Student & Faculty Stories

Student Stories

We have students from vastly different backgrounds in our master’s and certificate programs. Check out the stories below to find out more about them!

Applied Statistics and Data Management Student Interview: Benton Tripp

We caught up with Benton Tripp, a current student in the Applied Statistics and Data Management (ASDM) graduate certificate program. We asked him about his interest in studying statistics, his experience with the program, and how it has helped his career.

Flexibility: One Reason Charles Harding Chose NC State Online

Charles Harding is a research and development consultant and data analyst who runs his own consulting firm. However, Harding understands that to be a successful business owner he needs to stay up to date with current trends, technologies and methodologies. To meet this goal, he chose to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics and Data Management.

Learning Industry-Prevalent Tools in Statistics and Data Science

Maksim Nikiforov was looking for a way to formalize his data science education, boost his resume, and increase his workplace productivity. He found what he was looking for in the Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics and Data Management at NC State.

Online Grad Applies Master of Statistics to Hospitality

A year after graduating, Mana Azizsoltani reflects on his experience in the online Master of Statistics program at NC State.

Alumni Interview: Joseph Oliveira

We caught up with recent master’s graduate Joseph Oliveira. We asked him about his interest in studying statistics and how the online master’s degree program worked for him.

Become an Industry Ready Statistician on Your Time

Cindy Hu always had an interest in mathematics and was looking for a career path that would allow her to apply mathematics in a meaningful way. She decided to pursue a master’s degree in statistics at NC State University through the statistics department’s online program.

Dan Harris: Leveraging the Online Statistics Program to Bring Industry Experience to the Classroom

Dan Harris recently started his second career as a lecturer in the Department of Statistics at NC State. (This story belongs in both the student and faculty section!) He mainly teaches graduate courses in both online and in-person formats. Harris took a different path from most faculty members by first being a student in the Master of Statistics online program before becoming an instructor.

From Training for Triathlons to Training Models: Why Laura Mathews Chose NC State’s Online Master of Statistics Program

Laura Mathews’ day job involves training and racing as a professional triathlete. When not actively training, Matthews set out to prepare for her next career. With a strong interest in mathematics and research, she knew a graduate degree in statistics would open up career opportunities in many different areas.

Mixing Programming and Theory for a Deeper Understanding

Brian Sugg was looking to expand his knowledge of statistics and data science while continuing to work full time. He found the NC State Online Master of Statistics program appealing as it offered an online, asynchronous learning environment with coursework in programming and hands-on application.

Coffee and Statistics To Go

The online Master of Statistics program allowed Michael Evans to pursue a degree while working at 321 Coffee.

Online Graduate Found a New Career in a Familiar Place

If you ask Kelsey Piper how she started her career in data, you may not expect the answer to be with a graduate degree in Wildlife Science from NC State. “I worked for a number of years combining my passion for wildlife biology coupled with spatial analysis as a GIS biologist, and loved what I … Continue reading Online Graduate Found a New Career in a Familiar Place →

Natalie Ziemba Achieved Her Career Goals Thanks to Online Statistics Graduate Certificate

When Natalie Ziemba, MSW, joined NC State’s online Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics and Data Management, she was already well-established in her career. With a background in social work, she has spent much of her life working with groups and communities. “I love the framework and skills I have as a social worker, but it … Continue reading Natalie Ziemba Achieved Her Career Goals Thanks to Online Statistics Graduate Certificate →

Statistics and COVID-19: Forecasting the Spread

Members of the Wolfpack have stepped up in unimaginable ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. Michael DeWitt, a 2019 graduate of the Master of Statistics online program, has been working since the beginning of the outbreak to forecast the spread of the pandemic in a few North Carolina counties for Greensboro-based Cone Health. DeWitt is a … Continue reading Statistics and COVID-19: Forecasting the Spread →

Online Statistics Graduate Correlates Academic and Professional Success

Chelsea Ross’s December commencement marks the completion of her Master of Statistics degree from NC State Online. She has directly applied her coursework to her position as a full-time data scientist, enhancing success in both areas.

Wendell Barnwell II: Student, Teacher and Dedicated Family Man

New York native and Durham resident, Wendell Barnwell II is a devoted husband, loving father and the embodiment of grit and determination associated with nontraditional students. Barnwell pursued an online Master of Statistics degree from NC State College of Sciences while continuing to work full time as a mathematics teacher at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh. As if … Continue reading Wendell Barnwell II: Student, Teacher and Dedicated Family Man →

Online Statistics Degree Paved the Way to Career in Machine Learning

The importance of job-related skills can be measured by the demand for talent in the job market. The words “artificial intelligence” (AI) and “machine learning” (ML) have been big buzzwords among employers for a long time — but what is the difference between these two?

