Faculty Meeting

Faculty meeting
Body

The regular meeting of the faculty of the Department of Statistics was held on Zoom at 12:30pm, May 16, 2022. Abel Rodriguez, Department Chair, presided at the meeting. Kristine Chan was recording secretary. 

Chair Remarks 

Important meeting dates: 

  • Research prelim results Faculty Meeting – Tuesday, June 21, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm 

  • MS Theory exam results Faculty Meeting – Friday, June 24, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm 

    • Note: 10:00am-10:30am/10:45am is jointly with Biostatistics; 10:30am/10:45am-12:30pm is Statistics only. Meeting info coming soon. 

Faculty meetings for the rest of Spring quarter: No faculty meetings on Monday, May 23 (canceled) and May 30 (Memorial Day holiday). Our last open faculty meeting will be happening on Monday, June 6. 

New Business 

BS Revamp Update: The Chair shared slides on updates that happened between now and the last faculty meeting discussion we had on April 11, 2022. Since then, our Chair together with Prof. Grove had one townhall meeting with undergraduate students and meetings with Mathematics, CSE, Biostatistics, HCDE, and the I-School. Consultation with CSSSS, the alumni advisory board, and other potential partners is still pending. The outcome of these conversations were positive and there has been no objection or concern raised about our revamp plan.  Details of how double majors or potential pathways within the program would work will continue to be discussed into the Autumn quarter, but the discussion has been promising. 

After the presentation there was a robust discussion around the content of the “Statistical and machine learning methodology” sequence.  Concerns were raised around the need to ensure that students understand the challenges associated with data collection and how they affect the choice of methodologies.  Some of this discussion was motivated by the proposal to reduce the amount dedicated to topics related to classical experimental design.  There was also discussion around the role of prediction and causal inference in the curriculum, as well as about the desirability of including generalized linear models and mixed-effects models as part of the required curriculum. 

In terms of next steps, the Chair will request feedback on the proposal in writing, which the BS Revamp Committee will discuss and incorporate into the proposal.  The expectation is that one or more motions related to the undergraduate program will be put forward on or before June 6 with the goal of having one final discussion during the meeting and then proceed to an electronic shortly after.  

Adjournment 

There being no other items to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 2:00pm.