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A Chapter of the American Statistical Association


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December 2005

Contents:



Annual Holiday Dinner!!!

Please come join your friends and colleagues for a celebration of the holiday season.

The 2005 WSS Holiday Dinner will be held Wednesday, December 14, at the Gordon Biersch Brewery from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. Finger foods (wings, shrimp, pizza & artichoke hearts) and a and cash bar featuring Gordon Biersch Lagers. The Brewery is located at 900 F St, NW, D.C. - close to the Gallery Place Metro Station (green, yellow or red line).

$24 per person.

Send the filled-out flyer and a check payable to WSS by December 7, 2005, to Yves Thibaudeau, 1037 17Th ST S, Arlington, VA 22202. You can also contact contact Yves at yves.thibaudeau@census.gov or (301) 763-1706.

Hope to see you there!


Judges For The 2006 Science Fairs

Volunteers are needed to represent the Washington Statistical Society next spring as judges in five regional science fairs in Northern Virginia, suburban Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Since 1986, WSS has provided special awards at these fairs to students whose projects demonstrate excellence in data analysis or the application of statistical methods. Those who have participated in this activity have very much enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the students and to observe the widely diverse projects which are presented. The fairs are held on Saturday mornings in mid-March to mid-April. The only time required is that one Saturday morning, plus one weekday lunchtime meeting to discuss judging strategy.

If you would like to be a science fair judge next spring, please e-mail Robert Clickner at Robertclickner@westat.com by January 25, and include your e-mail address, work and home phone numbers, your fax number and your mailing address. If you judged last spring, there is no need to contact Bob unless your e-mail address or phone number has changed. If you have any questions, please call Bob at 301-294-2815.


SIGSTAT Topics for December 2005 to April 2006

December 14, 2005: SAS PROC MDC

The MDC (Multinomial Discrete Choice) procedure analyzes models where the choice set consists of multiple alternatives. The procedure supports conditional logit, mixed logit, heteroskedastic extreme value, nested logit, and multinomial probit models. Charlie Hallahan will be the speaker.

January 18, 2006: SAS PROC QUANTREG

The QUANTREG procedure models the effects of covariates on the conditional quantiles of a response variable by means of a quantile regression. Ordinary least-squares (OLS) regression models the relationship between one or more covariates X and the conditional mean of the response variable Y given X=x. Quantile regression extends the regression model to conditional quantiles of the response variable, such as the median or 90th percentile. Charlie Hallahan will be the speaker.

February 8, 2006: SAS PROC ENTROPY< The ENTROPY procedure implements a parametric method of linear estimation based on Generalized Maximum entropy. The ENTROPY procedure is suitable when there are outliers in the data and robustness is required, or when the model is ill-posed or undetermined for the observed data, or for regressions involving small data sets. Charlie Hallahan will be the speaker.

March 15, 2006: SAS PROC GLIMMIX

The GLIMMIX procedure fits statistical models to data with correlations or nonconstant variability and where the response is not necessarily normally distributed. These models are known as generalized linear mixed models (GLMM). The GLMMs, like linear mixed models, assume normal (Gaussian) random effects. Conditional on these random effects, data can have any distribution in the exponential family. In the absence of random effects, the GLIMMIX procedure fits generalized linear models (fit by the GENMOD procedure). Charlie Hallahan will be the speaker.

SIGSTAT is the Special Interest Group in Statistics for the CPCUG, the Capital PC User Group, and WINFORMS, the Washington Institute for Operations Research Service and Management Science.

All meetings are in Room S3031 (Food Safety and Nutrition Room), 1800 M St, NW from 12:30 to 1:30. Enter the South Tower and take the elevator to the 3rd floor to check in at the guard's desk.

