Nandini kannan
Degree(s)
MS in statistics from Madras
University, Madras, India (1985)
MS in mathematics from the
University of Pittsburgh (1988)
PhD in statistics from The Pennsylvania
State University (1992)
Employer
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Current Title
Professor of Statistics
What or who inspired you to be a statistician?
(2) Projects are not opportunities to show off how
My father has a mathematics and statistics back-
much you know, but to provide statistically sound
ground, so I was introduced to the area quite early. I
solutions that are simple.
loved probability problems, so when I had to make a
decision between mathematics and statistics, I chose
This is advice I give my students every day.
to pursue a statistics degree. I also met C. R. Rao at a
conference in India when I was a student and he asked
What is a skill you would like to learn to be
if I would be interested in pursuing a PhD! I decided
better at your job?
to come to the United States to work with him.
I love teaching and am constantly looking for ways
to improve my lectures and make statistics more rel-
What is the hardest or most interesting thing
evant. In this information and data age, all students
about being a statistician?
need to understand and critically evaluate informa-
The applications are so diverse and far-reaching.
tion and data to make better decisions.
I’ve worked with biologists, engineers, and psy-
chologists. Every problem is different. You have to
Name one or two favorite books you have
listen, learn a new vocabulary, and that can be a real
read and would recommend to others.
challenge. It is what makes being a statistician so
The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius
fascinating. The hard part of being a statistician is
Ramanujan by Robert Kanigel
explaining what you really do for a living. People
always bring up the “lies, damned lies” quote and
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
you have to change their perceptions. We need to
raise awareness of the discipline, the critical issue Given the current economy, would you recom-
of quantitative literacy, and address the impact on
mend statistics as a profession to a student?
science and society!
Absolutely! The New York Times did a recent piece
on statistics as a career. There is a real demand for
What is the best career advice you were ever individuals with expertise in designing experiments
given? and analyzing complex data sets using the latest
As part of the doctoral program at Penn State, I advances in computing.
took a statistical consulting course. We had to work
with clients (typically graduate students from other What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
areas) to assess appropriate methodology for their When I do have the time, I love to go bird watching
projects. Professor Rosenberger gave me some sim- with the local chapter of the Audubon Society. I also
ple pointers: love listening to music and reading.
(1) Listen to the client, do not lecture.
58 AMSTAT NEwS SEPTEMbER 2009
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