The Department of Biostatistics at FIU Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work hosted the 2026 Annual American Statistical Association (ASA) Florida Chapter Meeting on March 6–7, 2026, jointly with the Department of Mathematics and Statistics of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education. The event brought together statisticians, researchers, faculty, and students from across the state for two days of presentations, networking, and showcase of statistical research and innovation.
Held in the FIU SIPA and Ryder Business Building at FIU’s Modesto Maidique Campus, the meeting offered attendees a rich program featuring keynote speakers, contributed talks, poster sessions, and student data competition, fostering collaboration across disciplines and academic levels.
A highlight of this year’s program was the keynote address by Dr. Natesh S. Pillai, professor of statistics at Harvard University, who spoke on Introduction to AI Safety. Dr. Pillai’s presentation underscored the growing importance of rigorous statistical methods in building reliable and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems – a timely topic given the rapid expansion of AI research across sectors.
In addition to the keynote, the meeting featured addresses and sessions from statisticians and practitioners from diverse institutions, including Dr. Ji-Hyun Lee (University of Florida), who delivered the ASA representative address, and other invited speakers from academia, healthcare, and industry.
Celebrating students and emerging researchers
Student engagement was a major focus of the meeting. The ASA Florida Chapter offered a Student Travel Award for outstanding research in statistical methodology, theory, and applications. Eligible students presented their work in either contributed talks or poster sessions, with winners receiving support to attend and participate in the meeting.
Complementing this was the ASA South Florida Student Data Challenge, an applied data analysis and visualization competition open to high school, undergraduate and graduate students. Using real-world public health data, participants competed in prediction and visualization tracks, with selected top finishers invited to present their work during the meeting. Among them was a Stempel College Ph.D. team – Jingwei Gu, Samantha Gonzales, Ingrid Gonzalez and Jane Zizhen Zhao – mentored by Dr. Xuexia Helen Wang, whose project was selected for the Data Challenge Showcase, highlighting the strength of FIU’s emerging statistical researchers.
A hub for professional exchange and growth
The ASA Florida Chapter Meeting continues to be a vibrant platform for professional exchange, offering opportunities for attendees to connect with peers, share cutting-edge research, and explore statistical solutions to real-world problems. The event reinforces FIU’s commitment to advancing statistical science and supporting the next generation of data scientists and researchers.