Newsletter 2013

I am proud to begin a term as chair of Cal Poly’s Statistics Department. We have a terrific group of students and faculty to work and study alongside. I want to thank my predecessor, Bob Smidt, and the others who have served in this role over the years — Jay Devore, Roxy Peck and Jim Daly — for paving the way and establishing such a delightful environment in which to teach, study and learn.

Greg Ridgeway

In January, Greg Ridgeway (B.S., Statistics, 1995) was named acting director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research and development agency within the U.S. Department of Justice. The NIJ works to improve scientific understanding of crime and justice through studying areas such as which public policies deter crime or how to make DNA evidence faster and cheaper.

Debbie Huang

While still a student, Debbie Huang (B.S., Statistics, 2013) won two awards at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students held in San Jose, Calif., in November 2012. Students from all over the country made presentations in the areas of math, engineering and physics. Huang received a presentation award and one of only three interdisciplinary awards for her poster on the statistical analysis of cardiovascular disease in women.

Read more about our featured alumni

Proposed System Could Vaporize Asteroids That Threaten Earth

Gary Hughes, along with UCSB profesor Phillip Lubin, has conceived DE-STAR (Directed Energy Solar Targeting of Asteroids and exploRation) as a realistic means of mitigating potential threats posed to the Earth by asteroids and comets. The proposed system is designed to harness some of the power of the sun and convert it into a massive phased array of laser beams that can destroy asteroids posing a potential threat to Earth.

Read an interview with Hughes and Lubin in the Los Angeles Times
Read the scientific description of DE-STAR at photonics.com

Congratulations Are in Order

A number of statistics faculty members' recent achievements are worthy of note:

• In April, Andrew Schaffner and Heather Smith were recognized by President Armstrong for their 15 years of dedicated service to Cal Poly.
• Jeff Sklar took a sabbatical leave during fall 2013.
• Karen McGaughey was elected to the Academic Senate for 2013-15.

As part of the department's efforts to revise the current curriculum, including incorporating more modern statistical methods, we will be seeking input from alumni. Melissa Bowler, a student working on her senior project, will be sending out an alumni survey in January as part of her senior project. Please keep a look out for the survey and respond.

Statistics alumni are pursuing advanced degrees, analyzing retail and health data, and raising children all over the world. Find out what your classmates are up to.

Statistics faculty members have had a busy year professionally and personally.

Click here to catch up on the faculty.

Emeritus and former faculty members are traveling the world while remaining academically active. Learn more about their activities.

The Stat Club wanted to recognize Bob Smidt when he retired. After brainstorming, the members decided to start a Hall of Fame in the Stat Lab and make Smidt the inaugural member. Because most statistics majors spend quite a bit of time in the lab, the club thought a plaque honoring Smidt would be the best way for students to learn about his contributions to the department. As time goes on and more faculty members retire, the club hopes to add more plaques so that students always know the professors who have made the Cal Poly Statistics Department a great place to learn. The Stat Club is grateful to Smidt for being an excellent teacher and department chair over the years. Thank you!

WUSS is officially recognized as the SAS user group of the western region of the U.S. It is a nonprofit, educational organization that provides SAS system users with professional development opportunities and a forum to exchange ideas. Every year, Cal Poly sends approximately 15 students to this conference, many of whom earn academic scholarships to attend.

Read more about WUSS

Scholarship for the Advancement of Science and Technology: Rachel Free and Julia Schedler

The Scholarship for the Advancement of Science and Technology award is given to a sophomore, junior or senior with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Applicants must write a one-page document with a brief personal statement and an explanation of why they chose to major in statistics and what they believe the role of statistics is in science and technology.

Read Julia Schedler’s winning document (doc)

Joyce Curry-Daly and James Daly Memorial Scholarship: Rachel Free, Logan Tonder and Robin Tu

The scholarship named in recognition of Joyce Curry-Daly and James Daly, seminal members of the Statistics Department, is used to support the long-term academic pursuits of worthy statistics majors.

Read more about the Joyce Curry-Daly and James Daly Scholarship

We want to thank our generous donors for their continued support of the department. Private support from our alumni, parents and friends helps the Statistics Department continue to provide an exceptional Learn by Doing education for today's students.

View the 2012-13 donors