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November 2006

Contents:



Holiday Party

The Holiday Party will be held at Gordon Biersch which is located at 900 F Street, NW, Washington, DC on December 13, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. See the flyer (pdf) for more details.


16th Annual Morris Hansen Lecture

Michael F. Goodchild, Professor of Geography (University of California, Santa Barbara) will give the 16th Annual Morris Hansen Lecture on Monday November 6 at 3:30p.m. in the Jefferson Auditorium of the Department of Agriculture's South Building (Independence Avenue SW, between 12th and 14th Street).

Dr. Goodchild will speak on "Statistical Perspectives on Spatial Social Science." Sarah Nusser (Iowa Sate University) and Linda Pickle (National Cancer Institute) will be the discussants. A reception will follow the lecture. The Hansen Lecture Series is sponsored by the Washington Statistical Society, Westat, and the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The USDA's South Building is between 12th and 14th Streets at the Smithsonian Metro Stop (Blue Line). Enter through Wing 5 or Wing 7 from Independence Ave. (The handicapped entrance is at 12th & Independence). A photo ID is required.

Please pre-register for this event to help facilitate access to the building. Pre-register on line at http://www.nass.usda.gov/morrishansen/


Herriot Award Nominations Sought

Nominations are sought for the 2007 Roger Herriot Award for Innovation in Federal Statistics. The award is intended to reflect the special characteristics that marked Roger Herriot's career:

The award isnot limited to senior members of an organization, nor is it to be considered as a culmination of a long period of service. Individuals at all levels within Federal statistical agencies, other government organizations, nonprofit organizations, the private sector, and the academic community may be nominated on the basis of their contributions.

The recipient of the 2007 Roger Herriot Award will be chosen by a committee comprising representatives of the Social Statistics and Government Statistics Sections of the American Statistical Association, and of the Washington Statistical Society. Roger Herriot was associated with and strongly supportive of these organizations during his career. The award consists of a $1000 honorarium and a framed citation, which will be presented at a ceremony at the Joint Statistical Meetings in August 2007. The Washington Statistical Society will also host a seminar given by the winner on a subject of his or her own choosing.

The previous recipients of the Roger Herriot Award are Joseph Waksberg (Westat), Monroe Sirken (NCHS), Constance Citro (CNStat), Roderick Harrison (Census Bureau), Clyde Tucker (BLS), Thomas Jabine (SSA, EIA, CNStat), Donald Dillman (Washington State University), Jeanne Griffith (OMB, NCES, NSF), Daniel Weinberg (Census Bureau), David Banks (FDA, BTS, NIST), Paula Schneider (Census Bureau), Robert E. Fay III (Census Bureau), and Nathaniel Schenker (NCHS).

Nominations for the 2007 award will be accepted beginning in February 2007. Nomination packages should contain:

Both individual and group nominations may be submitted. The committee may consider nominations made for the 2006 award, but it encourages resubmission of those nominations with updated information.

For more information, contact Daniel Weinberg, Chair, 2007 Roger Herriot Award Committee, at 301.763.5791 or Daniel.H.Weinberg@census.gov. Completed packages must be received by April 1, 2007. Electronic submissions in MS-Word or as a "pdf" file are encouraged.

Alternately, nominations may be mailed to:

Dr. Daniel H. Weinberg
Chief, Center for Economic Statistics
U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-6300


Federal Committee On Statistical Methodology Statistical Policy Seminar

Keeping Current: What We Know What We Need To Learn
November 28-29, 2006
The Eighth in a Series of Seminars Hosted by COPAFS
(The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics)

Participants will include statisticians, economists, and managers, as well as other professionals in the broader statistical community who share an interest in keeping current on issues related to federal data.

