Year in Review and FLASH- Karen McGaughey
Year in Review
I just finished my seventh year at Cal Poly and received tenure and a promotion to associate professor! In addition to accomplishing this milestone, I spent the year working with colleagues in Kinesiology, Library Science and Mathematics on several consulting projects. Three of these projects resulted in publications in International Journal of Sports Science and Engineering, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and College & Research Libraries.
In the classroom, I took on the challenge of teaching our capstone course, Statistical Communication and Consulting. Co-teaching this course with Heather Smith was a great experience, and I learned a lot both from her and from our fantastic seniors. It was a pleasure to watch this group of students grow as statistical consultants, and I know they will be successful wherever their paths may lead.
Most recently I was in Kansas City, Mo., grading the Advanced Placement Statistics exam. Being promoted to Table Leader this year gave me the opportunity to experience the grading from a new perspective. And of course it was wonderful to be back in the rolling hills of Kansas and Missouri, close to my hometown of Manhattan, Kan., for a few days.
FLASH!
For the fourth year in a row, the Statistics Department has been involved with the FLASH College Health Study. Designed as a longitudinal study, FLASH tracks the health behavior, knowledge and status of students throughout their college careers. Beginning in fall 2009 with the Cal Poly class of 2013, questionnaire and physical assessment data were collected each fall and spring. In summer 2011, as part of the College Based Fee Summer Research program, four statistics majors (Jenna Colavincenzo, Chelsea Lofland, Julia Maddalena and Shawna Perry) cleaned and merged data sets for future analyses. Chelsea Lofland and Shawna Perry used this data in their senior projects, investigating changes in dietary patterns over the freshman year of college and lifestyle choices in relation to BMI and blood pressure, respectively.
The FLASH study continues to be a wonderful opportunity for our students to Learn by Doing, giving them hands-on experience with large, messy data sets not ordinarily seen in the classroom. In addition, students gained valuable experience in communicating with clients and writing reports. The department hopes to continue our involvement with FLASH in the future.
