Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute

University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Abstract

The Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) is a national institute that merges statistical and mathematical thinking to create high impact theory and methodology for fundamental scientific and societal problems. It does so by catalyzing and nurturing collaborations both among its core disciplines -- statistics, probability, and applied mathematics -- and between those disciplines and the physical, social, and engineering sciences, as well as other quantitative disciplines such as computer science and operations research. SAMSI engages researchers at all career stages, from graduate students to postdoctoral fellows to senior international leaders, who take away from SAMSI expanded modes of thought, new vision and energy, and momentum enabling collaborations initiated there to persist. The spectrum of SAMSI's programs responds to national needs, impetus from the statistics and mathematics community, and scientific opportunities with potential high impact. A broad range of education and outreach activities, focused especially on undergraduates, faculty in teaching institutions, and under-represented minorities, builds greater public awareness of the importance and achievements of the mathematical sciences. SAMSI is a national institute that exists to advance science and society by catalyzing and supporting collaborations among statisticians, applied mathematicians, and researchers in the natural and social sciences. Its goal is to tackle the most challenging and far-reaching data-driven problems, as exemplified by its forthcoming programs on such topics as numerical methods in data science, data science in the social and behavioral sciences, and combinatorial probability. SAMSI operates by bringing together researchers at all levels -- students, postdoctoral fellows, and senior leaders -- into teams that both make substantial progress within SAMSI programs and form the basis of future collaborations. It stimulates people at all stages of their careers to think differently about the roles and power of applied mathematics and statistics in concert with one another. A vibrant education and outreach program uses SAMSI research to present the importance and achievements of the mathematical sciences to undergraduates, professors at teaching colleges, and the general public. SAMSI activities are permeated by efforts to increase the participation of under-represented minorities in mathematics, statistics, and other sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.