Apri 19, 2006: Introduction to SAS Enterprise Guide 4.1 for Statistical Analysis

The demo begins with a quick tour through the layout of Enterprise Guide (EG) as a menu-based interface to SAS procedures.Ê Emphasis in this workshop will be on the statistical capabilities of EG.Ê In particular, a set of data (put together using enhanced features of the query builder task) will serve as a case study for a forecasting exercise. The demo will show how code generated by EG can be customized, stored, and rerun, and custom reports saved with new Report Controls Integration.

Linda Atkinson and Charlie Hallahan will be the speakers.

SIGSTAT is the Special Interest Group in Statistics for the CPCUG, the Capital PC User Group, and WINFORMS, the Washington Institute for Operations Research Service and Management Science.

All meetings are in Room S3031, 1800 M St, NW from 12:00 to 1:00 (note new time). Enter the South Tower & take the elevator to the 3rd floor to check in at the guard's desk.

First-time attendees should contact Charlie Hallahan, 202-694-5051, hallahan@ers.usda.gov and leave their name. Directions to the building and many links of statistical interest can be found at the SIGSTAT website, www.cpcug.org/user/sigstat/


Email Delivery

If you did not receive this issue electronically and you have not notified us that you wish to receive the newsletter in hardcopy, please send your preferred email address to svm@mitre.org and indicate that this is your address for the WSS newsletter. To continue to receive the newsletter in hard copy, contact the WSS secretary at courtney.nreiser@census.gov or (301) 763-4142.


Note From The WSS NEWS Editor

Items for publication in the February issue of the WSS NEWS should be submitted no later than December 27, 2005. E-mail items to Michael Feil at michael.feil@usda.gov.


Washington Statistical Society 2007-2008
Board of Directors and Committees
(Revised: (November 7, 2007)

President
Michael P. Cohen
(202) 232-4651
e-mail: mpcohen@juno.com
Past President
Jill Montaquila
(301) 517-4046
fax: (301) 294-2034
e-mail: jillmontaquila@westat.com
President-Elect
Karol Krotki
(202) 728-2485
fax: (202) 728-2095
e-mail: kkrotki@rti.org
Secretary
Chris Moriarity (2007-09)
(301) 458-4380
e-mail: cdm7@cdc.gov
Treasurer
Daniell Toth (2006-08)
(202) 691-7380
e-mail: Toth.Daniell@bls.gov

Vice Chair for District 2 of
Council of Chapters

Glenn White (2006-09)
(202) 327-6414
fax: (202) 327-6740
e-mail: glenn.white@ey.com
Council of Chapters Representative
Jonaki Bose (2007-09)
(240) 276-1257
fax: (240) 276-1260
e-mail: jonaki.bose@samhsa.hhs.gov
Representatives-at-Large
Polly Phipps (2006-08)
(202) 691-7513
fax: (202) 691-7426
e-mail: phipps_p@bls.gov

Allen Schirm (2006-08)
(202) 484-4686
fax: (202) 863-1763
e mail: aschirm@mathematica-mpr.com
 
Brian Harris-Kojetin (2007-09)
(202) 395-7314
fax: (202) 395-7245
e-mail: bharrisk@omb.eop.gov
Jeri Mulrow (2007-09)
(703) 292-4784
fax: (813) 329-3251
e-mail: jmulrow@nsf.gov
Student Representative
Joe Maisog
(703) 465-2006
e-mail: jmm97@georgetown.edu
WSS Program Chairs
   
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Mel Kollander
(703) 642-8079
e-mail: mellk@erols.com

Mike Fleming
(202) 366-5419
e-mail: cfleming0@cox.net

Barry Nussbaum (202) 566-1493
fax: (202) 566-0699
e-mail: nussbaum.barry@epa.gov

Gertrude M. Cox Award Committee (RTI)
Paul Levy
(919) 316-3857
e-mail: levy@rti.org

Mansour Fahimi
(301) 230-4675
e-mail: fahimi@rti.org

Moshe Feder
(919) 485-2639
e-mail: mfeder@rti.org

Data Collection Methods
Carol Blumberg
(202) 586-6565
fax: (202) 586-4913
e-mail: carol.blumberg@eia.doe.gov

