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American Statistical Association Honors Five Members of NORC Senior Staff for Their Industry Contributions

Press Release

NORC senior fellow in Statistics and Methodology, Colm O’Muircheartaigh, receives the Monroe G. Sirken Award in Interdisciplinary Survey Methods Research.

CHICAGO, July 27, 2018 – The American Statistical Association (ASA) honored five members of NORC’s statistics departments, recognizing Colm O’Muircheartaigh, senior fellow in the Statistics and Methodology department; Ken Copeland, senior vice president of Statistics and Methodology; Dan Kasprzyk, senior fellow with the Center for Excellence in Survey Research (CESR); Michael Davern, executive vice president of Research; and Don Jang, vice president of CESR.

​Among the awards, O’Muircheartaigh earned the Monroe G. Sirken Award in Interdisciplinary Survey Methods Research for his significant contributions to the theory and practice of survey sampling, especially for complex designs and in developing countries; for innovative research in nonresponse, response error, response variance, and data quality generally, including the use of latent variable models to describe nonresponse, the study of cognitive aspects of responses to survey questions, and analysis of the impact of interviewers; and for important contributions to the education of sampling statisticians and survey researchers around the world.

As the honoree, O’Muircheartaigh will give the Sirken Lecture on August 1 at the Joint Statistical Meetings and will receive a $5,000 honorarium and plaque for his achievement. He is the second NORC researcher to receive this award; Norman Bradburn, senior fellow and former NORC director, was the inaugural recipient in 2015.

Additionally, ASA recognized four senior authorities from NORC for their significant achievements in advancing the realm of statistical sciences:

​Copeland received the Pat Doyle Award from the Government Statistics Section of the ASA. This award honors Copeland’s contributions to the section and the lasting impact they will have on its work and on the ASA overall.

​Kasprzyk earned the Founders Award, a highly selective honor recognizing ASA members who have rendered distinguished service to the association. Kasprzyk has taken on a number of leadership roles over his tenure with the ASA. In accordance with the award guidelines, his contributions have had significant impacts on the association beyond the time he served.

​Davern and Jang have been named fellows of the ASA. Member peers nominated and selected Davern and Jang given their outstanding contributions to the advancement of statistical sciences.

“It’s exciting to see our colleagues being recognized for their innovative contributions to statistics and social science, which benefit not only NORC and our clients, but the entire research community,” said Dan Gaylin, president and CEO of NORC at the University of Chicago. “In an increasingly complex world of data, statistical rigor along with transparent and reliable methodology, are more important than ever, and NORC is proud to continue its long tradition of advancing these core principles.”

Each of the five honorees will receive their awards during this year’s Joint Statistical Meetings.

“It’s exciting to see our colleagues being recognized for their innovative contributions to statistics and social science, which benefit not only NORC and our clients, but the entire research community.”

Dan Gaylin

President and CEO

“It’s exciting to see our colleagues being recognized for their innovative contributions to statistics and social science, which benefit not only NORC and our clients, but the entire research community.”

About NORC at the University of Chicago

NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.

www.norc.org

Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).