Stats + Stories

Trevor Butterworth is Director of Sense About Science USA, which advocates for evidence and transparency in science and technology in the public interest. He is also editor of STATS.org, a collaboration between the American Statistical Association and Sense About Science USA that promotes statistical literacy in the news media. He has been a journalist in the US for over 15 years, writing about da...

Trevor Butterworth is Director of Sense About Science USA, which advocates for evidence and transparency in science and technology in the public interest. He is also editor of STATS.org, a collaboration between the American Statistical Association and Sense About Science USA that promotes statistical literacy in the news media. He has been a journalist in the US for over 15 years, writing about da...

Nicholas Horton is a Professor of Statistics at Amherst College. His methodological research interests are in longitudinal regression models and missing data methods. His collaborative statistical work focuses on psychiatric epidemiology and substance abuse research. Nick serves as an associate editor for CHANCE and The American Statistician

Paul Hunter is managing director of Customer Knowledge at Dunnhumby. Customer Knowledge is understanding what customers feel, think and do to empower Dunnhumby’s clients strategies. Dunnhumby works with the world’s largest retailers and brands. Paul has over 25 years in leveraging data and technology to improve marketing decisions.

Christine Franklin, Lothar Tresp Honoratus Honors Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator in Statistics at the University of Georgia, joined the Stats+Stories regulars to talk about educating students to be statistically literate citizens. She was the lead writer for the American Statistical Association (ASA) Pre-K-12 GAISE (Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education) Framew...

Alex Blumberg is a radio and podcast producer who has launched the podcast 'Startup' - a "series about what happens when someone who knows nothing about business starts one." He had a long a celebrated public radio career at Planet Money and, while there, produced the award winning episode Giant Pool of Money about the housing crises and Wall Street reaction in the late 2000s. He joined the Stats+...

Jessica Utts, professor and chair of the Department of Statistics at the University of California, Irvine, and the incoming 2016 President of the American Statistical Association, joined Stats and Stories to discuss research on the possible existence of psychic abilities. She has been working with researchers who study psychic abilities for several decades, wrote a report for Congress evaluating t...

Chris Whittaker Sofge is a toxicologist who leads a team that conducts quantitative risk assessment for hazards in the workplace. She is the Chief of the Risk Evaluation Branch in the Education and Information Division at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/). Her group conducts quantitative risk assessment for hazards in the workplace. To learn more...

Bonnie LaFleur has over fifteen years of experience in statistical and cancer research, and in teaching both physicians and degree seeking statistics/biostatistics students. She is currently a senior manager of biostatistics and data management at Ventana Medical Systems, Inc , which is the tissue diagnostic arm of Roche, Inc. Her primary research interests are in the interface between biology and...

Marie Davidian, William Neal Reynolds professor of statistics from North Carolina State University and past president of the American Statistical Association joined the Stats+Stories regulars to discuss studies that underlie drug development. Marie has broad interest and expertise involving the development and application of statistical methods to challenges in health science research.

Rick Ludwin was hired by NBC Entertainment in 1979 and made director of variety shows there in 1980. He then became vice president for specials and variety programs in 1983; senior VP for specials, variety programs and late-night in 1989; and executive VP for NBC’s late-night and prime time series in 2005. In its 57 years, The Tonight Show has had five permanent hosts, and Rick has been the boss o...

Jim Oris is Associate Provost for Research, Dean of the Graduate School, and University Distinguished Professor of Biology at Miami University (Ohio). Jim has spent the last 36 years exploring the effects of fossil fuels and their combustion products in freshwater and marine ecosystems. He joined the Stats + Stories regulars to discuss Earth Day and environmental issues related to oil spills and c...

Paul Scanlon is a survey methodologist and research social scientist in the Questionnaire Design Research Laboratory at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. His research focuses on attitudes towards privacy and confidentiality in federal surveys and on how questionnaire evaluation methods can be used to validate international health surveys.

Karen Kafadar, Rudy Professor of Statistics and Physics at Indiana University, joined the Stats+Stories regulars to discuss forensic science, the evidence used help solve crimes. She was a member of a National Research Council (NRC) committee that produced the report Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, and she has written on Statistical Issues in Assessing Forensic...

Tommy Wright, statistician in the US Census Center for Statistical Research and Methodology, joined the Stats+Stories regulars to discuss what the US Census Bureau does and why it is important. (The Census data visualization library is a treat and should be explored by anyone with an interest in viewing characteristics of the US.)

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 saber...