Statistics Without Borders Empowers Communities with Data

Statistics Without Borders and UNILAG Data Science Bootcamp

By Betty Su

Many organizations exist to make the world a better place, but not all have access to statistical or related technical expertise. At Statistics Without Borders, the volunteers are working to change that.

Statistics Without Borders is an all-volunteer organization guided by a commitment to equity, transparency, and collaboration. Volunteers are working toward a world in which every community is empowered with statistical expertise to make data-driven decisions that advance humanity. To do this, they collaborate with socially conscious communities around the world to complete pro bono projects in statistics and data science. Projects fall into three primary areas: advising; educating; and building.

• Advising: Connected North is a nonprofit focused on improving education outcomes for remote Indigenous communities in Canada. SWB is collaborating with Connected North to identify new sources of data and advise on appropriate analytical approaches, with the goal of measurably improving attendance and high school graduation rates within the Indigenous community.
• Educating: Now in its second year, SWB helped organize and teach a two-week data science bootcamp with the statistics department at the University of Lagos. Through this partnership, Nigerian educators, students, and government and industry personnel are better equipped to leverage advanced statistical methods in their work.
• Building: SWB is collaborating with Eyesea, a small nonprofit that uses citizen science to map pollution across oceans and waterways. Experts from SWB are working with Eyesea to develop a computer vision model with a user-friendly interface. By building this together, SWB and Eyesea are reducing the manual effort required of citizen scientists and improving how efficiently waterways are cleaned around the globe.

Last year alone, SWB volunteers contributed to 67 projects spanning 27 countries. These efforts have supported organizations providing access to water, safe food, shelter, and energy, creating pathways to economic stability for women and children and helping communities live longer in a cleaner environment with tools to eradicate disease.

Since its founding in 2008 as an ASA outreach group, SWB has grown to include more than 2,500 volunteers around the world, but there is still a lot of work left to do.

Interested in joining? As an SWB volunteer, you will leverage your skills to make a global impact. Join a diverse team of professionals—statisticians, economists, data scientists—dedicated to advancing humanitarian efforts through data. Your expertise will directly support life-changing projects worldwide.

Want to learn more? View the SWB 2024 Annual Meeting recording to explore SWB’s impact and discover more projects driven by volunteers. You can also view SWB’s annual report.

Betty Su

Marketing and Communications Leader

Betty Su is a marketing and communications leader with experience in brand building and growth in environments undergoing transformation. She has served in executive marketing leadership roles at the National Audubon Society and Graduate Management Admission Council. At the latter, she redefined the brand’s identity and strengthened its reputation as an industry authority through diversity-focused thought leadership. At the US Postal Service, she led the Priority You campaign, enhancing digital and retail channels, reaching younger audiences, and launching new revenue-generating programs. Su is passionate about leveraging consumer insights and data-driven decision-making to fuel growth. She holds a BS in economics from The Wharton School and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.