W Questions
AR: Thanks very much, Felicia, for agreeing to be interviewed for the Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education. Let’s start with some W questions: Where do you teach, what do you teach, and who do you teach?
FS: Thank you, Allan, for this amazing opportunity. It is truly an honor to be interviewed for the Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education. I am an associate professor in the Mathematics Department at Winston-Salem State University, which is a historically black university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I teach an introductory statistics course that is mostly targeted toward first- and second-year undergraduate students in various majors. I also teach upper-level statistics courses to our undergraduate students pursuing a B.S. in Mathematics with a concentration in Statistics. Some of the courses I teach for this concentration include Biostatistics, Mathematical Statistics I–II, Methods of Regression/Analysis of Variance, and Introduction to Experimental Design.
AR: Now for two W questions that I suspect will be harder: Why did you opt for a career focused on teaching undergraduates, and what attracted you to a historically black university to pursue that career?
FS: This is a great question, Allan. I strongly believe that undergraduate education lays the foundation for a student’s future career success and personal fulfillment. As a graduate student at Florida State University, I had the opportunity to teach several undergraduate statistics courses. Upon graduating with my Ph.D. in Biostatistics, I began working as a Mathematical Statistician at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Division of Biometrics IV. While working at the FDA, I became an adjunct professor in the Mathematics & Statistics Department at Montgomery College. There I further realized that teaching is a two-way learning experience that can be very fulfilling. Due to this love for educating students, I ultimately transitioned from government to academia and began my career at Winston-Salem State University.
I chose to teach at a historically black university because I am very passionate about exposing under-represented students to the fields of statistics and biostatistics. I am also a graduate of a historically black university. As an undergraduate student, I attended Albany State University located in Albany, Georgia. Attending a historically black university was an invaluable experience for me. My undergraduate advisor played a key role in my choice to pursue a career in statistics. Being a faculty member at Winston-Salem State University gives me the opportunity to give back and teach the next generation of statisticians.
Teaching at an HBCU
AR: I want to ask about your past experiences, as an undergraduate and a grad student and at FDA, but for now I’ll stick to the present. I also want to admit that I know very little about HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities). Please tell us about the students at your university, both generally and more specifically about the students that you teach.
FS: I would first like to talk a little about HBCUs. HBCUs were originally founded to provide higher education opportunities for African-Americans. They were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, with the main goal of serving African-Americans who wanted to attend college. These colleges and universities have played significant roles in the success of many African-Americans. HBCUs continue to offer a supportive and inclusive environment for students, regardless of their ethnicity, race, or family income level.
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) was founded in 1892 and is rooted in liberal education. WSSU has slightly more than 5000 students currently enrolled. About 75% of our students are African-American, and 75% are women. A great many of our students are first-generation college students, many of whom come from low-income families, and WSSU is one of only five universities that has consistently ranked in the top 20 on the Social Mobility Index (SMI) over the last several years. We were the top-ranked HBCU for social mobility in 2019 and have been recognized with the Social Mobility Innovator Award from CollegeNET several times. Our students are very talented and extremely driven, and we enjoy facilitating their success.
In my introductory statistics course that is mostly targeted toward first- and second-year students in various majors, students often come into the course with a fear of statistics. Thus, I strive to spark their interest in statistics and make them feel more comfortable asking questions. I ask for their feedback on the kinds of content they would like me to use to illustrate the concepts. My goal is to expose these students to all of the opportunities in the statistical sciences and change their perception of statistics. Each semester, a few students change their major to mathematics with a concentration in statistics after taking my introductory statistics course.
Students in my upper-level statistics courses tend to be very hard-working and dedicated. They also appreciate any research or career development opportunities that I can provide. One of my main goals for these students is to unveil their potential and provide them with the foundational knowledge they need to be successful in the field of statistics. In addition, I try to expose them to all of the career opportunities in statistics and encourage them to pursue graduate programs in the statistical sciences. These students are typically very receptive to my teaching and very pro-active in their education. Current students and recent graduates have been very successful in securing summer internship opportunities, establishing careers, and pursuing graduate studies in the statistical sciences.
