Department of Statistics

Associate Professor Cliff Sutton retires from Department of Statistics

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 18:32:18 +0000

Associate Professor Cliff Sutton retires from Department of Statistics 4429684e-ae8d-… Sun, 04/28/2024 - 14:32

Associate Professor Clifton Sutton will retire from the CEC Department of Statistics at the end of the spring semester. A long-time faculty member Sutton earned his master’s and PhD from Stanford University. As director of the Statistical Consulting Center at Mason, he worked with researchers from many programs on campus; advising them on experimental design and helping them do their data analysis. Among his more interesting Mason clients was former head men’s basketball coach, Jim Larranaga, who wanted to gain some insight into the effectiveness of various offensive and defensive strategies. With Sutton’s current research interest in online sports betting, basketball still has a role to play. Sutton said that the weeks during March Madness were extremely busy for him as he collected the data he needed.

When Sutton was asked to write something about his time at Mason, he offered reflections about his first years in the late 1980s, when the university was so different.

As I near the end of my 37^th and final academic year at GMU, I often think about my earliest years. When I arrived on campus only several days before classes started, I moved into a small office having a gray metal desk, a gray metal file cabinet and two gray metal bookshelves. The department secretary (that’s what the office help was called back then) thought it looked so dreary that she asked the department chairman if she could buy a red dictionary to put on one of the shelves before I arrived. That dictionary was the only “start-up package” I got.

During my first semester, I was shocked to find that the Engineering building was locked during the weekends, and most faculty were not given keys. Fortunately, that situation soon changed … first illegally, but then finally, legally. I was also shocked that I had to walk to the distant edge of campus to pick up my computer printouts. In 1987 there was no way to view a pdf of your draft produced using TeX; one had to look at a printout. And regarding computers, GMU didn’t see fit to give me one for more than two years! Originally, I had to use a dumb terminal that I had bought during graduate school, which I connected to the GMU mainframes via modem. All of this reminds me of that older relative who talked about having to walk a mile to school when he was a kid, and then a mile back home, with it being uphill both ways.

Fortunately, the challenges I faced during my early years all eventually disappeared, and my work life became more enjoyable. But despite the initial inconveniences, I loved my new job. The older faculty treated me well, and many (but certainly not all) of the students were wonderful, with a few of them becoming friends that I interacted with for many years after they graduated. Now those years have added up to decades.

Sutton says he is proudest of his accomplishments in teaching and service. A Teaching Excellence Award winner, he served as the department’s graduate program coordinator and was instrumental in leadership positions on both the Faculty Senate and the General Education Committee. He was so dedicated to teaching he never missed a class due to illness for 37 years. Sutton says one of his greatest accomplishments was to get the engineering school programs more involved in the university’s general education program, which led to a tremendous increase in enrollment, and subsequently, the growth of two departments within the College of Engineering and Computing.

Topics

College of Engineering and Computing

Department of Statistics

Joint postdoc program develops from partnership between Statistics Department, Inova Health

Teresa Donnellan — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 18:42:25 +0000

Joint postdoc program develops from partnership between Statistics Department, Inova Health Teresa Donnellan Thu, 09/28/2023 - 14:42

In This Story

Jiayang Sun

A partnership between George Mason University’s Statistics Department and Inova Health Care Services has entered its fifth year and continues to grow. The partnership has motivated a new initiative: a postdoc program for Inova researchers interested in developing skills in statistics and data science, run jointly by George Mason’s statistics and global and community health departments. Mohamad Bahij Moumneh, MD, and Jason F. Goldberg, MD, are the program’s standing inaugural members.

“As a fresh Lebanese medical graduate interested in expanding his acquired skills in the field of research, especially cardiology, and academia, the joint program provided me with this golden opportunity,” said Moumneh. He added, “By maximizing the resources of each institute, enhancements in the overall picture and quality of research and healthcare education occur, and allow both institutions to keep, if not exceed, pace with novel technologies and healthcare advancements and institutions.”

The partnership between Mason Statistics and Inova Health was supported by a contract between the university and the healthcare system via a parent award from NIH to the iTHRIV partnership. It supported the experts in George Mason’s Statistics Collaboration Core (SCC) to work with colleagues from Inova Health Care Services on research projects involving statistics or data science. To initialize each new project, INOVA researchers visit statinova.gmu.edu.

