The Field

 

The last decade has seen an explosion in the quantity and variety of data available about virtually everything including pictures, stock prices, purchase patterns, medical information, and voting behavior. However, many agree with the characterization of our time as “drowning in information and starving for knowledge.” This challenge is the essential problem of the field of statistics: seeking understanding and knowledge through the study of data. Statistics has historically played a key role in medical research, and more generally in experimental science, by quantifying the interaction between various “causes” and “effects.” However, many new and exciting applications of statistics are emerging, such as deciphering the human genome, analyzing and facilitating Internet traffic, and the “mining” of very large collections of data to discern patterns and relationships. Statistics is inherently an interdisciplinary field allowing the practitioner to learn from and contribute to a wide variety of different areas.

 

Students interested in majoring in Statistics and Data Science should contact the Chief Undergraduate Adviser, tel. (413) 545-2282, Lederle Graduate Research Tower (LGRT) 1625.