, and they rose to the challenge. They worked hard, overcame many obstacles, and impressed everyone with their intelligence, perseverance, and commitment. We would also like to recognize a few… read more about MSS Program Graduates 38 Statistical Scientists »
DataFest 2021 at Duke was one of over thirty virtual ASA DataFest events that took place in Spring 2021. DataFest is a data analysis competition sponsored by the American Statistical Association; students work in teams to analyze a surprise and complex data set over a weekend. This year, Duke’s participants included over 250 students representing 12 colleges and universities. The surprise data set from Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety included responses from the United States, Canada, and Germany about drug… read more about DataFest 2021 at Duke »
Statistical Science Chair Jerry Reiter and members of the Statistical Science faculty and staff prepared video messages to congratulate the Class of 2021 and announce the 2021 Statistical Science Award recipients. Access Videos read more about StatSci Celebrates 2021 Graduates & Award Recipients »
Each fall, the Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (CAUSE) and the American Statistical Association host the Undergraduate Class Project Competition. Teams from across the globe submit projects completed in an introductory or intermediate statistics class, which are then judged on their accuracy, clarity and significance. In 2020, Duke students, mentored by professors Maria Tackett and Yue Jiang, swept the top three places of the introductory category, along with both… read more about Undergraduate Thesis Projects Show Just How Versatile the Study of Statistics Can Be »
In Spring 2021 the Department of Statistical Science was awarded an $11,000 grant from the Trinity Research Enhancement (TRE) Fund, a program by the Office of Academic Affairs to support undergraduate research and senior thesis projects. The goals for the 2021 award are to make ongoing undergraduate research initiatives in the department more sustainable and to support a new workshop aimed at getting students involved in research early in the statistics curriculum. The Principal Investigator is Assistant… read more about Department awarded grant to support undergraduate research initiatives »
Six members of the Class of 2022 have been named to the inaugural class of Nakayama Scholars. Juniors Sydney Albert, Carlee Goldberg, Erica Langan, Yi Xian “Lyndon” Lee, Ahn-Huy Nguyen, and Micalyn Struble were chosen for their stellar academics, leadership and demonstrated commitment to a career in public service. The Nakayama Public Service Scholarship is part of the university’s efforts to encourage students to use their Duke experience to engage with the large challenges facing communities around the world. The… read more about Six Students Named Inaugural Nakayama Public Service Scholars »
Sloan Scholar Brian Kundinger (Statistical Science) has received the Google Ph.D. Fellowship in support of his research on record linkage. read more about Sloan Scholar Kundinger Receives Google PhD Fellowship »
Statistical Science postdoctoral associate Yuqi Gu has received a 2021 Institute of Mathematical Statistics New Researcher Travel Award. These awards fund travel and possibly other expenses to present a paper or a poster at an IMS sponsored or co-sponsored meeting. Yuqi is working with David Dunson. read more about Yuqi Gu received IMS New Researcher Travel Award »
Assistant Research Professor Jacob Smith’s book, Minority Party Misery, has been published and released by the University of Michigan Press. Minority Party Misery examines the role of minority party status on politicians’ engagement in electoral politics. Jacob argues that political actors pull back from electoral politics as it becomes increasingly likely that they will be in the minority in a legislative body, particularly under conditions of high polarization and party unity… read more about Jacob Smith’s book, Minority Party Misery, published and released »
Statistical Science's Professor Peter Hoff and Ph.D. student Anna Yanchenko have developed new statistical methods for comparing performances of the same symphonies. Read more about their research. read more about Machine Learning meets the Maestros »
Alexander Volfovsky, Assistant Professor of Statistical Science at Duke University, has been awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. The award supports outstanding young faculty members in their efforts to build a successful research enterprise. For the next five years, the award will support his work on the design and analysis of experiments for complex social processes. Broadly, modern scientific inquiry from the social to the health sciences centers… read more about Alex Volfovsky awarded NSF CAREER grant »
PhD Student Xu Chen received the Graduate School Katherine Goodman Stern Fellowship for his research focuses on developing a better method for monitoring and predicting extreme events, which could have numerous scientific applications. More on his work. read more about PhD Xu Chen Receives Fellowship »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Even if you can’t name the tunes, you’ve probably heard them: from the iconic “dun-dun-dun-dunnnn” opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony to the melody of “Ode to Joy,” the German composer’s symphonies are some of the best known and widely performed in classical music. Just as enthusiasts can recognize stylistic differences between one orchestra’s version of Beethoven’s hits and another, now machines can, too. A Duke University team has developed a machine learning algorithm that “listens” to multiple… read more about Machine Learning Meets the Maestros »
