Mary G. and Joseph Natrella
Scholarship
The Quality and Productivity
Section of the American Statistical Association announces the 2009 Mary G. and
Joseph Natrella Scholarship, which supports student participation in the 2009
Quality and Productivity Research Conference (QPRC). Winners will receive a $2500 grant, a
$500 stipend toward travel and housing expenses, complimentary registration for
the conference and complimentary registration for any pre-conference tutorial
that is given in conjunction with the conference. In addition, winners will
give a presentation on their research at the 2009 QPRC, which will be held in
Purpose and History
The scholarship was initiated
by a contribution to the ASA Quality and Productivity Section given by Joseph
Natrella at the time of Mary Natrella's death to honor her many contributions
to the statistical community. The Natrellas always maintained a strong mutual
interest in quality applications of statistics. Mary was for many years a staff
member of the Statistical Engineering Division of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST). Most of Joe's career was spent with the
Department of Defense and NASA as a mathematician in charge of data processing
and computations.
Mary's most important
publication, NBS Handbook 91: Experimental Statistics, is one of the
all-time best selling publications of NIST. Originally published in 1963 by the
Government Printing Office, it was later reprinted by Wiley-InterScience in its
Selected Government Publications series, and has been recently reprinted in
paperback by Dover Publications. The ASA Q&P Section established the
scholarship in 2000 to honor Mary's 36 years as an author, teacher and
consulting statistician.
Recent recipients of the
Natrella Scholarship describe their experiences as follows.
"It was a great honor to
be a Natrella Scholarship recipient. Attending and presenting at the conference
allowed me to meet other students and professionals in my area of study. The
scholarship award also allowed me to work full-time during the summer on my
research. This recognition has been the highlight of my academic career." – Veronica Montes De Oca, 2008 recipient from the
"Receiving the Natrella
Scholarship was a great honor. The
grant provided me a good opportunity to present a part of my PhD dissertation
at the 2008 Quality and Productivity Research Conference for the first time and
to get some valuable feedback on my research. Also, the Natrella Scholarship
will help me to conduct further research on quality control, especially in
profile monitoring analysis using our new methods. At the QPRC conference I was
able to meet with other researchers in my area and attend presentations of new
statistical methods that sparked ideas for my current and future
research.” – Abdel-Salam G. Abdel-Salam,
2008 recipient from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
Eligibility
Application is open to students
who are currently pursuing a master's or doctoral degree full-time in an
accredited college or university. The student must have a demonstrated interest
in Quality applications as evidenced by course work, research topic, prior work
experience, etc. Applicants should be prepared to make a presentation of their
research work at the 2009 Quality and Productivity Research Conference. Applicants
will receive equal consideration regardless of race, religion, gender, or
national origin.
Selection Criteria
The Mary G. and Joseph Natrella
Scholarship Award Committee will select the scholarship recipient based
principally on the following criteria:
·
Mentoring and teaching
·
Leadership and/or professional service
·
Experience in statistical applications
Also considered will be:
·
Scholarship
·
Authorship and research
·
Community service
Important Dates
The application deadline is March
16, 2009. Scholarship recipients will be selected by March 31, 2009.
Scholarships will be awarded at the Quality and Productivity Research
Conference banquet on June 3, 2009.
Application instructions and
materials can be found at http://www.amstat-online.org/sections/qp/Natrella_Scholarship_Application.doc
. The conference will be held June 3-5, 2009 at the