Reputation of NC State’s Online Master of Statistics Program Knows No Boundaries

NC State online student, Hyunjin “Jin” Cho, will be celebrating her graduation from the Master of Statistics program from her hometown of Edmonton, Canada. She credits NC State’s reputation has prepared her and helped her get admitted into a Statistics P.h.D. program.

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Faculty Stories

The courses for our online program are all taught by our full-time faculty. Our award winning faculty do both research and teaching at a high level. Below you can find information about some of the current faculty teaching our online courses.

Herle McGowan: Mentoring Students with Compassion

Teaching Professor Herle McGowan, who specializes in teaching introductory statistics courses for students of all majors, appreciates the critical role that statistical literacy plays in helping people make informed decisions

Q&A with Marcia Gumpertz: Statistical Consulting Expert and Diversity and Inclusion Advocate

We sat down for a short question and answer session with Marcia Gumpertz to discuss her career in statistical consulting, how she brings that knowledge to the classroom, and her great work advocating for diversity and inclusion.

Writing the book on learning SAS

Dr. Jonathan Duggins, Associate Teaching Professor and instructor for ST 555 – Statistical Programming I (SAS), discusses his new book on learning how to use the SAS programming language.

A vaccine card, an NC State-branded bandage and a syringe containing the Janssen vaccine

Behind the Scenes of COVID-19 Vaccine Review

Prior to his recent retirement, Dr. Tsiatis taught ST 520 – Statistical Principles of Clinical Trials for our online program.

An NC State statistician who is helping review COVID-19 vaccine trials answers questions about the work of the Data and Safety Monitoring Board.

A screen shot from one of the NC State Datathon entries

Virtual Datathon Draws More Than 100 Students from Universities Across N.C.

Dr. Griffith uses her years of experience working as a statistician at the FBI, as a statistical consultant to the vet school at NC State, and as our department’s consulting core director to bring real-life into our capstone statistical practice course – ST 542.

In addition, she also teaches ST 512 – Statistical Methods for Researchers II.

Dr. Griffith helped organize and coordinate a recent Datathon. The event was organized by NC State Statistics graduate students and sponsored by John Deere.

Donald E Martin recognized by AMSTAT News

Dr. Martin teaches our Applied Time Series Analysis course, ST 534. He was recently recognized for his great work by AMSTAT news.

Faculty Continue Course Quality Achievements

Join us in congratulating Lisa Falk, Edwin Lindsay, Dmitri Mitin, and Justin Post for earning certification from Quality Matters!

Dr. Post is the director of the online program and has won multiple awards for his teaching. He teaches the core theory courses, ST 501 & 502 – Fundamentals of Statistical Inference I & II, in a modern way that involves simulation based methods to reinforce important theoretical concepts.

He recently gained Quality Matters certification for his course ST 558 – Data Science for Statisticians. This course can be taken as part of the master’s or certificate program.

NC State Statistician Dickey Named Clarivate Citation Laureate

Aside from being an award winning researcher and all around great person, Dr. Dickey was a phenomenal instructor for our online program prior to his retirement.

The award honors researchers whose work and influence “is comparable to that of past and future Nobel Prize recipients.”

Statistician Reich Named Cox Distinguished Professor

The College of Sciences has named Brian Reich of the Department of Statistics the Gertrude M. Cox Distinguished Professor.

Dr. Reich is an award winning teacher who has extensive experience applying Bayesian analyses. His book (along with Dr. Sujit Ghosh of our department) on Bayesian Statistical Methods has been well received. He teaches our online ST 540 – Applied Bayesian Analysis.

College Honors 2020-21 LeRoy and Elva Martin Award Recipients

Dr. Duggins has written the book on how to teach the SAS software – literally! He teaches our ST 555 – Statistical Programming I course.

He has been awarded the LeRoy and Elva Martin Award for teaching!

NC State Statistician Earns NSF Research Grant to Improve STEM Diversity

Dr. Gumpertz teaches our capstone statistical consulting course, ST 542. She brings her years of experience doing statistical consulting and working to improve diversity into her teaching.

NC State’s Marcia Gumpertz is working with researchers from three N.C. institutions to improve pathways to success for minority doctoral students in STEM fields.

Herle McGowan – Outstanding Teacher Award

Dr. McGowan teaches our ST 517 – Applied Statistical Methods I course. We are very proud to announce that she has been selected as recipient of the very competitive and prestigious NC State Outstanding Teacher Award.