2021
- NISS continued to help place focus on the COVID pandemic collaborating with other organizations to help host town halls, webinars, tutorials, forums and a conference partnering with organizations that included ASA, ISI, COPSS, Merck and CANSSI.
- “Data Science Essentials for Business” tutorials were taught focusing on the Top 10 analytics approaches used in business.
- Ingram Olkin Forums - Statistics Serving Society - supported the continued work of focus groups on “Unplanned Clinical Trial Disruptions” as well as hosted a forum on “Police Use of Force.”
- Expansion of programs for early career statisticians which included the Writing Workshop, a series of Career Fairs, a student graphics competition, as well as virtual events, a conference and socials hosted by the NISS Graduate Student Network.
- Exemplary collaborative research efforts with both USDA-NASS and NCES resulted in published manuscripts, technical reports and major awards including NASS Cooperator of the Year and USDA Undersecretary’s Award that highlight their accomplishments.
2020
- As the COVID-19 pandemic hits, NISS capitalizes on its experience hosting virtual events by continuing to host virtual meetings, webinars, meet-ups, and tutorials on a wide variety of topics.
- Writing Workshop for Junior Researchers held virtually in conjunction with JSM with funds from an NSF grant for the twelfth year.
- Brian Habing named Associate Director for Education Activities and Research, Lingzhou Xue named Associate Director.
- Creation of Report Library for NCES on the NISS website.
- Ingram Olkin - Statistics Serving Society forum held on "COVID-19: Unplanned Clinical Trial Disruptions."
- 30th year since the founding of NISS.
- NISS Graduate Student Network launched for NISS Academic Affiliates.
2019
- NISS begins hosting a variety of different events using video conferencing technologies.
- Writing Workshop for Junior Researchers held at JSM with funds from an NSF grant for the twelfth year.
- First Ingram Olkin - Statistics Serving Society forum held on "Gun Violence – The Statistical Issues", which later results in "A Call for Statisticians to Engage in Gun Violence Research" white paper by Greg Ridgway.
- NISS once again receives “Exceptional” contractor performance review rating by the Department of Education.
2018
- NISS building in North Carolina is leased to Teledyne Scientific Company.
- Renewal of the combined NISS - SAMSI reception at JSM. MBI joins reception as well.
- Writing Workshop for Junior Researchers held at JSM with funds from an NSF grant for the eleventh year.
- Creation of Ingram Olkin Fund Committee.
2017
- James L. Rosenberger named Director of NISS
- Lingzhou Xue named Assistant Director of NISS
2016
- Nell Sedransk (2016) NISS: From Vision to National Institute, Statistics and Public Policy, 3:1, 1-17.
Abstract: The story of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) is a story of heroes and obstacles, of wisdom and naiveté; but most of all it is a story of a vision for statistics as fundamental to the understanding of a complex world. This article discusses the formation of the institute and the recollections of many of the leaders who helped form this organization.
2015
- Nell Sedransk named Director of NISS
2014
- Mary Batcher becomes chair of the NISS Board of Trustees
- Alan Karr resigns as Director of NISS
- Nell Sedransk becomes Acting Director of NISS
2012
- Triangle Census Research Network contract is issued by the National Science Foundation
- NISS and Cornell are co-awarded to be the NSF-Census Research Network Coordination Office
2011
- Susan Ellenberg becomes chair of the NISS Board of Trustees
- Project Talent contract is issued with ESSI and AIR
2010
- Work on the Online Reading Comprehension Assessment (ORCA) Project looking at schools in Maine, Connecticut and North Carolina begins.
2009
- NISS-NASS Research in Residence Program begins
- NISS, in collaboration with the Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE), in conjunction with Kittelson & Associates, Inc. (KAI), Berkeley Transportation Systems (BTS), the University of Utah, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) begins research on Establishing Monitoring Programs for Travel Time Reliability.
2008
- NISS building expansion complete. Addition of 11,782 square feet.
