Stats + Stories

The National Association of science writers has about 2000 members, even as the field of science journalism has been experiencing a contraction. In her 2025 Nieman lab prediction for journalism, Siri Carpenter suggested that, given the challenges the world faces, it might be time that newsrooms embrace "science as a thread that runs through every beat." Science journalism is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories, with guests Jeff Mervis and Andrew van Dam. Jeff Mervis reports on science policy in the United States and worldwide to explain to scientists how government works. He keeps a close eye on the changing fortunes of science across the federal government. He also follows efforts to improve science and math education and the factors that shape the U.S. and global scientific workforce. Andrew Van Dam writes the Department of Data column each week for The Washington Post. He has covered economics and wrangled data and graphics for The Post and the Wall Street Journal. He got his start at the Idaho Press-Tribune.

The health of the world's oceans is a growing concern but measuring ocean health is a complicated undertaking. Some people studying the issue focus on pollution, while others look at the health of corals or marine mammals. One project attempts to take a comprehensive picture of the health of oceans in order to provide information about Oceanic vital signs to stakeholders. The Ocean Health Index is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guests Lelys Bravo and Julia Stewart Lowndes. Lelys Bravo is a Statistics Professor at the Department of Statistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before that she was a member of the Science Steering Committee of the Biospherical Aspects of the Hydrological Cycle project from the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) and Lead author of the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment report. Her research interests include spatial and temporal analysis of environmental data, including the development of risk assessment methods to evaluate the impacts of natural hazards under potential climate change. Julia Stewart Lowndes (@juliesquid) is a marine ecologist, data scientist, and Senior Fellow at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at the University of California Santa Barbara. She champions kinder, better science in less time through open data science and teamwork. As a marine data scientist, Mozilla Fellow, and Senior Fellow at NCEAS, she has 7+ years designing and leading programs to empower science teams with skillsets and mindsets for reproducible research, empowering researchers with existing open tools and communities. She has been building communities of practice in this space since 2013 with the Ocean Health Index.

The Amazon has been imagined as a pristine wilderness, one in need of protection from development. This framing has often treated the Amazon as a place without history, practically untouched before the arrival of colonizers in South America. Statistics is helping show the history is much more complicated than that and it’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Dani Gamerman. Gamerman is Emeritus Professor at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, where he was professor of statistics from 1996 to 2019. He is the author of numerous books and research papers, and the StatPop blog. He was one of two statisticians who worked on a Science paper showing evidence of manmade earthworks deep in heart of Amazonia and is also the author of a Significance article examining the use of statistics to map this hidden history of the Amazon.

Gavin Freeguard, a freelance consultant specializing in data and policy, shares insights from his extensive work on COVID's reproduction rates. He discusses how the pandemic ignited a wave of amateur epidemiologists on social media and the resulting mixed messaging around the R number. Freeguard dives into the complexities of modeling COVID-19 transmission and the challenges of communicating data effectively. He also reflects on the importance of reliable data infrastructure for future health crises, emphasizing lessons learned in resilience and preparedness.

What is the best way to support people living in extreme poverty? Could unconditional cash transfers and universal basic income be viable options? How can we know if such programs will work? Today's episode of stats and stories focuses on addressing the needs of people living in extreme poverty with Miriam Laker. Dr. Miriam Laker is the Global Director of Research at GiveDirectly and a Senior Research Scientist and Epidemiologist with nearly two decades of experience conducting research. Amongst her extensive experience, she led the design of the evaluation plans for GiveDirectly’s recently launched Yemen Refugees program; the learning agenda for large cash for refugees in Rwanda, and the evaluation of cash transfers in a disaster (floods and landslides) response in Uganda. She was also involved in a recently concluded randomized controlled trial evaluation of the impacts of large lump sum cash transfers on refugee and host households in Uganda.

Rory McIlroy was leading the 2025 U.S. Masters golf tournament by two strokes after three rounds. So was his ultimate victory a sure thing? How predictive is a lead after three rounds of a golf tournament for victory after the 4th round? In today's episode of stats and stories, we hit the links to explore outcomes in professional golf tournaments, along with addressing whether golf handicaps make for fair comparisons between golfers with guest Dr. Lawrence L. Kupper. Dr. Kupper is Emeritus Alumni Distinguished Professor of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests included the development and application of Statistical Methods for public health studies, particularly environmental, occupational, and women's health and quantifying health risks from exposure to environmental and workplace hazards.

What comes to mind at the start of summer? Backyard barbecues, quality time spent, and long drive. Transportation safety is the topic of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Joel Greenhouse.

Every year, statistics classes are filled with math averse students who white knuckle it to the end of the semester in the hopes of getting a passing grade. And the dream of forgetting about math and statistics for a little while. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? What if instead of white knuckling it, students were actually excited about the subject; or, at the very least, not terrified of it? Two professors has been developing strategies to help students get over their fear of “sadisistics” and that’s the focus of this special two part episode Stats and Stories Hunter Glanz is an Associate Professor of Statistics and Data Science at California Polytechnic State University. He maintains a passion for machine learning and statistical computing, and enjoys advancing education efforts in these areas. In particular, Cal Poly’s courses in multiple computing languages give him the opportunity to connect students with exciting data science topics amidst a firm grounding in communication of statistical ideas. Rhys Jones is an internationally recognized expert in statistical literacy and education, known for his leadership in curriculum development, digital learning, and student engagement. Originally trained in biochemistry and immunology, he transitioned to focus on making statistics more accessible and engaging for students and teachers across various education levels.

An entire industry has grown up around nutrition and health. People pushing everything from shakes, to meal kits, to special diets. While some of the claims surrounding such products can be questionable at best, the field of nutrition science is growing. Filled with researchers who are working to truly understand the science of food that is a focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Michelle Cardel. Dr. Cardel is an obesity and nutrition scientist, registered dietitian, the Director of Global Clinical Research & Nutrition at WW International, Inc. (formerly Weight Watchers) and a faculty member at the University of Florida (UF) College of Medicine, where she is also an Associate Director for the Center for Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases. Her research is focused on three areas, assessing the effects of psychosocial factors, including low social status and food insecurity, on eating behavior and obesity-related disease, the development and implementation of effective healthy lifestyle interventions with a focus on underserved populations, and improving gender equity within academia.

In a commencement speech in 2016, Atul Gawande told the crowd that science is a, "commitment to a systematic way of thinking, an allegiance to a way of building knowledge and explaining the universe through testing and factual observation." In the last ten years that understanding of science has become muddied for the public. Social media has helped fuel the rise of conspiracy theories built upon so-called alternative facts as people claiming to be experts spout anti-science ideas. Communicating scientific ideas was already difficult, but it’s become even more difficult in this environment. Science communication is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories, with guest Ionica Smeets. Ionica Smeets is, chair of the science communication and society research group at Leiden University. She’s also chair of the board of The National Centre of Expertise on Science and Society of The Netherlands. Her research lies in the gap between experts and the public when it comes to science communication, with special interest in the problems that occur when those groups communicate and what scientists can do about those problems. Smeets is the author of a number of journal articles on this topic and engaged in science communication for the public when she worked on a Dutch TV show about math. She’s also the co-creator of a children’s book called Maths and Life.