Category: News and announcements

Department of Statistics Professor Matthias Katzfuss recently earned the prestigious honor of being elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA), the world’s largest organization for statisticians. Our department extends its sincere congratulations to Professor Katzfuss on this well-earned recognition. The association honored Katzfuss for his “outstanding methodological contributions to computational spatial statistics, innovative applications …

Professor Yazhen Wang has concluded the final academic year of a transformative three-year term as chair of the Department of Statistics. Under his leadership, the department dramatically increased the size of its student body and faculty, and it added popular new programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. As Wang’s term as department chair …

The Department of Statistics is excited to announce that Carmela Diosana, our academic advising manager, has received the 2024 Distinguished Achievement Advising Award from the College of Letters & Science (L&S). Diosana has served as a staff member across several units at UW–Madison for more than two decades. During her time with the Department of …

Each year, the Statistics Department’s Teaching Assistant (TA) Committee selects a group of outstanding TAs to recognize for their invaluable service to the department and the university. Awardees demonstrate dedication, professionalism, and a genuine passion for teaching. They are not only instructors; they are mentors, leaders, and example-setters—all while completing their own rigorous graduate studies. …

On Wednesday, May 8, the Department of Statistics community gathered to celebrate a total of 647 new alumni, including 566 undergraduates and 81 graduate students, across the department’s array of academic programs. The department’s spring 2024 graduates have successfully completed the following programs: Data Science Major: 334 Statistics Major: 59 Data Science Certificate: 182 Statistics …

In recent decades, sports has become an increasingly popular domain for applying advanced statistical techniques. The world of sports analytics has exploded, and its takeoff was just beginning as Assistant Professor Sameer Deshpande was starting his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. What began as a class project assessing NBA player performance sparked Deshpande’s interest …

Assistant Professor Kris Sankaran has contributed his expertise to the new book, AI for Good: Applications in Sustainability, Humanitarian Action, and Health, published by Microsoft this month. In the book, an esteemed group of artificial intelligence researchers investigates how AI can help tackle major problems related to climate change, humanitarian aid, and healthcare. One chapter, …

For the first time, a University of Wisconsin–Madison building will bear the name of John and Tashia Morgridge, alumni and visionary partners to UW–Madison, who have for decades made significant contributions to the university, beginning with a humble $10 gift in the 1960s. With the recommendation of university leaders and the approval of the Board …

Zoe Weinstein x’25 grew up on the outskirts of Silicon Valley, but her fascination with data science and technology didn’t emerge until she arrived in Wisconsin. And her decision to come to Madison in the first place was based on a fortuitous visit to another Midwest city, during which she learned some good news. “I …