Eugene Burns
(202) 586-1385
e-mail: eugene.burns@eia.doe.gov

Defense & National Security Committee
Myron Katzoff
(301) 458-4307
fax: (301) 458-4031
e-mail: mjk5@cdc.gov

Wendy Martinez
(703) 696-4320
fax: (703) 696-2611
e-mail: wendy_martinez@onr.navy.mil

Economics
Linda Atkinson
(202) 694-5046
fax: (202) 694-5715
e-mail: atkinson@ers.usda.gov

Anne Polivka
(202) 691-7395
e-mail: polivka.anne@bls.gov

Financial Advisor & Audit Committee
Stuart Scott
(202) 691-7383
fax: (202) 691-7426
e-mail: scott.stuart@bls.gov

R. Clifton Bailey
(703) 893-8719
e-mail: Clifton.Bailey@wap.org

Hansen Lecture Committee
Norman Bradburn (2008 chair)
(202) 223-0842
e-mail: Bradburn-Norman@norc.uchicago.edu

Dan Kasprzyk (2007 past-chair)
(202) 264-3482
fax: (202) 484-9512
e-mail: dkasprzyk@mathematica-mpr.com

Carol House
(202) 720-4333
fax: (202) 720-9013
e-mail: chouse@nass.usda.gov

Keith Rust
(301) 251-8278
fax: (301) 294-2034
e-mail: keithrust@westat.com

Tommy Wright
(301) 763-1702
fax: (301) 457-2299
e-mail: tommy.wright@census.gov

Human Rights Committee
Hormuzd Katki
(301) 594-7818
fax: (301) 402-0081
e-mail: hkatki@gmail.com

Wendy Rotz
(202) 327-7822
fax: (202) 327-6773
e-mail: wendy.rotz@ey.com

Herriot Award Committee
Larry Cox
(301) 458-4631
e-mail: lcox@cdc.gov

Dwight Brock
(301) 517-4026
fax: (301) 294-2034
e-mail: dwightbrock@westat.com

Curtis Jacobs Memorial Committee
Tom Krenzke
(301) 251-4203
fax: (301) 294-2034 e-mail: tomkrenzke@westat.com

Membership Committee
John Czajka
(202) 484-4685
fax: (202) 863-1763
e-mail: jczajka@mathematica-mpr.com

John Dixon
(202) 691-7516
fax: (202) 691-7426
e-mail: dixon_j@bls.gov

Timothy Kennel
(301) 763-6795
e-mail: timothy.l.kennel@census.gov

Adam Safir
(202) 974-7822
e-mail: asafir@rti.org

Fritz Scheuren
(202) 320-3446
fax: (703) 549-1119
e-mail: scheuren@aol.com

Methodology Program
Keith Rust (2007-09)
(301) 251-8278
fax: (301) 294-2034
e-mail: keithrust@westat.com

Methodology Section
Meena Khare (2006-08)
(301) 458-4312
fax: (301) 458-4031
e-mail: mkhare@cdc.gov

Public Health & Biostatistics
Grant Izmirlian
(301) 496-7519
fax: (301) 402-0816
e-mail: izmirlian@nih.gov

Myron Katzoff
(301) 458-4307
fax: (301) 458-4031
e-mail: mjk5@cdc.gov

Public Policy
Michael L. Cohen (chair)
(202) 334-3765
ffax: (202) 334-3751
email:mcohen@nas.edu

Shelly Martinez
(202)395-3147
fax: (202) 395-7245
e-mail: rmartinez@omb.eop.gov

Clint Brownley
(412) 973-4769
fax: (202) 362-1224
e-mail: cbrownley@gmail.com
   
Quality Assurance
Amrut Champaneri
(202) 366-5998
fax: (202) 366-3370
e mail: amrut.champaneri@dot.gov

