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The CCASA Wishes you a Happy
Valentine's Day!
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February Luncheon |
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Luncheon Announcement
Noon to 1:30PM
TUESDAY
February 17th, 2009
The East Bank Club
500 N Kingsbury, Chicago
60610
Please join us for another exciting
talk in the CCASA's 2008-2009 Luncheon
program!
Our February speaker is Krishnan
Saranthan, who is the Managing Director
for Enterprise Optimization at United
Airlines. In this role, he leads a
centralized analytics group of over 50 people
that leverages capabilities in statistical
modeling, optimization, and data mining to
create bottom line value for the company. He
works closely with IT to create decision
support tools that support critical business
processes. He has considerable experience in
the Pricing and Revenue Management and is
known for his expertise in this area. Prior
to his current role, he served as the Manager
for Revenue Management systems and Manager of
Pricing. He has an MBA in Finance and
Strategy from Northwestern University, a
Master's degree in Transportation Engineering
from the University of Missouri at Columbia,
and a
Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras,
India.
His talk is
entitled: The role of Decision Sciences in
Maximizing United's bottom line.
Abstract:
The presentation will focus on the role
played by the Enterprise Optimization group
in maximizing United's bottom line.
Enterprise Optimization is a centralized
analytics group, which leverages core skills
in mathematical modeling/optimization and
in-depth knowledge of the airline domain to
create sustainable value for the company. In
2008, the total value generated by this group
exceeded $100 million. Specific case studies
will be presented to demonstrate the real
world applications of decision sciences
across a broad range of airline functions to
improve revenue performance, enhance
efficiency, and contain costs.
The March luncheon, will be held
on March 17, 2009, and the speaker will be
Jay Mousa, from the Bureau
of Labor Statistics. He will discuss the
sorts of information and the statistical
analyses performed at the Bureau.
Plans for our future luncheons will be
included in our
upcoming announcements and in the Parameter.
Lunch is $30 for CCASA members, $35 for
nonmembers. Nonmembers, join the chapter for a
year for only $15 and get the discount plus
all the
other benefits of membership!
As usual,
the Lucille Derrick Fund will purchase a
limited number of tickets for students who
wish to attend. If you are a student and
would like to take advantage of this offer,
please register online below, and contact
Lou Fogg, expressing your interest.
Click
here to register online
For any questions or concerns, please
contact:
Lou
Fogg, VP for Luncheons
Phone: 312-942-6239 or E-mail: louis_fogg@rush.
edu
Please Spread the
Word!
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Chicago Chapter ASA Workshop Announcement Reminder |
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Short Course on Longitudinal Data
Analysis
Presenter:
Don
Hedeker, University of Illinois-Chicago
Sponsored by the Chicago
Chapter Of the American Statistical
Organization.
Date: Friday, March 20th, 2009
Location: The University of Chicago's
Booth School
of Business
The Gleacher Center
450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60611-4316
Time:
8:30am-5pm
Course summary
The course will provide an introduction to
longitudinal data analysis using mixed
effects regression models, drawing on
material from the book Longitudinal Data
Analysis (Wiley, 2006) using the new SuperMix
statistical software program (a 15-day trial
edition of SuperMix is available at
www.ssicentral.com/supermix/index.html). The
focus will be on application of these models,
with direct application illustrated using
SuperMix.
In particular, the basic
mixed-effects regression model for continuous
outcomes will be introduced and described,
including use of polynomials for expressing
change across time, the multilevel
representation of the mixed model, treatment
of time-invariant and time-varying
covariates, and modeling of the
variance-covariance structure of the repeated
measures.
It will be shown how these models
can allow for missing data across time in
terms of the outcome variable, thus
permitting analysis of subjects who have
incomplete data across time.
Finally,
because categorical outcomes are common in
many research areas, description and
application of mixed-effects logistic
regression models will also be covered.
Attendees are encouraged to download the
trial software onto their laptops prior to
course, and to bring their laptops with them
to the course.
Registration
Early Registration Fees:
Student $45
Member $295
Non-member $395
After March 1, 2009, add $50 to the early
registration fees.
The fee includes extensive materials,
breakfast items, lunch, and refreshments for
AM and PM breaks. Space is limited.
To ensure
yourself a place, please register early.
Registration deadline March 17,
2009.
Click
here to register.
Questions?
Contact Tony Babinec, VP Workshops
(tbabinec@sbcglobal.net).
Instructor Biography
Please
click here for Don Hedeker's Bio.
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In Memory of Yakov Avichai |
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Yakov Avichai, a long time chapter member and
founder of the Statistical Research group at
CNA, passed away on December 30th, 2008,
following a prolonged illness.
Yakov
moved to
Chicago from Israel for graduate studies in
statistics at the University of Chicago, and
lived in Hyde Park for much of the remainder of
his life.
Following his work at the
American Bar
Association, where he helped investigate
patterns of racial bias, he went to CNA, where,
for more than 20 years, he headed a
statistical consulting team that worked within
all areas of the company. He retired in
1999.
He will be remembered for his
dedication in increasing the role of
statistics in the business world. His
unending support and encouragement of his
staff, which included at
least four current and former ASA Chicago
Chapter board members, as well as numerous
summer interns, will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his
beloved wife, Raya, and children, Olga and
Samuel.
