Ryley McGinnis

Faculty member evaluates efficacy of 2020 U.S. Census

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 15:53:32 +0000

Faculty member evaluates efficacy of 2020 U.S. Census Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/26/2021 - 11:53

In This Story

Today, we count on data and data-based systems in our daily lives. The United States census is the backbone of most of these data sets that we rely on, so it is important to ensure its accuracy.

Jonathan Auerbach joined the Department of Statistics at Mason in August, 2021. Photo provided

The American Statistical Association (ASA) Census Quality Indicators Taskforce selected assistant professor of statistics Jonathan Auerbach to independently review the 2020 census as part of a three-person research team. The team released their findings in September.

In 2020, the pandemic, accusations of political interference, and many other factors created doubt that the census wouldn’t be accurate, says Auerbach.

Traditionally, the ASA and the statistics community spend the ten years between censuses looking over the data and offering improvements for the next census. However, because of the efficacy questions of the 2020 census, Auerbach’s research team investigated it in half a year.

“The ASA has historically been involved in advocating for the best census since 1840, right before the Civil War, which was a very formative census, and it became highly politicized. And partially because of that, the ASA as we know it today was born,” says Auerbach.

Auerbach was one of three researchers on the independent review team. He and his fellow researchers, including Paul Biemer and Joseph Salvo, had access to all census data to see how it was collected and what errors could have been introduced.

“Our major finding is what we didn’t find. We didn’t find evidence of malfeasance or politicking or any direct evidence of wrongdoing. However, we did find that largely because of the pandemic, the ways people were counted were of higher risk than previous censuses,” says Auerbach.

For example, in the 2010 census, if someone hadn’t reported their household information, the U.S. Census Bureau would send a worker to follow up. In 2020, because of COVID-19, that was not always a safe option. Instead, the Census Bureau relied more heavily on administrative records, like tax documents. “These practices could lead to more errors than the methods used in the 2010 census,” he says.

Reporting college students was another area they noticed might lead to some potential errors. “Typically, colleges will report the number of students in dorms to the census bureau, but since many students left their dorms halfway through the semester, it was unclear whether students were counted properly.”

Auerbach says that he and the research team found no evidence suggesting the 2020 Census is unreliable despite riskier counting methods. Another group at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which includes other ASA members, will continue to help the Census Bureau improve the census and process the data, but Auerbach’s work is finished for now.

“Our census is a historical document. We really don’t have too many of them in our lifetime, so it was very rewarding to be a part of it,” he says.

Topics

Department of Statistics

Statistics

CEC faculty research

Confronting and combatting algorithm bias at CoNECD conference

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 12:19:31 +0000

Confronting and combatting algorithm bias at CoNECD conference Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/24/2021 - 08:19

In This Story

James Baldo

Algorithms help us make hard decisions every day. Credit card companies, job boards, and more use fast-thinking algorithms to fairly decipher who fits their chosen criteria. But sometimes, they aren’t always as fair as they appear.

At the annual Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity (CoNECD) conference in January, the Director of the MS Data Analytics Engineering program, James Baldo, presented how algorithm biases arise and where data analysts and algorithm creators could make changes to increase fairness.

“I looked at algorithm bias from a high-level technical perspective to show the audience that yes, algorithms can be biased, but that there is more to it than a yes or no analysis,” says Baldo.

There are numerous aspects of algorithms that could hold bias. The data used for the algorithm, the core of the algorithm itself, and even the people interpreting the algorithm’s data could be where bias sneaks into the decision-making process, says Baldo.

“Algorithms use artificial intelligence and are designed by computational data that may have an inherent and unintentional bias,” he says. “Employment decisions are a good example. If an algorithm is using a sample of data to sift through applicants for a software engineering job that doesn’t include many women, the algorithm could unintentionally sift women out.”

Baldo says there have been numerous studies on algorithm bias. Still, he shared his thoughts at the conference because he felt it was important for conference attendees to understand algorithm bias’s root causes.

“One slide I presented discussed how we achieve fairness with algorithms. We need to look at the data and try and detect biases in it. We can train people who interpret the data and educate them on the best practices,” says Baldo. “I mainly wanted my presentation to raise awareness, and I wanted to take some of the mystery out of algorithms.”

From a data perspective, Baldo works to embed these best practices into the data analytics engineering program. “We are trying to embed education on the effects of algorithm bias into the MS program. Since it is an interdisciplinary program, we have to work together to figure out how to do that collaboratively.”

Baldo sees algorithm bias awareness and prevention as crucial for building the data analytics workforce. “The social fabric of this is very important, and we have a responsibility as engineers to address it, and this was a start.”

Topics

Data Analytics Engineering

data analytics

algorithm bias

Stat students can study abroad this spring

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 17:39:44 +0000

Stat students can study abroad this spring 4429684e-ae8d-… Tue, 09/03/2019 - 13:39

“As we teach statistics courses, we mention the names of historic figures in the field, but to students, they are just anonymous faces. Going out and seeing such places as Rothamsted will give them a better appreciation for where it all began, in particular, the work of Ronald Fisher."

David Holmes

This year, statistics students have a chance to learn about the history of statistics firsthand with a spring break study abroad program to England.

