Dr. Montserrat “Montse” Fuentes has been named head of the Department of Statistics at NC State University, effective July 1. She replaces Sastry Pantula, who vacated the headship to serve as director of the National Science Foundation’s Division of Mathematical Sciences in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate. Peter Bloomfield has served as interim head since last May.

Fuentes received her B.S. in mathematics and music from the University of Valladolid in Spain, and her Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Chicago. She spent six months as a postdoc in the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) before joining NC State in 1999 as an assistant professor. In 2003, she was appointed to associate professor with tenure and, in 2008, she achieved the rank of full professor.

The EURANDOM professor is a researcher of internationally recognized excellence in the research area of EURANDOM. His or her duties are to participate in the research programme of EURANDOM and present a number of lectures. It is considered desirable that at least one of these lectures is aimed at a wider audience than the immediate colleagues of the EURANDOM professor.

The EURANDOM professor is appointed by the Dean of the Department of mathematics and Computer Science, TU/e and the scientific director of EURANDOM at the recommendation of the Scientific Council of EURANDOM.

Subhashis Ghosal is presently professor at the Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, U. S. A.

His research interests are Nonparametric Bayesian inference, multiple hypothesis testing, high dimensional data, ROC analysis, Bayesian imaging, functional data analysis, noninformative priors, asymptotic properties of the posterior distributions, nonregular cases, Bayesian computation, nonparametric regression, recurrent event data, survival analysis, limit theorems in probability.

Professor Ghoshal will visit EURANDOM in the winter of 2010 and the summer of 2011(exact dates not yet available).

(Photo: Dan Solomon receiving ASA Founders award from ASA President Sastry Pantula)

The American Statistical Association (ASA), the nation’s preeminent professional statistical society, has selected PAMS Dean Dan Solomon as one of the winners of its prestigious 2010 Founders Award. The award is given to ASA members who have rendered distinguished service to the association. The three award winners were honored last night at the Presidential Awards Session at the 2010 Joint Statistical Meetings in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“The recipients of this year’s Founders Award have contributed their skills, time, and a sense of commitment to the ASA, serving in a number of roles to assist the association meet and surpass its goals,” said Sastry Pantula, ASA president. “We are proud to recognize their dedication and leadership. We are grateful for their outstanding work in promoting the practice and profession of statistics and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Selection criteria for the Founders Award include service over an extended period of time and in a variety of leadership roles, including chapter, section, committee, officer or editorial activities, in which effective service or leadership was provided within ASA or on behalf of ASA to other organizations.

Solomon was honored “for exemplary involvement in many ASA committees for over 25 years; for strong support of ASA publications through lengthy service on the Committee on Publications and on the Board of Directors Electronic Communications Committee; for superb leadership of the Council of Sections Governing Board; and for his central role in launching the ASA’s Development Program.”

Other 2010 recipients included Janet Buckingham of Southwest Research Institute and George Williams of Amgen Inc.

About Dean Solomon

Daniel L. Solomon is professor of statistics and dean of the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS) at NC State University. Solomon began his career in 1968 at Cornell University, moving through the ranks to professor of biological statistics and heading the Biometrics Unit there from 1977 to 1981. He came to NC State in 1981 as head of the Department of Statistics, a position that he held until 1993 when he moved into the position of associate dean for academic affairs in PAMS. He was named dean of the College effective July 1, 2000.

Solomon’s research focused on applications of mathematics and statistics to the biological sciences, specifically population and community ecology. In more recent years, his efforts have focused primarily on academic administration, with emphasis on the development and promotion of effective pedagogy in higher education, on the expansion of research and graduate programs, and on the diversification of the science and mathematics workforce.

Solomon is a fellow of the American Statistical Association and has served that association in many capacities. He is also an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. He has been editor of Biometrics, the journal of the International Biometric Society and a member of its International Council. He has been on several panels of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council, including its Panel for Information Technology, the Committee on National Statistics, the Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics, and its Panel on Vertical Integration of Research and Education in the Mathematical Sciences.