In lieu of flowers, memorial
contributions can be sent to:
K.A.M. Isaiah Israel
Congregation
1110 E. Hyde Park
Blvd
Chicago, IL 60615
U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum
P.O. Box 1852
Highland
Park, IL 60035
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A Letter from the Editor- It's Here
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I recently posted on my
blog, and wanted to share it with you all
as well.
Please share your comments. I am interested
to hear your feedback!
Those who have been following my blog
regularly have read my observations about how
the quantitative market has remained
relatively unscathed by this current
recession. I am unhappy to report that
this is no longer the case. As the
recession has deepened, our profession is
beginning to feel its impact.
It's not news that the impact has been broad
based, with few industries or regions spared.
Overall unemployment now stands at 7.6%, up
significantly from 5% last summer. It
appears that the college-educated are also
feeling the pinch - with a current
unemployment rate of 3.8% and projections
from labor economists that say it will well
exceed 4% before we see a recovery.
Any good news, you ask? Absolutely! In the
last four weeks, I have had several
candidates who have had multiple
opportunities tendered, and their prospective
employers even bid up their offers! This
supports my belief that quantitative
candidates will always have options, even in
a depressed employment market like the
current one.
These particular candidates had very strong
quantitative skills, were proficient SAS
users, projected solid business acumen and
had a positive attitude. In most cases, the
candidates were fortunate in that they either
didn't own homes or didn't require home
purchase assistance. They were also very
flexible geographically. While some of the
qualifications that made them attractive
candidates were a matter of circumstance,
many are attainable through hard work,
dedication, continuing education and
perseverance.
Here are a few general observations, as well
as how the recession is specifically
affecting the quantitative job market:
- Hiring freezes and layoffs are
widespread.
The good news for the hard-to-replace
quantitative professional is that open
positions are usually eliminated first,
before any layoffs are implemented.
Unfortunately, I am now seeing more staffers
getting pink slips in second or third round
layoffs. In terms of hiring, with the
current level of economic uncertainty, very
few organizations have the courage or ability
to increase their headcount, even if they
have a need.
- Raises and bonuses are
infrequent.
In the last several weeks, many companies
have announced salary freezes and are
drastically reducing or eliminating bonuses.
Though bonuses may still abound on Wall
Street, the rest of us will be holding tight
for a while. I have heard that, in some
cases, employees have even been asked to take
pay cuts, usually from 5-10%, and I know of
one situation that involved a 20% salary
reduction.
- Relocation requiring home sales has
become difficult.
The bursting of the real estate bubble and
the tightening mortgage market has
significantly increased the lead-time
required to sell homes in many areas of the
country. Companies today are rarely willing
to provide a house purchase parachute because
they are already shouldering a heavy burden
of unsold homes stemming from 2008
relocations. Individuals who must relocate
for new jobs are often faced with the
prospect of substantial losses, especially if
they purchased their homes in the inflated
years just prior to the real estate bust.
- The ability to negotiate with a
prospective employer has been greatly
reduced.
Now is not the time to casually explore your
options. Recognize that the recession is
affecting everyone, individuals and
corporations alike, and negotiate with
respect for the current economic
situation.
No one knows for sure how long the recession
will last or what its ultimate fallout will
be, but my sense is that we will see the
market begin to strengthen at some point
before this time next year. I have weathered
many a recession in my career (but only
because I started so young!), including those
of '82, '87, '91 and '01. The single common
thread through every downturn, large or
small, is that they all came to an end, and
it has been my experience that the faster the
decline, the more vibrant the recovery.
Linda Burtch
Editor
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Zurich North America Job Opportunity |
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Statistical Analyst II - Predictive
Modeling (Job 19706)
Location: Schaumburg, IL
Great position for statistician
starting their career. We are
looking to expand a growing
Predictive Modeling Team.
Responsibilities would include:
working
with large datasets including
internal and external data,
preliminary data analysis, and model
building utilizing advanced
statistical techniques (GLMs,
regression, clustering, trees,
etc.).
Position requires
working in
collaboration with other team
members, data specialists, BU's, and
others.
Required skills: strong statistical
knowledge and strong
quantitative/analytical skills.
Proficiency in SAS is a plus but not
a requirement. Advanced degree in
statistics, math, or related field
and a minimum GPA of 3.0 are
required.
Interested applicants can apply at
the Zurich
North America website using the
job number above.
The website is located at www.zurichna.com,
and from there applicants can go to the
Careers section. Click
here to apply directly.
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Editor |
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Editor: Linda Burtch (312) 629-2400
PARAMETER, newsletter of the Chicago Chapter of
the American Statistical Association, is
published 10
times a year as a service to its members. To
submit
material for publication, contact the Editor,
Linda Burtch, email:
lburtch@smithhanley.com
PARAMETER provides a job listing service by
publishing Positions Available and Positions
Wanted,
the latter being free to Chapter members.
Companies may list positions for $75.
Contact
the Editor for more information.
For additional information about Chicago Chapter
ASA, please visit us on the web at:
www.ChicagoASA.org
Also, visit the National ASA
web site www.amstat.org.
Email change of address to:
suzanne.niemi@walgreens.com
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