Collaborative Research: Training Environmental Statisticians Using Complicated Data Sets to Make More Informed Environmental Decisions

Spelman College, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

With the increased emphasis on the application of statistical techniques in hands on and practical settings, it is important for members of academic statistical community to develop working relationship with other academicians and members of the private and governmental sector to create active research consortiums. This collaboration between North Carolina State University, Spelman College, and members of governmental agencies presents an innovative solution to addressing the needs of getting more practical applications of statistical techniques by statistics students while assisting in the management of huge and complicated data sets obtained by governmental agencies. The collaboration stems from the Environmental Statistics Practicum developed and tested at North Carolina State University and the program adapts the current practices of this successful endeavor for use at Spelman College. The development of protocols for training undergraduates in analyzing complicated data sets and analyzing environmental data to make better environmental policy decisions using modern statistical techniques lends itself to the intellectual merit of the proposed project. In addition, the broader impacts are established through the retaining of undergraduate students in the graduate studies pipeline in order to pursue higher educational aspirations, adaptation and adoption of these programs in a historically black college for women, and developing student - industry interactions that lead to successful employment in STEM related careers.