“The Statistics Collaboration Core (SCC) is a collaboration platform that supports and facilitates statistical collaborations with internal and external investigators or seekers for evidenced-based research, or statistical, biostatistical, or data science support to decision-making,” explained Jiayang Sun of Mason’s statistics department. Sun is a Principal Investigator on the new grant establishing the postdoc program, alongside co-PI Carolyn Drews-Botsch, the chair of the department of global and community health in Mason’s School of Public Health.

“The partnership between Inova and Mason will help with our research efforts aimed at prolonging life after heart transplantation,” said Goldberg. He noted that, for his case, SCC has provided advanced analysis of mircoRNA clinical rejection scores and has used machine learning to evaluate risk modeling of adverse outcomes within the first year of heart transplantation.

“These collaborations will continue to produce meaningful cardiovascular research,” he said.

Of the five-year partnership between Mason Statistics and Inova Health, Sun noted the relationship has been fruitful, producing additional grants, publications in the health and medical sector, and new grant proposals. She added that it serves as a welcome opportunity for both tenure track and term faculty to perform original research and collaborate with colleagues dealing with real-world problems. Research projects from the partnership have covered such important topics as opioid use, sepsis, heart failure, and—before there were reliable tests—the spread of COVID-19 among children in northern Virginia.

Sun, Moumneh, and Goldberg are likewise optimistic about the new joint postdoc program.

“Researchers can collaborate on various projects that eventually might lead to medical breakthroughs. One could say that the joint program fosters an environment of innovation and growth. The joint program also allows the addressing of pressing healthcare dilemmas, an event that might encourage students to think of possible solutions and managements,” said Moumneh.

Topics

Statistics

Inova

Department of Statistics

College of Public Health

College of Engineering and Computing

School of Computing

Community Partners

Students

Mason statistics department co-hosts meeting of the “Georges” at annual conference

Teresa Donnellan — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 16:39:26 +0000

Mason statistics department co-hosts meeting of the “Georges” at annual conference Teresa Donnellan Mon, 09/25/2023 - 12:39

In This Story

Jiayang Sun

In August, at the 2023 Joint Statistical Meeting (JSM) in Toronto, Canada, George Mason’s statistics department teamed up with Georgetown’s data science department and George Washington’s statistics department to co-host the first Georges Reception. Students, alumni, faculty, and friends gathered to network with fellow DC area locals.

One of the largest events of its kind, the annual JSM offers “a unique opportunity for statisticians and data scientists in academia, industry, and government to exchange ideas and explore opportunities for collaboration,” per its 2023 website. It not only showcases how recent advances in statistics and data science interact with fields that use data to make decisions via technical sessions, but also it serves as a prime location for receptions hosted by universities, companies, interest groups, and professional organizations, for outreach, networking, and (at times) recruitment. The 2023 JSM, was hosted jointly by 13 major societies: The American Statistical Association, The Casualty Actuarial Society, The Caucus for Women in Statistics, The International Biometric Society (ENAR and WNAR), The International Chinese Statistical Association, The International Indian Statistical Association, The Institute of Mathematical Statistics, The International Society for Bayesian Analysis, The International Statistical Institute, The Korean International Statistical Society, The Royal Statistical Society, The Statistical Society of Canada and The Statistical Society of Australia.

The Georges’ Reception was one of 24 overlapping receptions for various groups. For example, while DC area academics and friends networked in Ballroom A of the Delta Hotel Toronto, major pharmaceutical companies’ employees gathered in Ballroom B.

From left to right: Director of Georgetown University's Master of Science in Data Science Purna Gamage, George Washington University's Statistics Department Chair Huixia Judy Wang, and George Mason University's Statistics Department Chair Jiayang Sun

“Our reception was fantastic,” Jiayang Sun, the chair of George Mason’s statistics department, said. Sun was happy that colleagues at George Washington University and Georgetown University were as enthusiastic as she was in organizing the reception, which featured food, drinks, and swag for attendees. The co-hosts reached out to alumni, faculty, and students to spread the word about the event. The result was a great turnout at the first collaborative event between the three institutions.

Sun noted that The Georges Reception was well attended, with faculty, students, alumni, and friends coming across the country. Sun was especially gratified to see her former Ph.D. students, as well as other faculty’s former students, who now work in prominent positions across the United States.

