Random Selection and Democracy in Athens and Asimov
How do methods for choosing political candidates relate to sampling principles? Here are some class activities and discussion questions.
Blog - Sharon Lohr
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Thomas Jefferson and Population Estimates
Historian James Cassedy wrote that “probably no one in America was more imbued with the statistical spirit than was Jefferson.” Let’s look at two of his statistical activities.
AI and Survey Sampling Problems
How does Gemini perform on problems in survey sampling, and how might one use it in the classroom?
AI vs. Undergraduate Statistics Students
I submitted some of my undergraduate class assignments to Gemini. How did it do?
Interpreting the 2024 National Violent Crime Statistics
What are the trends in the 2024 national crime statistics?
SLOP: Word of the Year
The editors of Merriam Webster chose “slop” as their word of the year. How does their definition relate to surveys?
Vital Statistics During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
Inaccurate death statistics in 1918 hindered responses to the pandemic. How have death statistics changed since then, and how might they be further improved?
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic and Statistical Evidence
The 1918 influenza epidemic spurred research in statistical methodology for clinical trials. But is there currently backsliding to a reliance on anecdotal evidence?
What is Your Inflation Rate?
The official annual inflation rate as of July 2025 is 2.7%, but the prices of goods and services I purchased in July 2024 rose by 5.3%. Why the difference?
Benjamin Franklin and Exponential Growth
On this July 4, we look at just one of Franklin’s many contributions to statistical science: his writings on population growth.
Star Wars Characters Who Should Have Been Statisticians. Or Not.
May statistical principles be with you.
Kirstine Smith, Statistical Pioneer
One of her papers created a new research area in statistics. Another spurred the debate on the foundations of statistical inference. Who was Kirstine Smith?
How Many People Attend Religious Services? Part 2
Can we use alternative data sources to produce better estimates of religious service attendance?
How Many People Attend Religious Services? Part 1
How do polls measure religious service attendance, and how accurate are the estimates?
Reviewing the 2023 National Violent Crime Statistics
The annual 2023 crime statistics have been released. Homicide is down, and it appears that other types of violent crime have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
How AI Created a Nonexistent Statistician
I tested how an AI system would evaluate the contributions of a prominent survey statistician. It created a new researcher.
George Washington, Survey-Taker
It is well known that George Washington worked as a public lands surveyor in his youth. Less well known are his activities as one of the first survey samplers in the United States.
An Autobiographical Journey Through AI
Unmasking AI by Joy Buolamwini shows the promise and dangers of artificial intelligence algorithms.
Using Data to Make Roads Safer
Check out the Ahwatukee Foothills News for my column with Norma Hubele on the Crash Modification Factor Clearinghouse.
Does Asphalt Art Improve Traffic Safety?
A number of cities have placed artwork at intersections or crosswalks. The art may be aesthetically pleasing, but does it reduce crashes as is claimed? Let’s look at the data.