Cheng, Figueroa-López, and Neville granted CAREER awards

Congratulations to Assistant Professors Guang Cheng, José Figueroa-López, and Jennifer Neville, each of whom have been awarded grants by the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This prestigious award supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research, to build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.

Guang's proposal, titled "Bootstrap M-estimation in Semi-Nonparametric Models," is funded from July 2012 through June 2017 with a total budget of $400K. His research will focus on the issues associated with the rapid advancement of modern computers and technologies that have created unprecedented data explosion.
More on Guang's CAREER award

The grant awarded to Figueroa-López for his proposal titled "Bridging high-frequency data analysis and continuous-time features of Lévy models," is funded from July 2012 through June 2017 with a total budget of $400K. The funded research targets a growing need for efficient and accurate statistical and computational methods for the high-frequency data generated by automated monitoring systems of increasing use in engineering applications, financial markets, and environmental studies.
More on José's CAREER award

Jennifer's award for her proposal titled "Machine Learning Methods and Statistical Analysis Tools for Single Network Domains" will be funded from January 2012 through December 2016 for an estimated total of $496,640. Jennifer's research will focus on the development of robust statistical methods for single network domains, enhancing our understanding of the mechanisms that influence the performance of network analysis methods, and driving the development of novel methods for complex network domains.
More on Jennifer's CAREER award

Congratulations again to Professors Cheng, Figueroa-López, and Neville!

Bradley and Taylor Named Distinguished Science Alumni for 2012

Bruce Bradley (B.S. Mathematics 1972) and Wayne Taylor (B.S. Mathematics/Statistics 1976, M.S. Statistics 1978, Ph.D Statistics 1983) have been selected as the 2012 Distinguished Alumni by the Actuarial Sciences Program and Department of Statistics, respectively. Bradley and Taylor will be presented with the honors at the College of Science's Distinguished Science Alumni awards program on Friday, April 13th, 2012. The awards were established in 1990 to recognize outstanding achievement by Science alumni in professional and related fields of endeavor.

Taylor will give a presentation entitled "Engineering Variation — The Application of Statistics to Quality and Engineering" on Friday from 10:30-11:30 AM in SC 239. Refreshments, coffee, and tea will be served from 10:00-10:25 AM in HAAS 101. Faculty and students wishing to attend the talk can sign up on StatCentral. Those without access to StatCentral should contact Diane Martin (martindl@purdue.edu).

Read more...

Michael Levine elected to ISI

Members of Statistics Department Recognized at College of Science Faculty and Staff Awards Luncheon

Congratulations to Teena Erwin, José Figueroa-Lopez, Michael Levine, Frederi Viens, Holly Graef, Bo Li, Mark Ward, and Michael Zhu, all of whom were recognized at the College of Science Faculty and Staff Awards Luncheon held on February 22, 2012.

Anirban Dasgupta Named an Executive Editor of Journal of Statistical Planning & Inference

The Department of Statistics is very proud to announce that Professor Anirban DasGupta has been appointed an Executive Editor for the Journal of Statistical Planning & Inference. Published by Elsevier, the Journal of Statistical Planning & Inference is a modern statistics journal that encompasses all aspects of statistics. The journal's depth of range is from classical statistics and probability to interdisciplinary classifications with significant and far-reaching impact while maintaining core strength in statistical inference, design, classical probability, and large sample methods.

Ellen Gundlach Selected as IMPACT Faculty Fellow

Continuing Lecturer Ellen Gundlach was recently selected as a Faculty Fellow in the IMPACT Program at Purdue. The mission of IMPACT is to improve student competency and confidence through redesign of foundational courses by using research findings on sound, student-centered teaching and learning.

Ellen will spend the next year working as an IMPACT Faculty Fellow in the ongoing redesign of STAT 113, "Statistics in Society." This is a course that teaches statistical concepts to undergraduates while emphasizing applications in public policy and in the social and behavioral sciences. Each semester Ellen instructs 500 traditional classroom students, as well as the newly established online version of the same course taken by 80 students. Through the IMPACT program Ellen will be responsible for guiding STAT 113 to a more student-centered learning experience.

Read more about the IMPACT program:
IMPACT (Purdue) web page
Journal & Courier online

Cheng Granted CAREER Award

Assistant Professor Guang Cheng has been awarded a grant by the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program from the Division of Mathematical Sciences of the National Science Foundation (NSF). This prestigious award supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research, to build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.

Guang's Award: "CAREER: Bootstrap M-estimation in Semi-Nonparametric Models" is funded from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017 with a total budget of $400K. His research will focus on the issues associated with the rapid advancement of modern computers and technologies that have created unprecedented data explosion. The immediate need for fast and efficient extraction of information from massive data gives rise to the increasing popularity of the semi-nonparametric models. For example, to understand the recent financial crisis, the semi-nonparametric copula models are applied to address tail dependence among shocks to different financial series and also to recover the shapes of the impact curve for individual financial series.

