STATS MATTERS & EVENTS

17 October 2024                                               

Dear {Contact_First_Name},                                    

Introducing SSA's new Secretary, Teresa Dickinson 

I am delighted to introduce Teresa Dickinson as the new SSA Secretary.  Teresa was elected to the role at our last SSA AGM and takes over from the unmatchable Doug Shaw who has held the position since 2003. Now that her official retirement from full time employment has commenced, she is embracing the role as Secretary with gusto!

Teresa has been an SSA member since 1986 and has Branch hopped a fair bit, initially joining the Victorian Branch whilst studying for her Masters at the University of Melbourne. During her tenure with CSIRO she was then a member of the South Australia Branch before heading back to Victoria. In 2002 she moved to Canberra and began her career in official statistics.  Teresa has been a member of the Victorian Branch Council and contributed to various reviews of our profession, SSA taskforces and planning exercises.  She was accredited in 1999 and served as a member of the Accreditation Committee for several years.  Teresa delivered the Belz lecture in 2020 and the Foreman lecture (jointly) in 2022. 

Teresa has worked in Official Statistics for the last 22 years, initially in the ABS, but then more broadly across the Australian Public Service and in Statistics New Zealand before returning to the ABS in 2018. Teresa's most recent responsibilities as one of the ABS' Deputy Australian Statisticians included design and delivery of the 2021 Census of Population and Housing and the ABS' Methodology function.  In 2022 Teresa was awarded a Public Service Medal in recognition of her contribution to official Statistics in Australia and internationally.

Following from her retirement from the ABS last month, Teresa has rejoined the Victorian and Tasmanian Branch of the SSA. With a bit more time now available, Teresa is keen to become more involved again with the SSA, and I'm very grateful she's decided to jump in the deep end, taking on the role of Secretary.

I can't conclude any mention of the Secretary role without again acknowledging the tireless, effective and expert contributions of Doug in this role over so many years.  Teresa is exceedingly grateful that Doug remains around to support her - as am I and the entire Executive Committee - with guidance and advice and, of course, access to his prodigious organisational memory. Welcome Teresa!

Lynne Giles, President

In The Spotlight

Welcome Beth Firipis, Chair EDI Committee

Note: On behalf of SSA and the Committee we acknowledge and thank Jason Li for his time and work as EDI Committee Chair.

Beth is an early career biostatistician bringing a wealth of diverse experience to her new role as Chair of the EDI committee. With a background spanning health services research, health economics, mentoring, and policy, Beth is well-positioned to lead initiatives promoting inclusivity in the profession. She holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Health Economics from Deakin University and is currently working towards the BCA Master of Biostatistics through the University of Adelaide. Currently serving as Senior Policy & Regulatory Affairs Officer for the Australian Society of Anaesthetists and Executive Officer for the Health Services Research Association of Australia & New Zealand (HSRAANZ), Beth combines her expertise in health research with a passion for advocacy. Beth's commitment to diversity extends beyond her professional roles. She volunteers her time as Director of Mentoring for Out For Australia and also played a key role developing the proposal for NSW's first Pride Centre which opened in the Inner West of Sydney in August. Beth has deep roots within LGBTQIA+ communities in Sydney & Melbourne and has been an active member of the SSA's Early Career & Student Statistician's and EDI Committees.

The EDI Committee is always keen to hear from our members - please get in touch with us via our General Manager who will pass on any questions, comments, or concerns. 

Rui Shren - Winner SSA ACT September Registration Grant

Rui Shren is the recent winner of the SSA ACT Registration grant. The grant was subsequently utilised by Rui Shren to attend the 2024 Australian Applied Statistics Conference held at Rottnest Island. As part of winning the grant, Rui Shren was requested to share his experience with the SSA.

Congratulations and thank you for sharing, Rui Shren!

From Rui Shren

Thank the Statistical Society of Australia for offering me the SSA (ACT Branch) ‘rego’ grant, which allowed me to attend the Australasian Applied Statistics Conference (AASC) 2024 held on Rottnest Island. This opportunity was a pivotal moment in my academic journey, and it would not have been possible without your support!

