The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Mississippi State University (MSU) is proud to announce the successful hosting of the 2025 Alabama-Mississippi Chapter Annual Conference and Business Meeting of the American Statistical Association (ASA) on Friday, March 21, 2025. This event brought together faculty, students, and professionals from across the region to engage in scholarly exchange and celebrate advancements in statistical research.
The conference featured a dynamic program, including a poster session and a student research presentation competition. We were honored to host the 120th ASA President, Dr. Ji-Hyun Lee, as our special guest. Dr. Lee is a Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Florida and the Director of the Division of Quantitative Sciences at the UF Health Cancer Center. An ASA Fellow since 2018, she has made impactful contributions to cancer research, clinical trial design, and health disparities, with over 175 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Lee delivered the ASA Presidential Address titled “Unpacking My Own Questions.”
The keynote lecture was presented by Dr. Peter Song from the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan. Dr. Song is a 2021 Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, a 2018 Fellow of the American Statistical Association, and a 2011 Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. He is internationally acclaimed for his groundbreaking contributions to high-dimensional data analysis, longitudinal and spatiotemporal modeling, mediation analysis, and smart health research. Dr. Song’s talk was titled “Statistical Approaches to Addressing Data Science Challenges in Epigenetic Aging Research.”
The conference also featured student research presentations spanning a variety of statistical fields, including statistical modeling, stochastic processes, data analysis, and applications of statistical methods to health, medicine, and other interdisciplinary areas. Awards were granted for outstanding oral and poster presentations, recognizing exceptional research contributions across various statistical fields.
At the conclusion of the conference, Dr. Prakash Patil, Professor of Statistics at MSU, delivered the closing remarks. He also presented departmental gifts—MSU cowbells—to ASA President Dr. Lee and Keynote Speaker Dr. Song, symbolizing our department’s appreciation for their contributions to the event.
We extend our gratitude to all participants, presenters, and organizers who contributed to the success of this event. The conference provided an excellent opportunity for networking, scholarly exchange, and celebrating advancements in statistical research.
For more information about the Alabama-Mississippi Chapter of the ASA and upcoming events, please visit https://community.amstat.org/alabamachapter/main.