Elizabeth Stuart (Johns Hopkins University) & Lance Waller (Emory University)
Abstract
How can statistics and data science educators prepare students for a rapidly evolving landscape of data and computation? Two recent National Academies consensus studies—"Frontiers of Statistics in Science and Engineering: 2035 and Beyond" and "Developing Competencies for the Future of Data and Computing: The Role of K–12"—offer forward-looking insights and recommendations with direct implications for educators at all levels.
In this session, CATS co-chairs Liz Stuart and Lance Waller will highlight key findings from these reports, discuss how they connect to current teaching practices in statistics and data science, and consider what skills, collaborations, and systems will best support learners in the coming decades.
The Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics (CATS) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine advises stakeholders across government, academia, industry, and nonprofit organizations on issues in statistics and data science. Through workshops, consensus studies, and related activities, CATS links research, education, and practice to address challenges of national and global importance. (The reports can be freely downloaded from the National Academies website after setting up a free account.)
Bio: Elizabeth A. Stuart, Ph.D. is the Frank Hurley and Catharine Dorrier Chair and Bloomberg Professor of American Health in the Department of Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with joint appointments in the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Health Policy and Management. Her research interests are in design and analysis approaches for estimating causal effects in experimental and non-experimental studies, including questions around the external validity of randomized trials and the internal validity of non-experimental studies, as well as methods for combining data sources to assess treatment effect heterogeneity and methods for evidence synthesis. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She currently serves on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) and co-chairs NASEM's Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics (CATS).
Lance A. Waller, Ph.D. is a Professor and former Chair in the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, a co-chair of National Academies’ Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics, and a former member of the U.S. Census Scientific Advisory Committee. Dr. Waller is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. His research involves the development of statistical methods for geographic data including applications in environmental health, epidemiology, disease surveillance, and disease ecology. His research appears in biostatistical, statistical, environmental health, and ecology journals and in the textbook Applied Spatial Statistics for Public Health Data (2004, Wiley).