By Elizabeth Mannshardt, NC ASA President 2018
**The following is an excerpt from the NC ASA blog. Click HERE to see the full version of this article.**
NC American Statistical Association (ASA) was excited to offer the first Mentoring and Early Career Development Workshop for students and early career professionals. It featured prominent statisticians from our community and included interactive sessions on goal-structuring and professional development. Workshop participants also had the opportunity to meet with ASA President Lisa LaVange in a small group setting prior to the NC ASA “Stories of Significance” Fall Dinner that evening, as well as network with the NC ASA community at the dinner.
The workshop was designed to provide a variety of viewpoints on professional statistical careers through a series of presentations as well as interactive sessions to engage participants. These sessions included professional statisticians from a broad range of backgrounds participating in both a professional panel discussion as well as small group focused mentoring with workshop participants. There were also break-out sessions for young professionals on Leadership and Career Next-Steps as well as Mentor versus Sponsor, and for students on Resumes and Interviews and Peer Mentoring. The workshop also designed a series of modules on topics such as Branding, Networking, Goal-Structuring, and The Imposter Syndrome, which included hands-on activities in their Career Development Workbook. The schedule was purposefully designed to intersperse traditional presentations with the interactive sessions and break-out sessions in order to foster engagement and maximize participation. The NC ASA Fall Dinner that evening also provided an opportunity for networking with the larger statistics community.
The ASA North Carolina Chapter is a professional organization composed of statisticians throughout the state who represents the ASA – the world’s largest community of statisticians. Since the ASA was founded in Boston, MA in 1839, the organization continues to support excellence in the development, application, and dissemination of statistical science. The organization promotes the practice of statistics in a wide variety of ways, such as: meetings, publications, membership services, education, accreditation, and advocacy. Their members are worldwide and serve in industry, government, and academia in more than 90 countries. These members help to advance research and promote the practice of statistics in order to inform public policy and improve human welfare.
To become a member, visit the NC ASA website.
