From Data to Policy

Abstract

Science, engineering, technology, and people—these are the ingredients that must come together to support the growing complexity of today's global challenges, ranging from international security to space exploration. As scientists and engineers, it is essential that we develop the means to put our work into a decision context for policy makers; otherwise, our efforts will only inform the writers of textbooks and not the leaders who shape the world within which we live. Statisticians must step up to that challenge! Scientific and technical progress requires interdisciplinary teams, because it is impossible for a single individual to have enough knowledge to solve many of today's problems, for example, mapping the genome, modeling the spread of a pandemic, and developing diagnostic and treatment devices for developing countries. A principal role of the statistician is to bring the cutting edge of statistical sciences to these problems. By the nature of our training, statisticians are well poised to assume the role of science and technology integrator. To be successful, this must place statisticians closer to policy pressures and politics. This address will focus on the growing expectations facing statistical sciences and how we, as statisticians, must take responsibility for separating the scientific method from the politics of the scientific process to guarantee that scientific excellence and impact is communicated to decision makers.