American Statistical Association

American Statistical Association
Name	American Statistical Association
Founded	27 November 1839
Founder	William Cogswell, Richard Fletcher, John Dix Fisher, Oliver Peabody, Lemuel Shattuck, James Winthrop
Headquarters	Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Membership	~19,000
President	Dionne Price
Website	https://www.amstat.org/

American Statistical Association. Founded in Boston in 1839, it is one of the oldest professional societies in the United States. The association is dedicated to promoting the practice and profession of statistics, advancing statistical science, and supporting statisticians across academia, industry, and government. With approximately 19,000 members, it plays a central role in fostering statistical education, ethical practice, and the application of statistics for public benefit.

History

The organization was established on November 27, 1839, at the Boston Athenæum by a group including William Cogswell, Richard Fletcher, and Lemuel Shattuck, who were interested in improving the collection and analysis of vital statistics. Its early work focused on improving census methods and public health data, influencing reforms in the United States Census Bureau. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, it grew alongside the field, with members contributing to major scientific efforts during World War II and the rise of computational statistics. Key historical figures like Florence Nightingale David and W. Edwards Deming were active members, and the association has continually adapted to advancements from Bayesian statistics to data science.

Organization and governance

The association is governed by an elected Board of Directors led by a president, currently Dionne Price, and includes representatives from its numerous specialized sections and chapters. It is structured into over 20 special interest sections, such as the Section on Statistical Graphics and the Section on Survey Research Methods, and more than 70 local chapters throughout North America. Key operational committees include the Committee on Professional Ethics and the Council of Sections. The headquarters are located in Alexandria, Virginia, near other major scientific organizations like the National Science Foundation.

Publications

The association publishes a wide range of influential scholarly journals and magazines. Its flagship journal is the Journal of the American Statistical Association, alongside other major titles like The American Statistician, Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, and Statistics in Biopharmaceutical Research. It also publishes the widely read magazine Amstat News for members. These publications disseminate peer-reviewed research on topics from clinical trials to machine learning and are considered essential reading in fields like biostatistics, econometrics, and official statistics.

Conferences and meetings

The association organizes several major annual conferences, most notably the Joint Statistical Meetings, held in collaboration with the International Biometric Society and the International Statistical Institute. This event, typically held in cities like Chicago, San Diego, or Vancouver, attracts thousands of attendees for presentations, short courses, and networking. Other significant meetings include the Conference on Statistical Practice and the Symposium on Data Science and Statistics. These gatherings facilitate the exchange of cutting-edge research on methodologies for genomics, public policy analysis, and business analytics.

Advocacy and public policy

The association actively engages in advocacy to promote the informed use of statistics in public policy and decision-making. It issues public statements and guidelines on critical issues such as the proper use of p-values, reproducibility in science, and census confidentiality. Through its Committee on Privacy and Confidentiality and collaborations with entities like the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, it works to ensure statistical integrity in regulations concerning healthcare, climate science, and educational testing. It also provides expert testimony to committees of the United States Congress.

Awards and recognition

The association bestows numerous prestigious awards to honor outstanding contributions to statistical science. Its highest honor is the Presidential Award, while other major awards include the Samuel S. Wilks Memorial Award, the Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship, and the W. J. Youden Award in interlaboratory testing. It also recognizes early-career statisticians through the Wallace R. B. Award and excellence in statistical journalism via the Excellence in Statistical Reporting Award. Many recipients, such as Bradley Efron and Xiao-Li Meng, have gone on to lead major institutions like Stanford University and Harvard University.

Category:American Statistical Association Category:Scientific organizations based in the United States Category:Statistics organizations