At the reception, each host shared what was special about their department. The food, drinks, and swag, such as branded pens and USB drives, were praised—thanks to collaboration between Mason's statistics department administrators, Amir Jasan and Muntaka Jabeen, and administrators from other two “Georges.”

Sun is excited about the possibility of future partnerships with the other “Georges.” “We talked among the three institutions about further collaboration, such as possible training grants, possible institutes, and other things,” she said.

Attendees enjoying a buffet at The Georges Reception, JSM 2023.

Topics

Applied Statistics

Department of Statistics

Statistics

Statistics Faculty

data science

Department of Statistics celebrates 30th milestone

Rena Malai — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 14:18:27 +0000

Department of Statistics celebrates 30th milestone Rena Malai Wed, 04/19/2023 - 10:18

In This Story

Learn More About the Department

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Even though the Department of Statistics at George Mason University isn’t thousands of years old, its thirty-year milestone is a huge accomplishment with unlimited possibilities.

Dean Ken Ball and Divisional Dean Gurdip Singh welcome attendees.

The Conference on Evolving Statistical Data Science celebrated 30 years of teaching, research, and collaboration. Mason Statistics professors, students, and professionals, as well as national and international leaders in statistics and data science from academia, government, and industry came together for two days of panel talks and networking. Welcoming remarks from College of Engineering and Computing Dean Ken Ball and Divisional Dean of the School of Computing Gurdip Singh kicked off the event. Attendees appreciated the progress of statistics over the last three decades, and what to expect moving forward when it comes to future curriculums and jobs.

Statistics Department Chair Jiayang Sun, a Bernard Dunn Eminent Scholar, said the event was fantastic.

“It not only spotlighted our faculty, students, staff, and alums but also brought in some of the best minds in statistics and data science in the world. We had an extremely inspiring keynote presentation, a thought-provoking closing talk, and distinguished panel discussions from leaders in various sectors,” said Sun.

She added that the posters, awards, and social events showcased student research and their creativity.

Keynote speaker Xiao-Li Meng, Whipple V.N. Jones professor of statistics at Harvard, spoke about Evolving ChatGPT: Data Engineering, Data Minding, and Data Intelligence. He emphasized data `minding’ not `mining,’ as one of the key points in the current AI revolution. In addition to ChatGPT’s ability to synthesize human collective intelligence at scale and with speed, the fact that it doesn’t provide the emotional intelligence involved in reaching a consensus from any large group of people, should not be overlooked.

“The absence of emotional entanglement is both powerful and dangerous, because the entanglement creates inefficiency but also a mechanism for avoiding extreme outcome,” Xiao-Li says.

The overall future looks bright for statistics jobs, according to Ron Wasserstein, executive director of the American Statistical Association. During the panel Future of Statistics and Data Science, Wasserstein said he forecasts job growth will rise three to four percent per year over the next decade.         

“This could allow us to have more faculty and be able to train more people,” he says.

There is still a lot to think about in the future, especially when it comes to AI, ethical issues, and data privacy. Wasserstein joked that ChatGPT could always generate a code of ethics for AI.

Other distinguished speakers included Tigran Markaryan, a distinguished alumnus, VP of Analytics, Lifelenz; Jean Opsomer VP, Westat; Mason Statistics Professors William Rosenberger and John Stufken; and Sterling Thomas, Chief Scientist, Noblis.

The takeaways included information on grant opportunities from internal and external sources, and a poster presentation of statistics research projects from students.

Closing remarks were given by Heping Zhang, Susan Dwight Bliss professor of biostatistics, professor in the Child Study Center, and professor of statistics and data science at Yale University. His talk entitled Genes, Brain, and Us focused on the breakthroughs and challenges at the triangular interface between each pair of genes, brain, and health (aka everyone.)

Topics

Department of Statistics

Statistics departmental admin team gets kudos

Tama Moni — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 15:45:34 +0000

Statistics departmental admin team gets kudos Tama Moni Wed, 11/30/2022 - 10:45

Our departmental admin includes Admin and Office Specialist Amir Hasan, Office Manager Muntaka Jabeen, and part-timer Nawwaf Al Ghamdi.