The AASC 2024 offered a wealth of knowledge through various talks, discussions, and poster sessions. The keynote sessions were particularly enriching, providing deep insights into the future of statistical research and applications. The diverse range of topics, from animal & plant breeding, health, and experimental design to statistics in practice and Bayesian statistics, were inspiring and intellectually stimulating. The chance to connect with peers and leaders in statistics led to insightful conversations and potential future collaborations. Additionally, I had the opportunity to present my own work during the poster session (the mutual influence model for network data), and the feedback I received was invaluable. The suggestions I received were insightful in shaping the direction of my ongoing work. Being able to showcase my research to such a distinguished audience was an honor, and the experience greatly enhanced my communication skills.

Rottnest Island was a breathtaking location for the conference. Surrounded by stunning coastal views and crystal-clear waters, the island offered a serene atmosphere balanced perfectly with intense academic discussions. Although the winds were quite strong, adding a touch of wildness to the landscape, the beauty of the island provided a unique and inspiring environment for both reflection and collaboration. The island’s natural beauty, combined with the opportunity to meet and engage with statisticians from all over the world, made this conference experience truly unforgettable.

Once again, I cannot thank the SSA ACT Branch enough for this incredible opportunity. Attending AASC 2024 has enriched my academic journey and allowed me to contribute to the statisticians' community. Your support has been instrumental in making this possible, and I look forward to applying the knowledge and connections I’ve gained as I continue my research.

SSA ACT Wilson Lecture 2024

In honour of the late Professor Sue Wilson and her immense contributions to the statistics and bioinformatics community across Canberra, Australia, and globally, the SSA ACT branch council is proud to announce the introduction of the Wilson lecture starting in late 2024!

The Wilson lecture will be run as the branch's final lecture of the year, taking place in alternating years with the Knibbs lecture. In 2024, the Wilson lecture is scheduled in hybrid form for Monday 2nd December, and we are proud to announce that Professor Gillian Heller will give the inaugural Wilson lecture! Further details about this event will be provided in due course.

More information about the Knibbs and Wilson lectures can be found on the SSA website.

Statistical Computing and Visualisation Section

Venable Award

Are you an early to mid-career developer or researcher creating open-source software in data science or statistics? The 2024 Venables Award  is here to recognise and celebrate your innovative contributions! Whether working individually or as part of a team, you have the chance to showcase your software and win a $4000 first prize or $1000 runner-up prize.

Submit your project by November 1, 2024, along with a nomination from an SSA member. We're looking for open-source software that has a clear impact on statistical practice, is easy to use, and is well-documented. The software must be developed primarily in Australia, actively maintained, and contribute to reproducibility in research.

2024 Di Cook Award

Calling all student developers of open-source software in statistics! The 2024 Di Cook Award is now open for applications. This award is an excellent opportunity for students or recent graduates from Australian institutions to showcase their innovative contributions to the field of statistics.

The winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to present their work at an event in 2024. Eligible submissions must be open-source, actively maintained, and primarily developed by students. Both individuals and teams are encouraged to apply, and non-SSA members are welcome. The deadline for submissions is November 1, 2024.

Partner with SSA

Interested to partner with us from a simple event sponsorship, conferences or long-term collaboration, please reach out to Jodi Phillips at events@statsoc.org.au .

SSA Upcoming Events

SSA Early Career & Student Statistician Conference 

18 - 21 November 2024 | Perth | Hobart | Christchurch

While the early bird rates may have ended, it’s not too late to register for ECSSC 2024! With an incredible program featuring keynote presentations, networking opportunities, a workshop, and tours across all three hubs, there’s so much to look forward to.

Whether you're a student, early-career statistician, or established professional, this conference provides an excellent platform to connect, gain mentorship, and share innovative ideas in the field of statistics.

Conference Highlights

We are especially dedicated to supporting students and early career statisticians by fostering a supportive environment where they can connect with mentors, share ideas, and receive guidance on their professional development. This is your chance to build valuable connections and gain insights that will help shape your future in statistics.

OceaniaR Hackathon 2024

21 Oct 2024 | Melbourne

On Oct 21-23 in Melbourne, there are several events co-organised by the SCV section: OceaniaR Hackathon, WOMBAT 2024. Registration for OceaniaR is free but spaces are restricted. However, registration for WOMBAT 2024 is $200/100 full/student. There are 8 half-day tutorials available on Oct 22, at a cost for each is $150/75 for full/student.

This event is a chance to collaborate in-person on R-focused projects for social good, with some of the leading developers in the R community. There will also be time to hold informal talks to share ideas, concepts and new packages for feedback. This event will have a focus on promoting projects and participation from R users in the Oceania region including Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. All project ideas will be listed as Issues on the project Github and decided on the day.

