Statistics

by Cecelia Zhen

It seems that our every day lives are involved with statistics. We cannot make economic, social, political and military decisions without statistical techniques, such as the experience of designing a new drug. Statistics is the scientific application of mathematical principles to the collection, analysis, and presentation of numerical data. Statisticians contribute to scientific inquiry by applying their mathematical and statistical knowledge to the design of surveys and experiments; the collection, processing, and analysis of data; and the interpretation of the results. Statisticians may apply their knowledge of statistical methods to a variety of subject areas, such as biology, economics, engineering, medicine, public health, psychology, marketing, education, and sports.

Today, most professional statistical training is learned at the undergraduate level, even at the high school as well as at the graduate level. A major in statistics and a minor in any of the other related areas, such as mathematics, computer science, agriculture, biological sciences and social sciences provide a good blend of training suitable for many jobs in industry, government and academic institutions. It is becoming increasingly important for those in other disciplines to have good familiarity with basic statistical techniques and inference procedures.

As the advantages of learning statistics are so extensive, we can do a lot of jobs with a degree in statistics. We can use the knowledge of statistics in the field of business of marketing, building products and delivering services that satisfy consumers and increasing the corporation’s profit margin. We also work in the field of engineering. Besides these two, we can even make use of statistics in health and medicine to work in drug discovery. According to the U.S department of labor, there have been more that 19, 000 employees whose jobs are related to statistics since 2004. The salary is $60, 450.

One positive aspect of the field is that the federal government also provides financial aid for statistics study. American Statistical Association (ASA), found in 1839, is the nation’s leading professional association for statistics and statisticians. Jeanne E. Griffith Mentoring Award is one of the awards from ASA. The winning mentor will be selected for his or her efforts in supporting the work and developing the careers of younger staff. Such efforts would include the following types of activities:

• Working with junior staff to help develop their skills, knowledge, experience, self-confidence, and insights into organizational functioning;
• Advising junior staff to help them develop career opportunities, networking skills, and contacts;
• Making resource support available for junior staff attendance and oral presentations at meetings, training courses, and conferences;
• Providing opportunities for junior staff to participate in meetings with higher level officials and staffs of other agencies and to represent the office at external meetings;
• Offering informal feedback and coaching to assist junior staff in developing analysis, writing, presentation, and other professional skills.

The purpose of the award is to encourage the mentoring of younger staff in the Federal statistical system. The award is co-sponsored with the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy, the council for Excellence in Government, the Washington Statistical Society, the Social Statistics Section of the American Statistical Association, and the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics. Moreover, Wray Jackson Smith Scholarship intends to reward promising young statisticians for their diligence, thereby encouraging them to consider a future in government statistics with the award of $1,000. Of course, the benefits of statistics are not limited to this, you will see more if you’re involved with the environment of statistics.

To become a statistician, one needs to have quantitative skills such as mathematics, statistics and science, problem solving skills and communication skills, including verbal and writing. Also, the skill of computer program language is recommended. In order to meet the requirements of statistics career, a high school student should take statistics while in high school and major in statistics, applied mathematics or closely related fields such as epidemiology or engineering in college. For more information, visit the websitewww.statistics.com.