There have been huge advances in measurement, computing and information technology over the 50 years since the University of Manitoba Department of Statistics was founded, and these have transformed the ways that statistics is applied. In this talk I will review some history of statistical applications in science and technology before and then during this period. I will then discuss some current activities and some important issues, including the use of big data, the role of statistics within data science, and the distinction between scientific learning and technological problems involving decision-making.