Staff Spotlight
Steve Pierson
I
’ve now been the ASA’s director of science policy
for 15 months. You may know my responsibili-
ties and activities from my science policy col-
umns in Amstat News and the articles prior to my
hiring. So, here I’ll focus on other aspects of my
work and tell you a bit about me.
Most of you already know I’m a physicist,
with a PhD from the University of Minnesota
in condensed matter theory. I then did a post-
doc at the Naval Research Laboratory (located
across the Potomac River from the ASA building.)
After a semester as a visiting assistant professor at
Steve Pierson and his wife, Caroline, and daughter, Isabel
Georgetown University, I joined the faculty at
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, I was interested in the ASA position because I
Massachusetts. I was especially involved with the knew statisticians had their hands in many issues.
junior year projects, where all WPI students spend a This reality has manifested itself into this being
quarter of their year tackling an issue at the interface a very busy job, compounded this year by hav-
of technology and society. I had the good fortune to ing JSM here in DC. In addition to helping plan
advise projects for two months at a time in Boston, policy sessions, I am organizing—with the help of
Bangkok (twice), and Namibia, and loved working ASA staff, the board, and the Scientific and Public
with students on a variety of topics—from wind Affairs Committee—a day of meetings for 50–60
energy in New England, to educating children in ASA members on Capitol Hill with congressional
Bangkok’s slums, to sustainable energy for the poor staff. I am excited for this opportunity, not only to
in Windhoek. work with so many members, but also to educate
I enjoyed academia—and miss the students and staffers about statistics and what it can contribute
my colleagues—but I caught “Potomac Fever” during to policy issues.
my time in DC. So, after gaining tenure, I arranged to My wife, Caroline, and I have been married for
spend my sabbatical in the Washington office of the three years and both hail from the West, she from
American Physical Society, the professional society of Salt Lake City and I from North Dakota. We live on
physicists. After a year, I was offered a permanent posi- Capitol Hill in a small 1860s house that boasts the
tion with APS Physics to head the advocacy for basic largest yard on the block (almost 900 square feet!).
research funding (mostly at NSF and the Department We love our neighborhood for its charm, neighbors,
of Energy Office of Science.) I returned to WPI twice and conveniences, but miss the space in the West.
to spend a semester with the projects program before We enjoy the outdoors (canoeing and camping),
giving up my position there. traveling, theater, and DC’s many cultural venues.
I spent six years with APS Physics and believe Recently, we have set some of that aside for a newly
my experience there was great preparation for my discovered delight: chasing after our daughter, Isabel,
current position with the ASA. While not a statisti- who is now 20 months old. Caroline has had suc-
cian, I feel at home at the ASA and am happy to cessful careers in marketing and development and is
feel strongly about the topics on which I work, the now home with Isabel—her third successful career.
common component of which is promoting science Still, she is pondering a fourth.
in a broad realm. While there are some disadvan- I am honored to be working with the ASA on
tages, not being a statistician helps me put statisti- science policy issues. Over the coming years, I look
cal concepts into terms policymakers and their staffs forward to getting to know more ASA members and
can better understand. The ASA’s staff and members helping to further develop the ASA’s science policy
have been helpful to and supportive of me while I activities. I also look forward to a member spot-
learned this job and community. I’m grateful to the light on the original ASA Steve P: the mysterious
many ASA members with the patience to explain Steve Porzio. ASA lore has it that despite his years of
their work to me and to those with whom I’m seniority, or now perhaps because of it, he has yet to
working to tackle the challenge of determining how be spotlighted. I would love to hear how he would
statisticians can best contribute to policymaking. address this and many other rumors. ■
JULY 2009 AMSTAT NEWS 27
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