Message from the Chair

Dear SSDSE Members,

Spring is finally here! For some of us, it has been a long winter! In my note, I want to highlight several section-related activities, initiatives, and upcoming events. If you have questions or suggestions, please feel free to reach out (ulrike@iastate.edu).

2026 Conferences

We have several amazing conferences lined up in 2026. If you cannot attend, look over the programs and keynote speakers to learn what members in our community are up to - there might be a future invited speaker, a collaboration, or simply a professional connection waiting for you in addition to learning about the latest developments in Statistics and Data Science Education.

• JSM: The Joint Statistical Meetings will be in Boston, Massachusetts this year from August 1st - 6th. Boston offers many historic, cultural and culinary specialties. If you are planning to attend, look for announcements at the end of May, early June for section-specific activities and social events. Kelly McConville generously volunteered to find us another awesome ice cream place. Later this spring, Abhishek Chakraborty will also advertise for Birds-of-a-Feather session leaders. If you are new to the section, these are offered in place of JSM’s roundtables.

• ICOTS 12: The 12th International Conference on Teaching Statistics is July 12th - 17th in Brisbane, Australia. The theme “What? When? Who? How?”  There is still time to Submit a Poster Proposal by March 31st. Keynote Speakers include Professor Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel, Professor Dianne Cook, Sir Peter Donnelly, Professor Rob Gould, and Dr. Elena Proden.

• eCOTS: The Electronic Conference on Teaching Statistics is June 15th - 18th. The conference theme this year is "Sparking Joy and Discovery In a World of AI". As part of the conference, there will be six regional meetings, one in the UK and five in the US.

Staying Connected and Informed

You are likely familiar with our section’s website and, perhaps, our section’s blog. Let me introduce you to Eric Reyes, who started his three-year term as the Section’s communication officer. If you would like to post something on the section’s website, you can reach him by email (email Eric).

• Our section blog has seen a decrease in activity in recent years, and we are considering changes. If you have ideas, please let Eric and me know.

• I have found myself drawn to regularly occurring discussions by members of the isolated statisticians’ community. Follow the link to learn more about the group and how to join the email list if you are interested.

Mentoring Program: Think about participating in the section’s mentoring program – either as a mentor or as a mentee. The mentoring program allows statistics and data science educators new to the discipline to build connections with more senior faculty. These connections are mutually beneficial, supporting the mentee in achieving their professional goals and keeping more experienced faculty connected with new educators. The mentoring committee will send out a request for people to sign up in early May. Look for an email or announcement by Jacqueline Herman.

Learning Opportunities

This year offers several workshops and webinars. Check them out and participate if you can. 

• Preparing to Teach: The Preparing to Teach workshop is back in 2026. The purpose is to help prepare graduate students to be statistics and data science educators. The workshop will take place at Curry College outside Boston on August 2nd (Sunday during JSM). Apply here by May 1st for full consideration!

• Teaching Statistical Thinking with GAISE: This faculty development workshop will be offered twice this year (May and prior to JSM). The full title is “Teaching Statistical Thinking with GAISE: Statistical Investigation Process, Multivariable Thinking, Simulation-Based Inference”.

• Georgia Workshop in May: Friday, May 15 (from 9am - 4pm) and Saturday, May 16 (from 9am-12pm), 2026 in Marietta, Georgia. Attendance is free, but advance registration (by April 17) is required. Click here to register: https://forms.gle/ZHr574DETE4r7eCp7

• Curry College Workshop prior to JSM: Friday, July 31 (from 3pm - 7pm) and Saturday, August 1 (from 9am-4pm), 2026 on the campus of Curry College, near Boston, Massachusetts. Attendance is free, but advance registration (by June 1) is required. Click here to register: https://forms.gle/gGGeFbbDdByoXvyPA

For more details and travel support opportunities, visit the respective announcements: Georgia workshop, Curry College workshop.

Journals

Our community supports two journals in particular.

• Check out the ASA’s Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education. The journal is always looking for reviewers (please reach out to editor Juana Sanchez to be added to the list), authors (there are no author publication charges), and readers (all the papers are open access)!

• Statistics Teacher is an online journal published by the American Statistical Association – National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Joint Committee on Curriculum in Statistics and Probability for Grades K-12.

Other Ways to Get Involved

Getting involved is easy, and we welcome your help, no matter how small or large.

• Volunteer at JSM, helping us staff our community table (sign-up to come).

• Vote in the upcoming ASA Elections: The election for the Board of Directors positions and section officers will open in April. Participate! Our Section’s own Nicholas Horton is running.
  

• Member Initiative Grants: Each year, the section funds a few small grants for innovative and impactful initiatives in statistics and data science education. We will send out an announcement advertising this year’s application in late spring.
  

• High School Fellows Program: The section runs a fellowship program for high school and two-year college teachers. During their two-year term, the fellows receive career mentorship and lead a discussion about their teaching experiences at a statistics conference. We will be advertising for the high school fellowship this spring, with the two-year term starting in August.

• USPROC: If you are supervising undergraduate research or incorporating projects into your winter/spring courses, encourage your students to submit their work to the Undergraduate Statistics Project Competition. The spring deadline is in June.

• Share Your Ideas: Send me a note (ulrike@iastate.edu) if you have ideas for future section activities, such as podcasts, learning communities, workshops, webinars, or meet-ups!

Thanks to all our executive committee members (outgoing, incoming, and current) and thanks to you for helping create a vibrant and supportive section!

Best Wishes,

Ulrike

2026 Chair for the Section on Statistics and Data Science Education

#newsletter2026 #Chair