The American Statistical Association (ASA) is the main professional organization for statisticians and related professionals in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second-oldest continuously operating professional society in the U.S. behind the Massachusetts Medical Society (founded in 1781). ASA services statisticians, quantitative scientists, and users of statistics across many academic areas and applications. The association publishes a variety of journals and sponsors several international conferences every year.
In November 2018, ASA Board of Directors approved a code of conduct statement on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). It was reviewed and updated by ASA BOD in 2019, 2021, and most recently in 2023.[4]
New Fellowships of the ASA are granted annually by the ASA Committee on Fellows. Candidates must have been members for the preceding three years but may be nominated by anyone. The maximum number of recipients each year is one-third of one percent of the ASA membership.[8]
ASA is organized in Sections, Chapters and Committees. Chapters are arranged geographically, representing 78 areas across the US and Canada. An example of an early and large chapter is the SoCalASA. Sections are subject-area and industry-area interest groups covering 22 sub-disciplines. ASA has more than 60 committees coordinating meetings, publications, education, careers, and special-interest topics involving statisticians.
As of April 2010[update], the ASA offers the Accredited Professional Statistician status (PStat), to members who meet the ASA's credentialing requirements, which include an advanced degree in statistics or related quantitative field, five years of documented experience, and evidence of professional competence.[9] To apply for continuing accreditation, PStat members are expected to complete 60 hours of professional development activities each year.[10]
The ASA also offers the Graduate Statistician status (GStat) as of April 2014.[11] It serves as a preparatory accreditation suitable for graduate students.
A list of PStat and GStat accredited members is available on the ASA website.[12]
The monthly magazine for members Amstat News is available online[13] and features first-person statistician stories called My ASA Story. Based on the monthly column in AmStat News, the ASA produces a website called STATtr@k with new articles every month for early career statisticians and data analysts, recent graduates, or those who are in a statistics program.[14] Quarterly magazine Chance and bimonthly magazine Significance are geared toward a general audience.
Historical publications include:
Edward Jarvis, William Brigham and John Wingate Thornton, Memorial of the American Statistical Association Praying the Adoption of Measures for the Correction of Errors in the Census, 1844
Publications of the American Statistical Association, 1888-1919 (Vols. 1-16)[15] and Quarterly Publications of the American Statistical Association, 1920-1921[16][17]
Meetings provide a platform for scholars and practitioners to exchange research, job opportunities and ideas with each other. ASA holds an annual meeting called Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM),[18] a conference on statistical methodologies and applications called Spring Research Conference (SRC),[19] Conference on Statistical Practice (CSP),[20] and sponsors multiple international meetings and special-interest group meetings.
