Stats + Stories

On the podcast, we talk about the ways we live in and with data, as well as the ways data shape our lives and our politics. Public discourse around data is often wrapped up in the negative ways it can impact our lives. A movement among statisticians, data scientists, and other researchers shows the positive impacts of data when used to work towards solutions to humanitarian problems. The data for good movement is a focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest David Corliss. David Corliss is the founder and director of Peace Work, a volunteer cooperative of statisticians and data scientists applying statistical methods to issue-driven advocacy. Human trafficking research is a major initiative at Peace Work. Corliss is also a research scholar and a member of the Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars.

Glenn Platt (@glennplatt) is the C. Michael Armstrong Professor of Network Technology & Management & Director of Interactive Media Studies at Miami University. He is interested in social media marketing, digital media and e-Commerc. He is also the faculty sponsor of the Esports team at Miami.

In a deep dive into football analytics, Mike Lopez, the NFL's Senior Director of Data and Analytics, explores how data shapes football strategies, rule changes, and player evaluations. He discusses the NFL's focus on safety and entertainment and shares insights on the dynamic kickoff trial outcomes. Ryan Elmore and Adriana Gonzalez Sanchez reveal their research on whether icing the kicker actually impacts performance, concluding there's little effect. They emphasize practical coaching tips, urging teams to use timeouts wisely. It's a game-changing discussion!

News stories are filled with tales of risk and uncertainty. We're told the probable chance of a weather event or how likely it is that we might contract an illness. There's an art to telling stories with uncertainty that provides context and nuance that is often missing. That is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest David Spiegelhalter. Sir David Spiegelhalter is a British statistician and Emeritus Professor at the University of Cambridge, known for his work on risk communication and public understanding of statistics. He is the author of The Art of Statistics, a former President of the Royal Statistical Society, and was knighted in 2014 for his services to medical statistics. He also presented BBC documentaries and is the founder of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication at Cambridge. Inspiration Behind the Book (1:11) Defining Uncertainty and Its Impact (4:14) Storytelling and Examples in the Book (7:48) Probability and Communication (12:54) Trustworthy Communication (17:34) Application of Trustworthy Communication Principles (19:14) Deep Uncertainty and Imagination (27:42)

Linda J. Young is Chief Mathematical Statistician and Director of Research and Development of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service . She oversees efforts to continually improve the methodology underpinning the Agency's collection and dissemination of data on every facet of U.S. agriculture. She works on the surveys designed to characterize agricultural activity in the US.

This discussion features Pedro Campos, a leader in promoting statistical literacy globally, alongside Harvard's Mark Glickman and Larry Lesser from the University of Texas at El Paso, who creatively merges music with statistics. They delve into the challenges of interpreting statistics in the media and share the cross-cultural hurdles in literacy promotion. Glickman and Lesser reveal their songwriting process for teaching stats through catchy parodies, emphasizing student engagement and the effectiveness of using music as a tool for enhancing understanding.

The costumes are ready and the annual opportunity to go out and harass your neighbors to get candy is once again upon us. Yes, it's time for Halloween. And along with Halloween comes the worry, the concern the fear that in fact, someone will be poisoning my kid’s candy. This is something that has lived with us for decades and we have someone today that will help us investigate this mystery on this episode of Stats and Short Stories with guest Joel Best. Joel Best is a Professor Of Sociology And Criminal Justice At The University Of Delaware. His writing focuses on understanding how and why we become concerned with particular issues at particular moments in time–why we find ourselves worried about road rage one year, and identity theft a year or so later. He’s written about the ways bad statistics creep into public debates, and about dubious fears, such as the mistaken belief that poisoned Halloween candy poses a serious threat to our kids. Check out his books Damned Lies and Statistics, More Damned Lies and Statistics, Stat-Spotting.

Data visualizations are everywhere, showing up in social media, in the news, and on company websites. With this onslaught, it can be hard to know what visualizations to trust. Learning how to navigate bad graphs and charts is a focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Nathan Yau. Yau is the author of several books on data visualization, including Visualize This and a number of other works. He also runs the Flowing Data blog, where he works to make the process of creating data visualizations accessible to a wide audience. He recently published a defense against dishonest charts on his blog, which serves as a guide to determining which visualizations to trust. Flowing Data's Origin and Development 2:32 Surprising Insights and Misleading Charts 7:55 Anatomy of a Chart and Common Misleading Techniques 12:25 Strategies for Reading Data and Interactive Charts 16:31 Feedback and Tools for Visualization 23:26

When American comedian and actor Betty White died, fans lamented the fact that she had just missed making it to her 100th birthday. They felt she’d been robbed of achieving a significant life moment. Some researchers think that this century could see more people making it to that moment and beyond. That’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Michael Pearce. Michael Pearce is a PhD candidate in Statistics at the University of Washington, working under the supervision of Elena A. Erosheva. His primary research interests include preference learning and developing Bayesian statistical models for social science problems. In his spare time, Michael enjoys running, biking, and paddling around the Puget Sound.

Fall is admissions season at universities across the United States. As colleges work to recruit a new class, a new working paper suggests that politics might impact where students decide to go to school. That’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories, with guest Riley Acton. Riley Acton is an assistant professor of economics at Miami University where she specializes in the economics of education. Much of her current research focuses on how students choose where to apply to and enroll in college and how colleges can affect their local communities. She’s also the lead author on Political Views and College Choices in a Polarized America, a working paper out with the Annenberg Institute at Brown University