Dan Solomon receives prestigious ASA Founders Award

The American Statistical Association (ASA), the nation’s preeminent professional statistical society, has selected PAMS Dean Dan Solomon as one of the winners of its prestigious 2010 Founders Award. The award is given to ASA members who have rendered distinguished service to the association. The three award winners were honored last night at the Presidential Awards Session at the 2010 Joint Statistical Meetings in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“The recipients of this year’s Founders Award have contributed their skills, time, and a sense of commitment to the ASA, serving in a number of roles to assist the association meet and surpass its goals,” said Sastry Pantula, ASA president. “We are proud to recognize their dedication and leadership. We are grateful for their outstanding work in promoting the practice and profession of statistics and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Selection criteria for the Founders Award include service over an extended period of time and in a variety of leadership roles, including chapter, section, committee, officer or editorial activities, in which effective service or leadership was provided within ASA or on behalf of ASA to other organizations.

Solomon was honored “for exemplary involvement in many ASA committees for over 25 years; for strong support of ASA publications through lengthy service on the Committee on Publications and on the Board of Directors Electronic Communications Committee; for superb leadership of the Council of Sections Governing Board; and for his central role in launching the ASA’s Development Program.”

Other 2010 recipients included Janet Buckingham of Southwest Research Institute and George Williams of Amgen Inc.

About Dean Solomon

Daniel L. Solomon is professor of statistics and dean of the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS) at NC State University. Solomon began his career in 1968 at Cornell University, moving through the ranks to professor of biological statistics and heading the Biometrics Unit there from 1977 to 1981. He came to NC State in 1981 as head of the Department of Statistics, a position that he held until 1993 when he moved into the position of associate dean for academic affairs in PAMS. He was named dean of the College effective July 1, 2000.

Solomon’s research focused on applications of mathematics and statistics to the biological sciences, specifically population and community ecology. In more recent years, his efforts have focused primarily on academic administration, with emphasis on the development and promotion of effective pedagogy in higher education, on the expansion of research and graduate programs, and on the diversification of the science and mathematics workforce.

Solomon is a fellow of the American Statistical Association and has served that association in many capacities. He is also an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. He has been editor of Biometrics, the journal of the International Biometric Society and a member of its International Council. He has been on several panels of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council, including its Panel for Information Technology, the Committee on National Statistics, the Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics, and its Panel on Vertical Integration of Research and Education in the Mathematical Sciences.

He currently chairs the Governing Board of the National Science Foundation-funded Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute. Among other service to his profession, Solomon was instrumental in the founding of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences, and has served in various capacities on its Board of Trustees.

About the American Statistical Association

Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the American Statistical Association is the world’s largest community of statisticians and the second oldest continuously operating professional society in the United States. For 170 years, the ASA has supported excellence in the development, application, and dissemination of statistical science through meetings, publications, membership services, education, accreditation, and advocacy. Its members serve in industry, government, and academia in more than 90 countries, advancing research and promoting sound statistical practice to inform public policy and improve human welfare.