B&B Faculty Jane Pendergast, PhD was honored with the prestigious American Statistical Association’s (ASA) Founders Award at the 2017 Annual Joint Statistical Meeting in Baltimore Maryland on August 2.
The Founders Award recognizes members who have rendered distinguished service to the association. In order to be considered for this award, nominees must have served the association for an extended time, usually in a variety of leadership roles within the ASA or through ASA outreach to other organizations. The individual's contributions will have had significant impact on the association beyond the time of her/his incumbency.
Dr. Pendergast’s award citation detailed her accomplishments: “For service to the ASA over nearly three decades; for skilled and thoughtful leadership of the ASA during two terms on the board of directors, representing in turns the Council of Chapters and the Council of Sections, for service as chair of the Statistical Consulting section and the first chair of the Karl Peace Award Committee; and for supporting the ASA and other societies as chair of the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies and as secretary/treasurer of Section U of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.”
Dr. Pendergast, professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, joined the Duke faculty in 2015, after serving on the faculty at the University of Iowa and the University of Florida. “This award was an incredible thrill for me and I am both honored and grateful! I have always greatly enjoyed my service and leadership roles, and encourage others to get involved and volunteer their time to organizations of importance to them. Not only will your efforts be useful; they will be personally rewarding as well. “
Other 2017 awardees John Eltinge (U. S. Census Bureau), Nick Horton (Amherst University) and Wendy Martinez (U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Award recipients are presented with a certificate and engraved crystal trophy . This award differs from all other ASA awards in that the honorees’ names are kept secret until the awards ceremony at the Joint Statistical Meetings when the honorees are presented with the award.
The American Statistical Association is the world’s largest community of statisticians and the second-oldest continuously operating professional society in the United States. Its members serve in industry, government and academia in more than 90 countries, advancing research and promoting sound statistical practice to inform public policy and improve human welfare. For additional information about the American Statistical Association, please visit the ASA website at www.amstat.org.
