Center for Statistics Research and Consulting Opens

The Center for Statistical Research and Consulting was approved by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board on Oct. 28 and is now accepting clients for high-quality statistical consulting. The center, a service of the department of mathematical sciences, will encourage collaborative research between statisticians and investigators from a wide range of disciplines, training statistics students in consulting.

The Center for Statistical Research and Consulting will be directed by Joon Jin Song, assistant professor of statistics in the department of mathematical sciences of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

The center provides an environment for collaboration in research and instruction, emphasizing statistical and quantitative approaches, offering consultation and software support to faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students conducting research at the University of Arkansas. The center extends this support to the state of Arkansas, as a conduit for industry, government and nonprofit organizations to engage campus faculty and graduate students in consulting opportunities. The center is especially interested in forming long-term collaborative relationships across campus and in the broader community.

The Center for Statistical Research and Consulting provides statistical advice at any stage of research. Services include study design, data analysis, and presentation and manuscript preparation including dissertations. The time normally required to complete a project may vary from a few hours to several weeks. It is especially encouraged to contact the center early in the research, preferably at the design stage.

The majority of projects require more extensive consultation than what could be provided during walk-in hours. For students, researchers and faculty at University of Arkansas, the Center for Statistical Research and Consulting provides advice and assistance with short-term statistical analysis at little cost.  For more substantial statistical consultation and data analysis, researchers are encouraged to include these services as items in their research plans and budgets. Units on campus can subscribe to these services for their members on a per annum basis.

The training of students in the practice of statistical consulting is especially important to the program. Master and doctoral students in statistics are required to take a course in statistical consulting for two and four semesters, respectively. The students registered in the course are directly involved in statistical consulting activities in the new center and trained with real world problems.

The center also provides the business community and industry with expert advice on all aspects related to quality improvement and design enhancement. The center can provide assistance in the use of statistical methods and show managers how to use designed experiments and related statistical tools to improve products and services, and meet customer requirements.

The Center for Statistical Research and Consulting will be a backbone of statistical community at local and regional level, creating collaboration with researchers and students in various fields, such as sciences, social sciences, engineering, business, and education. For more information, please contact Dr. Song at 479-575-6319 or jjsong@uark.edu; or visit the center’s website at http://math.uark.edu.