mathematics

National Institute of Statistical Sciences

National Institute of Statistical Sciences is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand National Institute of Statistical Sciences rather than just read about it. In short: The National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) is an American institute that researches statistical science and quantitative analysis. History In 1985, the National Science Foundation funded a proposal by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) to assess the status of cross-disciplinary statistical research and to make recommendations for its future.

Key takeaways

National Institute of Statistical Sciences belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect National Institute of Statistical Sciences to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of National Institute of Statistical Sciences from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) is an American institute that researches statistical science and quantitative analysis.

History In 1985, the National Science Foundation funded a proposal by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) to assess the status of cross-disciplinary statistical research and to make recommendations for its future. The IMS formed a panel consisted of twelve members from statistics, pure and applied mathematics, chemistry, engineering, computer science, and public affairs, including Ingram Olkin (Co-Chair), Jerome Sacks (Co-Chair), Alfred Blumstein, Amos Eddy, Bill Eddy, Peter C. Jurs, William Kruskal, Thomas Kutz, Gary C. McDonald, Ronald Peierls, Paul Shaman, and William Spurgeon. In 1990, the panel published a report on Cross-Disciplinary Research in the Statistical Sciences that led to the founding of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences. The National Institute of Statistical Sciences was established in 1990 and located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina by the American Statistical Association, the International Biometric Society, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and RTI International (formerly Research Triangle Institute). Dan Horvitz of RTI became the interim director. Jerome Sacks became the founding director in 1991. Alan F. Karr joined NISS as the associate director in 1992 and became the director in 2000. Nell Sedransk appointed as the associate director in 2005 and became the director in 2015. James L. Rosenberger became the director of NISS in 2017 and served until 2023. David S. Matteson became the director in 2023. In 1993, the first NISS postdoctoral fellows joined. There are now nearly 80 of former NISS postdoctoral fellows around the world and in various organizations in each sector: academia, government, and industry. Here is a list of notable alumni:

John Aston, Professor of Statistics at the University of Cambridge Adrian Dobra, Associate Professor at the University of Washington Shanti Gomatam, Mathematical Statistician at U.S. Food and Drug Administration Murali Haran, Professor and Head of Statistics at Penn State University Jiming Jiang, Professor of Statistics at the University of California - Davis Xiaodong Lin, Associate Professor at Rutgers Business School Matthias Schonlau, Professor of Statistics at the University of Waterloo Minge Xie, Professor of Statistics at Rutgers University Haibo Zhou, Professor of Biostatistics at the University of North Carolina In 2000, the NISS affiliates program was created to address challenges arising in government and industry. In 2005, the NISS affiliates program was recognized by the American Statistical Association with the Statistical Partnerships among Academia, Industry, and Government (SPAIG) Award. In 2002, the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute was funded by the National Science Foundation, and it was partnered with Duke University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the National Institute of Statistical Sciences. From 2011 to 2018, the NISS and Duke University collaborated on the Triangle Census Research Network (TCRN), one of eight research nodes that worked on the National Census Research Network (NCRN). In 2017, the NCRN was recognized by the American Statistical Association with the Statistical Partnerships among Academia, Industry, and Government (SPAIG) Award.

Jerome Sacks Award The Jerome Sacks Award for Outstanding Cross-Disciplinary Research was created in 2001 in honor of Jerome Sacks, the founding director of NISS. The following are the winners of the award:

2018: G. Jogesh Babu (Penn State University) 2017: Jun S. Liu (Harvard University) 2016: William F. Eddy (Carnegie Mellon University) 2015: Stephen Fienberg (Carnegie Mellon University) 2014: Terry Speed (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research in Melbourne) 2013: Kenneth P. Burnham (Colorado State University) 2012: William Q. Meeker (Iowa State University) 2011: Emery N. Brown (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 2010: Sallie A. Keller (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) 2009: Ramanathan Gnanadesikan (retired from Bell Laboratories and Bellcore) 2008: John Rice (University of California, Berkeley) 2007: Cliff Spiegelman (Texas A&M University) 2006: Adrian Raftery (University of Washington) 2005: C.F. Jeff Wu (Georgia Institute of Technology) 2004: Douglas Nychka (National Center for Atmospheric Research) 2003: Raymond J. Carroll (Texas A&M University) 2002: Max Morris (Iowa State University) 2001: Elizabeth A. Thompson (University of Washington)

NISS Distinguished Service Award The NISS Distinguished Service Awards were established by the board of trustees in 2005 to recognize individuals who have given extraordinary service that significantly advances the mission of NISS.

2017: Phillip Kott (RTI International) 2016: Alan F. Karr (RTI International) and Robert N. Rodriguez (SAS) 2015: John L. Eltinge (Census Bureau) and Jamie Nunnelly (National Institute of Statistical Sciences) 2014: Susan S. Ellenberg (University of Pennsylvania) and Keith Soper (Merck) 2013: Thomas Gerig (North Carolina State University) and Sally Morton (Virginia Tech) 2012: Jim Landwehr (Avaya Laboratories) and Linda Young (University of Florida) 2011: James L. Rosenberger (Penn State University) and Jessica Utts (University of California, Irvine) 2010: Mary E. Bock (Purdue University), James Thomas (National Institute of Statistical Sciences), and Leland Wilkinson (H2O.ai) 2009: Vijay Nair (University of Michigan) and John Rolph (University of Southern California) 2008: Jim Berger (Duke University) and Katherine Kantner (National Institute of Statistical Sciences) 2007: Stephen Fienberg (Carnegie Mellon University) and Jon R. Kettenring (Drew University) 2006: Nancy Flournoy (University of Missouri), Ingram Olkin (Stanford University), Jerome Sacks (National Institute of Statistical Sciences), and Daniel Solomon (North Carolina State University) 2005: Albert H. Bowker, Daniel G. Horvitz (RTI International), Janet L. Norwood and Martha Williamson (National Institute of Statistical Sciences)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with National Institute of Statistical Sciences

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what National Institute of Statistical Sciences claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to National Institute of Statistical Sciences before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about National Institute of Statistical Sciences ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of National Institute of Statistical Sciences

In research: National Institute of Statistical Sciences appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses National Institute of Statistical Sciences in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: National Institute of Statistical Sciences is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Scientific organizations established in 1990, Statistical organizations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for National Institute of Statistical Sciences outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study National Institute of Statistical Sciences in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what National Institute of Statistical Sciences means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain National Institute of Statistical Sciences out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is National Institute of Statistical Sciences in simple terms?

The National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) is an American institute that researches statistical science and quantitative analysis. History In 1985, the National Science Foundation funded a proposal by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) to assess the status of cross-disciplina…

Why does National Institute of Statistical Sciences matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study National Institute of Statistical Sciences?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on National Institute of Statistical Sciences.