Kansas State University

Another successful Ag Stat Conference held

Once again the department hosted its annual Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture this past April in Manhattan – this was our 26^th annual such conference.  Under the leadership of faculty members Leigh Murray and Nora Bello, and staff person Jo Blackburn, more than 100 conferees assembled to give talks, posters and to hear keynoter/workshop leader Gustavo de los Campos from the University of Alabama-Birmingham speak.  De los Campos’ workshop was  on the Analysis & Prediction of Complex Traits Using High Dimensional Genomic Data and his keynote address to the conference was entitled “Statistical Methods for Genome-Enabled Prediction of Complex Traits.” Continue reading “Department News” →

Karen Keating

The newest member of the faculty in the Department of Statistics is a very familiar figure; it is our own Karen Keating, who earned her Ph.D. in the department in 2012, under the direction of Dr. Gary Gadbury.  Her dissertation topic was Statistical Analysis of Pyrosequence Data. Continue reading “Faculty Changes” →

Holly and Beth Fryer Scholarship in Statistics

Yeng Xiong has been a PhD student in the department for past year. She has not yet chosen a major professor, but she is interested in learning more about linear models.  She is from Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  She graduated from the University of Tennessee-Martin with a B.S. in mathematics and a B.S. in history.  In her spare time she enjoys reading, driving, and watching foreign movies and Bollywood films.  Yeng would like to thank her large family (with five sisters and one brother) for encouragement and support. Continue reading “Statistics Department Scholarships” →

The past eventful year began with a transition to a new department head as Jim Neill’s term concluded in July 2013. Jim’s dedication and service as head are deeply appreciated and I will add my personal thanks for his valuable advice to me over the past year, despite him being on sabbatical during fall 2013. Dr. Weixing Song also took a fall sabbatical and was making his way up to Michigan State University while Dr. Wei-Wen Hsu was moving from there to Manhattan. Wei-Wen’s background was described in last year’s newsletter but it is worth noting that his is a new position, created to support the Master in Public Health (MPH) program on campus and was jointly funded by the colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and the Provost’s office. We anticipate more positions of this type in the future as high impact interdisciplinary initiatives requiring statistical expertise emerge across campus. Despite being in his first year, Wei-Wen participated in the final stages of an MPH accreditation process with the Council on Education for Public Health (I just learned while writing this statement that the accreditation was approved). Continue reading “From the Department Head’s Desk” →

If you are attending the 2014 Joint Statistical Meetings in Boston, please join us for the annual K-State dinner.  We always get together and have a great time sharing memories and stories over a good meal.  Bring along family members or friends for the occasion. Continue reading “K-State Dinner at the 2014 Joint Statistical Meetings, Boston” →

Wendy (Boberg) Archer (MS ’04) has a new baby.  Elizabeth Ann was born in February, and joins sisters Kayla (15) and Rosa (4) in the family.  Wendy and her Texas family have started the application process for a non-profit corporation to raise awareness of the need for organ and tissue donations and help offset pre- and post -transplant costs, as her brother-in-law is on a waiting list for both heart and kidney transplants (see Team Philip on Facebook if you are interested in this project). Continue reading “Alumni News (2014)” →

Supporters of the Statistics Department provide crucial sources of funds to allow department leaders to respond to emerging opportunities, as well as ongoing needs that are not fully funded through state sources. Gifts this past year (July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014) sustain excellence in this department. If you have any questions about this honor roll or you would like more information about other ways to support our department, please contact the Arts & Sciences Development Team at the KSU Foundation at 800-432-1578 or 785-532-7603.

Thank you to the following donors: Continue reading “2014 Honor Roll of Giving” →