Description of SAMSI

As one illustration of the vision, consider an activity central to modern science and technology, with which SAMSI is heavily engaged: numerical modeling of complex physical processes. Developing numerical models and evaluating their fidelity to reality requires merging knowledge from multiple disciplines. Applied mathematics builds on disciplinary understanding to construct a fine-detail numerical representation of the deterministic aspects of a process; probability provides concepts and insight to characterize stochastic elements of the process; and statistics provides the mechanisms to relate these constructs to observational data on the real-world process. But despite a multiplicity of context-specific advances, there is currently no general framework for combining these disciplines, much less a formal system for simultaneously applying them. The SAMSI efforts in this direction focus on filling this gap, by bringing together statisticians, mathematicians and modelers from across the country (and beyond) to establish frameworks for model development and validation.

SAMSI maximizes its impact by being primarily a formulator and stimulator of research. It conducts programs that target the areas most in need of attention and most amenable to high-impact progress, bring together established and young researchers from academia, industry, national laboratories and government to define the central problems, and catalyze the research that addresses those problems. SAMSI activities are national in scope, and range from programs that address fundamental challenges, such as numerical modeling; to programs that take controversial areas of great current methodological interest and strive for a broad scientific synthesis; to programs that initiate research in emerging areas.

The human impact of SAMSI is both a goal in itself and the mechanism by which research impact is realized. Visiting young and senior researchers are resident at SAMSI for periods of a month to a year. Postdoctoral fellows participate at the crucial, formative stage of their careers. Graduate and upper level undergraduate students are provided unique insight into the formation of research areas and collaborations. Every SAMSI program conducts a public workshops that inform and energize the national statistical and applied mathematical sciences communities to take up the challenges identified by SAMSI. Selective (and therefore, effective) outreach programs to undergraduate students and faculty from teaching institutions extend SAMSI’s impact still further.

The scale of SAMSI, which matches the scale and urgency of the problems that drive it, exceeds the capabilities of any single institution. Therefore, SAMSI is a partnership between the National Science Foundation and the consortium of Duke University, North Carolina State University (NCSU), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS). Additional support is provided by William R. Kenan, Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science. SAMSI is housed at the NISS building in the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

The scientific efforts at SAMSI are organized into programs of typically six months to one year duration. Some focus on particular scientific problem areas, while others are defined by statistical and mathematical themes that cut across multiple scientific contexts. Each is led by statistical and applied mathematical scientists, coupled with strong involvement of disciplinary scientists.

SAMSI is led by a Directorate consisting of James O. Berger, Duke University, Michael Minion, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Nell Sedransk, National Institute of Statistical Sciences, and Ralph Smith, North Carolina State University. Scientific input to SAMSI comes from a National Advisory Council of leading national and international researchers, and a Local Development Committee consisting of leading Research Triangle scholars.

Most important, SAMSI engages the entire nationwide statistical and mathematical sciences communities, by means of widely publicized opportunities to participate in research programs at SAMSI or to bring research problems to SAMSI.

SAMSI Research

A typical focused study program involves 4-6 long-term visiting researchers, numerous short-term visitors, interested Triangle researchers, 2 postdoctoral fellows, 4 graduate students, and 2-3 workshops. Programs that procure supplementary funding are often larger.

A unique characteristic of Focused Study Programs at SAMSI is that they are structured and managed in such a way that, while the primary thrust of SAMSI is to catalyze research (performed by SAMSI participants after they depart), SAMSI pushes the research far enough to ensure that the catalysis “takes”. For instance, a SAMSI “workshop”, while serving the same educational and informational functions as other workshops, also has as an explicit goal to identify research directions to be pursued. Similarly, those resident at SAMSI do not simply interact by discussing topics of common interest, but are stimulated to begin new collaborations. They ideally will take away from SAMSI not the intention to collaborate, but instead an incipient research project.

Synthesis Programs take areas in statistics and applied mathematics that have seen a profusion of theoretical and methodological activity and strive for broad assimilation and synthesis of the existing research, identification of critical research directions, and theoretical and methodological recommendations. An historical example of such a study is the Princeton Robustness Study, which provided lasting methodological recommendations for statistics and charted the future course of research on robustness.

A synthesis programs are up to one year in duration. They open with a broad workshop, during which participants discuss the prominent approaches to the program area. Working groups are then formed to assemble testbed problems or data sets, and to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches (an activity often involves postdoctoral scholars and graduate students, to their considerable educational benefit). Small workshops or meetings of the working groups are held, in which tentative conclusions and recommendations are formulated. The program ends with another larger workshop in which these conclusions are presented and discussed by the larger body. Subsequently, the Program Leaders prepare an extensive report detailing the conclusions and recommendations.

There are fewer long-term visiting researchers in synthesis programs than in focused study programs, with more of the funding going to the activities of the working groups.

Pilot Programs and Hot Topics Workshops: SAMSI also sponsors special workshops or pilot investigations by small groups, the purpose of which is to explore hot topics with an eye towards development of a major SAMSI program in an emerging area.

Opportunities for Visiting Researchers

Workshop Participants range from key scientific figures who can participate in the program only on a reduced scale, to young researchers who desire to gain entrance to the research area, to individuals primarily interested in technology transfer.

Postdoctoral Fellows are extensively involved with all programs. It is anticipated that SAMSI funds 5 to 6 postdoctoral fellows per year. SAMSI provides two layers of mentoring for postdoctoral fellows. The first layer is scientific, with each postdoctoral fellow being assigned to at least one senior Mentor, a researcher on the relevant SAMSI program. The second layer of mentoring is assignment of each postdoctoral fellow to an Advisor, one of the four members of the SAMSI Directorate, who is responsible for general career advice and personal issues.

Graduate Students usually participate in programs together with an advisor who is also a participant. Visiting Principal Researchers have the opportunity to bring their graduate students as SAMSI Graduate Fellows.

Entire site © 2001-2008, Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute. All Rights Reserved.