He currently chairs the Governing Board of the National Science Foundation-funded Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute. Among other service to his profession, Solomon was instrumental in the founding of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences, and has served in various capacities on its Board of Trustees.

About the American Statistical Association

Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the American Statistical Association is the world’s largest community of statisticians and the second oldest continuously operating professional society in the United States. For 170 years, the ASA has supported excellence in the development, application, and dissemination of statistical science through meetings, publications, membership services, education, accreditation, and advocacy. Its members serve in industry, government, and academia in more than 90 countries, advancing research and promoting sound statistical practice to inform public policy and improve human welfare.

As many of you know, the endowment that supports this professorship was made possible by the generosity of one of our department’s most distinguished alumni, J. Stuart Hunter (PhD ’54), professor emeritus in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University.

In his letter notifying Butch of his appointment, Dean Solomon said, “This title of distinction is awarded in recognition of your sustained record of high scholarship and, in particular, your signal contributions to the design of clinical trials. Your appointment as the first Cox Professor pays fitting tribute to the legacy of Dr. Cox.”

“Sastry has an innate ability to build a strong sense of collegiality and community among those who work with him and the department,” says Dan Solomon, dean of NC State’s College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. “We’ll miss having his leadership here on campus on a daily basis, but I know he will bring credit to NC State in his new role.”

Through an Intergovernment Personnel Act agreement, Pantula will be “on loan” from NC State during his service at NSF, which begins September 13. While he will step down as department head, he will continue to be a tenured faculty member.

In 2002, Pantula was elected as a fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA) “for contributions to research in time series analysis, for exemplary service in graduate education as a teacher, researcher, mentor and recruiter of graduate students and industrial partners, and for contributions to the profession”. During the same year, he also received the International Indian Statistical Association’s Young Statistician Award.

In addition to ASA, where he currently serves as president, Pantula is a member of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, International Biometric Society, International Statistical Institute, International Indian Statistical Association, International Chinese Statistical Association, Sigma Xi and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also a member of the honor societies, Mu Sigma Rho and Phi Kappa Phi.

Sastry Pantula received both his B.Stat. and M.Stat. degrees in statistics from Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata (Calcutta), India. His areas of research include time series analysis and linear and nonlinear models. His research ranges from applications of statistical methods to derivation of asymptotic theory. In addition to a number of publications in various journals, he co-authored the textbook, Applied Regression Analysis: A Research Tool.

The Paul Minton Service Award is granted to Tom Gerig of North Carolina State University in recognition of his leadership as a Graduate Director and Head of the Department of Statistics at NC State, building a very successful Graduate Industrial Traineeship program for training future problem solvers, his continuous dedicated promotion of SRCOS for many years, and his national leadership in promoting vertical integration of research and education in mathematical sciences.

Paul Minton was an alum of NC State:

PAUL MINTON SERVICE AWARD
The annual target date for receipt of nominations is September 15

The Paul Minton Service Award was established by the Southern Regional Council on Statistics to recognize outstanding service to the statistics profession. The award was established to honor Paul Minton, who served the statistics profession nationally and in the southern region for many years and was instrumental in the continued development of statistical education in the region represented by the Southern Regional Council on Statistics. The awards, to be given annually, consist of a “substantial gift” with an engraved plaque.
Individuals nominated for this award must reside in one of the states represented on the Southern Regional Council on Statistics. The selection criteria include:

• Contributions to statistical education,
• Statistical service to industry and government agencies,
• Service to professional statistical organizations, and
• Promotion of the use of statistics.

Additional criteria may be considered at the discretion of the Awards Committee.
The award is intended to be an annual award but no award need be given if there are no suitable nominees in the judgment of the Awards Committee.
Nominations will be solicited annually and will consist of a one-page nomination statement (to include a draft citation) and the nominee’s bio/resume. Letters of support may be attached. Nominating materials should be submitted in writing to the SRCOS President and may be transmitted by email. The target date for receipt of nominations is each year on September 15.