Mu Sigma Rho was founded by Ted Bancroft, David Huntsberger, and Oscar Kempthorne at the Statistical Laboratory and Department of Statistics at Iowa State University in 1968.[2][3] It was formed as the National Statistics Honor Society.[2] Mu Sigma Rho seeks to promote and encourage scholarly activity in statistics, and to recognize outstanding achievement of students, faculty, and professional statisticians in academic and non-academic institutions.[1][3]
The society was incorporated in the state of Iowa.[3] Its first chapter, Alpha, was established at towa State University.[3] Donald K. Hotchkiss was the first president of the national society, while Eric West was the first president of the Alpha chapter.[3]
In February 2005, the society began allowing American Statistical Association chapters to join Mu Sigma Rho as affiliate chapters.[4] The allows students to join the society who attend universities and colleges that do not have a Mu Sigma Rho chapters.[4]
Activities
Mu Sigma Rho provides outreach and professional service.[5][1] Some chapters host speakers and provide tutoring services to other students.[2] The society publishes an occasional newsletter, TheMu Sigma Rhover.[5]
Mu Sigma Rho presents annual awards, including the William D. Warde Statistics Education Award and the Mu Sigma Rho Early Career Undergraduate Impact Award.[1][6] The Early Career Undergraduate Impact Award is presented to a statistics faculty member for contributions to the success of undergraduate students.[7] The Warde Statistics Education Award known as the Statistics Education Award before 2000, is presented to a statistics instructor for excellence in the classroom and a lifetime of commitment to statistics education.[7] Faculty at any academic institution in the United States are eligible; recipients do not have to work for Mu Sigma Rho member institutions.[7][6]
Membership
Mu Sigma Rho's membership consists of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and honorary members.[2]
To be eligible for membership, undergraduates must have completed two years of college and eight semester hours of statistics courses, including five hours at a junior level, with a 3.40 GPA in those courses and a 3.20 GPA overall.[6][8] Graduate students seeking membership must have completed twelve semester hours with a 3.50 GPA.[6][9]
Chapters
Following is a list of Mu Sigma Rho chapters.[10] Active chapters are in bold. Inactive chapters are in italics.
^Chapter covers the greater Pittsburgh area, including Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock University, and the University of Pittsburgh.
^ abc"Mu Sigma Rho Awards"(PDF). Mu Sigma Rho: The National Statistics Honorary Society. Retrieved March 21, 2024 – via Department of Statistics, Purdue University.
^"Mu Sigma Rho Chapters & Representatives"(PDF). Mu Sigma Rho: The National Statistics Honorary Society. 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024 – via Department of Statistics, Purdue University.
^ abcde"News From the Chapters"(PDF). The Mu Sigma Rover. 10. Charleston, South Carolina: Mu Sigma Rho: 2–4. 1992 – via Department of Statistics, Purdue University.
^ abcd"News From the Chapters"(PDF). The Mu Sigma Rhover. 1. Charleston, North Carolina: Mu Sigma Rho: 3–4. 1982 – via Department of Statistics, Purdue University.
^ abcd"Mu Sigma Rho: Local Chapter Activities". The Mu Sigma Rhover. Charleston, South Carolina: Mu Sigma Rho. 7: 7-8. 1989 – via Department of Statistics, Purdue University.
^Wasik, John L. "Report on 1988 Annual Meetin fo Mu Sigma Rho". The Mu Sigma Rhover. Charleston, South Carolina: Mu Sigma Rho. 7: 5. 1989 – via Department of Statistics, Purdue University.
^ abc"News From the Chapters"(PDF). The Mu Sigma Rhover. 7. Charleston, South Carolina: Mu Sigma Rho: 2–4. 1989 – via Department of Statistics, Purdue University.
^"News From the Chapters"(PDF). The Mu Sigma Rhover. 12. Charleston, South Carolina: Mu Sigma Rho: 2–5. 1994 – via Department of Statistics, Purdue University.
^"Editorial Board"(PDF). The Mu Sigma Rhover. 13. Charleston, South Carolina: Mu Sigma Rho: 2. 1995 – via Department of Statistics, Purdue University.