How excited am I??
The United Nations General Assembly has designated Oct. 20, 2010, as the first-ever World Statistics Day (WSD) – a day created to recognize the achievements the global statistics systems at both national and international levels. Statistical organizations throughout the world will celebrate World Statistics Day to promote statistics and the importance of the statistical profession around the world.
The U.S. Census Bureau, along with the 14 leading federal statistical agencies, will participate at an event titled “National Statistics: Sound Science, Sound Policy, Strong Democracy.” The three key words chosen to highlight WSD are Service, Professionalism and Integrity.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated: “Let us make this historic World Statistics Day a success by acknowledging and celebrating the role of statistics in the social and economic development of our societies and by dedicating further efforts and resources to strengthening national statistical capacity.”
Since it’s almost Halloween, here’s a fun statistic: In 2009, Americans ate 24.3 pounds of candy per person.
To celebrate World Statistics Day, U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves will speak to a 12th grade math class at a local Washington, D.C., school. Groves plans to show students the value of statistics and math through practical examples that make numbers relevant to everyday life.
Here’s one practical example they will be interested in: The median annual wage for statisticians in May 2009 was $72,820!
We hope all of you will join Data Driven Detroit in celebrating this event. We firmly believe that data will help provide the base upon which Detroit’s transformation can flourish. Perhaps we can follow up this worldwide event with a Southeast Michigan Data Day scheduled to coincide with the beginning of spring – a symbol of the rebirth that is to come.