Alan Jeeves
(202) 366 4194
fax: (202) 493-0568
e-mail: alan.jeeves@dot.gov

Quantitative Literacy
Carolyn Carroll
(202) 320-8709
fax: (530) 706-7762
e-mail: carolyn@stattech.com

Quantitative Literacy Poster Competition
Stacey Chan (primary contact)
(202) 327-5914
fax: (866) 390-0405
e-mail: stacey.chan@ey.com

Ryan Petska (secondary contact)
(202) 327-7245
e-mail: ryan.petska@ey.com

Quantitative Literacy Workshop Coordinator
Mark Otto
(301) 497-5872
e-mail: mark_otto@fws.gov

Science Fair
Bob Clickner
(301) 294-2815
fax: (301) 294-2829
e-mail: robertclickner@westat.com

Short Courses
Sylvia Dohrmann (co-chair)
(301) 610-5119
e-mail: SylviaDohrmann@Westat.com

Trena Ezzati-Rice (co-chair)
(301) 427-1478
e-mail: trena.ezzati-rice@ahrq.gov

Shiskin Committee
Robert Parker (chair)
(301) 467-7677
fax: (301) 263-0659
e-mail: parkerrobertp@aol.com

Steve Paben (secretary)
(202) 691-6147
fax: (202) 691-7007
e-mail: paben.steven@bls.gov

Paul Bugg
Dennis Fixler
John Greenlees
Maurine Haver
Charles Hulten
Thomas Mesenbourg
Karen Pence
Stuart Scott

Social & Demographic Statistics
Judy Droitcour
(202) 512-9145
e-mail: droitcourJ@gao.gov

Promod Chandhok
(202) 366-2158
e-mail: promod.chandhok@dot.gov

Statistical Computing
Charlie Hallahan
(202) 694-5051
fax: (202) 694-5718
e-mail: hallahan@ers.usda.gov

Dean Judson
(301) 763-2057
fax: (301) 457-8099
e-mail: dean.h.judson@census.gov

WSS Committee on ASA Fellows
Steven B. Cohen (chair)
(301) 427-1466
fax: (301) 427-1476
e-mail: scohen@ahrq.gov

Dwight Brock
(301) 517-4026
fax: (301) 294-2034
e-mail: dwightbrock@westat.com

Carol House
(202) 720-4333
fax: (202) 720-9013
e-mail: chouse@nass.usda.gov

Fritz Scheuren (ex-officio)
(202) 320-3446
fax: (703) 549-1119
e-mail: scheuren@aol.com

WSS Local Arrangements
Kevin Cecco
(202) 874-0464
fax: (202) 874-4214
e-mail: kevin.cecco@irs.gov

WSS Historian
Tom Mule
(301) 457-8322
e-mail: vincent.t.mule.jr@census.gov

WSS Social Arrangements
Yasmin Said
(301) 538-7478
e-mail: ysaid99@hotmail.com

Yves Thibaudeau
(301) 763-1706
e-mail: Yves.Thibaudeau@census.gov

WSS Video Conferencing
John Dixon
(202) 691-7516
fax: (202) 691-7426
e-mail: dixon_j@bls.gov

WSS Video Librarian
Phil Kalina
(703) 725-6600
e-mail: phil@philkalina.com

WSS Employment Column Coordinator
Anne Peterson
(703) 979-1191
fax: (410) 740-2627
e-mail: apeterson.ipr@verizon.net

WSS NEWS Editor
Michael Feil
(202) 690-3130
fax: (202)-720-3290
e-mail: michael.feil@usda.gov

WSS Electronic Mail
Michael Greene
(301) 504-7335
fax: (301) 504-0081
e-mail: michael.greene@comcast.net

S.V. (Vince) Massimini
(703) 983-5893
fax: (703) 983 1364
e-mail: svm@mitre.org

WSS Webmaster
Dan Jacobs
(301) 405-6383
fax: (301) 314-5780
e-mail: jacobs@mdsg.umd.edu


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