STATISTICS CAREER DAY Many thanks to our sponsors: The Southwest Michigan Chapter of the ASA, the Grand Valley State University Department of Statistics, Math & Stats Club,  Career Services, CLAS Dean's Office and Office of the Provost

Thank you to all Statistics Career Day participants!  Follow the 2008 Career Day Highlights link for pictures and highlights of the event.

The Southwest Michigan Chapter of the ASA teamed up with the Department of Statistics at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) to hold their second Statistics Career Day on Friday, October 31, 2008 (yes, Halloween!).  The event was also supported by a Statistics Career Day Grant from the ASA, Career Services at GVSU, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Science at GVSU, the Office of the Provost, and the GVSU Math & Stats Club.

The purpose of the event was to inform students about various career opportunities that use statistical methods.  The focus was on a career fair, rather than a job fair, in order to attract high school students and entry level undergraduate students.  Many attendees asked questions about the types of jobs that are available for a student that graduates with a statistics degree.  This event helped answer those questions.

More than 400 people participated, including working professionals, high school and college students.  These students were able to talk to representatives from 17 institutions and hear presentations from 12 speakers. 

The Keynote Presentation

The keynote address, delivered by Dr. Peter A. (Tony) Lachenbruch (the President of the American Statistical Association), focused on the events that led to his becoming a statistician.  After giving some personal background, he gave some pointers on how to be a successful statistician.  Among other tips, he told the audience that:

·      Statistical methods are constantly changing; many techniques were developed quite recently

·      Computing is more and more important (and powerful)

·      Consultants must speak the client’s language, so learn the jargon and ask what acronyms stand for

·      If pursuing a PhD, choose a good advisor

·      After four decimal places, nobody cares!

Details on the Break-out Sessions

The concurrent break-out sessions were held in six rooms.  The presentations addressed a variety of topics including the current and future job market, salary levels (from entry to senior level), how they got into their current position, educational background needed, his or her daily life, including work environment, and the best way to pursue such a career in speaker’s field.  A brief Q&A session was given at the end of the session.  Some specifics on the invited speakers and a brief description of the talks follow.

Nathan Anderson, Principal at Mercer, discussed Actuarial Careers.

Nancy Brucken, Principal Statistical Programmer, and Gary Greenfield, Senior Biostatistician, both of i3statprobe, talked about Using your Statistics Degree in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Steve Denham, Associate Director of Biostatistics at MPI Research, gave a presentation called Biostatistics in the Public and Private Sectors.

Kyle Furge of Van Andel Institute spoke on Statistical and Computational Work in Biomedical Research.

Brian Hartl from Kent County Health Department discussed Public Health Epidemiology.

Doug Heilman, Senior Product Management Analyst at Foremost gave a talk titled Statistics in Insurance: Beyond Actuarial.

Tom Kennedy, Senior Consultant for Deloitte & Touche, presented on Data Quality and Integrity.

Annette Mathisen, Senior Director of Client Services for QST Consultations, spoke about Consulting to the Medical Research Community.

Ann Penix, Clinical Biostatistician at Innovative Analytics, discussed Phase I/II Clinical Trials.

Latoria Thomas-Lee, Assistant Director of Career Services at GVSU, gave advice concerning Searching for a Job or Internship.

Exhibitors at the Career Fair

Eleven companies participated in the Career Fair portion of the conference.  The exhibitors included Amway, Deloitte & Touche, Foremost Insurance, Perrigo, Pfizer, Meijer, MPI Research, Steelcase, Van Andel Institute, US Census Bureau and USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. 

Three graduate programs were represented in the Career Fair.  The programs included the GVSU Biostatistics Professional Science Masters, Western Michigan University, and the University of Michigan.  In addition, representatives from Hope College were on hand to discuss their Mathematics Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.

Last but not least, a table displaying information about the ASA included copies of brochures and information on how to become a member of the organization.