In its first Mix incarnation, statistics students worked with biology students engaged in a ‘data mash-up’ activity. Since then, with the help of instructor and Mix partner Eugenia Yu, the Department of Statistics has expanded its interdisciplinary connections to work not only with biologists but also with students from the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH).

For the Biology-Stats Mix, statistics students visit the biology lab to learn a bit about the research the biologists are conducting. The biology students then produce a report using fresh data and send it to the statistics students, who prepare and present their statistical analyses back to the biologists, with the best model selected by vote. The first Mix was so successful that participating instructors repeated it again this year. A different kind of partnership has developed with SPPH. In this Mix, graduate students in statistics offer consultation services to SPPH graduate students in the form of joint journal club sessions. SPPH students pick a scholarly article to share, writing a blog entry about its arguments. The statistics students also read the article, then meet with SPPPH students to offer assistance reading and interpreting the statistical information presented. These Mixes are fast becoming part of the regular Statistics curriculum.

Image credit: Matthew Marksbury