As a general-purpose approach to statistical inferences, the bootstrap has found wide applications in semi-nonparametric models. Unfortunately, systematic theoretical studies on the bootstrap inferences are extremely limited, especially when the nonparametric component is not root-n estimable. To address these issues, Dr. Cheng proposes bootstrap inferential strategies for two broad classes of bootstrap methods in the context of semi-nonparametric: the exchangeably weighted bootstrap and the model-based bootstrap (also known as the parametric bootstrap). The funded research promotes the use of semi-nonparametric models in analyzing modern complex data by developing a series of innovative and valid bootstrap inferential tools.

Congratulations, Professor Guang Cheng!

Please welcome visitors Dr. Laura Cayon, Ms. Meghan Honerlaw, Professor Hosam Mahmoud, Dr. Sarah Sellke, and Ms. Xiaoyan Sheng to Purdue Statistics

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Laura Cayon, Ms. Meghan Honerlaw, Professor Hosam Mahmoud, Dr. Sarah Sellke, and Ms. Xiaoyan Sheng as visitors of Purdue Statistics this semester.






Ms. Xiaoyan Sheng will be visiting the department as a Statistical Analyst in the College of Science for this semester (January 2nd 2012 — May 13th, 2012). She will be working with Professor George McCabe and will reside in HAAS 174.

Please help make our visitors welcome, and feel free to stop by their offices to introduce yourself.

George McCabe to receive ASA's Don Owen Award

Congratulations to George McCabe, Professor of Statistics and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, for being recognized as the 2012 recipient of the ASA's Don Owen award. The San Antonio, TX chapter of the ASA awards this honor each year to a statistician who has consistently demonstrated excellence in research, statistical consultation, and service to the statistical community. McCabe will receive the award at Lamar University, during the Conference of Texas Statisticians (COTS), the evening of Friday, March 2, 2012.

Qi helps put Purdue's newest supercomputer to use

Statistics and Computer Science Assistant Professor Alan Qi is taking advantage of Purdue's newest supercomputer. The new supercomputer, named "Carter," is the fastest campus supercomputer in the nation. Alan and his team are using the supercomputer to implement novel statistical models for the analysis of high-dimensional flow cytometry data with an end goal of identifying cancer stem cells.

Read more about the supercomputer and Alan's use of it on the Marketwatch website.

US State Department thanks Purdue for Frederi Viens' service as Franklin Fellow in 2010-2011

Prof. Frederi Viens was awarded the national recognition of Franklin Fellow at the United States Department of State for the academic year 2010-2011. The Franklin Fellowship program allows approved organizations to engage in U.S. foreign affairs by sending mid-career and senior professionals to Washington, DC, to work on global issues of vital importance to the U.S. Prof. Viens worked as a Science Adviser to the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, at the Main State Department offices in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington. Click this link to read a "thank-you" note to Purdue from Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson.

Prof. Viens was the first scientist to provide broad advice to the State Department's Africa Bureau on all science and technology issues. The subject of his work was U.S. diplomatic engagement toward the major challenges facing Africa, including climate change, environmental degradation, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, scientific capacity building, threats to agriculture and water resources, and demographic pressures. His main role was to interpret science and technology questions related to these challenges, and to formulate recommendations for U.S. policy towards Africa. He also advised country and program "desk" officers in the Africa Bureau in DC, economic officers and Ambassadors at various Embassies ("posts") in Africa, and science and technology personnel at other Bureaus, the US Agency for International Development, and other federal agencies. He built a network of contacts among all these colleagues, assisting them with Africa-specific perspectives, writing comments on a number of internal documents, and putting Africa Bureau co-workers in contact with appropriate personnel outside the Bureau on matters of science and technology.

While Prof. Viens had some degree of freedom in deciding which problems to work on, he was expected to provide his Bureau with coverage on the United Nations climate change negotiations. He was tasked to write briefing papers for Assistant Secretary Carson and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as a broad policy piece on renewable energy development in Africa. Upon an invitation to speak by the World Bank, his Bureau sent him as the U.S. Government representative to an international conference on carbon markets in Africa.

Prof. Viens will share his experiences as a Franklin Fellow when he presents a talk entitled Climate change negotiations, environmental stewardship, energy poverty: science engagement and challenges in Africa. The talk will take place Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 6:00 PM in HAAS 111.


Read more about Prof. Viens' activities and the types of work he performed as a Franklin Fellow.

Rebecca Doerge named Trent and Judith Anderson Distinguished Professor of Statistics

Please join us in congratulating Professor Rebecca W. Doerge, ratified by the Purdue University Board of Trustees at their September 30 meeting as the Trent and Judith Anderson Distinguished Professor of Statistics. Doerge is the Head of the Department of Statistics and a professor of statistics and agronomy.  Her primary area of research is statistical bioinformatics, and she is the Head of Purdue's Statistical Bioinformatics Center. 

