ITSA Virtual Opening Ceremony

EVENT COMPLETED! You can find a record of the opening ceremony on our YouTube channel. 

International Turkish Statistical Association (ITSA) proudly held its Opening Ceremony and inaugural webinar virtually on February 25, 2026.

We were honored to welcome Prof. Karen Kafadar and Prof. Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel as our distinguished guest speakers. Their insightful presentations marked a strong and inspiring start for ITSA’s mission to foster collaboration, scholarship, and innovation in statistics and data science.

The event brought together scholars, practitioners, and students from around the world and officially launched ITSA as a global platform for the statistical community.

We thank everyone who joined us and contributed to making this inaugural event a success.

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We are pleased to announce that the International Turkish Statistical Association (ITSA) will hold its Opening Ceremony and inaugural webinar virtually on February 25, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (EST).

We are honored to welcome Prof. Karen Kafadar and Prof. Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel as our guest speakers for this event.

Prof. Karen Kafadar

Talk Title: Statistics and Forensic Science

"CSI" portrays inferences from forensic evidence as highly reliable and as convincing for convictions and exclusions as forensic DNA. Are results from fingerprint analyses, bullet lead concentrations, and eyewitness identifications equally trustworthy? I'll describe the serendipitous way in which I became involved in these issues, first with (bullet lead, followed by NAS committees on Forensic Science, 2001 Anthrax Letters, and Eyewitness Reliability. Along the way I'll offer some ideas on how statisticians can make an impact on raising the level of confidence in the criminal justice system.

Prof. Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel

Talk Title: The Future of Statistics Education: A Computational Perspective

Statistics education stands at a critical juncture as we navigate the intersection of traditional statistical theory, modern computational approaches, and emerging AI technologies. This talk examines how statisticians can reimagine curricula by embracing computation as a foundational element rather than an afterthought. While traditional statistics education has prioritized theoretical frameworks and applications, computation has emerged as the backbone of contemporary data analysis, from data acquisition and wrangling to visualization, modeling, and communication. Now, AI tools are further transforming this landscape, creating both opportunities and challenges for statistics and data science educators. The presentation will outline a forward-looking curriculum model for introductory courses that balances statistical thinking, data science methods, and explicit computational instruction.

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The program will mark the official launch of ITSA and provide an opportunity to bring together scholars, practitioners, and students with an interest in statistics and data science.

We warmly invite you to attend and would appreciate it if you could share this announcement with colleagues and other interested parties.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to your participation.

Sincerely,

International Turkish Statistical Association

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