Welcome to the Section on Statistics & Data Science Education member update! These bi-monthly updates will include a short feature and announcements about events, conferences, and more in statistics and data science education. If you have a feature you'd like to include in an upcoming member update, please email Maria Tackett at maria.tackett@duke.edu .
USCOTS 2021
The 2021 United States Conference on Teaching Statistics, commonly known as USCOTS, will be held virtually June 28 - July 1, with pre-conference workshops beginning June 24. The conference includes plenary-sessions, breakout sessions, posters-and-beyond sessions, and a series of five-minute talks as part of the opening and closing sessions. There are also birds-of-a-feather discussions, a speed mentoring session, and exhibitor technology demonstrations that provide attendees the opportunity to engage in discussions inspired by the main conference sessions.
The chairs for the USCOTS are Allan Rossman, Professor in Statistics at California Polytechnic State University, and Kelly McConville, Assistant Professor of Statistics at Reed College. We asked them about the theme for this year's conference and what to expect at the virtual event.
The theme for this year's conference is "Expanding Opportunities". What motivated the committee to select this theme for the 2021 event?
"We’ve always tried to select themes for USCOTS that are broad enough to have relevance and appeal for diverse groups, but also specific enough to produce sessions that address common issues. There’s been a lot of talk for years in CAUSE meetings about the need for more diverse representation in statistics education. The events of last summer also brought issues of equity to the forefront. Our disciplines of statistics and data science provide great opportunities to make important contributions to society, and we’re eager to hear ideas for making our fields more appealing to a diverse group of students and for helping students from diverse backgrounds to succeed."
This is the first time USCOTS has been held virtually. What are you most looking forward to in regards this year's virtual conference?
"We’re looking forward to lots and lots of teachers exchanging ideas about teaching statistics well and expanding opportunities for students to succeed by studying statistics. We really wish that we were planning to gather in person for USCOTS, because we enjoy all of the serendipitous interactions that occur in such a setting. But we’re hoping that the virtual format encourages lots of people to attend who otherwise might not, and we’re going to do our best to bring engaging interactions, and perhaps even some serendipity, to this virtual conference."
What would you say to someone who has never been to USCOTS about what makes this conference a great one to attend?
"We are happy to give you three (hopefully compelling) reasons to hop off the fence and join us at USCOTS:
1. Many statistics conferences include some teaching sessions, and many teaching conferences include some statistics sessions, but it’s a pretty rare and wonderful thing to attend an entire conference devoted to teaching statistics.
2. We have some great presenters lined up, including Rebecca Nugent, Catherine D'Ignazio, Lauren Klein, and Alana Unfried as keynotes. And, we’re emphasizing that all sessions should include a mix of practical, thought-provoking, and fun aspects.
3. A highlight of this year's program is the keynote panel, entitled "Expanding Horizons and Fostering Diversity," with Felicia Simpson, Jacqueline Hughes-Oliver, Jamylle Carter, Prince Afriyie, Samuel Echevarria-Cruz as panelists. We think this session will provide participants with lots of ideas to think about and act upon."
Besides attending, what are other ways to participate in this year's conference?
"There is still time to submit a session proposal. Proposals for Breakout Sessions and Workshops are due February 1st, for Posters & Beyond are due April 22nd (or March 11th if you want feedback), and for Birds-of-a-Feather topics are due May 31st. You can find more details on the Call for Proposals page, but please don't hesitate to reach out to us, Allan Rossman (arossman@calpoly.edu) and Kelly McConville (mcconville@reed.edu), with any questions you might have."
Announcements
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