Open the world with open source: WOMBAT

The purpose of this workshop is to bring together analysts from academia, industry and government to learn and discuss new open source tools for business analytics and data science. The focus this year is on developments in open source, that underlies much of the analytics conducted today, which helps to make the world around us more understandable. You should come if you are an analytics professional, or leading a team of analysts or a developer of new open source tools.

SSA Vic & Tas October 2024 Event - SSA and MLAI Present: Industry Showcase

22 Oct 2024 | 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM | Level 1, 115 Dover Street Cremorne

SSA and MLAI Present: Industry Showcase

We are excited to announce the Industry Showcase, presented by SSA VIC & TAS branch in collaboration with MLAI, featuring an impressive lineup of speakers from diverse data-driven industries. This event will provide attendees with insights into real-world applications of data science and analytics across various sectors.

Speakers and Topics:

Teagan Buckley – Data Specialist, Media Monks

Topic: TBD

Lizzie Silver – Senior Data Scientist, WSP Digital

Topic: TBD

Nick Read – Data Science Leader, FloodMapp

Topic: Flood Intelligence with Real-Time Data

Nick will discuss FloodMapp’s innovative technology, which delivers street-level flood intelligence through live mapping. Using river-gauge and meteorological data, their software produces hourly flood forecasts to inform decision-making before, during, and after flood events.

Patrick Robotham – Chief Scientist, Prophet

Topic: Modelling ROI for Advertising

Patrick will share insights into Prophet’s methods for estimating the return on investment for various advertising formats, using geographical time series data. He will also highlight the statistical challenges and lessons learned in building their models.

This showcase offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from industry leaders on how they are applying statistical methods to tackle real-world challenges. Stay tuned for further details on Teagan and Lizzie’s presentations.

Statistical Consulting Network Monthly Meet-Up

25 Oct 2024 | 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (AEST) | Online

Come along with your thinking cap, maybe a problem, and some lunch!

The Statistical Consulting Network invites you to their monthly meet-up, a virtual lunchtime meeting where statisticians help each other out with problems that they aren’t sure how to deal with. This virtual meeting is held on Zoom at lunchtime on the last Friday of each month, 12:30-1:30 PM (AEST). We start each meet-up with announcements, or occasionally a special topic discussion, then discuss problems that attendees have brought along with them.

We also have a Slack workspace where members of the consulting network can communicate between meetings, or post problems or relevant materials they would like to discuss during a meeting.

Zoom link

Password: 660145

ECSSN and NZSA October Webinar-Presenting effectively at mixed-mode events presented by Karen Lamb

28 Oct 2024 | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Online 

As conferences and meetings increasingly adopt mixed-mode formats, with both in-person and virtual participants, delivering an engaging and impactful presentation has become more complex. To help address these challenges, ECSSN and NZSA are excited to present a session by Karen Lamb on how to excel in mixed-mode settings.

In this insightful presentation, Karen will provide practical tips and strategies for effectively communicating with diverse audiences, ensuring your message resonates whether your listeners are in the room or online.

Don't miss this opportunity to refine your presentation skills for today’s hybrid environment!

SSA NSW October Meeting - Christopher K Wikle - 2024 Data Science and Statistics (DSS) Lecture, from School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics, University of Wollongong (UOW)

30 Oct 2024 | 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Building 43 Room G01, University of Wollongong

The SSA NSW Branch is excited to collaborate with the UOW School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics for their annual Data Science and Statistics (DSS) Lecture. This year’s speaker is Christopher K Wikle, Distinguished Professor of Statistics at the University of Missouri, USA.

Lecture Title: The Ship Has Sailed: Where Should We Steer It? (Climate Adaptation Needs Uncertainty Quantification)

Professor Wikle will explore the complexities of climate change adaptation and the crucial role of uncertainty quantification in decision-making across multiple disciplines. He’ll discuss how statistical science, particularly Bayesian methods and hybrid AI-statistical models, can provide valuable insights.

Venue: Building 43 Room G01, University of Wollongong, parking available on campus for carpool. Sign up here to carpool.

CPD 185– Statistical Communication Workshop

6 Nov 2024 – 13 Nov 2024 | Online- 1.5 hours a week

NSW Branch presents Statistical Communication Workshop by Dr Nicole Mealing. Do you struggle to explain to your audience why your statistical results matter? Or does your audience have difficulty understanding the data insights you communicate? Come along to this workshop to enhance your statistical communication skills.

