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Long time coming
New Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology has been formally
approved by the Board of Regents.
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The Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology (CSSM) has been a fixture
at Iowa State since 1938.
Only it wasn't called that.
The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the formation of the new
Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology last fall. CSSM is now part
of the Interdisciplinary Research Institute for Survey Science (IRISS).
"The Center is actually quite old. Most people knew us as the Statistical
Laboratory Survey Section,T said Sarah Nusser, associate professor of
statistics and the Center's director (pictured). "We have become
a part of IRISS in order to facilitate our relationship with that new
Institute."
CSSM is one of three campus centers that are now affiliated with IRISS,
including the Institute for Social and Behavioral Research (ISBR) and
the Research Institute for Studies in Education (RISE).
IRISS was established last spring to integrate research efforts at Iowa
State in statistics and other scientific disciplines that involve survey
methods. CSSM will continue pursuing its mission to "develop expertise
in the technical and operational aspects of sample surveys."
"Our mission is broad," Nusser said, "ranging from research
in survey statistics and methodology, to the application of these approaches
to conducting sample surveys and censuses in just about any scientific
discipline."
Some of CSSM's current goals include:
*To promote collaborative research in the areas of sample design, data
collection methodology, and statistical estimation for surveys.
* To expand instruction in survey statistics and methodology.
* To provide high quality research services for conducting surveys of
human, natural resource, and other populations, including project design,
sample selection, questionnaire design and data collection, and statistical
data processing and analysis.
Back in 1938, what is now known as the CSSM was created when a cooperative
agreement was established between the Statistical Laboratory and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA). That agreement led to the development
of the Master Sample of Agriculture, a national area sample of land that
was subsequently utilized in numerous economic surveys of American agriculture.
Sixty-five years later, CSSM and the USDA are still working together.
Since 1956, Iowa State has provided the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) statistical support for the National Resources Inventory
(NRI) survey program. This annual longitudinal sample survey is designed
to assess conditions and trends in natural resources on nonfederal lands
in the U.S. and is used to evaluate and develop farm policy. Methodological
research conducted by CSSM is implemented directly into the annual surveys.
Nusser hopes that the future holds more external and internal opportunities
for CSSM.
"Part of the original idea of establishing IRISS was to build strength
in the use of surveys as a tool to conduct research in other disciplines,"
she said. "We want to work with other scientists on campus and off
to provide the appropriate survey methods.
"There is a lot of this type of work on the Iowa State campus,"
Nusser continued, "and IRISS is actively seeking contract opportunities
from the federal government, state governments and private foundations.
We're also interested in working with other groups on campus to develop
a richer (academic) curriculum in research methods."
CSSM consists of five faculty members, 13 graduate research assistants,
25 permanent professional staff, and 15-25 interviewers. Three USDA NRCS
staff members are also located with CSSM. Nusser says the CSSM staff is
organized into units that support academic research, survey research services,
the NRI survey program, and general administration.
Contracts, cooperative agreements and grants total approximately $2.5
million per year with the Center's operational activities charged on a
cost-reimbursable basis.
Around LAS
March 24 to April 6, 2003
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