Participating students must take one of the six higher-level statistics courses (STAT 456, 455, 489, 462, 360, or 490) to prepare for the trip. The courses are offered this fall semester and in spring 2020. As many as 20 students can attend the trip that is organized and run by Department of Statistics Assistant Professors Elizabeth Johnson and David Holmes.

Each student will receive a grant that covers 50 percent, up to $1,500, of the cost of the trip, says Allie Wallace, the program manager for the trip in the Global Education Office at Mason.

“Statistics is a fairly young field,” says Johnson. “We want to humanize the field for the students and show them that there are people behind the theories.”

Students will explore the work of people like Ronald Fisher, British statistician and geneticist, Alan Turing, mathematician and computer scientist, and Florence Nightingale, who used her passion for statistics to save lives. The students and their professors will tour museums, visit the places where these statisticians worked, and gain in-depth knowledge about the history of their field.

“As we teach statistics courses, we mention the names of historic figures in the field, but to students, they are just anonymous faces,” says Holmes. “Going out and seeing such places as Rothamsted will give them a better appreciation for where it all began, in particular, the work of Ronald Fisher.“

Both Johnson and Holmes were able to plan the trip through the program development grant from the Global Education Office, and they spent a week simulating the trip for students over the summer.

“These (statistical) methods we use are from real people trying to fix problems,” says Johnson. “It really hit me how statistics has affected so many fields when I was there.” Johnson hopes the students will feel the same.

Both the program development grant and the global discovery scholarship, which gives students the discount on their travel, are available to all faculty to apply to create study abroad programs for students in their majors.

Studying abroad and adding supplemental knowledge to your major can give students an upper hand, and it shows they have experience working with intercultural teams, Wallace says. “Studying abroad can give them new perspectives in the classroom, and it can really make them stand out to employers.”

Bletchley Park is a nineteenth-century mansion and estate. During World War II the estate housed the British Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS). Among its most notable early personnel, the GC&CS team of codebreakers included Alan Turing, Gordon Welchman, Hugh Alexander and Stuart Milner-Barry. (Stock Photo)

Mason Engineering hires a chief diversity officer

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 00:37:07 +0000

Mason Engineering hires a chief diversity officer 4429684e-ae8d-… Thu, 08/01/2019 - 20:37

Learn About Diversity at Mason

Sign Up for Training

Christopher Carr has been hired to be Mason Engineering's Chief Diversity Officer (Courtesy photo.)

Christopher Carr’s enthusiasm for diversity and inclusion in higher education and STEM springs from his experiences growing up in Missouri, and it is that background that led him to become the first chief diversity officer at the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Prior to coming to Mason, Carr served as the senior director of programs for the National Society of Black Engineers, but at the end of August, he joined Mason Engineering, where he hopes to make a difference in students’ lives. “Growing up where I did, there weren’t many people who looked like me, but my mom and dad were great about giving me every opportunity to be successful,” he says.

His parent's motivation led Carr to a science and math magnet school as a child, but after his first day, his mother found him scrubbing his skin raw in the bathroom. “I told her the kids at school said I was brown because I’m dirty.”

This experience has stuck with Carr, and it set him on his mission to make sure that no child ever feels as lonely as he felt. He has focused his career around that goal. “Schools have to be open enough to allow students in who bring new perspectives and to make them feel welcome and wanted. I hope to help the school of engineering to not only capitalize on the value of having diverse groups and ideas but also to grow into being a part of the diversity-conscious world.”

It was Mason’s already established mission to be an accessible source of higher education that drew Carr to this new role. “Mason has an interesting story to tell. It can bring someone from any background and help them achieve and get a degree regardless of educational background. I want to come in and showcase what Mason is doing well.”

Carr says his father, an engineer, is excited that his son is maintaining a connection to the engineering profession.

Along with highlighting Mason Engineering’s dedication to diversity, Carr wants to start building connections between faculty, staff, and hiring committees to diverse organizations and networks. “I want to give them the tools to find diverse people as part of job searches and other opportunities to reflect the diverse student body.”

The addition of Carr’s role to Mason Engineering is part of a bigger network of promoting diversity across the university, and Mason’s Vice President for Compliance Diversity and Ethics Julian Williams says he is excited that Mason Engineering is taking this next step. Both Williams and Carr point to Mason Engineering Dean Ken Ball as the catalyst behind this new role and expanded commitment to promoting diversity.

“I’m excited about this next step that Dean Ball and the Volgenau School are taking,” says Williams. “It’s really important to have someone in a position to focus on diversity.”

Ultimately, Carr knows that as Mason Engineering expands its diverse faculty and student body and promotes that welcoming environment, the whole school and eventually the engineering field at large will be enriched by different voices and ideas.

“Think about why we enjoy going to a symphony,” says Carr. “It’s not just because of the string section or because the percussion is particularly great, it’s because different skills have been put together to create a wave of sound, and that is what diversity does. It brings different people together and builds innovation.”

“I’m excited about this next step that Dean Ball and the Volgenau School are taking. It’s really important to have someone in a position to focus on diversity.”

Jullian Williams, Vice President for Compliance Diversity and Ethics