Not only is 2013 the year of the snake, but also of statistics
When many people hear the word “statistics,” they think of either sports-related numbers or the college class they took and barely passed. While statistics can be thought about in these terms, there is more to the relationship between you and statistics than you probably imagine.
Statistics is used around the world by governments, political parties, civil servants, financial companies, opinion-polling firms, social researchers, news organizations, and so much more. Statisticians, the scientists who collect and analyze data, work in many areas that touch our everyday lives, including medicine, economics, agriculture, business, law enforcement and weather forecasting.
Statistics is becoming more critical as academia, businesses, and governments come to rely on data-driven decisions, greatly expanding the demand for statisticians.
To heighten awareness about statistics, 2013 has been declared the International Year of Statistics. More than 1,200 organizations, professional statistical societies, colleges and universities, primary and secondary schools, businesses, government entities and research institutes are participating in this worldwide event. Why? Because statistics have powerful and far-reaching effects on everyone.
Faculty members from the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, the Faculty of Health and the Institute of Social Research at York University are hosting a special event April 5 to celebrate the International Year of Statistics. They’ve put together an interesting series of presentations to highlight the use of statistics in research, academia and everyday life. This one-day event, Statistics Day at York University, takes place today (Friday, April 5) in the Senate Chamber, N940 Ross Building, Keele campus. All are welcome to attend, although lunch will be provided for registered participants only. To register, click here.
For more information, click here to see the Statistics Day at York agenda and speaker bios. Full descriptions of each of the sessions are available here.