Many aspects of the research enterprise are rapidly changing to be more open, accessible, and supportive of rapid-response investigations (e.g., understanding COVID-19) and large cross-national research that addresses complex challenges (e.g., supply chain issues). Around the globe, there have been aggressive responses to the need for a unified open research commons (ORC)—an interoperable collection of data and compute resources within both the public and private sectors that is easy to use and accessible to all. Many nations are positioning themselves to be scientifically competitive in the years to come. But the US is falling behind in the accessibility and connectedness of its research computing and data infrastructure, compromising competitiveness and leadership and limiting global science that could benefit from US contributions.
With a long and successful career steeped in statistics, the University of Virginia Biocomplexity Institute’s Sallie Keller will step into a new post that might well have been tailor made for the nationally recognized research scientist. Keller will join the U.S. Census Bureau as chief scientist and associate director for research and methodology lending her scientific knowledge and expertise to advise the Census Bureau’s programs and continued need to produce high-quality statistical products describing America and for use by decision makers in many roles.
An independent team of former census directors and prominent social scientists based at the University of Virginia (UVA) is helping the agency meet their goals, and last week it released a progress report on its 4-year effort. “The Census Bureau is already moving in the right direction, and we’re hoping to help them get there by exploring some of the scientific issues that need to be addressed,” says Sallie Keller, a UVA statistician leading the team along with former Census Director Kenneth Prewitt.
A research team at the University of Virginia has set its sights on developing new and better measures of America’s people, places, and the economy through a comprehensive innovation they call a Curated Data Enterprise. The research is being done in collaboration between the U.S. Census Bureau and UVA’s Biocomplexity Institute with additional support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
The institute is researching the challenges of food insecurity, equity, climate change and lack of affordable housing in the region.
Washington, DC, metro-area stakeholders will soon have a new tool at their fingertips to inform equitable and sustainable growth, a critical issue for a region where more than 5.5 million people now live and strong growth is expected over the next 25 years. The unique data platform will emerge from the University of Virginia Biocomplexity Institute’s launch of a Social Impact Data Commons, an open curated knowledge repository that will co-locate data from various sources, including public datasets, administrative records, and private sources focused on the region.
President Biden appointed Cathie Woteki, visiting distinguished institute professor in the Biocomplexity Institute at the University of Virginia, to serve as a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), the White House announced on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021.
This article discusses the necessity for data acumen and data science ethics and describes the fundamentals necessary to apply these skills to real-world problems.
This year, an unprecedented number of speakers from the Biocomplexity Institute’s Social and Decision Analytics division were part of the 2021 Joint Statistical Meetings. Topics ranged from broadband challenges in rural communities to career pathways for Army veterans.
With a mission to improve education and promote healthy communities, the Ronald Maese Peralta Foundation (RMP) has pledged a $5,000 donation to support the Data Science for the Public Good Young Scholars program at the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute.
The University of Virginia Biocomplexity Institute is excited to announce Dr. Sallie A. Keller was named the 2021 Samuel S. Wilks Memorial Award recipient by the American Statistical Association (ASA) in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of statistics.
On January 29, during a virtual ceremony over Zoom, the University of Virginia honored and recognized faculty members for their outstanding contributions to their fields and the impact of their research and scholarly activities at the annual Research Achievement Awards.
A research team across three states is seizing the opportunity to share their aspiration to create a data-driven National Community Learning Network to support economic mobility.
Over the last five summers, students from across the country have come together at the Biocomplexity Institute’s Arlington, Va. location for the Data Science for the Public Good (DSPG) Young Scholars program – an 11-week immersive research program through which students gain world-class, hands-on professional experience combining data science and public service. This year, as the world continues to evolve due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has followed suit, adopting an entirely virtual format for the first time.
Sallie Keller was recognized “for development and application of engineering and statistical techniques in support of national security and industry.”
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has elected 87 new members and 18 international members, announced NAE President John L. Anderson today.
Today’s data revolution is not just about big data, it is about data of all sizes and types.
From local neighborhoods and schools to courtrooms, hospitals, fields, and forests, data are everywhere, providing us the power to solve problems like never before. Communities large and small now have access to a wealth of data they can use to assess conditions, develop strategies and policies, evaluate impact, and make critical decisions. However, not all communities – particularly those that are small or rural – have the expertise or resources necessary to access and leverage complex data for real-world benefits.
DSPG Program Expansion Advances Data Science Application in Support of Rural Prosperity
The University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute is pleased to announce Dr. Sallie Ann Keller, director of the Social and Decision Analytics Division, and Dr. Madhav V. Marathe, director of the Network Systems Science and Advanced Computing Division, have been appointed to Distinguished Professorships in Biocomplexity.
Last Friday marked the launch of the University of Virginia’s Data Science for the Public Good Distinguished Speaker Series with Martin O’Malley, former mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, as its inaugural speaker.
The Biocomplexity Institute, Darden School of Business, and Data Science Institute in partnership with the Northern Virginia Technology Council have officially launched the Data Science for the Public Good (DSPG) Forum with three cornerstone programs commencing this summer.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, Amstat News, the membership magazine of the American Statistical Association (ASA), highlighted 28 admired and accomplished women in a special March feature titled, “Celebrating Women in Statistics and Data Science.” Deputy Director and Research Professor Stephanie S. Shipp from the Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative at the University of Virginia was among this esteemed group, selected by other women in the field because of their influential and inspirational work.
One of the University of Virginia’s most ambitious research efforts is beginning to take shape. In the past several months, UVA announced and introduced the Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative, which commenced operations in the UVA Research Park in September 2018, and most recently, appointed five individuals to join Executive Director Dr. Christopher L. Barrett on the senior leadership team.
Ten years ago, Dr. Keller spearheaded the effort to create the world’s first engineering “design kitchen” while Dean of Engineering at Rice University and recently recalled how it all came together.
