Jake Porway of DataKind gave an inspiring talk comparing statisticians and data scientists to superheroes. Hear the story of how “the data scientists, statisticians, analysts were able to bend data to their will” and how these powers are being used for good or for awesome:
(Hat Tip: FlowingData.com)
Jake’s comment that “you have extraordinary powers that ordinary people don’t have” reminds me of Andrew Gelman’s suggestion that “The next book to write, I guess, should be called, not Amazing Numberrunchers or Fabulous Stat-economists, but rather something like Statistics as Your Very Own Iron Man Suit.”
Links to the statistics / data science volunteering opportunities Jake mentioned:
I also recommend Statistics Without Borders, with more of an international health focus. And if you’re here in Washington DC, Data Community DC and the related meetups are a great resource too.
Edit: Current students could also see if there is a Statistics in the Community (StatCom) Network branch at their university.