Bob Oster, PhD

I enjoyed participating in Friday’s (March 27) American Statistical Association (ASA) Alabama-Mississippi Chapter 2026 conference, which was held at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in Oxford, MS. Several universities in Alabama and Mississippi were represented. Attendees included faculty, staff (non-faculty), graduate, and undergraduate students. Our keynote speaker was Dr. David Banks, Professor at Duke University (Department of Statistical Science), and ASA Fellow. The title of his presentation was “The Future of Statistics”. His talk covered how our publication practices no longer serve our professional interests; the likelihood that artificial intelligence will affect our work in major ways, and the need of a plan to manage this transformation; and restructuring our graduate statistics education to emphasize data engineering rather than data science. There were several poster presentations, with three of these winning awards; junior faculty talks; and student oral presentations, with three of these winning awards. Congratulations to all award winners! This day was time well spent with my Alabama and Mississippi statistics colleagues!

I enjoyed participating in last weekend’s (March 13-15) Coosa Lodge Spring Fellowship, which was held at Camp Comer (Mentone, AL). Approximately 235 Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts, Order of the Arrow (OA) members, and other guests attended. There were interesting programs, yummy food, good fun, and great fellowship! The weather was perfect for an outdoor event! Congratulations to our 14 new Brotherhood members! The pic displays the weekend’s participant patch and the staff patch.

I enjoyed participating in this year’s Central Alabama Mensa Regional Gathering (RG), which was held from February 13-15, at the Holiday Inn Express in Irondale, AL. The title of the event was “The Office RG”. The gathering featured several very interesting speakers, a trivia game focused on “The Office” led by Cheryl White and me, a Dirty Valentine gift swap (something like a Dirty Santa gift swap), plenty of good food, and plenty of fun! I have attached pics of the front page of our program and my name badge. All in all, this was a weekend well spent with Mensa friends and their guests from Region 5 and beyond!

I enjoyed participating in last Saturday’s (January 31) Coosa Lodge 2026 Winter Banquet, which was held at First United Methodist Church (Cullman, AL). First, several informative training sessions took place during the afternoon. After our meal, lodge activities for 2025 were reviewed. Next, many awards were presented to those involved in various lodge activities during 2025. After this, our new Vigil Honor members (for 2025) and our new Silver Beaver members (also for 2025) were recognized. Finally, our newest Founders Award members were recognized – John Kelton (adult awardee) and Matthew Kerl (youth awardee). Congratulations to John and Matthew! It was a very enjoyable evening! I have attached pics of the event patch, the new Registration Team award (which I and other members of the team received), the “Back in the Black” (out of debt) flap, and the lodge’s USA 250th anniversary flap.

Things smartphones replaced: cameras maps gps devices calculators alarm clocks tv’s radios camcorders pay phones yellow pages answering machines newspapers calendars vcr’s flashlights watches timers compasses mail cookbooks keys cash airline tickets photo albums magazines money voice recorders scanners walkie talkie tv remotes translators playing cards diaries travel guidebooks offices foreign phrasebooks portable speakers takeout orders by phone cds dvds encyclopedias photocopiers compact mirrors bank branches checks rulers address books parking meters rolodexes dictionaries mp3 players portable cd players audio cassettes cassette players tape decks vhs tapes beepers pagers handheld game consoles film rolls instant cameras slide projectors slide viewers fax machines typewriters notebooks planners receipts coupons flyers catalogs brochures instruction manuals itineraries tickets boarding passes parking permits bills invoices memos letters landline phones wallets tape measures thermometers fitness trackers remote controls business cards printed photos phone books cd-roms floppy disks

I enjoyed participating in the 9th Annual Nunne Hi and Muscogee Chapters’ Order of the Arrow Christmas Party, which was held last Thursday, December 18, at La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant in Hoover, AL. There was plenty of good fellowship and good food. More than 30 attended this dinner. We also played a friendly game of Dirty Santa. The gift that I brought home with me included 3 Wood Badge Reunion patches (quite meaningful to me as a “Wood Badge grad”) and a McCafe gift card. All in all, this was an evening well spent!

I enjoyed participating in this weekend’s (December 12-14) Coosa Lodge Leadership Development Retreat, which was held at Camp Comer in Mentone, AL. Lodge officers, chapter leaders, and committee chairs, and all their advisers, spent the weekend in training and fellowship activities. Attendees learned about delegation, communication (especially via social media), setting goals, budgets, Robert’s Rules of Order, their responsibilities in their specific roles, and more. Total attendance was around 50. I have attached a pic of the event patch.

Happy Thanksgiving Day! We have much to be thankful for. The Lord has blessed us in many ways. I am truly thankful for each blessing. I am also truly thankful for my family, extended family, friends, and colleagues. In addition, I am truly thankful to be a proud citizen of the United States. May God continue to bless us and watch over us, and our great country, now and in the years to come. I have attached pics of my Thanksgiving and fall (non-Halloween) decorations. 🦃

I enjoyed spending a very recent weekend (November 14-16) at the annual Coosa Lodge Fall Fellowship, which was held at Camp Comer (Mentone, AL)! It was very nice seeing all members and guests who attended. Our attendance was approximately 185. Congratulations to our 11 new Vigil Honor members and our 16 new Brotherhood Honor members. All are very deserving of these honors! The first pic is of the Fall Fellowship patch and the 2026 annual event pass patch; the second pic is of two 25th anniversary lodge flaps; the third pic is of a 25th anniversary lodge flap and a belt buckle; and the last pic is of me and Bob Banana!

