Volume 12, Number 1, 2003
Anyone who doesn't believe statistics can be exciting has never been around Lidia Rejto.
Rejto's eyes light up when she talks about her work as an associate professor in UD's Statistics Program and director of its Statistics Lab. "Statistics is a wonderful field in which to work," she says. "I love the challenge of tackling a new problem."
Previously affiliated with the University's mathematical sciences department, the Statistics Program has been housed in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources' Department of Food and Resource Economics since 2001. The StatLab offers consultation services to clients in the public sector, private industry and throughout the University, helping researchers determine if they are using effective and appropriate statistical techniques in the analysis of data. The lab is staffed by graduate students, assisted by an advisory committee of professional statisticians.
The StatLab gets involved in anything that can be researched: bicycle helmets and safety, climate change and tree growth, methods of treating gestational diabetes and numerous other topics.
The lab can help researchers at any stage of their work--with research design, prior to conducting research; with statistical analysis, which includes choosing the methods to use for analyzing data; and with statistical computing, which ranges from selecting statistical packages to interpreting statistical output.
Of course, the clients aren't the only ones who benefit from the service, says Tom Ilvento, chairperson of the Department of Food and Resource Economics.
"The StatLab is a tremendous hands-on learning experience for our grad students," he says. "They learn how to work with investigators from all disciplines. They discover some of the common, and not so common, statistical problems that can crop up during research projects. In addition, our grad students gain valuable exposure to professionals in the field through their interactions with the advisory committee."
Members of the advisory committee are invited to attend a weekly review session that serves as a problem-solving, brain-storming meeting to tackle the most challenging and interesting statistical problems. The client also is invited to attend these sessions.
"Initially, I think, it can be a little intimidating for a grad student to make client recommendations in the presence of professional statisticians," Rejto says. "But, as the weeks go by, the students become more comfortable and look forward to input from the professionals."
Currently, the bulk of the StatLab's client list is University affiliated. It includes undergraduates who may be grappling with the complexities of research for the first time, graduate students refining their methodology as they undertake final thesis projects and faculty members who just want some help fine-tuning a new survey or experiment.
The lab also works with a few outside clients, and Rejto expects a greater number of those as the StatLab becomes better known. One client, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, needed assistance with a research project on drainage ditches. Another, the Baylor Women's Correctional Center near New Castle, Del., sought statistical advice on a project that analyzed methods of teaching inmates.
The StatLab isn't the only thing making news in the Statistics Program, Ilvento says. A master's degree in statistics has been reintroduced, and the Statistics Internship Program has been re-established. Interns, who have worked at such companies as DuPont and W.L. Gore, are able to get valuable experience in applied statistics in an industrial setting, Ilvento says. And, although a degree in statistics is offered only at the master's level, undergraduates are able to minor in the subject.
In addition, the program has instituted a five-course Statistics Certificate Program geared to working professionals who need to become familiar and comfortable with statistics.
Despite a tepid economy, the career prospects for UD statistics students are red-hot, Ilvento says. "The jobs are out there," he says. "Most of these positions are in applied statistics, in fields ranging from banking to manufacturing. It's never been a better time to be in statistics."
--Margo McDonough, AS '86, '95M