Purpose

To raise the profile of data analysis within our Society, to recognize the relevance of collaboration with other disciplines as significant contributions of statistical scientists, to encourage students to participate in these activities, and to recognize excellence among the student teams participating in the Case Studies in Data Analysis event at the SSC Annual Meeting.

Criteria

Quality of approach to case study: Did the approach address the main questions of interest? Was the approach complete and thorough? Did the approach demonstrate some creativity? 

Quality of presentation of the approach to case study: Were the presentation materials well organized, clear, concise and focused?

Eligibility

Teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students may participate in the case studies by contacting the case study organizer(s). All participating teams will be considered for the award.

Procedures

• Such case studies presentations will be in the form of posters.
• An Award for Case Studies in Data Analysis announcement will be included with the conference promotion material.
• Coordination with the case studies organizer(s) and the program chair of the meeting will be established to ensure that the case study sessions take place early enough in the meeting to announce the winners at the meeting banquet and to ensure that judges do not have conflicts with other activities.
• Details about procedures for the student teams will be provided by the case study organizer(s) on the Society's web page. Teams of students desiring to participate will register with the organizer(s) of the case study.
• A team may choose to have a non-student mentor (e.g., a faculty member). Mentors are encouraged to consult “Guidelines for Mentors to Student Teams Participating in the SSC Case Studies in Data Analysis at Annual Meeting”.
• The rubric used for the judge's evaluation will be made available to participating teams in advance of the meeting. Please see “SSC Case Studies in Data Analysis Rubric”.
• To assist adjudication, the case study organizer(s), on behalf of the adjudication committee, may request that all teams submit a copy of their presentation materials to the organizer of the case study session. They may also request that teams submit a summary (1-2 pages, say) describing their general approach to the case study, including the methodology employed for their analyses, by a specified deadline.
• After all the presentations, the adjudication committee will meet to decide on a winning team.
• In most years, there will be separate and equal awards for each case study. To grant an award for a case study, statistical analyses from at least two teams must be presented. If there is a large imbalance in the number of teams participating in the two case studies, the adjudication committee may elect to consider the participants in two case studies as one group, with the possibility of giving the awards to two teams participating in the same case study. If this is to happen, an announcement will be made on the case studies web page at least three weeks prior to the meeting. If there are many entrants, the adjudication committee may consider declaring not only a winning entry, but also “runner-up” awards. These might consist of a special “runner-up” certificate, similar to that given to members of the winning team.
• Winners will be announced at the meeting banquet and in the issue of Liaison following the Annual Meeting.

Award

A certificate for each member of each winning team and a monetary award to be shared by the members of each winning team, and an invitation to each winning team to write up their findings for consideration of inclusion in the Society’s electronic newsletter, Liaison.

The amount of the award is to be set by the SSC Board no later than December 31 of year X-1.

Guidelines for mentors

The SSC Case Studies in Data Analysis at the Annual Meeting exists for participation by teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students. All participating teams, if they desire, may recruit a non-student mentor, for example, a faculty member. In order to have the ability to fairly evaluate the work of the student teams, student teams and non-student mentors are encouraged to consider the following guidelines for their participation.

i. Role of the student team: The approach to the case study should be planned, developed, and executed primarily by the student team. The student team should also have responsibility for the organization and presentation of its findings.

ii. Role of the mentor: The mentor should encourage and support the student team. This may include listening to ideas, suggesting references, and asking questions to stimulate consideration of additional aspects of the case study. To be fair to all participating teams, the mentor should not to take an active role in the development of the statistical analyses.