About Us

Alana Unfried, Principle Investigator

Dr. Unfried is an Associate Professor of Statistics at California State University, Monterey Bay. Her research interests center on statistics and data science education; her current focus is on the NSF MASDER project to develop and validate instruments assessing student and instructor attitudes towards statistics and data science. She also studies the creation of equitable learning environments via corequisite courses and structured group work in introductory statistics, and collaborates with STEM education faculty on studying K-12 student attitudes toward STEM. Nationally, Dr. Unfried has chaired the MAA’s Special Interest Group for Statistics and Data Science Education, serves as the Secretary for the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences, and serves on the Executive Committee of the ASA’s Section on Statistics and Data Science Education. She is also a proud MAA Project NExT Green ‘16 fellow. Outside of work, she can be found chasing her three young children and dog, hiking, reading, or baking. 

Contact: aunfried@csumb.edu

Douglas Whitaker, Co-Principle Investigator

Dr. Whitaker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Mount Saint Vincent University. Dr. Whitaker’s primary research and consulting focus is developing instruments to measure student attitudes and knowledge for use in educational research. His research also focuses on evaluating the validity evidence supporting the use of existing tools in the context of statistics education research. He is also exploring ways to use non-Likert-type items for measuring attitudes.

Michael A. Posner, Co-Principle Investigator

Dr. Posner is Professor of Statistics and Data Science and founding Director of the Center for Statistics and Data Science Education at Villanova University. He is an Accredited Professional Statistics (PStat^®) of the American Statistical Association (ASA), an ASA Fellow, and winner of both institutional and national teaching awards.  His research and consulting work includes statistics and data science education research (especially student attitudes), Medicare and insurance fraud detection, and public health research. Dr. Posner has served on several regional and national committees on statistics education and discussions about data science at the local and national levels, including chairing ASA’s Section on Statistics and Data Science Education and the Special Interest Group of the MAA for Statistics Education. He has received five federal grants totaling over $4 million, including as PI and Co-PI. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time and traveling with his family, playing games with his kids and dog, dancing (he is a retired competitive ballroom dancer), and making statistics music videos.

April Kerby-Helm, Co-Principle Investigator

Dr. Kerby-Helm is a Professor of Statistics and Data Science at Winona State University. She was involved in the creation of Winona State University’s innovative Data Science Program. This program articulated specific similarities and differences between statistics and data science. Dr. Kerby-Helm has spent her career conducting research in statistics and data science education with a focus on students’ attitudes. She served on the ASA’s Section on Statistics and Data Science Education Mentoring Program committee. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, playing bass clarinet, and baking.

Marjorie Bond, Co-Principle Investigator

Dr. Bond is a Professor of Teaching in the Department of Statistics at Pennsylvania State University and a Professor Emerita from Monmouth College, Illinois. 

Leyla Batakci, Research Associate

Dr. Batakci is Professor of Mathematics at Elizabethtown College. Dr. Batakci holds a masters degree in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Lehigh University. Her current research is in statistics education on instrument development.