I experience an amazing feeling watching these students grow in their abilities to analyze and interpret statistical data and really become confident in themselves. It is an indescribable feeling to see them get accepted into graduate programs in statistics and biostatistics on scholarship. Some of these students never dreamed they would make it to this level. I get emotional thinking and talking about this; it really warms my heart.
AR: Thanks very much for that. Can you give some examples of how you try to spark your introductory students’ interest in statistics?
FS: One of the main things I try to do is incorporate my students’ major disciplines by relating them to real-life experiences and relevant applications using statistics. I also often use examples related to music culture. On the first day of class I have the students collect data from their classmates regarding current popular music and teach them how to graphically display the data they have collected. The idea of collecting data then becomes interesting to a lot of them, because it’s regarding topics they can relate to. I also try to be very personable, relatable, and approachable with my students. I think it’s important they see me as a full human being, not just a statistics professor. On the first day of class I always share my journey to a career in statistics. In this story I include my own struggles and fears, but I also talk about all the opportunities in statistics and the amazing things I have experienced in my career. I also try to incorporate an active learning environment for my introductory statistics course by facilitating whole group discussions and group in-class assignments to enhance students’ understanding of the material.
AR: I am eager to ask about your journey to a career in statistics, but first let me ask one more question about the upper-level courses that you teach. How many students do you typically teach in these courses? What are some of the guiding principles of your teaching in these courses?
FS: For my upper-level courses, I teach Biostatistics, Mathematical Statistics I and II, Methods of Regression/Analysis of Variance, and Introduction to Experimental Design. I typically have about 7–10 students in these classes. These students are usually pursuing a B.S. in Mathematics with a concentration in Statistics. I will say that my Biostatistics course is becoming more popular on campus. Enrollment has increased in this course over the last couple of years that I’ve taught it, with students coming from a variety of disciplines.
In these courses, I emphasize the importance of having an understanding of statistical theory, a solid statistical foundation in linear modeling, and an understanding of experimental design and data analysis approaches. Two of my guiding principles are to create a collaborative and active learning environment and encourage one-on-one interaction between my students and me. Additionally, I try to cater to different learning styles because these classes are small.
It is also very important to me that these students are exposed to statistical software. I introduce statistical programming in both SAS and R in these courses. Students use the statistical software to perform, interpret, and report the findings of selected statistical analyses of various data. I have found that incorporating these statistical tools more regularly into the course material provides students with the exposure and skills they need to analyze the various data that they will encounter in their respective fields. Ultimately, I want my students to leave my courses feeling confident in their abilities to analyze and interpret data.
AR: Are any of these courses prerequisites for other ones? Do you use both SAS and R in all of these courses, including the Mathematical Statistics sequence? Have these students had prior programming experience?
FS: Typically we have students take the Biostatistics course first before they can take Methods of Regression/Analysis of Variance and Introduction to Experimental Design. They also have to take Mathematical Statistics I before enrolling in Mathematical Statistics II. Students usually take Biostatistics in their junior year. During the fall semester of their senior year, students will take Methods of Regression/Analysis of Variance and Mathematical Statistics I. Students usually take Mathematical Statistics II and Introduction to Experimental Design during the spring semester of their senior year.
I use R for the Mathematical Statistics I and II courses. SAS is used for the Biostatistics, Methods of Regression/Analysis of Variance, and Introduction to Experimental Design courses. Usually, none of the students have had prior experience using SAS or R. I usually include statistical software lab days in the Biostatistics and Mathematical Statistics I courses. These statistical lab days are implemented to provide students with hands-on training with data using both SAS and R. Students are then assigned homework/computing assignments based on the materials from the labs and lectures. I then build on this basic exposure in the Mathematical Statistics II, Methods of Regression/Analysis of Variance, and Introduction to Experimental Design courses.
Beginnings
AR: Let me ask you to think back to when you were 18 years old. Where were you, and what were your plans at that time?
FS: When I turned 18 years old, I was finishing up my senior year of high school at Monroe Comprehensive High School in my hometown of Albany, Georgia. My plan was to attend college once I graduated. My mom and aunt always stressed the importance of continuing my education. I always knew I wanted to attend college, but I wasn’t always clear on the path I wanted to take once I got there. I always had a passion for helping people, so I originally thought about majoring in nursing. I also loved math and technology. I ultimately decided to attend Albany State University (ASU) and major in computer science with a minor in mathematics. During my first year, I took a mathematics course taught by a professor named Dr. Zephyrinus Okonkwo. All of his students called him Dr. O. His love and excitement for mathematics sparked something that made me realize my own passion for math. After that semester I changed my major to mathematics. Dr. Okonkwo is still my mentor today and is one of the reasons why I got into biostatistics. I think my experiences of not knowing the direction I wanted to take, or even could take, when I was 18 years old have motivated me to connect with high school students around the world about the opportunities in mathematics and statistics. I spend a lot of time during the academic year and summer speaking to high school students. This experience is always rewarding for me. I really feel it’s important for students to know all of the paths they can take with a career in mathematics or statistics.
AR: After you switched your major to mathematics, how did your plans continue to evolve? How did you decide what to do after you graduated?
FS: After switching my major to mathematics, my world was kind of flipped upside down. I lost my mother unexpectedly to a stroke the summer after my first year of college. I had already lost my father when I was very young, so my mother and I were very close. It was a very difficult time for me. I actually wasn’t sure if I wanted to return to school. I am very grateful for the support of my loving family for encouraging me to return to college and supporting me throughout my undergraduate years. I am also grateful to the amazing faculty at ASU for supporting me during that difficult time. I am not sure what path I would be on today if it had not been for my village of supporters. I share this personal experience to encourage people, especially young people, to continue striving for their goal in the midst of difficult times or setbacks.
During the summer of my sophomore year, I had the opportunity to participate in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities – Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP). HBCU-UP is an NSF-funded program that provides awards to enhance STEM undergraduate education and research at HBCUs. Being a participant in that summer program opened my eyes to the world of statistics. Dr. Okonkwo was my research advisor. Our summer project involved evaluating statistical process control in health. I found the research to be very interesting and rewarding. Being a part of this program gave me the opportunity to present my work at symposiums and conferences. Prior to this research experience, I had never attended a conference or presented research. After being in that program, I began to take more of an interest in statistics. I continued conducting research with Dr. Okonkwo after the program ended.
During the spring semester of junior year, I still had not decided what I wanted to do next. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to look for a career in mathematics after graduating or try to pursue a graduate degree. Dr. Okonkwo and my aunt both encouraged me to pursue a graduate degree. I wasn’t really sold on the idea of getting a graduate degree in mathematics. I also had no clue about what job I could get with a mathematics degree. I knew a lot of amazing teachers, so I considered the idea of being a high school mathematics teacher.
One day when Dr. Okonkwo was talking to me about pursing graduate school, he mentioned that I should consider entering a biostatistics program. I had no idea what biostatistics was. After my meeting with Dr. Okonkwo, I started to research biostatistics programs. The idea of combining my love for mathematics and my love for helping people became very intriguing to me. I also think that losing my mother to a stroke made me want to study biostatistics to understand health disparities from a statistical point of view. At that point I was sold on pursing a graduate degree in biostatistics. I applied to several graduate programs during the fall semester of my senior year. I ultimately decided to attend Florida State University’s graduate program in biostatistics after visiting the statistics department and meeting with various faculty. It was also a bonus that the university wasn’t far from my hometown.
AR: How was your experience at Florida State? What did you specialize in? How did you decide on your next step after that?
FS: Overall, I had a great experience at Florida State University (FSU). I loved living in Tallahassee. When I first arrived at Florida State, I was excited but very nervous to start my pursuit of an M.S. degree in biostatistics. It was definitely different coming from an undergraduate university where everyone looked like me, to a university and graduate program where very few people looked like me. My first year was very challenging as I adjusted to this new environment and navigated my graduate courses. I started to develop imposter syndrome. I questioned whether I belonged there and wondered whether I was smart enough to be there. I was afraid to ask for help when I didn’t understand some of the material in my courses. I am very fortunate that the faculty and staff in the statistics department were so welcoming and helpful. I also met a few graduate students who were African-American women ahead of me in the program. These ladies became my support system. It was almost like I had my village again but in a different location. I began to fully embrace the graduate school experience at that point.
After my first year, I realized that I wanted to pursue my Ph.D. in biostatistics. I completed the necessary paperwork and switched to the Ph.D. track. During my second year, I was taking courses and preparing for the Ph.D. qualifying examination. I failed on my first attempt at the qualifying exam during the spring semester of my second year. I remember feeling very defeated, and the imposter syndrome kicked in again. In addition, a very close loved one in my family was ill back home. I felt like these were signs I should just leave with my Master’s degree. I remember sitting in tears in the office of Dr. Daniel McGee, the chair of the statistics department at the time, feeling so lost. He had always been so supportive of me and was one of the main reasons I chose to attend Florida State. I remember him saying: “Sometimes life can be very hard. You have to do what’s best for you at this moment.” That spring semester I received my Master’s degree in biostatistics and went home to be with my family.
While being home that fall semester, I began working as an operations research analyst at the Marine Corps Logistics Base. I remained enrolled at FSU and continued to study for the qualifying exam. This time, I studied extremely hard. I used any downtime at work to study, and I spent my entire Saturdays at Starbucks studying. I felt ready this time. I took the exam again that following spring semester, and this time I passed! I was overjoyed. The department was very gracious in giving me back my graduate assistantship position. I returned to Florida to continue my pursuit of a Ph.D. in biostatistics. When I think back on all the events that took place, I am happy I was able to go home to be with my family during that difficult time. It also gave me an opportunity to really reset. I feel like I came back more confident and determined to finish my Ph.D.
Dr. McGee, along with Dr. Elizabeth Slate, became my research advisors. We were originally planning to submit an NIH grant proposal that focused on aging. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the deadline to submit the proposal. However, I became very interested in the concept of frailty while working on the grant proposal. I became interested in measurement and statistical modeling to characterize latent processes that underlie and conjoin different metrics for aging. My dissertation work focused on implications and shortcomings of existing measures of frailty and on developing better measures. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to present my work at conferences and symposiums, receiving Outstanding Scientific Presentation Awards.
My interest in aging led to an internship opportunity at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), Summer Training in Aging Research (STAR) Program. As a graduate student intern, I had the opportunity to collaborate with researchers at the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Science at the NIA, located at the National Institutes of Health in Baltimore. I worked under the leadership of Dr. Michele K. Evans. Our collaborative work evaluated data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Across the Life Span Study (HANDLS) to examine the effects of frailty in a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of middle-aged urban Americans. This was truly an amazing experience.
My summer internship experience at the NIA increased my interest in working in government after graduation. I had the opportunity to attend the Eastern North American Region of the International Biometric Society (ENAR) Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop a few months prior to my internship with the NIA that summer. This workshop was truly life-changing for a couples of reasons. On a personal level, I met my husband at this workshop. On a professional level, it was such a supportive environment and very inspiring to see so many amazing professionals who looked like me with amazing careers in biostatistics. I learned more about the many different paths I could take with a career in biostatistics. It was so refreshing to meet other graduate students who were facing the same struggles that I was facing. It was also inspiring to hear the stories of various professionals’ journeys to a career in biostatistics. I made lifelong friends and made so many connections with professionals in the field. In particular, this is where I met my future supervisor at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Dionne Price. Dr. Price was so warm and welcoming. We talked about the role of a biostatistician at the FDA, and I became very interested in the work she was doing there. After the workshop I was granted an opportunity to visit the FDA for an interview in her division. It was fascinating meeting with various statisticians there and learning about the important role statisticians play in the drug development process. Their work seemed so important and very meaningful. I was sold.
After graduating from FSU with my Ph.D. in biostatistics, I started my career as a Mathematical Statistician at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, Division of Biometrics IV. Although I am no longer at the FDA, Dr. Price still serves as one of my mentors. She continues to inspire me. She has been elected as the 118th president of the American Statistical Association (ASA), the first African-American president of the ASA. I am very grateful to her for giving me the opportunity to work at the FDA under her leadership. It was such a rewarding experience and I learned so much from my time there.
AR: What kind of work did you do at the FDA? How long were you there? What prompted your move to academia?
FS: At the FDA, my official title was Mathematical Statistician. I worked in the Office of Biostatistics within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. There are several divisions within the Office of Biostatistics. I worked in the Division of Biometrics IV. My role was to review the statistical aspects of the drug development process. I reviewed Investigational New Drugs (INDs) and New Drug Applications (NDAs). INDs contain protocols and statistical analysis plans for various types of studies. NDAs contain the data from the studies. With NDAs, my key role was to analyze the data, review the clinical study report, and work collaboratively to make label recommendations and regulatory decisions. I also provided statistical perspective on FDA policies and guidance documents. Typically, I reviewed indications that were special pathogens, such as parasitic diseases. I also reviewed indications for mycobacterial infections, such as tuberculosis. In addition, I reviewed indications for bacterial infections. I took a lot of pride in our job to ensure the safety and effectiveness of new drugs through premarket reviews of drug development processes.
I worked as a Mathematical Statistician for the FDA for two years. It was truly an amazing experience. I really enjoyed the collaborative work environment and the meaningful work I was doing there. However, I have always had a passion for teaching. While working at the FDA, I became an adjunct professor in the Mathematics & Statistics Department at Montgomery College, where I taught an Elements of Statistics course. This was an introductory statistics course. It was so fulfilling introducing these students to the world of statistics. My experiences from working as an adjunct professor, and from teaching several undergraduate statistics courses as a graduate student at FSU, made me seriously consider making the transition to academia. I consulted with a few of my mentors to get their thoughts, and there was a consensus among them that I should make the transition while I was still early in my career. They felt the transition would be a bit smoother that way, and they were right! I feel it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Transition to Academia
AR: When you applied for academic positions, what kinds of institutions did you apply to? For example, did you apply exclusively to teaching-oriented schools, or did you also consider schools with a research focus? Did you concentrate on HBCUs at that point, or did you spread the net broadly?
FS: I actually looked at both research-focused and teaching-oriented schools. I honestly didn’t fully understand all the different types of academic positions and tracks there are in academia until I started interviewing for positions. I had always considered the idea of being a professor at an HBCU due to my passion for exposing underrepresented students to the world of statistics, but I was definitely open to other schools. I applied to a couple of institutions. It became apparent very quickly that a research-focused institution was not the best fit for me for a couple of reasons. One reason in particular was that since I was transitioning from the FDA, I did not have a lot of publications under my belt at that time, given the type of work I was doing there. I had heard the term “publish or perish” many times from some of my friends in academia, and I understood it would be hard to land a position at a research-focused institution right out of my transition. I think this was one of the reasons my mentors were telling me to make the transition soon, so I wouldn’t have so much of a gap in publications. In addition, I realized I wanted to be at a school that had a teaching focus but still valued scholarly research. Teaching was one of the main reasons I wanted to make the transition to academia. I shifted my focus to liberal art schools, because I wanted to be at an institution that focused on undergraduate education. I was extremely happy to land this position at WSSU. It is a perfect fit for me.
AR: How difficult was the transition in your first year or two at WSSU? What were some challenges that you faced, and how did you overcome them?
FS: I can say that the transition wasn’t too difficult. My colleagues were very kind and welcoming. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me to start establishing myself in academia. One of the challenges I experienced was the preparation work for the courses I was teaching. I was used to teaching only one course per semester. During my first semester at WSSU, I had three different courses to teach. I was so excited about the position that I didn’t ask for a course release during the negotiation process. I spent an inordinate amount of time working on lectures and creating assignments. I was also using SAS in the Biostatistics course, and it was a lot of work creating SAS tutorial guides for the students. I knew I wanted to take my time and make sure each course was developed the way I wanted it. It was very important to me to create my courses in ways I thought would be the most beneficial to our students. It was definitely encouraging to know that once I taught a course, I wouldn’t have as much preparation to do the next time I taught it.
I was also really interested in getting back into aging research. One big issue was that I hadn’t done any work in that area since graduate school. I really didn’t know where to start. I also wasn’t at a university that had the resources like a research one university would. I was so fortunate to connect with Dr. Mark Espeland, a professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine who has joint appointments in the Department of Internal Medicine: Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine and Department of Biostatistics and Data Science. I reached out to him via E-mail about opportunities to collaborate, because we are in the same city. I had only met him once prior to sending that message. He was very kind and welcoming. He is well-known in the aging and biostatistics research field. He has nurtured the growth of many excellent academic statisticians and has received mentoring and research awards for his work. We initially had several meetings about our research interests and potential ways we could collaborate. Since then we have collaborated on the successful development of two NIH-funded diversity supplements to support my research, and that of an undergraduate research assistant to develop and assess geroscience-based indices of biological aging. We have used data from the NIDDK-funded Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) trial of lifestyle intervention. Our collaborative work has resulted in several published articles, and we are still working on more. Dr. Espeland continues to serve as my mentor and is truly an inspiration.
My biggest issue arising from the transition was balancing my teaching, research, and service commitments. In our department, we are on a 4:3 teaching load schedule for the academic year. Due to such a heavy teaching load, it was definitely hard to find time for research and service. I became the co-advisor of our department’s Mathematics and Statistics Club. I also became a member of the ASA Committee on Minorities in Statistics and served as co-chair for the ENAR Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop. These service initiatives were my passion, so I made time for them even though it meant working on service projects on the weekends. Devoting a block of time for research was much harder for me, but I knew I had to make the time. After my first semester, the chair of the department very graciously gave me a teaching schedule each semester that allows me to not have classes on Fridays. I devote my entire Fridays to research, and I also spend my summer conducting research. I have found this to be nice balance for me. Overall, having such amazing mentorship, resources, colleagues, and collaborators has made my transition much smoother than I anticipated.
Pop Quiz
AR: Now let me ask some question that I will call a “pop quiz.” These questions will move beyond statistics education, and I’ll ask that you keep your responses brief. Let’s start with pleasure rather than work. Please recommend a book, a movie or television series, a musical selection, and a place to visit.
FS: One book I would recommend is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. This book tells the moving stories of Stevenson’s fight for justice and equality for the poor, the incarcerated, and the wrongly condemned. The book made me feel so many emotions, but I think it’s a must-read because it speaks to some of the issues in our justice system and in our society. The book was also made into a movie a few years ago. The movie was great too, but I still recommend reading the book.
I really love many genres of film. This is a hard question for me. One movie I recommend is a film called Wrestle. This is coming-of-age independent documentary that follows four teenage boys who are members of a high-school wrestling team at Huntsville’s J.O. Johnson High School. It reveals their personal struggles and hardships in their pursuit to win the Alabama state wrestling championship. The movie is just so moving. You really become invested in these characters. I still find myself wondering how these young men are doing now.
Regarding music, I am a really big fan of R&B. One of my favorite artists is Sam Smith. If you haven’t heard of him, one song I would suggest is the acoustic version of Latch. The acoustic version of this song really unveils Sam Smith’s depth and emotion. It is such a beautiful song. My husband and I played this song at our wedding for our first dance.
Regarding a place to visit, I would recommend Barcelona, Spain. I love Barcelona because of the beaches, the mountains, beautiful architecture, history, and the amazing food!
AR: Please tell us a bit more about your family.
FS: My husband, Sean Simpson, is also a biostatistician. As I mentioned, we met at the ENAR Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop when I was a graduate student at FSU. He is a professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Data Science at Wake Forest School of Medicine. He is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar for his work in the statistical modeling of brain networks. He is committed to service in his profession and community. He is also a devoted activist for social justice. He is such a humble and caring person.
We have a beautiful daughter, Sophia, who is one and a half years old. She is such a sweet and happy toddler. She really enjoys books and being out in nature.
My husband and I are also very close to our extended families who live in Georgia, Virginia, and New York. We travel often to see them.
AR: What are some of your hobbies?
FS: I really enjoy hiking. One of the reasons I love living in North Carolina is the access to mountains for hiking. My husband and I try to go hiking a couple of times a month. Hiking gives me an opportunity to disconnect from everything and really connect with nature. It is very relaxing to me and a great workout at the same time. I also enjoy traveling and experiencing different cultures. Of course, I haven’t been able to travel much lately due to the pandemic and having a toddler. I also mentioned earlier that I am a movie buff. I love to attend film festivals.
AR: Here is a ridiculous question, but I think it’s fun and perhaps thought-provoking: If you could travel in time to observe what’s going on in the world for one day, would you travel to a time in the past or in the future? How far back or forward would you travel? What appeals to you about this point in time?
FS: If I could travel in time to observe what’s going on in the world for one day, I would travel to the past. I would travel to back to the Civil Rights Movement era to the day people of all races marched on Washington D.C. and where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his remarkable and historic “I Have a Dream” speech. That moment in time is so appealing to me because it is among the most iconic speeches in American history. It provided so much hope to future generations. It really shifted the demands for racial equality and was an important moment for the Civil Rights Movement. I can only imagine how powerful that moment was in person.
FS: Here’s another fanciful one: You can have dinner anywhere in the world (all expenses paid) with three companions, but the only topic of discussion is to be statistics and data science education. Who would you invite, and where would you eat?
FS: I am going to assume the three companions could be deceased or alive. I would invite David Blackwell, Annie T. Randall, and Katherine Johnson because of all of their amazing contributions to the field. I would travel to Barcelona and have dinner at Ciudad Condal, which has the best tapas I have ever had.
AR: Now let’s collect some data: Do you consider yourself an early bird or night owl? On what day of the week were you born? How many of the 50 states have you set foot in? How many miles do you live from your birthplace?
FS: I definitely consider myself an early bird. I was born on a Sunday. I have been to 23 of the 50 states. I live 462 miles from my birthplace.
AR: Back to statistics education: What is your favorite course to teach?
FS: My favorite course to teach is Biostatistics, because I get a chance to expose students to statistical software and also because the course includes a data analysis project. I also love teaching this course because students get hands-on experience analyzing and interpreting data and summarizing the results in the context of public health and biomedical research.
Conclusions
AR: Thanks very much, Felicia, for taking the time to answer my questions and discuss your career path. Before we wrap this up, are there any questions you’d like to answer that I haven’t thought to ask? Would you like to take this opportunity to say anything to readers of JSDSE?
FS: There remains a serious lack of under-represented minority representation in the statistical sciences. I encourage readers of JSDSE to continue to work together to bridge this gap. Professional statistical organizations have noted this need to increase diversity in the field and created several initiatives to address this. For example, the American Statistical Association, through its Committee on Minorities in Statistics, has created StatFest and the Diversity Mentoring Program. Another example is ENAR’s Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop. These initiatives play a major role in bridging the gap, building a community, and increasing diversity in the fields of statistics and biostatistics.
I urge readers of JSDSE to encourage their students or mentees to engage with any of these opportunities. I am very involved in these initiatives. I am a member of the Committee on Minorities in Statistics and served as co-chair for the ENAR Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop. I can speak from experience that the impact of these initiatives is life-changing for students that attend.
I also would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the interview. It truly has been an honor to share my thoughts, experiences, and my journey to a career as an educator in statistics.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Felicia Simpson
Felicia Simpson is an Associate Professor of Statistics at Winston-Salem State University.
This interview took place via E-mail on August 2–December 15, 2021.