Business and Economic Statistics
Members Had Mile-High Time at JSM
Sastry Pantula, North Carolina State University, and Stuart Scott, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Report from the
T
he meetings in Denver went well for
the Business and Economic Statistics
Section (and the ASA as a whole).
Program Chair
Overall attendance was around 5,500, the
second-largest ever (but dwarfed by the 50k
Cliff Hurvich, New York University
Democrats who came later in the month).
Our section sponsored about 20 sessions,
It has been an honor to serve as program plus the Economic Outlook Luncheon,
chair for the section. With help from many business meeting, and joint mixer with the
people, everything came together in Denver
Section on Statistics in Marketing (thanks to
quite well. I was able to attend most of the
Wendy Moe, Section on Statistics in
invited, contributed, and poster sessions.
Marketing chair, for her support).
My feeling, corroborated by conversations
The approved budget continues sup-
with others, was that the overall quality of
port for the Shiskin Award for Economic
presentation was quite high and the top-
Statistics and the Zellner Thesis Award. It
Tapen Sinha presents “Epidemics in a Globalized
ics were relevant and timely. The high level
adds support for the Fourth International
World: Economic and Financial Lessons from HIV/
of enthusiasm of presenters and audience
Conference on Establishment Surveys,
AIDS” at the Economic Outlook Luncheon.
members made for stimulating sessions,
planned for 2012. Also, money was
year is appropriately Washington-oriented:
with discussions often spilling into the hall-
budgeted for a student award related
“Statistics: From Evidence to Policy.”
ways following the formal discussion peri-
to next year’s JSM and a $10 subsidy
Robert Parker, chair of the Shiskin
od. Though the rooms were generally not
for members attending the Economic
Award Committee, announced that this
packed, attendance at B&E sessions was
Outlook Luncheon.
quite reasonable. Looking to the future,
year’s awards go to Bob Groves of the
Barbara Rossi, 2009 program chair,
I think it would be worth thinking about
University of Michigan and Bill Bell of
reported that she received nine proposals
how we can increase the attendance at JSM
the U.S. Census Bureau. Bell was on hand
for invited sessions for next year’s meet-
by people interested in B&E topics (e.g.,
to receive his plaque. Also, Serena Ng, co-
ings in Washington, DC. Four of these
the financial econometrics community).
editor of the Journal of Economic & Business
Thanks to the presenters, invited and
were selected as our section’s allocation
Statistics, announced Victor Todorov as
topic-contributed session organizers, and
and two more will be selected to compete
the winner of the Zellner Thesis Award
session chairs for helping to make this a
for additional open slots. Rossi encourages
for work supervised by George Tauchen at
great conference for B&E. Also, my thanks
members to put together topic-contributed
Duke University. Honorable mention went
to the B&E officers and the ASA staff for
sessions between now and January. Check
to Andriy Norets, whose adviser was John
all their help.
for details at www.amstat.org/sections/
Geweke at The University of Iowa.
bus_econ/index.html. JSM’s theme for next
Two section members, Yacine Ait-
Sahalia of Princeton University and Joseph
Hogan of Brown University were named
Statistics and the Environment
ASA Fellows this year.
Keith Ord of Georgetown University
was authorized by the ASA to form a spe-
cial interest group on statistics in business
schools. Of course, the section lends its sup-
port to this initiative. We also congratulate
Ord on becoming the next ASA treasurer,
effective January 1, 2009, when current
treasurer, Sastry Pantula, starts his new role
as ASA president-elect.
For details about the Denver business
meeting, budget, and Shiskin and Zellner
Several undergraduate students from North Carolina State University presented
awards, visit www.amstat.org/sections/bus_
papers at the Statistics and the Environment Section’s sponsored program, “The econ/index.html. We appreciate the contri-
Modeling of Environmental Pollutants,” during JSM. Barry D. Nussbaum of the U.S. butions of this year’s board and the partici-
Environmental Protection Agency chaired the event, which was organized by William
pation of all who made it to Denver. We
Hunt Jr. of North Carolina State University.
hope many of you will choose to come to
Washington next year! n
56 AMSTAT NEWS OCTOBER 2008
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