From: Statistical Science Majors Union
Date: March 30
Subject: SSMU Snapshots: Week of March 30, 2026


Welcome to the last newsletter of March - good luck with course registration and midterms!

📣 Announcements

1. Sign up for Group FLUNCH with Dr. Anya Katsevich 🍎
FLUNCHes are a great way for faculty and students to connect over lunch, fostering mentorship and informal conversation outside the classroom. Our next group FLUNCH is with Dr. Katsevich, and you can sign up here!
🗓️ 12-1 PM on Wednesday, April 8th
📍 The Commons (3rd floor of WU)

2. Interest Form for SSMU Projects 📋
SSMU Projects is a new program offering team-based, semester- or year-long consulting projects that connect students with external organizations to solve real-world problems using data. Led by student project managers and supported by analysts, teams will collaborate to deliver practical insights while gaining hands-on experience in statistics and data science.

We’re currently seeking students for the following roles:

  • Projects Director
  • Project Managers
  • Project Analysts

Interested in joining next year? Fill out the interest form to learn more about each role. This is non-binding and helps us share updates and notify you when applications open.

🍵 Upcoming Events

1. East Campus Bookbagging Event 🎒
Couldn't make it to our GBM? Live on East? Come out to our second bookbagging event next Wednesday and chat with upperclass students about the major/concentrations/minor, StatSci pathways, careers, professors, courses, and all things Duke Stats to get your questions answered. (RSVP)
🗓️ 7:30-9 PM on Wednesday, April 1st
📍 East Duke 204B

2. SSMU Data Mini #3 🏆
Register here: https://forms.gle/RDPP277oCMoUD69m7
The competition will take place on April 4th from 11am - 5:30pm in Wilkinson 126. Refer to the flyer below for more information!
🗓️ 11 AM-5:30 PM on Saturday, April 4th
📍 Wilkinson 126
data mini 3

3. SSMU Seminar: “Existential crisis! Is my degree worthless?” with Mr. Davis Vaughan 💡
Join SSMU for a seminar featuring Davis Vaughan, a software engineer at Posit, as he asks the timely question: is YOUR degree worth it?! Davis works on Positron, a data science-focused IDE, as well as the R packages that make up the tidyverse. He will walk through examples of how he and his colleagues use Claude Code and other AI tools to amplify their own skills, rather than replace them.
🗓️ 4:30 PM-5:30 PM on Wednesday, April 8th
📍 Old Chem 116

🌱 Competitions & Opportunities

1. The Society of Actuaries is accepting applications for their Student Ambassador team! They have over 30,000 members worldwide. You’ll connect your peers to valuable actuarial resources, help bring SOA programs and events to life on your campus, represent the world’s largest professional organization of actuaries, and grow your professional network. Volunteers for the program will have a flexible commitment:
- Location: Virtual Leadership Calls & Campus Event (your university campus)
- Commitment: Only a few hours per month, with a flexible schedule for 2 years
- Eligibility: Open to motivated students at U.S. colleges and universities
You can apply for the program here!

2. The Duke Department of Statistical Science will be hosting a two-week summer workshop about Undergraduate Research in Statistics! This mini-REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) will run from Monday, May 4th and finish on Friday, May 15th; it will include a $600 stipend. This program is completely virtual, and organized synchronous sessions on Zoom will be from 9 am to 1 pm each weekday. Students are unlikely to complete this program while working full-time or taking a morning or midday summer course in Summer 1. 

The program has two tracks: 
  1. Our Intro to Research Track: Participants will work together virtually for two weeks in two mentored teams as they learn to conduct research in Statistical Science. 
  2. Our Thesis Proposal Track for Rising Seniors: This path gives time and mentored guidance for rising seniors to develop their individual proposals for a senior honors thesis for Graduation with Distinction in Statistical Science.
First consideration applications are due on Friday, April 3rd, at 9 am using this application. For more about the program, please contact chelsea.nguyen@duke.edu to forward the informational email.

3. Duke Sports Analytics Club is hosting Matt Manocherian, the former NFL scout and CEO of Sports Info Solutions, a sports data analytics consulting company. The event will be today, Monday, March 30, from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm in East Duke 108. RVSP here if you're interested!
dsac

📅 Stay Connected

Want to keep track of all our events? Add our Google Calendar here (SSMU Events Calendar) and follow us on Instagram @dukessmu!

Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you at our events!

Best,
SSMU

Got ideas for events or newsletter features? Reach out to hyunjin.lee2@duke.edu; we’d love to hear from you!