- James Landwehr becomes Chairman of the Board of Trustees
- Explorations Workshops initiated
- Research initiated with the National Cancer Institute’s CP Tech
2007
- Affiliate working groups initiated include: QT for pharmaceuticals, Data Confidentiality and Data Quality
- SAMSI receives renewal of funding from NSF
- Strategic positioning study completed and adopted by NISS Board of Trustees
2006
- Expanded activity in education statistics
- NISS celebrates 15th anniversary with multiple events
- Survey cost modeling project begins
- New areas of data confidentiality are explored, including Bayesian characterization of transparency risk and utility
- New research initiatives include: experimental analysis of algorithms, evidentiary statistics, proteomics and biomedical imaging
- New Researcher Fellowships presented to Scott Holan (University of Missouri) and Sherry Wang (SMU)
2005
- Year of the affiliate
- Nell Sedransk appointed Associate Director
- NISS plays major role with the Education Statistical Services Institute
- NISS Distinguished Service Awards established; initial awards presented to Albert Bowker, Daniel G. Horvitz, Janet Norwood and Martha L. Williamson
- Affiliates Program receives SPAIG Award from ASA
- NISS Building receives Design Award from NC Chapter of AIA
- The Future of Data Analysis: A Conference in Honor of Jon Kettenring held in Basking Ridge, NJ
- Planning for building expansion begins
2004
- SDL for geospatial image data project begins
- Strategic vision adopted by Board of Trustees
- Studies for National Center for Education Statistics commence
- Pharmacogenomics Technology Day
- Vijay Nair becomes chair of the Board of Trustees
- EPA funded project on global climate change begins
2003
- NISS-CIIT Joint Postdoctoral Fellowship: high-density microarrays
- Second NSF-funded data confidentiality project begins
- NISS organizes efforts to engage statistics community in problems of national defense and homeland security
2002
- SAMSI has its grand opening; NISS is one of the founding members
- Hiring of Stanley Young as Assistant Director
- Streamlined structure introduced for NISS Corporation and Board of Trustees
2001
- Initial Sacks Award presented to Elizabeth Thompson
- NISS receives ITR award from NISS for research on light-weight instrumentation of software
- NISS performs data quality research for BTS
- Thomas Gerig appointed Assistant Director for Affiliates Programs
2000
- Tenth anniversary of NISS is celebrated
- Alan Karr becomes director
- Affiliates program created
- Jon Kettenring becomes chair of the Board of Trustees
- Sacks Award established
- Initial NISS JSM Reception held
- Computer model evaluation projects funded by NSF and GM begin
1999
- Digital Government project begins
- A Web-Based System for Disclosure-Limited Statistical Analysis of Confidential Data commences, helping to establish NISS as a leader in research at the intersection of statistics, computer science, behavioral and cognitive science
1998
- NISS collaborates with Los Alamos National Laboratory on the TRANSIMS activity-travel project, Statistically Based Activity Generation, funded by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration
1997
- NISS building is completed
1996
- Design for the NISS building is developed by O'Brien and Atkins
1993
- First NISS postdoctoral fellows are appointed
- Analysis, Exploration and Inference in Large Educational Data Sets project with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) commences
- Conde Decay in Legacy Softward Systems: Measurements, Models and Statistical Strategies awarded partnering with Lucent Technologies
1992
- Alan Karr joins NISS as associate director
- Statistical Strategies for Monitoring and Assessing Environmental Changes and Effects first project funded by US EPA
- Intermodal Surface Transportation Act project begins
1991
- NISS incorporated in January
- Dan Horvitz of RTI becomes interim director
- Jerome Sacks becomes first director of NISS
1990
- Founding ceremony held December 3 at Glaxo in Research Triangle Park
- Grant from Research Triangle Foundation of NC via the Triangle Universities Center for Advanced Studies Inc. (TUCASI) for $250,000 per year for 1st 6 academic years
- TUCASI gives NISS a 99 year lease of 10 acres of land for $1/year
- State of North Carolina anticipates to give NISS an appropriation of $2.5 million to cover half the cost of a 33,000 sq. ft. building
- NISS opens office at RTI