Statistics Institute wins national prize

Javier Rojo

The Rice University Summer Institute of Statistics (RUSIS) has won the American Mathematical Society’s Mathematics Programs that Make a Difference award for its efforts to encourage underrepresented minorities and women to continue in the study of mathematics.

RUSIS, founded in 2003, was the nation’s first National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. The 10-week summer program trains 12 students in probability, statistics and computation and guides them through at least one research project.

Eighty-three percent of participants have gone on to graduate school, according to the society. Three have earned doctorates, 10 have master’s degrees and 25 are currently in Ph.D. programs.

The institute founded by Javier Rojo, a professor of statistics, is sponsored by the NSF and the National Security Agency. It will move this summer to the University of Nevada.