Summer 2010

From the Chair

New members

Sci Comm news

Eurochat

Feature: In science
we trust

Event Report: Statistics; part deux

Event Report: Nutts
about drug policy

Interview: Laure Thomas, chief press officer at Department of Business

The Last Word

Stempra newsletter

EVENT REPORT: Statistics; part deux

Speakers: Professor David Speigelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge

Lots of us admit we’re confused by statistics, but it’s crucial that we use them properly. So, hot on the heels of last year’s stats event success, Stempra members gathered in March for insight from David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge.

The good professor could have held his audience’s attention for twice as long. In explaining concepts from odds and hazard ratios to the principle behind confidence intervals, P-values to relative versus absolute risk he cleared up much confusion.

And with opportunity to ask for specific examples David was able to illustrate how stats can be used to misrepresent as well as clarify research findings. He also suggested development of a Stempra guide to stats similar to our guide to being a press officer. Given the success of our two recent statistics events, this is an idea the committee are looking into.

Readers may be interested in Making Sense of Statistics is a guide that provides a few questions you can ask and outlines the pitfalls to look out for when weighing up claims that use statistics. It is published by Sense About Science and Straight Statistics in collaboration with the Royal Statistical Society and can be downloaded from: http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/484/

Hazel Lambert
Regional Communications Manager, Medical Research Council, and Stempra committee member
Hazel@stempra.org.uk

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