On February 24th, students in the Statistical Science department’s ProSeminar course participated in a seminar conducted by Dr. Melissa Bostrom. Dr. Bostrom, who is the Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Professional Development at Duke, directs the Professional Development Series, Emerging Leaders Institute, and the Duke OPTIONS project, all of which aid in preparing Graduate School students to perform as effective leaders at Duke and in their professional careers. As a leader in the professional development space, Dr.… read more about MSS Students Attend Professional Development Workshop »
PhD students Ezinne Nwankwo and Brian Kundinger gave presentations on their research at the 2nd Annual Research Summit of the Duke University Center for Exemplary Mentoring (UCEM). The UCEM is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Brian and Ezinne are both Sloan Scholars. You can see Ezinne's research presentation and Brian's research presentation on the conference website. Ezinne Nwankwo… read more about PhD students Ezinne Nwankwo and Brian Kundinger present in Sloan UCEM Research Conference »
Assistant Professor Yuansi Chen was recently highlighted by Quanta Magazine for solving a decades old, important problem in high dimensional geometry. Read the story in Quanta Magazine. read more about Yuansi Chen solves decades old geometry problem »
Arts & Sciences Professor David Dunson was unanimously selected as the 2021 recipient of the prestigious George W. Snedecor Award. This award honors an individual who has been instrumental in the development of statistical theory in biometry. The awardee is recognized for the quality and impact of their research, and for a noteworthy publication. David’s publication was a 2019 paper with former postdoc Jeffrey Miller that appeared in the Journal of the American Statistical Association titled, … read more about David Dunson wins George W. Snedecor Award »
Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel receives Robert V. Hogg Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Statistics (The following is a slightly edited version of a story about the award that will appear in the Mathematical Association of America Focus news magazine.) Dr. Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel is the 2021 recipient of the Robert V. Hogg Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Statistics. The Robert V. Hogg award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Statistics is named in honor of Robert V. Hogg, who was… read more about Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel receives Robert V. Hogg Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Statistics »
Anna Yanchenko wins SBSS Competition PhD student Anna Yanchenko won one of the ASA SBSS Student Paper Awards for 2021 with her paper titled Hierarchical Dynamic Modeling for Individualized Bayesian Forecasting. Raphaël Morsomme selected for Young Investigator Award Ph.D. student Raphaël Morsomme was selected for a Young Investigator Award by the American Statistical Association Section on Statistics in Epidemiology for his work… read more about Two Ph.D. Students win Awards »
Ph.D. student Raphaël Morsomme was selected for a Young Investigator Award by the American Statistical Association Section on Statistics in Epidemiology for his work on data augmented MCMC for stochastic epidemic models. The award includes $800 for travel support and a certificate. Raphael will present his paper at the Joint Statistical Meetings. Raphael's work was advised by Professor Jason Xu. Congratulations Raphael! read more about Raphaël Morsomme selected for Young Investigator Award »
In December 2020, Nicole Scott was named a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) by the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC). By passing the certification exam, she demonstrated proficiency in the council’s body of knowledge, which includes project development & administration, legal requirements & sponsor interface, financial management, and general management. Nicole joined the department in 1998 and became business manager in 2007. read more about Nikki Scott named Certified Research Administrator »
PhD student Anna Yanchenko won one of the ASA SBSS Student Paper Awards for 2021 with her paper titled Hierarchical Dynamic Modeling for Individualized Bayesian Forecasting. Congratulations Anna! read more about Anna Yanchenko wins SBSS Competition »
Professor Amy Herring has been named to the Executive Board of the International Biometrics Society (IBS) for 2021. From the IBS website, "the Executive Board receives input and direction from the Representative Council, committees and the general membership, and uses this information to govern and lead the Society." read more about Amy Herring named to Executive Board of International Biometrics Society »
Assistant Professor of the Practice Maria Tackett and PhD alumnus Lorin Crawford were 2020 honorees for Black History Month by Mathematically Gifted and Black. Links to their interviews for the honor can be found at the links below. Maria Tackett Interview Lorin Crawford Interview read more about Maria Tackett and Lorin Crawford honored by Mathematically Gifted and Black »