The arrival of Hasan and Jabeen in the summer of 2022 has provided the department with the critical staff support that has been in shortage since the Fall of 2020. Al Ghamdi specializes in IT and webmaster support and will graduate this year.

The entire Statistics staff extends a heartfelt thank you to the administrative team and congratulates Al Ghamdi on his academic achievements.

Topics

Department of Statistics

Faculty and Staff News

Mason's Department of Statistics offers resources for students and staff

Tama Moni — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 14:55:29 +0000

Mason's Department of Statistics offers resources for students and staff Tama Moni Wed, 11/30/2022 - 09:55

Some helpful links, for Mason students and staff

Job Opportunities for students

Mason's Statistics department graduates can look forward to excellent opportunities for job placement and future advancement. There is strong demand for well-trained statisticians at both the Master's and PhD levels and BS levels. Our graduates will be a valuable asset for scientific, industrial, and government organizations facing various challenges of data science.

Places to look for jobs (including internships):

Places to look for internships:

Topics

internships

Department of Statistics

Employment

Cherry Blossom prediction competition returns in 2023

Rena Malai — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 18:46:52 +0000

Cherry Blossom prediction competition returns in 2023 Rena Malai Mon, 11/14/2022 - 13:46

Last year, George Mason hosted the first ever international cherry blossom prediction competition, which will return in 2023. The competition was created by Statistics professors Jonathan Auerbach and David Keplinger, and Elizabeth Wolkovich with the Department of Forest and Conservation Services.

In the competition, which is open to everyone, statistics students can submit their predictions for peak bloom dates for cherry blossoms in four locations around the world – Washington, DC; Kyoto, Japan; Leistal-Weideli, Switzerland; and Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Those interested in entering the competition next year can check the official site for information and dates, which will be posted around February 2023.

Topics

Department of Statistics

competitions

Mason Department of Statistics welcomes new faculty

Rena Malai — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 16:32:42 +0000

Mason Department of Statistics welcomes new faculty Rena Malai Tue, 12/14/2021 - 11:32

In This Story

The George Mason University Department of Statistics welcomed eight new faculty members in 2020 – 2021.

“The research portfolios of these new faculty members are excellent, representing wide-ranging important fields in modern statistics and data science,” says Jiayang Sun, department chair.

The new faculty members, listed alphabetically, are as follows: Jonathan Auerbach, Isuru Dassanayake, Inchi Hu, David Kepplinger, Ben Seiyon Lee, Mary Meyer, Kenneth Pasiah, and Lily Wang.

According to Kepplinger, the Department of Statistics, which is a part of the School of Computing within Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing, is poised for growth.

“The research culture at Mason and the statistics department, in particular, is built around the idea of collaboration,” he says. “Everyone is open to sharing ideas and joining forces.”

A recent article in AMSTAT News describes the background of each of the eight new hires, who are internationally recognized experts in the areas of health care, economics, technology, clinical trials, and public policy. 

Topics

Department of Statistics

health care

economics

Science & Technology

Statistics professor takes on big data challenges with multi-faceted research

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 19:19:36 +0000

Statistics professor takes on big data challenges with multi-faceted research 4429684e-ae8d-… Fri, 11/19/2021 - 14:19

In This Story

Lily Wang

George Mason University’s outstanding location, available opportunities, and growing reputation combined to produce a winning formula that attracted statistics professor Lily Wang to the College of Engineering and Computing Department of Statistics in fall 2021.

“Collaboration is the key for my profession, and the Washington, D.C. area has so many government agencies and top technology companies, and it creates fantastic opportunities. Mason is growing so fast and on an impressive trajectory,” says Wang.

Wang’s primary areas of research are broad and diverse. They include non- and semi-parametric modeling and inference, statistical learning of data objects with complex features, methodologies for functional data, spatiotemporal data, survey sampling, and data reduction methods. Working at the interface of statistics, mathematics, and computer science, she is also interested in general issues related to data science and big data analytics. Her methods have a wide application in engineering, neuroimaging, epidemiology, environmental studies, economics, and biomedical science.

For example, she has been heavily involved with the Centers for Disease Control and spatiotemporal data related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team’s research findings created a dashboard with multiple apps embedded. The dashboard provides a real-time seven-day forecast and a long-term forecast of COVID-19 infection and death count at the county and state level, and the corresponding risk analysis. “We are honored to be one of the teams that the CDC is relying on to better understand and forecast COVID-19 in the United States,” says Wang.

