Statistical Education Section Presidential Invited Address
Chairs: Peggy Ng (York University) and Bethany White (University of Western Ontario)
Chairs: Peggy Ng (York University) and Bethany White (University of Western Ontario)
- DAVID SPIEGELHALTER, Cambridge University
The Ups and (Many) Downs of Trying to Be a 'Public Statistician' [PDF]
- Statisticians can have special insights into the numbers in the news, but don't tend to have much of a public role. I've got a unique job in trying to improve the way that stats and risk are discussed in society, although this is not an easy task. I will relate both positive and negative experiences from radio, TV, print and online, covering topics such as climate change, alcohol, polls, sky-diving, and sex. You can share the panic at being asked unanswerable questions live on radio, and the joys of doing well in Winter Wipeout due to careful study of the statistics.