Support Provided by:

Topics:

Keynote Address: Kenneth Prewitt, Columbia University

Location: L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington D.C. 20024. To Reserve a Room Call: 202-484-1000

Seminar Registration Cost: $195.00 per person

Downloaded A Registration Form At:http://www.copafs.org

For Further Information, Contact the COPAFS Office at:
Phone: 703-836-0404
Email: copafs@aol.com


Quantitative Methods in Defense and National Security
George Mason University
February 7-8, 2007

Abstract Submissions Due: November 15, 2006

Website: http://www.galaxy.gmu.edu/QMDNS2007/

The second annual Quantitative Methods in Defense and National Security conference (QMDNS-07) will be held at George Mason University at the Fairfax Virginia Campus. The goal of the conference is to promote collaboration between those with quantitative national security problems (e.g., defense and homeland security practitioners) and those who solve quantitative problems (e.g., statisticians, mathematicians, operations researchers, engineers, and others).

In many aspects, the problems in defense and national security that we must address today are different from those of the past. In part, this is due to our having a more sophisticated understanding of the circumstances under which a national problem should be classified as a defense or security problem. For example, there is a need for effective measures to counter the consequences of asymmetric warfare and terrorism in whatever form they may take and affect our civilian or military populations. (It should be noted that there could be instances in which the distinctions between those populations are, for practical purposes, irrelevant.)

In addition, those who would perpetrate such threats have greater access than ever before to rapid communications and information via the internet on, for example, public health, economic and border-access data and resources, which could enable them to enhance the effectiveness of their efforts. This conference strives to promote collaboration and networking by focusing on challenges, data, and solutions in the defense and national security arenas.

The conference program will consist of invited sessions, contributed talks, and contributed posters. Contributed talks and posters will be refereed based on extended abstracts. We are looking for contributed talks and posters that

Please go to the conference website (http://www.galaxy.gmu.edu/QMDNS2007/) for information on abstract submission and other details. The last day to submit abstracts for the contributed program is November 15, 2006. Please contact Jeffrey Solka (jeffrey.solka@navy.mil) if you have questions.


Eleventh Biennial CDC & ATSDR Symposium on Statistical Methods

April 17-18, 2007

Call For Abstracts

Statisticians,social and behavioral scientists, epidemiologists, economists, policy analysts, and others are invited to participate in the Eleventh Biennial Symposium on Statistical Methods, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC & ATSDR), the American Statistical Association (ASA) and the Biostatistics Department at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. The Symposium will be held in Atlanta, GA. The theme for the 2007 Symposium is "Analyzing and Mapping Health Inequities to Impact Policies for Eliminating Disparities." Two short courses (Bayesian Small Area Estimation and Statistical Analysis Using GIS Data Measuring Disparities) will be offered on April 16, 2007 in conjunction with the Symposium.

Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts for contributed papers related to one of the following session topics:

Abstracts will be considered for either oral or poster presentation and must be submitted no later than November 20, 2006. Authors of accepted presentation will be notified by January 5, 2007. For more information, please visit the Symposium website at http://www.cdc.gov/ods/ads/sag/index.htm or contact:

Mark Stevens
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
4770 Buford Hwy NE (MS K-10)
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717
(770) 488 5673
MStevens@cdc.gov


SIGSTAT Topics for November 2006 to December 2006

November 15, 2006: Using SAS PROC MIXED to Fit Multilevel & Hierarchical Models

This talk will follow the paper, "Using SAS PROC MIXED to Fit Multilevel Models, Hierarchical Models, and Individual Growth Models" by Judith Singer (1998) which can be downloaded from her website, http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~faculty/singer/.

In the November meeting we'll use a school effects model, designed for data nested within naturally occurring hierarchies (e.g., students within classes). Charlie Hallahan will be the speaker.

December 20, 2006: Using SAS PROC MIXED to Fit Individual Growth Models

This talk will follow the paper, "Using SAS PROC MIXED to Fit Multilevel Models, Hierarchical Models, and Individual Growth Models" by Judith Singer (1998) which can be downloaded from her website, http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~faculty/singer/.

In the December meeting we'll use an individual growth model designed for exploring longitudinal data (on individuals) over time. 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, 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/


Note From The WSS NEWS Editor

Items for publication in the January issue of the WSS NEWS should be submitted no later than November 28, 2006. 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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