2017 David P. Byar Young Investigator Award Applications Invited

The Biometrics Section is seeking applications for the 2017 David P. Byar Young Investigator Award. This annual award is given to an early-stage investigator for best paper to be presented at JSM. It commemorates the late David Byar, a biostatistician who made significant contributions to the development and application of statistical methods and who was esteemed as an exceptional mentor during his career at the National Cancer Institute. The winner will receive $2,000.

In addition to the Byar Award, the section may provide additional travel awards of $1,000 each to the authors of other outstanding papers submitted to the competition.

All applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Have held a doctorate in statistics, biostatistics, or a related quantitative field for three or fewer years as of April 1 of the current year, or be currently enrolled as a student in a doctoral program in statistics or biostatistics and in active pursuit of a doctoral degree.
  • Be a current member of the Biometrics Section (applicant may join at the time of submission for a $5 annual membership fee [$3 for students]). Note: Membership in ASA does not automatically confer section membership; ASA members must join individual sections in addition to their generic membership.
  • Be first author of the paper. The paper may be unsubmitted, submitted, or under review, but may not have already appeared in a journal either online or in print at the time of the application or have been accepted for publication as of December 1.
  • Be scheduled to present the same paper submitted for the award at JSM 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland, as either a talk or poster.
  • Not have submitted the paper to any other ASA section 2017 student or early-stage investigator award competition.
  • Have not been a previous Byar award or Biometrics Section travel award winner.

Applicants must submit their JSM abstracts to the Biometrics Section, which will organize a series of topic-contributed sessions to highlight the Byar award and travel award winners.

Applicants must complete their application by submitting the following materials:

  • A current CV
  • A one-page cover letter that summarizes the paper’s content and contribution
  • One copy of the paper

The paper must be a maximum of 25 double-spaced pages (with max of 25 lines per page), including references but not including tables and figures. Papers that are not within these restrictions will not be considered.

All materials must be submitted electronically between November 1 and December 1. Questions should be sent to the 2017 Byar Award chair, Debashis Ghosh, at debashis.ghosh@ucdenver.edu.

The 2017 Awards Committee is composed of the 2017 current and past section chairs and chair-elect as well as three additional individuals to be appointed by the section chairs prior to the competition.

Winners will be announced by January 15. Winners should contact Barbara Engelhardt at bee@princeton.edu and submit a topic-contributed abstract for JSM 2017.

For more information, visit the Biometrics Section website.

Call for Proposals

The section also invites applications for funding to support projects developing innovative outreach projects focused on enhancing awareness of biostatistics among quantitatively talented U.S. students. Of particular interest are projects that will encourage students to pursue advanced training in biostatistics. The section anticipates funding up to three projects this year, with total funding of up to $3,000–$5,000 per project. The project timelines would be from 1.5–2 years. All investigators are encouraged to apply. Award recipients must be an ASA member and Biometrics Section member before project initiation.

A three-page application is due by December 12 and should be in the following format:

  • Title
  • Objectives and Specific Aims
  • Background
  • Significance, and/or Rationale
  • Design and Methods
  • Deliverables/Products
  • Budget

Supplies, domestic travel (when necessary to carry out the project), professional expertise (e.g., instructional designer or webmaster), and cost of computer time are allowable expenditures. Secretarial/administrative personnel, tuition, foreign travel, and honoraria and travel expenses for visiting lecturers to the investigator’s home institution are not allowable expenditures.

A project period with a start date no earlier than January 1, 2017, and an end date no later than December 31, 2018, also should be specified.

Applications should be submitted electronically to the Strategic Initiatives Subcommittee chair, Page Moore, at Pmoore@uams.edu. All investigators will be expected to submit a brief report at the conclusion of the project to the subcommittee chair. Questions may be addressed to Moore or Tanya Garcia at Tpgarcia@sph.tamhsc.edu.