about improving the health care system and
the lively audience discussion afterward.
Q&A
:
Russell Lenth
Finally, I was enlightened (and somewhat
exhausted) by Mark McClellan’s fast-paced
and fact-laden keynote speech.
How do you think attendees most benefited
poster presentations, with some success
In addition to my experiences, I have
from JSM 2008?
(we had about 300, compared with 200
heard reports from program committee
in 2007). I thought good publicity was
By far, the biggest benefit to most of those
members about other sessions. Several
important, and the ASA public relations
attending JSM is meeting and talking to
stressed the importance of the elections-
department did a terrific job in gaining us
lots of other statisticians—people with
related sessions, including a volunteer
some great exposure in Newsweek and on
common interests help deepen your own
meeting attended by Colorado activists
local television, among other things.
work, and those with not-so-common
and a local election official. These ses-
interests can broaden and challenge you.
sions have already stimulated significant
What is your favorite pastime?
People meet in different ways. My focus
follow-up efforts involving statisticians in
has been on the program, and attending
Music. I like listening to recordings and
election improvement.
technical sessions is certainly one excel-
going to concerts. I play the French horn
Also, I understand there were two suc-
lent way to get acquainted with others
in a wind quintet that meets regularly, as
cessful sessions on online marketing and
and find out what they’re doing. But JSM
well as in a few other ensembles. And most
e-commerce featuring prominent speak-
offers a healthy variety of other meeting
summers, I go to a chamber music “camp”
ers from Google, Yahoo, and Facebook.
opportunities (continuing education,
in Montana.
A session on Wikipedia and the future of
career placement, mixers, section meet-
statistical journals, during which there was
ings, exhibits, etc.), and they are all vital
When you were a kid, what did you say you
considerable discussion that could have
to a successful JSM.
wanted to be when you grew up?
far-reaching implications, made an impact,
I wanted to be a scientist. My vision and I was told the “best of the Annals of
Were there any sessions that did a particularly
involved a white lab coat, but I think statis- Applied Statistics” session was well done
good job delivering talks related to the theme?
tics has offered me a scientific career much and well attended.
If so, which sessions, and what was notewor-
broader than that, and I am thankful. Finally, there were highly successful ses-
thy about them?
sions on measuring health care disparities
“Communicating Statistics: Speaking Out
What JSM event had the biggest effect on you
and improving the monitoring and evalu-
and Reaching Out” was a very inspiring
as a statistician?
ation of development programs for reduc-
theme. There was one invited session with
I don’t know if this counts as an “event,”
ing childhood mortality (internationally),
exactly that title, organized by the consult-
but I have shared a hotel room with Bob and the late-breaking session on steroids in
ing section. I attended part of an excel-
Hogg at several JSMs (including my first baseball was definitely a hit.
lent Q&P session titled “Communicating
one). I owe Bob a lot for helping me get For the first time, we had a speaker
Technical Material with Nonstatisticians.”
started in research, for pushing me in the management system that allowed speakers
There were numerous other great thematic
right direction when needed, and for being to upload their talks in advance (or at least
sessions with emphases on such things as
a great friend. they were supposed to). From what I have
community health and education at all lev-
heard so far, this system worked quite well,
els. Finally, there were several election- and
What is an interesting tidbit about you that especially considering that we have never
voting-related sessions that fit this theme
most ASA members don’t know? used it. In many cases, people who ini-
very well, as well as being very timely. I was born in Denver—one more reason
tially complained about the system quickly
this JSM is my favorite.
became converts once they discovered how
How many JSMs have you attended? Which
easy it was to use. I really appreciated see-
was your favorite? What was the biggest challenge in organizing
ing people’s talks come up in full-screen
Twenty-four. My first JSM was in San
JSM 2008, and how did you solve it?
with little dinking around with laptop con-
Diego in 1978. Since Toronto (1983), Keeping track of the rules and trying to be
nections and menus. In a few cases, there
I have missed only one Philly and two fair. The solution was lots of communica-
were problems with symbol fonts not being
Anaheims. Each JSM was my favorite tion with the ASA Meetings Department
available, but most problems were associat-
one at the time, but Denver 2008 might and the General Methodology chairs,
ed with not using the system. In the future,
remain my favorite for a long while. I had all of whom were direct, helpful, and
more speakers will know the system exists,
a lot invested in it; I am pleased by how the extremely patient.
understand that it works pretty well, and
meeting went, and the venue was great.
know how to embed fonts. On the man-
What feedback have you received about
agement side, we can try to get the links
As program chair for JSM 2008, what did the meetings?
in the right order for each session. I also
you do to distinguish it from the rest?
Generally quite positive, so far. I’m sure I’ll
would like to see a provision made available
I made sure we had good sessions on elec- hear lots more, and I intend to pass on les-
whereby a speaker can preview an uploaded
tions and voting. Also, continuing in Allan sons learned from both positive and nega-
talk (say, via a remote desktop connection)
Rossman’s footsteps, I tried to promote tive feedback.
to ensure all the pieces are in place.
26 AMSTAT NEWS OCTOBER 2008
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