Newsletter 2012
Featured Articles
2011 WUSS Conference
The 2011 Western Users of SAS Software (WUSS) conference was held October 12-14 at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco. I had the pleasure of attending this conference for the first time, and it was a real treat. Fellow faculty member Rebecca Ottesen served as one of the lead organizers for the event, as she has for many years. In addition, a large number of Cal Poly students, many of whom were WUSS scholarship recipients, attended the conference.
Statistics Department 2011-12 Year-End Social
At this past year's social, the Statistics Department professors, staff, students, friends and family enjoyed good company and good food.
2011-12 Statistics Graduates
Click here to see all recent graduates ›
More News
Message From the Department Chair
STAT 440 Interview Series
This past quarter, students in the SAS(SAS/STAT© Software) Certification Preparation course have been studying for the SAS Base Programming Exam and grappling with infamous "Ottesen data sets." But SAS is not just about programming. There is a whole SAS community out there, and Ottesen has come up with a new way to help budding SAS programmers get connected: the Webcam Interview Series, featuring a diverse group of SAS users ranging from experienced professionals to young programmers.
Thank You to Our Generous Donors
Private support from our alumni, parents, friends, as well as from private businesses and other agencies are key to enabling our department to continue to provide exceptional Learn by Doing projects and opportunities for today’s students.
Statistics Department Faculty Updates
Four Years at Cal Poly — Soma Roy
Even after four years, I still feel brand new to both Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo is many ways. I still find it challenging to locate rooms in what remains of Building 52. I am still surprised when the temperatures fall to near freezing (okay, that’s an exaggeration) after sundown.
New Faculty - Gail Potter
I am excited to join the Cal Poly Statistics Department. I discovered my love of teaching as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal, where I taught math and English in a rural area. My experiences living in Nepal and Africa inspired me to focus my research on public health topics.
New Faculty - Gary Hughes
I'm arriving at Cal Poly by way of Northwestern University (B.A.), UC Santa Barbara (M.A.) and the University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D.). I've also spent a number of years in the infrared industry, designing and manufacturing infrared imaging systems for commercial and military applications.
New Faculty - Kevin Ross
I'm excited to join the excellent Statistics Department at Cal Poly. I love teaching and I enjoy collaborating with students on research. My primary research interests are in probability theory, but I look forward to branching out into more applied areas at Cal Poly.
Retirement - Jay Devore
Jay Devore finished teaching his last classes at Cal Poly in March, 2012. But he has not divorced himself from statistical activities.
Saying Goodbye - Lina Ignatova
Only a year ago I left Cal Poly and all of you with a strong wish to be back in San Luis Obispo. The four years we worked together in this beautiful California town were very important to me, and I was happy to start my family there.
Computers for Kids is Statistically Significant for One Adult - Andrew Schaffner
Every once in a while it's time for a deep purging of junk — those files and papers that accumulate over time. The Statistics Department was clearing out the old and digitizing what we needed to save. Our student assistant Julia Schedler (class of 2013) showed me a paper from the junk pile that she thought was cute. It showed a cartoon of a couple of early personal computers (Radio Shack TRS-80’s) and was advertising a kids' summer computing program at Cal Poly. The advertisement reads: "Learn about graphics — 'pictures' on the computer screen."
Grading 153,000 Exams with 615 Friends - Alan Rossman
This past June marked the end of my third year in the role of Chief Reader for the Advanced Placement program in statistics. My primary responsibility is to coordinate and oversee the grading of approximately 153,000 exams. Fortunately, I shared this task shared with 615 other statistics teachers from around the country who gathered in Kansas City, Mo. on June 10-16, 2012.
Now What? - Ulric Lund
In summer 2012, I was promoted to full professor. With no more advancements to work toward, I am finally free to follow my heart, cash in my academic freedom card and focus my attention on my one true passion: writing poetry.
Personal Update - Steve Rein
During Spring 2012, I was voted chair of the Academic Senate at Cal Poly for the 2012-13 academic year. As the term started July 1, I’ve already done some work in this new role. That will only increase as Cal Poly considers a few challenging questions in this next year including budget woes and whether we’ll switch to semesters from quarters.
Personal Highlights - Andrew Schaffner
Somehow I had this idea in my head that with each additional year of experience, my work at Cal Poly was supposed to get easier and easier. I’m not sure where that misguided vision came from!
Professional Projects - Matt Carlton
Several professional projects kept me busy last year. For a start, I helped coordinate and analyze the data for Cal Poly’s Freshman Success Program (FSP), which we designed three years ago. It helps new students who are put on academic probation in their first quarter. Year after year, our research shows that FSP benefits these freshmen in both academic and non-academic ways.
Learning Something New - Beth Chance
In the fall I took a course in "program level evaluation" from the University of Illinois, Chicago. It was a master’s level course, and I got to experience the fun of applying to the program. They wanted proof of my bachelor's degree, which of course was buried in moth balls, so I offered them proof of my doctorate.
Personal and Professional News - Jeff Sklar
This past year, my research assistant Logan Lossing and I were busy working on an Extramural Funding Initiative project that investigated the impact of changing major on persistence and graduation of Cal Poly students.
