Center for Computational Statistics

The Center for Computational Statistics is an interdisciplinary research center established as an official unit of George Mason University in July, 1986. The Center research program recognizes the impact of the computing revolution and has engages two major initiatives, one in computational statistics and the other in stochastic methods for parallel computing. The work in these areas has involved scholars from many units on campus including the Departments of Computer Science, Curriculum and Instruction, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Operations Research and Engineering, Physics, Sociology, the program in Visual Information Technologies, the Institute for Computational Sciences and Informatics, as well as from several extramural companies, government laboratories, and universities. The Center has developed an extensive publication record which includes many technical reports, papers, books and software. The Center has established itself based on extensive extramural funding from basic research funding sources. The success of the research program has manifested itself by not only numerous publications and contract awards, but also by the success of its members in being invited or elected to professionally influential positions.

The Center for Computational Statistics serves every major role one expects of a research center. It has an excellent basic research program and it has a fine mechanism for technology transfer. There are several demonstrated examples of this including technology transfer by means of software. There is substantial interdisciplinary involvement cutting across organizational boundaries as well as very substantial research involvement for graduate students. There is an excellent infrastructure with computing equipment worth more than a $2,000,000 retail. Most importantly, the Center is more than the collection of equipment and accomplishments. It is in its essence a team of unselfish, dedicated, hard-working people who share a common vision of and belief in the importance of their research enterprise.