Doerge earned her B.S. and M.S., both in Mathematics, from the University of Utah, and she received her Ph.D. in Statistics from North Carolina State University.  She has been with Purdue since 1995, and she was named Department Head in July 2010.

See the article on the Purdue Newsroom website for more information.

Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science Program Honor Outstanding Alumni for 2011

Congratulations to Joan Varrone and Julie Parsons, the 2011 Outstanding Alumni in Statistics and Actuarial Science.  This year the Department of Statistics awarded Joan Varrone (M.S. Statistics 1973) with the Statistics Outstanding Alumni Award. The Actuarial Science program, administered jointly by the Department of Statstics and the Department of Mathematics, awarded Julie Parsons (B.S. Actuarial Science 1993) with the Actuarial Science Outstanding Alumni Award. The Outstanding Alumni Award honors an alumnus for their contributions and leadership within their profession.

Ms. Varrone and Ms. Parsons were honored at a reception and dinner Thursday evening, September 29, 2011, where they received a plaque commemorating their accomplishment.  They will also be among the honorees at a reception for all College of Science Outstanding Alumni on Friday, September 30, from 4:00 - 6:00 PM.  Also on Friday, Joan Varrone will present a talk entitled Purdue to Silicon Valley and Wall Street in HAAS 111 from 10:30 - 11:30 AM, followed by a question/answer period.


2011 Statistics Outstanding Alumna
Joan Varrone - Founder and Principal, CFO Consulting and Services

Joan Varrone started her own consulting firm in June, 2010 called CFO Consulting and Services. She serves as a part-time consulting CFO to start-ups in digital media, software, and biotech. She builds bottoms up business plans, implements financial infrastructure, and supports fund raising. Previously, Joan held senior management positions at large multinationals with strategic and operational responsibility for corporate planning and optimal financing of 40 operations worldwide.

Joan received her Master of Science degree from Purdue University in 1973 and her MBA from NYU in 1980. While attending Purdue, Joan lived in Grad House East and she and her hall mates were like a "family" as they all worked hard on their graduate studies. They would have dinner together most nights and would hit the "all you can eat" places (which were the favorite of the guys).

Joan was raised in New York City, New York. She currently lives in the San Francisco area with her husband, Joseph Catalano. Among Joan's many activities, she is a board member and head of Professional Development for the San Francisco Chapter of Financial Executives International, board member and chair of the Events Committee for the Bay Area Financial Executives Networking Group, and the founder of the International Finance Forum and Treasury Executives Network in Silicon Valley.



2011 Actuarial Science Outstanding Alumna
Julie Parsons - Senior Vice President, Allstate Corp.

Julie Parsons joined Allstate in 1993 upon graduation from Purdue University. She began her career as an actuarial analyst in the pricing department and has held various actuarial positions since then. Julie has earned the Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society designation and is a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

In 2005, Julie was promoted to the position of Assistant Vice President of Product Pricing and served as the chief actuary for Allstate's property and casualty lines of business.  In 2008, she was promoted to Vice President, Emerging Businesses, and had P&L accountability for a $1.5B book of business, including the Motorcycle and Renters lines of insurance.  In 2010, she moved to the role of Product Senior Vice President, where she is responsible for product decisions for an $8B homeowners and auto book of business.  Julie received the Crain's Chicago Business Top 40 under 40 award in 2009 and the Chicago Anti-Defamation League's Rising Star Award in 2010.

Julie received her Bachelor of Science from Purdue University in 1993 in Actuarial Science.  She had many good memories of times with friends while attending Purdue and loved playing wally ball at the Co-Rec, tailgating before football games with her friend's parents, and going to basketball games. Julie was born in Dover, England and grew up in Bloomington, Indiana.  She currently lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two daughters (ages 7 and 4).

To read more Alumni Profiles, please visit our Alumni Profiles archive.

Please welcome visitors Prof. Chatterjee, Dr. Wang, and Mr. Matsushima to Purdue Statistics

Congratulations August 2011 Graduates!

Craig and Li honored at JSM in Miami

Over 130 attended Machine Learning Summer School

Latest Issue of Odds & Ends Available Online

The latest issue of Odds & Ends, the Department of Statistics newsletter, is available online here. Catch up on what's been happening in the Department of Statistics at Purdue University!

Statistics Alumni Advisory Board - 2011 Meeting

Li Awarded Purdue's Teaching for Tomorrow Award

Congratulations May 2011 Graduates!

Wang nominated for CETA Award for Excellence in Teaching

Undergraduate Student Profile: Thomas Nielsen

Written by Kyle Bemis (M.S. program, Statistics)

Choka and Ramaswami Named Distinguished Science Alumni 2011

Olga Vitek receives CAREER award

Machine Learning Summer School scheduled for June 13-24, 2011

STAT 301 Wins ICCE Course of the Year

Members of Statistics Department honored at College of Science Faculty & Staff Awards Program

Guang Cheng elected as member of ISI