100th Celebration

APHA Statistics Section

 Celebrates 100^th Year

 Anniversary in San Diego

During the American Public Health Association 136th Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA October 25-29, 2008, the Statistics Section will celebrate its 100^th Year Anniversary.   The Section Leadership looks forward to seeing all of its old and new members at the various 100^th Year Anniversary activities that are planned.   The Statistics Section 100th Year Anniversary Committee includes Marcia Testa (Chair),  James Leeper, Janet Eyster, Amy Ferketich, Larry Moulton, Carol Redmond, Dedun Ingram and William Pan who have been working on a number of special 100^th   Year celebration events including:

100th Year Anniversary Booth:   The Statistics Section has reserved a special booth which will include a mix and mingle area where statistical and probability games will be played and 100^th year Anniversary prizes will be awarded to the winners.

100-Year Milestones Booth Banner:  We are almost there! Come view the 100-year milestones banner as a “grand finale” to the 100^th-Year Anniversary Countdown Poster which has been displayed at the Annual Meeting Statistics Booth for the past five years. Remember we were 95% confident in 2003,  96% confident in 2004, 97%  confident in 2005, 98% confident in 2006, 99%  confident in 2007 for reaching the 100^th Year Anniversary.  The milestone banner will outline the accomplishments of statistics to the field of public health beginning with the first official 1908 year of the APHA Statistics Section which was founded by Dr. Cressie L. Wilbur. 

100th Year Anniversary Tuesday Evening Celebration: Every year on the Tuesday evening of the APHA Annual Meeting the Statistics Section  holds its annual business meeting, reception and dinner.  For the 100th Year Anniversary Celebration the Statistics Section will hold a special 100^th Celebration Event at the Convention Center which will include a reception, recognition ceremony, buffet dinner, music and outdoor views from the attached terrace. You may sign up to view the program, make reservations, receive an invitation and be placed on the mailing list to future details by going to the  100^th Celebration Tuesday SIGN UP URL   at

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227VKNX99JQ

100^th Year Anniversary Donation Information: The Statistics Section is currently seeking donations for supporting the 100^th Anniversary Celebration and it will be recognizing donors in the 100th Celebration Program.   If you would like to make a donation to support Celebration activities, you may donate to the APHA Statistics Section Enrichment Fund.  You may download a copy of the 100^th Anniversary Celebration instructions and Donor Form from the 100^th Celebration Committee Chair’s Faculty Web Page

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/faculty/marcia-testa/files/APHA_Stat_Section_100th_Celebration_Donor_Form.doc

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100th Celebration Ideas

Committee chair:  Marcia Testa

General:  How about using the spatial statistics book that was donated as a prize for the best suggestion (and execution of) for a giveaway (e.g. mugs)?

Booth

Make double-size, or go in with Health Administration and make a corner quadruple-size setting.

Give away mugs or other fancy trinkets to Stat Section members who stop by.

 Make life-size cutout figures of famous statisticians in our history.

Make big banner.

Modularize current poster, updating it.

Get folding boards, velcro (the verb!) pics and other signs to it.

Get one of those mini casino tables and let people play craps to win prizes at the booth (i.e., post odds on the table for winning different bets, stake people with $100 funny money and then see if they can win anything)

15 minute consulting booth (i.e., set up a booth for people to get 15 minutes of statistical consulting)

Since we will be in San Diego, we can give out Statistics Section Hats

For the booth, what about a contest similar to the one Scott Zeger described in his talk?  A large bowl of something (e.g. M+Ms, coins, hershey kisses); ask for an interval estimate, winner is the smallest interval estimate that covers the true value.

Sessions

Bring in a really big name person for a special talk.

Hold a contest "Are you smarter than a statistician" similar to "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" that we hold Tuesday afternoon in which we have a team of 3 statisticians compete against any team of 3 people in answering 5-10 statistical questions. Prize can be free APHA membership for the team (i.e., 3 free memberships, which include statistics as the primary section)

Invited sessions on history of APHA, the Statistics Section and Statistics

For an invited session, I'd love to see a session on influenza vaccine effectiveness.  There's been a controversy brewing for the past couple years, as the results from RCT data do not agree with observational or surveillance data.  The topic is current, there are some interesting statistical issues, and it is an important public health problem.  I can think of several terrific speakers to invite.

Parties

Throw a big bash with live music.

Publications

 Make glossy booklet of our history.

Other

Fund-raising

Approach Deans and Biostat Depts

Approach Software manufacturers/CROs

Auction/Sell member consultative services

Send ideas to LMOULTON@JHSPH.EDU for posting, and simultaneously to TESTA@HSPH.HARVARD.EDU for consideration by the planning committee.