CANSSI has welcomed two new institutional members this year. Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, joined in spring when Wesley Burr, Chair of Trent’s Department of Mathematics, became CANSSI’s new Associate Director for Smaller Institutions.
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, B.C., became a member in early July after statisticians Jabed Tomal and Erfanul Hoque joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. TRU also has a Centre for Optimization and Data Science and offers Bachelor of Science and Master of Science programs in Data Science, as well as a Post-baccalaureate Diploma in Applied Data Science.
Greg Anderson, Dean of TRU’s Faculty of Science, expressed the benefits of membership in his announcement to the TRU community: “Our participation allows us access to various forms of support, funding and interdisciplinary collaboration that are important for TRU as we continue to develop our programming in statistics and data science.”
The addition of Trent and TRU aligns with CANSSI’s desire to explore ways to better support universities with small statistical sciences footprints.
CANSSI Director Don Estep explained, “CANSSI aims to support all Canadian statistical sciences. Our programs have long valued the participation of members located at smaller universities. But we recognize that our colleagues in smaller universities face special barriers that CANSSI might be able to address. CANSSI is planning a retreat for smaller institutions in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Statistical Society of Canada in Spring 2024.”
CANSSI now has 37 institutional (university) members from across Canada. Membership in the CANSSI community provides them with a number of benefits, including full participation in CANSSI flagship programs such as the Collaborative Research Teams program, the CANSSI Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships program, the Graduate Student Enrichment Scholarships program, and Research for Social Good, as well as CANSSI EDI, a comprehensive program that fosters diversity and inclusion within the statistical sciences community. CANSSI members can also receive assistance with the organization and promotion of local research events such as workshops, and their employment advertisements can be featured on the CANSSI website and social media channels.