Happy Veterans Day to all the brave and patriotic men and women who served our great country! Thank you for your service! Thank you for your sacrifices! Thank you for keeping us safe! Thank you for keeping us free! Thank you for your deep love of the United States! 🇺🇸

I enjoyed participating in the recent Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) Training Symposium. This was held from October 30-31 at The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel, in Gulf Shores, AL. The theme for the symposium was “Advancing Discovery Together”. More than 120 people attended. Multiple keynote, training, and career development sessions were held for members of our research community, which includes researchers from UAB and our 11 partnering institutions in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. In my opinion, all the sessions were well received. The food was also great! I have attached a few pics.

I joined the American Statistical Association (ASA) more than 40 years ago. When I was a graduate student in statistics, one of my professors strongly encouraged me to join the ASA at that time. The ASA has been and continues to be a great help for my career development and advancement, and for networking at the local, regional, and national levels. I am pleased to receive a certificate recognizing my long-term ASA membership! @AmstatNews

I very recently did a road trip to New Orleans, LA, to participate in the annual External Advisory Committee (EAC) meeting for the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science. The meeting was very helpful and went very well. I will say that we have awesome EAC members who provide us with excellent suggestions. This was my first road trip to New Orleans (although it was not my first time to the city). Here are a few pics from this trip. I stayed in the Intercontinental Hotel, which is a very nice hotel. The meeting itself was held at the Tulane University School of Medicine.

I enjoyed spending part of last Saturday (September 20) with good Mensa friends in Guntersville, AL. We first ate lunch at Wintzell’s Oyster House. Then we visited the replica Pinta and Nina ships of Christopher Columbus at Guntersville City Harbor (more on this below). Finally, we went to Kilwins and enjoyed their delicious homemade ice cream. These ships were well worth visiting! I was amazed that they were relatively small (in size) considering how many men, supplies, and livestock were transported across the Atlantic Ocean. These ships are touring together as part of a “sailing museum” for the purpose of educating the public and school children on the ships used by Columbus and many early explorers to discover the New World. The pics are of the Pinta and the Nina. All in all, this was a fun day trip!

I enjoyed participating in our recent (September 12-14) Coosa Lodge September Fellowship, which was held at Camp Comer (Mentone, AL). This event was our rescheduled Spring Fellowship. The theme was “Coosa Carnival”. Approximately 262 Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA (includes boys and girls who are Scouts), Sea Scouts, Order of the Arrow (OA) members, and other guests attended. There were good programs, good food, good fun, and good fellowship! Congratulations to our 6 new Brotherhood members! The first pic shows the participant patch and the staff patch. The second pic shows the patch for the Moon Rock trail hike (this was given to those who did the night hike to Moon Rock and listened to Tad Thomason’s informative stories). I went on this hike and was pleased to see that many of our Cub Scouts, older youth, and adults participated!

I had a wonderful time at last weekend’s (August 15-17) Coosa Lodge Summer Induction Weekend at Camp Comer (Mentone, AL). Congratulations to our 96 new Ordeal members! We also had 181 prior members participate. Thus, the total number in camp was 277. Of these prior members, 41 are new Brotherhood members. Congratulations to them! We also had 1 new Vigil Honor member, Thomas Fisher. Congratulations to Thomas! Many essential camp improvement projects were completed during the weekend. The pics are of new flaps. The first is of our lodge’s brand-new dues paid flap. The second is of the two flaps honoring Coosa Lodge member and two-time E6 Section Chief Emma Wright. We really appreciate all that Emma does for our lodge and for the section!

Last week, I enjoyed attending and actively participating in the Association for Clinical and Translational Statisticians (ACTStat) Annual Meeting (August 2-3) and the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) (August 3-7), which took place in Nashville, Tennessee. Both were well-organized and well-received by attendees. The technical sessions and keynote addresses were interesting and informative. The networking and social activities were great. The ACTStat meeting and JSM took place in the Music City Center (convention center), with some of the business meetings held in the Omni Nashville. The pics show my JSM badge, my ACTStat badge, and me at the JSM photo booth! I enjoyed my week in Nashville!

Happy Independence Day to everybody in the U.S.A.! Happy 249th birthday to the U.S.A.! Please remember that freedom is not free and that many patriotic people of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds have made great sacrifices so that we can be free. Please pray for our leaders (elected and appointed) and please pray for all the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces. The pic is of the U.S. flag flying at my Mom’s house (pic from 2023).🇺🇸

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and great-great-grandfathers! You are much loved and much appreciated for all that you do! Have a blessed and most wonderful day!