Mu Sigma Rho Chapter Nomination Form
Boston Chapter of the American Statistical Association
Mu Sigma Rho Chapter
The National Honorary Society for Statistics
Student Nomination Form
INTRODUCTION
Mu Sigma Rho is the national honorary society for statistics. Its purpose is to promote and encourage scholarly activity in statistics and the recognition of outstanding achievement among students in eligible academic institutions. We encourage you to nominate students for membership. More information about Mu Sigma Rho can be found at the following website: stat.purdue.edu/~mccabe/msr.
Specific information regarding BCASA’s chapter of Mu Sigma Rho (including this form) can be found at: http://www.community.amstat.org/bostonchapter/home
PROCEDURES FOR NOMINATING STUDENTS
Please note that the procedures below differ from previous years in order to help streamline the nomination process
Step 1: Identify students eligible for nomination
Faculty members or professional statisticians may nominate students attending a college or university in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The nominator is responsible for completing the nomination form, forwarding a copy of the student’s academic transcript, and paying the $5 nomination fee using the PayPal option below. Completed nomination forms are due to Mu Sigma Rho subcommittee by March 21. Those received after March 21 will be held until the next year’s nomination cycle. The criteria for nomination are:
Undergraduate students shall:
1. have completed at least 2 years of college course work or (you may nominate sophomores if they have completed all necessary coursework with the understanding that their nomination will not be fully processed until after they complete the academic year);
2. have completed 8 semester hours (12 quarter hours) of statistics courses, of which at least 5 semester hours (7 quarter hours) shall be junior level statistics course work;
3. have a 3.40 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) in all statistics courses; and
4. have at least a 3.20 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) in all undergraduate coursework.
Junior level statistics courses would typically include intermediate statistics courses such as Regression, Linear Models, Design of Experiments, Bayesian methods or Mathematical Statistics. Statistics research undertaken as an honors thesis, independent study or summer project may substitute for one of these classes. Only half of a two-semester or two-quarter Probability/Mathematical Statistics course would count towards the total number of statistics courses. Students must have completed all courses required for nomination except in the case of seniors. If nominating a senior who is in the process of completing the class(es) required for nomination, an estimate of the grade they will receive is acceptable.
Graduate students shall:
1. have completed 12 semester hours (18 quarter hours) of graduate level courses in statistics;
2. have at least a 3.50 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) in all graduate level statistics courses; and
3. be a graduate student in good standing.
Step 2: Obtain students’ permissions
Contact each student eligible for nomination to:
- Verify that the student accepts the nomination.
- Get permission to forward their transcripts.
Step 3: Fill out nomination form
Make sure that a separate form is filled out for each nominee making sure that you have supplied a U.S. address and the correct spelling of their names. Also make sure to calculate the student’s GPA in all statistics courses to verify that it is above 3.40 (for undergraduates) or above a 3.50 (for graduate students).
Step 4: Forward transcripts
Send transcripts for each student via email. On each transcript, make sure to highlight all statistics classes taken. Transcripts should be sent to [email protected]
Step 5: Send payment
Each nomination requires a $5 processing fee, which is typically paid by the nominating institution. There are two ways to pay the nomination fee.
- Fees should ideally be paid to the Mu Sigma Rho national secretary, Lynne Seymour, via PayPal. The email address to use is [email protected] Make sure to put a comment to indicate your institution and that the fees are for the BCASA Affiliate Chapter of Mu Sigma Rho.
- Fees may also be sent via check or money order to Shannon Stock, College of the Holy Cross, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, 1 College Street, PO Box 48A, Worcester, MA 01610. Please make checks payable to “Mu Sigma Rho.”
Once nominations are received, all information is verified, and the student is deemed eligible by the Mu Sigma Rho Subcommittee of the BCASA Planning Committee, induction certificates will be sent to the students via the nominator.
Students inducted into Mu Sigma Rho receive a complimentary one-year membership in ASA plus a one-year BCASA membership and a subscription to Chance. The intention of this subsidy is to build membership in the ASA and the local chapter, though continuation is contingent on approval by the ASA.
In cases of questions regarding Mu Sigma Rho or the nominations process, please contact: