Direction of Research in Statistics Direction of Research in Statistics and Applied Statistics:and Applied Statistics:

Physical Sciences and EngineeringPhysical Sciences and Engineering

John BorkowskiJohn Borkowski

Professor of StatisticsProfessor of Statistics

Montana State UniversityMontana State University

www.math.montana.edu/~jobowww.math.montana.edu/~jobo

OutlineOutline

• A review of research areas appearing in journals related to the physical sciences and engineering – chemistry, chemical engineering,

manufacturing, industrial engineering, …

• A brief discussion of possible ways to develop an active research program

Review of Selected PublicationsReview of Selected Publications

• I reviewed titles of articles published in three popular journals related to statistical theory and applications in the physical sciences and engineering:

Journal of Quality Technology (JQT) Technometrics (Techno) Quality Engineering (QE)

Review of Selected PublicationsReview of Selected Publications

Time Period: 2003 to 2008 5+ years

Number of Articles: 635

JQT 155 articles Technometrics 193 articles QE 287 articles

Review of Selected PublicationsReview of Selected Publications

Categorized into 5 areas of research:1. Statistical Quality Control / Statistical Process

Control (SQC/SPC)

2. Design of Experiments / Response Surface Methodology (DOE/RSM)

3. Reliability (REL)

4. Modeling (MOD)

5. Other (OTHER)

Review of Selected PublicationsReview of Selected Publications

• Each of the 5 areas had multiple research categories.

• Many articles were classified into 2 or 3 research categories.

• 842 research category classifications across the 635 articles.

Summary by Research AreaSummary by Research Area

JQT Techno QE Total

SQC/SPC 90 88 187 365 (43.5%)

DOE/RSM 130 68 60 258 (30.6%)

Modeling 22 55 19 96 (11.4%)

Reliability 13 29 18 60 ( 7.1%)

Other 7 19 37 63 ( 7.4%)

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Total 262 259 321 842

The Future of SQC/SPC ?The Future of SQC/SPC ?

Product/Process Profile Analysis Multivariate Control Charts (Sampling

plans? Response vector contains both continuous and discrete response variables?)

New applications of SQC/SPC (To genomics / proteomics data? To microarray data? To ecological processes and spatial processes?)

The Future of RSM/DOE ?The Future of RSM/DOE ? “Space-filling” designs for irregularly-shaped

regions (applications of orthogonal arrays, Latin hypercubes, uniform designs ?)

Mixture designs with many components in highly-constrained regions (applications of orthogonal arrays, Latin hypercubes, uniform designs ?)

Restrictions on randomization, split-plotting (in mixture experiments, with categorical responses?)

Desirability functions + optimal design (How do we combine several design evaluation criteria?)

Genetic algorithms (Can we apply GAs to the problems above?)

The Future of Modeling?The Future of Modeling?

Generalized linear models + response surface methodology (Response optimization? Robust designs?)

Model and variable selection Information criteria (e.g. AIC)? Model averaging?

Bayesian methods?

Classification and Regression Trees ?

Some Thoughts on Developing an Active Some Thoughts on Developing an Active Research ProgramResearch Program

• Networking

• Working with other statisticians

• Working with other researchers who are not statisticians

NetworkingNetworking

• Attend conferences• Present research at conferences• Introduce yourself to other researchers• Do not be afraid to ask questions• Personal example: Dr. Greg Piepel, a

statistician at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL), USA

• Result: I became Visiting Faculty at PNNL, submitted research for publication in JQT

NetworkingNetworking• Keep in contact with other researchers (For

example: former students)• Personal example: In 2005, I was invited by

Thammasat University to be a Visiting Faculty member because of a former PhD student from my university who now teaches in Thailand.

• Result: I have been a Visiting Faculty member for 4 summers, and I am involved in TU student research, received a Fulbright scholarship, attended conferences and visited other universities in Thailand, Thailand Statistician

Working with other statisticiansWorking with other statisticians

• Read abstracts of journal articles as often as possible so that you are aware of current research topics

• Be patient.• Personal Example: Nam-Ky Nguyen

(Hanoi, Vietnam) asked me to be co-author on research paper

• Result: Publication in JSPI (2008) and invitation to work on World Bank Problem in Vietnam

Working with other researchers Working with other researchers who are not statisticianswho are not statisticians

• Many researchers need statistical help (consulting, data analysis, summarizing results)

• Personal Example: I work with researchers in ecology and environmental science, biology, earth science, …

• Result: I have received money from their research grants and published in their journals: J. of Wildlife Management, J. of Range Management, Weed Science,…

Some ObservationsSome Observations

• I believe there is potential for collaborative research – within Thailand– between Thailand and other countries

• The problem is to determine what opportunities exist and then how to address them

• The solution begins with communication (primarily networking)

How well do you know your colleagues ?How well do you know your colleagues ?

• Do you know what your colleagues are interested in ?

• Do you know what their specialty areas are in statistics ?

• Do you know which colleagues are interested in collaborative research ?

Things to ConsiderThings to Consider

• Create a directory of statisticians who want to develop their research program

• Determine if they have any specific research areas of interest

• Determine if they have any specific research problems that require collaboration

(Conduct a survey ?)

Things to ConsiderThings to Consider

• Many U.S. universities have funded international programs that allow faculty to visit other countries for research

• Contact directors of these programs expressing interest in developing a relationship with your organization (e.g., exchange of faculty and students)

• Many international faculty would like to visit Thailand

This presentation will be This presentation will be available soon atavailable soon at

www.math.montana.edu/~jobowww.math.montana.edu/~jobo