At the end of 2019 SSA awarded its inaugural Betty Allan Travel Award to two worthy recipients. Then COVID-19 struck and there were no more thoughts of travel for must of us for a long time.

This year, winner Sharm Thuraisingam was finally able to set off on her incredible trip to Canada. This is her report:

"After three long years (thanks Covid-19), I was finally able to use my 2020 SSA/CSIRO Betty Allan Travel Award to spend time at the Centre for Health Informatics, University of Calgary in Canada. In February this year, my family and I headed off to Calgary, arriving to a chilly -30C! I spent 4 months at the Centre for Health Informatics (CHI) learning from statisticians and data analysts about health data, data linkage practices and prediction modelling using linked electronic medical record data in Alberta. During my time at CHI, I connected with various researchers utilising health data for prediction modelling, including family doctors, nephrologists, cardiologists, epidemiologists, paediatric surgeons, biostatisticians and data analysts. My visit has resulted in 4 ongoing international collaboration projects between the University of Melbourne and University of Calgary, and the development of a 5-year Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) collaboration project grant aimed at harnessing the power of hospital electronic medical record data for clinical prediction model development.  

In May I travelled with the CHI team to Montreal to attend the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR) Conference where I learnt about the collection and amalgamation of health data across Canada, the effect of the pandemic on the Canadian health workforce and strategies for improving access to healthcare for vulnerable populations. I thoroughly enjoyed the networking opportunity and have returned home with a list of researchers to collaborate with.

Of course it wasn’t all work and no play! My family and I made the most of our weekends in Canada, hiking and skiing in Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and British Columbia. We were also lucky enough to visit Quebec City where we enjoyed indulging in French cuisine and some warmer weather. Highlights of my trip include making lifelong friends at CHI, establishing ongoing collaboration projects with the University of Calgary which will (hopefully) see me return in the near future, the picturesque scenery in Alberta (especially the Icefields Parkway), northern lights, well insulated housing, extremely friendly people, delicious poutine and ketchup chips!

Thank you to the Statistical Society of Australia and CSIRO for such a wonderful learning and development opportunity that has enhanced my career as a biostatistician, enabled me to secure ongoing international research/analysis work and provided lifelong memories that my family and I will treasure forever! It really has been a once in a lifetime experience, living and working in another part of the world!"

If you are interested in applying for the Betty Allan Travel Award, keep an eye out for the next call for applications in the SSA weekly newsletter, or click here.

This week the STA team has been in Sydney for the annual Women in AI Awards for Asia Pacific. The awards are a global initiative that recognise women using AI in innovative ways. It was exciting to hear some of the inspirational stories behind the incredible award winners, and learn more about the pioneering work they are doing. 

We were absolutely thrilled to see Superstars of STEM alumna Dr Cathy Robinson of CSIRO win the Communicating AI Award for her incredible work that enables Indigenous women rangers to use AI to monitor and manage their Country. Congratulations also to current Superstar of STEM Dr Sara Webb of Swinburne University of Technology who was a finalist in the awards, and to all the incredible award winners.

On Wednesday STA welcomed the announcement that Professor Doug Hilton will be the new Chief Executive Officer of CSIRO. Professor Hilton is an outstanding Australian science leader with an incredible track record of scientific research into blood cell production and how cells communicate with each other. He has a deep and longstanding commitment to boosting diversity in science and mentoring and supporting the next generation of great Australian scientists. STA President Professor Mark Hutchinson said Professor Hilton is a “superb appointment for CSIRO who will bring deep expertise to the role”.

The opening of the second round of the National Industry PhD Program is just around the corner. This prestigious program is building stronger links between industry, universities, and researchers. You can find out more about the program here.

Huge congratulations to STA member organisation Cicada Innovations which was this week announced as the operator for the new Jumar Bioincubator at the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct. The incubator is backed by $65 million in industry and government investment, and will give biotech ventures at the facility access to labs, support, and the hospitals and universities within the biomedical precinct. Expressions of interest for the Jumar Bioincubator are open now ahead of the facility opening in September.

Finally, please join us for the launch of National Science Week, hosted by Science & Technology Australia and Questacon. The event will feature a series of short, high-energy talks from inspiring STEM leaders sharing their excitement about the frontiers of Australian science. You will have a chance to meet and chat with Parliamentarians, STEM policy experts, and scientists, and get to celebrate the beginning of the biggest week for science of the year! The event takes place at Parliament House, 8–9am, on Wednesday 9 August. Registrations are essential. 