This workshop will focus on what to consider before you start shaping communication outputs and how to deliver your data derived messages effectively. We’ll use worksheets to help you communicate statistical insights that derive understanding or action from your audiences.

These training sessions will enable participants to:

• Understand the importance of context and audience
• Select appropriate visual aids to successfully communicate data insights
• Identify opportunities to simplify your message and direct the audience to the most important parts of your data narrative.

SSA NSW Branch 2024 Annual Event with JB Douglas Award and Annual Lecture by Prof. Matt Wand

14 Nov 2024 | 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Sutherland Room, The University of Sydney 

Please join us for the NSW SSA branch annual event on Thursday 14th November at the Sutherland Room, The University of Sydney from 2pm.

The afternoon will start with presentations from PhD students from around NSW for the J. B. Douglas Awards. We are then proud to present our Annual Lecture by Distinguished Professor Matt Wand at 6pm, followed by the Annual dinner from 7pm.

We hope to see everyone there.

Program overview

2.00pm – 6:00pm – J. B. Douglas Award presentations (with refreshment break)

6.00pm – 7.00pm – Annual lecture by Professor Matt Wand

7.00pm – Annual dinner

Other News & Events

Bayes Comp 2025 Call for Satellite Workshops and Invited Sessions

Bayes Comp is a biennial meeting to discuss new research in Bayesian computation. The upcoming iteration, Bayes Comp 2025 will be held from 16-20th June, 2025 in Singapore. Submissions for satellite workshops and invited sessions are now open at https://bayescomp2025.sg/.

Get your proposals in before October 31st!

Drive the Best Ideas to Innovate and Achieve Operational Excellence by Minitab

Tuesday, 22 October 2024 | 2pm AEDT

Register for our upcoming webinar, "Drive the Best Ideas to Innovate and Achieve Operational Excellence" on October 22nd at 11 am Hong Kong Time.

Learn from Jim Oskins, Minitab Solutions Architect and former OpEx leader at a Fortune 500 company, as he discusses common pitfalls of continuous improvement projects and demonstrates how Minitab solutions can help prevent them.

Spatial Statistics 2025: At the Dawn of AI

15 Jul 2025 (CEST) – 18 Jul 2025 (CEST) | NH Leeuwenhoorst, Noordwijk, The Netherlands 

During the Spatial Statistics 2025 conference in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, specific attention will be given to the opportunities, including challenges to be addressed, that Artificial Intelligence (AI) opens up and how spatial statistics can be developed further with AI.

The latest developments in spatial statistics will be presented, emphasising their contributions at the dawn of AI, now and in the future. The optimal use of collected data, predicting in space and time, object recognition and segmentation, and transferability in the presence of spatial and temporal correlations are typical, but not exhaustive examples.

Abstract Submissions & Registrations are now open for the 2024 ADSN conference

The ADSN Conference is heading to Western Australia this year.  It will be held at Curtin University in Perth and is being hosted by the Curtin Institute for Data Science.

• When:  Mon-Weds, 2-4 December
• Where: Curtin University, Bentley Campus
• Abstract deadline: 13 September

This year’s conference will feature an additional third day which will be industry-focussed. Also, there will be an opportunity to tour the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre on that day.

The International Environmetrics Society (TIES) Conference 2024

2 – 5 Dec 2024 | Adelaide

The International Environmetrics Society (TIES) is a non-profit organization aimed to foster the development and use of statistical and other quantitative methods in the environmental sciences, environmental engineering and environmental monitoring and protection. To this end, the Society promotes the participation of statisticians, mathematicians, scientists and engineers in the solution of environmental problems and emphasizes the need for collaboration and for clear communication between individuals from different disciplines and between researchers and practitioners.

All contributions related to environmetrics are welcome from across academia, research institutes, government, business and industry.

Key Dates:

For questions contact: John Boland john.boland@unisa.edu.au

SSA Career Centre

Employers can advertise job openings for statisticians and data analysts, while job seekers can post their own resume for potential employers to view – anonymously.

Members can register with the Career Centre, setting job alerts to be notified if a job meeting their search criteria is advertised. There's also the option of having one’s resume reviewed at no cost before uploading it, where it can be seen by potential employers.

Once registered with the SSA Career Centre as an employer, the site will allow users to post and manage job openings, search and manage prospective job candidates, and create a company profile. The fees for ads start at $130.

The SSA team would love to hear from you!

If you have any feedback or news from the Australian statistical community to share in Stats Matters and Events, get in touch with us!