Math and Stats Awareness Month, OPSA Edition

In our modern world where information is available in just a few clicks, it’s easy to forget that behind WSU institutional information is a team of data analysts providing insight, analysis, and reports. The analysts in the Office of Strategy, Planning, and Analysis regularly use math and statistics in their day-to-day work. So when Math and Statistics Awareness Month rolled around this April we thought we’d put some of our analysts on the spot and have them share a little bit about the math and statistics that they use, and their appreciation for these tools that make data accurate and accessible as we plan for WSU’s future.

Predicting the future with Markov Chains

Math and Statistics Awareness Month’s goal is to increase public understanding of and appreciation for mathematics and statistics. Math and statistic tools like Markov chains are so ingrained in our day-to-day lives—we’ve all experienced the use of Markov Chains when we check the weather, or when we let predictive text finish a sentence for us, and specifically for Washington State University institutional data, when Stephanie Kane, Associate Vice President of System Analysis and Reporting, builds enrollment projections.

Statistics = Math + Data

In an office that uses both math and statistics, we tried our best to get some clarification on how a statistician might approach a problem differently from a mathematician.

Are three hunters really an adequate sample size?

Of course, the Office of Strategy, Planning, and Analysis has jokes. In a profession that leaves little room for inaccuracies and fallacies, we take our data, accuracy, and reporting responsibilities very seriously. But we also try to find the humor in the incongruities when we can and try to remember not to take ourselves too seriously.

Washington State University system analysis and reporting information is available online.

Image of Eija Sumner

About the Author

Eija Sumner is the Strategic Communication Coordinator in the Office of Strategy, Planning, and Analysis (OSPA) at Washington State University.