All the best,

Sandra Gardam
Deputy CEO, Science & Technology Australia

The Royal Statistical Society (RSS), the leading membership body advocating for the importance of statistics and data, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Sarah Cumbers as its new chief executive.

Taking up the role in September 2023, Sarah will lead on the RSS’s varied programme of activities, including its accreditation schemes, publications, conference and events, and policy work while enhancing its role as the membership body for all those interested in the good use of data.

Sarah is currently the evidence and insights director at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a global charity dedicated to engineering a safer world. During her time at the organisation, Sarah led on its flagship programme, the World Risk Poll, a unique global survey on public perceptions and experience of risk and safety, as well as its What Works for safety programme.

As an advocate of evidence-based policy and practice, Sarah is also the chair of the Evidence Quarter, a community interest company that brings together evidence-minded organisations to increase collaboration and tackle joint challenges. Previously she spent much of her career at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), working across a number of roles including evaluation of medicines, management of information services, and development of guideline methodology.

The RSS was previously led by Stian Westlake, now executive chair of the Economic and Social Research Council. Sarah takes the role over from Nicola Emmerson, the Society’s director of membership and professional affairs, who has led the organisation on an interim basis since May.

Commenting on the appointment, Dr Andrew Garrett, president of the RSS, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Sarah to the RSS as our new chief executive. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in evidence-based policymaking as well as substantial experience of leadership in non-profit organisations.

“I know Sarah will take the RSS from strength to strength in its role advocating for our members, the discipline and the importance of data and evidence for the public good.”

Dr Sarah Cumbers commented: “The potential value of statistics and data, and the dangers of misuse, have never been more evident than they are in our world today. The RSS has a crucial role to play in ensuring that statistics are well used and understood – and I am looking forward to joining the Society at such an exciting time for our members.”

This is a friendly reminder that nominations for the inaugural Horizon Lectures, to be given at  the Australian Statistical Conference (ASC2023) in Wollongong, 10^th- 15^th December 2023, will close tomorrow.

The Horizon Lectures aim to recognise emerging leaders in Australia’s statistics community and their contributions to advancing statistical practice across academia, government, and/or industry. Lectures will be awarded to mid-career statisticians working in any discipline who have made an impact within their field(s) of expertise and have demonstrated leadership in building capacity in statistical expertise within Australia. 

Up to three (3) Horizon Lectures will be awarded for presentation at ASC2023. All Lectures will be presented together as a plenary session to all conference delegates. Lectures can be on any area of statistics in line with the awardee’s expertise. Each awardee will receive up to $2,500 to cover conference and travel costs. 

Nominations involve a written statement (up to 1,000 words) summarising how the nominee meets the award selection criteria. Nominees must be a member of the SSA and be employed as a statistician in Australia. Nominations must be supported by another member of the SSA.

Full details on eligibility, award selection criteria and submission are available in the nomination form, available on the conference website. Nominations must be submitted by 5 pm AEST, 28^th February 2023. Late nominations will not be accepted. 

Questions about the Horizon lectures can be sent to ASC 2023 Scientific Programming Committee at asc.ozcots2023@gmail.com.

Kind regards

The ASC23 Scientific Program Committee

Are you a statistician or data scientist? If so, we want to hear from you. We need your assistance in helping us shape the future of our organisation.

The Statistical Society of Australia (SSA) is committed to being the leading voice in statistics in Australia. To help us prioritise our activities, we need to understand the needs and interests of our members and the wider data science community. To that end, we have created a survey that will inform our strategic planning process. Would you please take a few moments to fill it out by 5pm AEDT on Monday 13 March.

The survey should take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete and will help us to gain valuable insights into what our current and future members need and expect from the SSA. Your responses will be confidential, and the results will be used to guide the development of our strategy for the next 3-5 years.  

To access the survey, simply click on the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y9V66JF

To make this a successful process, we need to hear from as many people as possible.

Thank you in advance for your participation in this important initiative. We look forward to receiving your feedback and working with you to shape the future of our organisation.

1 Jun 2023 (AEST) – 31 Oct 2024 (AEDT), online-weekly one hour classes-this is 6 courses offered over the next year

Due to the high demand for the Sampling Course in 2022 and strong interest in other courses from the International Program in Survey and Data Science (IPSDS) Masters program the Social Research Centre and Statistical Society of Australia have partnered again to expand IPSDS course offerings in Australia.

If you are interested in the Item Nonresponse, Sampling, Big Data/Machine Learning for Surveys and/or Weighting courses please register your interest so that we can determine whether there is sufficient demand. 

To show your interest click here.