Practical Significance

A call to action kicks off the New Year and season six of “Practical Significance.” Cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein welcome incoming ASA President Jeri Mulrow, who shares her thoughts about leadership, service, and the evolving role of statistics and asks members to become communities in action.  Her experiences—from growing up in Helena, Montana, […]

During this traditional year-end edition of Practical Significance, co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein sit down with four outgoing ASA Board leaders—Ingrid Van Keilegom, Jenny Thompson, Melinda Holt, and Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar—for a candid and inspiring conversation about their time on the board and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. The guests pull back the […]

Two distinguished leaders in federal statistics—Nancy Potok, former chief statistician of the United States and CEO of NAPx Consulting, and Connie Citro, senior scholar at the National Academies’ Committee on National Statistics, join hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein this month. Together, they discuss how the ASA is working collaboratively with other organizations to identify ongoing […]

Grace Wahba was awarded the 2025 International Prize in Statistics in recognition of her groundbreaking work on smoothing splines, which has transformed modern data analysis and machine learning. Wahba was among the earliest to pioneer the use of nonparametric regression modeling. She joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1967 as the first female faculty member […]

Building partnerships is at the heart of this month’s Practical Significance podcast, as cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein welcome American Statistical Association colleagues Amanda Malloy, director of development, and Amy Farris, director of membership development and marketing, to explore the vision and impact of the ASA Partner Program. This strategic initiative was designed to […]

What happens when you combine statistical expertise, cross-cultural collaboration, and a mission to build statistical capacity internationally? You get the ASA’s Educational Ambassador Program—and one inspiring episode of Practical Significance! Cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein sit down for a lively conversation with three dynamic guests: Carolina Franco (NORC at The University of Chicago); Andrzej Kosinski (Duke University School of Medicine); and Paulo Canas Rodrigues (Federal University […]

What happens when you combine statistical expertise, cross-cultural collaboration, and a mission to build statistical capacity internationally? You get the ASA’s Educational Ambassador Program—and one inspiring episode of Practical Significance! Cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein sit down for a lively conversation with three dynamic guests: Carolina Franco (NORC at The University of Chicago); Andrzej Kosinski (Duke University School of Medicine); and Paulo Canas Rodrigues (Federal University of Bahia).
Celebrating 20 years of impact, this program honors the memory of Martha Aliaga, former ASA director of education who was passionate about ...

In this forward-looking episode of Practical Significance, co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein sit down with a powerhouse panel to explore where statistics is headed over the next decade. Kathy Ensor (Rice University), Lance Waller (Emory University), and Brittany Segundo (National Academies) dive into a major National Academies consensus study: Frontiers of Statistics in Science and Engineering: 2035 and Beyond. Ensor (chair) and Waller (vice chair) are […]

In this forward-looking episode of Practical Significance, co-hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein sit down with a powerhouse panel to explore where statistics is headed over the next decade. Kathy Ensor (Rice University), Lance Waller (Emory University), and Brittany Segundo (National Academies) dive into a major National Academies consensus study: Frontiers of Statistics in Science and Engineering: 2035 and Beyond.
Ensor (chair) and Waller (vice chair) are leading the committee working on this ambitious study. They share what drove them to tackle such a monumental project and why statistics is more ...

Practical Significance focuses on the passion and commitment members bring to advancing the ASA’s mission of promoting the practice and profession of statistics. Cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein chat with two guests—Susan Paddock, executive vice president and chief scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago, and Bo Li, professor at Washington University in […]

Thanks to generous support from Nan Laird, who was awarded the 2021 International Prize in Statistics in recognition of her transformative work, the ASA launched the Telling Our Stories video project to raise awareness of the profound impact of statistics and inspire a greater appreciation for its contribution to advancing science and society. The latest […]

Practical Significance focuses on the passion and commitment members bring to advancing the ASA’s mission of promoting the practice and profession of statistics. Cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein chat with two guests—Susan Paddock, executive vice president and chief scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago, and Bo Li, professor at Washington University in St. Louis—about the career-changing and life-enhancing impact of their service to the American Statistical Association community.
From their first “yes” to now helping shape the future of our profession, Susan and Bo share personal stories, unexpected ...

Thanks to generous support from Nan Laird, who was awarded the 2021 International Prize in Statistics in recognition of her transformative work, the ASA launched the Telling Our Stories video project to raise awareness of the profound impact of statistics and inspire a greater appreciation for its contribution to advancing science and society.
The latest installment in the series highlights former ASA President and retired US Census Director Rob Santos, who returns to “Practical Significance” to reflect on his storytelling journey. Cohosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein also welcome Anna Soldatova ...

On April 22, Claire McKay Bowen will deliver the inaugural Dionne Price Public Lecture. April is also Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month, so, to celebrate, Bowen joins “Practical Significance” hosts Donna LaLonde and Ron Wasserstein to explore what “statistics awareness” truly means today. As senior fellow leading data governance and privacy at the Urban Institute’s Family and Financial Wellbeing Division, Bowen […]