Another area of great interest to Wang is using functional data to learn how to apply statistics to help with early disease diagnosis and disease prognosis prediction. Currently, most existing studies focus on one-dimensional (1D) function. For example, 1D children’s growth charts are commonly used to screen children’s growth. “Modern technologies produce large volumes of multi-modality imaging data that might be used as biomarkers for diseases,” Wang said. So, Wang’s research team uses 2D and higher dimensional medical imaging data and other clinical and genetic data for Alzheimer’s disease research.

The wealth of data presents new opportunities to innovate in science and technology; however, it also requires a parallel effort in statistical method development that enables researchers to make a rigorous inference. She says, “If you think about a high-resolution image, you can have a million pixels for just the one image, and beyond the image, you also have the patient medical and genetic information, so-called ‘big data squared.’ Analysis of these big data can easily go beyond the capability of the traditional methods. Our state-of-art statistical models and powerful learning tools can help to delineate associations among these data.”

Wang is also teaching a split undergraduate/graduate course in applied regression analysis. She really cares about her students, and she always offers various modalities of her classes. She says, “I always try my best to accommodate students’ special needs, especially under the pandemic.”

Whether she is teaching students or working with research collaborators, Wang’s excitement about being a new faculty member at Mason comes through. “Statistics is a thriving and fast-developing discipline in the data science era. Our department at Mason is home to renowned researchers in statistics, biostatistics, and data science/analytics with a bright future. I am so happy to be part of it,” she says.

Topics

Department of Statistics

COVID-19; Research

CEC faculty research

Faculty member evaluates efficacy of 2020 U.S. Census

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 15:53:32 +0000

Faculty member evaluates efficacy of 2020 U.S. Census Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/26/2021 - 11:53

In This Story

Jonathan L. Auerbach

Today, we count on data and data-based systems in our daily lives. The United States census is the backbone of most of these data sets that we rely on, so it is important to ensure its accuracy.

Jonathan Auerbach joined the Department of Statistics at Mason in August, 2021. Photo provided

The American Statistical Association (ASA) Census Quality Indicators Taskforce selected assistant professor of statistics Jonathan Auerbach to independently review the 2020 census as part of a three-person research team. The team released their findings in September.

In 2020, the pandemic, accusations of political interference, and many other factors created doubt that the census wouldn’t be accurate, says Auerbach.

Traditionally, the ASA and the statistics community spend the ten years between censuses looking over the data and offering improvements for the next census. However, because of the efficacy questions of the 2020 census, Auerbach’s research team investigated it in half a year.

“The ASA has historically been involved in advocating for the best census since 1840, right before the Civil War, which was a very formative census, and it became highly politicized. And partially because of that, the ASA as we know it today was born,” says Auerbach.

Auerbach was one of three researchers on the independent review team. He and his fellow researchers, including Paul Biemer and Joseph Salvo, had access to all census data to see how it was collected and what errors could have been introduced.

“Our major finding is what we didn’t find. We didn’t find evidence of malfeasance or politicking or any direct evidence of wrongdoing. However, we did find that largely because of the pandemic, the ways people were counted were of higher risk than previous censuses,” says Auerbach.

For example, in the 2010 census, if someone hadn’t reported their household information, the U.S. Census Bureau would send a worker to follow up. In 2020, because of COVID-19, that was not always a safe option. Instead, the Census Bureau relied more heavily on administrative records, like tax documents. “These practices could lead to more errors than the methods used in the 2010 census,” he says.

Reporting college students was another area they noticed might lead to some potential errors. “Typically, colleges will report the number of students in dorms to the census bureau, but since many students left their dorms halfway through the semester, it was unclear whether students were counted properly.”

Auerbach says that he and the research team found no evidence suggesting the 2020 Census is unreliable despite riskier counting methods. Another group at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which includes other ASA members, will continue to help the Census Bureau improve the census and process the data, but Auerbach’s work is finished for now.

“Our census is a historical document. We really don’t have too many of them in our lifetime, so it was very rewarding to be a part of it,” he says.

Topics

Department of Statistics

Statistics

CEC faculty research