IMS Calls for Invited Session Proposals

The 2020 Virtual JSM may have just finished, but thoughts are turning to next year’s meeting.

Starting from the 2021 Joint Statistical Meetings, which will take place in Seattle from August 7–12, 2021, the IMS now requires half of our invited session allocation to be competitive, in odd-numbered years when the JSM is also the IMS Annual Meeting.

We need your submission!

Invited sessions — which includes invited papers, panels, and posters — showcase some of the most innovative, impactful, and cutting-edge work in our profession. Invited paper sessions consist of 2–6 speakers and discussants reporting new discoveries or advances in a common topic; invited panels include 3–6 panelists providing commentary, discussion, and engaging debate on a particular topic of contemporary interest; and invited posters consist of up to 40 electronic posters presented during the Opening Mixer. Anyone can propose a session, but someone from the program committee must accept the proposal for it to be part of the invited program. Of particular interest are sessions that appeal to diverse audiences and are closely related to the theme, which is “Statistics, Data, and the Stories They Tell.” To have the best chance of receiving an invited session slot, you need to:

  • Have solid new work in an important field
  • Know some of your competitors working in the same field
  • Be willing to reach out to your competitors and forge a session with energy in it.

To submit a session to be considered by the IMS at the 2021 JSM, please read the instructions and guidelines at https://ww2.amstat.org/meetings/jsm/2021/. Be sure to check the IMS as your first choice of sponsor. Submissions are open now, and close September 8, 2020. Decisions are due October 9, 2020.

The IMS Invited Session Chair is Bodhisattva Sen, Columbia University (bodhi@stat.columbia.edu). The overall 2021 JSM Program Chair is Nicole Lazar, University of Georgia. Nicole has some advice and further information on choosing a topic in an article at https://magazine.amstat.org/blog/2020/08/01/invited-session-jsm-2021/.

See you in Seattle next year!