From: Statistical Science Majors Union
Date: October 20, 2025
Subject: SSMU Snapshots: Week of Oct 20, 2025


Lots of exciting things happening this week, including our GBM, a new group FLUNCH, and information on outside competitions/opportunities! Read on for details.

🍵 Upcoming Events

1. Volunteer at the Majors Fair 🎓
The Majors Fair is a great opportunity for underclassmen to learn about all the majors Duke has to offer. We’re looking for students to help staff our table, chat with first-years and sophomores about the program, and share your experiences! Volunteers can also help with set-up, take-down, or display prep. Come represent the major and meet new students!

📝 Sign up here: link
🗓️ 1-4 PM on Tuesday, October 21st
📍 Penn Pavilion

2. Next GBM + Bookbagging 🎒
Shopping carts are officially open! Come ask your questions at our next GBM and bookbagging sessions - we’ll be hosting two informal ones open to everyone!

West Campus: GBM + Bookbagging (RSVP)
🗓️ 7-9 PM on Thursday, October 23rd
📍 Old Chem 001

East Campus: Bookbagging Drop-in + Boba (RSVP)
🗓️ 7-9 PM on Wednesday, October 29th
📍 East Duke 108

3. Constitution and Bylaws Revision Session 📜
Join SSMU in revising the constitution and bylaws for the upcoming year! This meeting will help frame the direction the club will go in, outline new opportunities, and give exec and members a chance to discuss what you’d like to see moving forward. Your input helps guide our community; we’d love to hear your voice!

🗓️ 7:30-8:30 PM on Tuesday, October 21st
📍 Old Chem 123

4. Sign up for Group FLUNCH with Dr. Alex Fisher 🍎
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. Fisher in November, and you can sign up here!

Please note that by signing up, you’re committing to the FLUNCH and will need to fill out the official FLUNCH request form.
 
🌱 Competitions & Opportunities

1. The 2026 Connecticut Sports Analytics Symposium (CSAS) Data Challenge is open for registration! Student participants will analyze CSVs and draw conclusions about curling, a sport where two teams take turns sliding stones down a sheet of ice towards a target. Data from international competition results will be pulled from GitHub CSVs. The introductory webinar will be on October 29, 2025, at 7 pm ET, and registration is due December 15. Submission is due Jan. 15, 2026; finalist notification will be Feb. 15, and the Symposium will be at UConn April 10-11. The winners will be funded to showcase their findings at the 2026 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Performance Innovation Summit. More details about the data, prompts, and challenge timeline can be found here: https://statds.org/events/csas2026/challenge.html  

2. Citadel, an investment management company, is accepting applications for its Women’s Datathon! The event is open to any undergrad (eighteen years or older) graduating between December 2027 to June 2029. The event will take place in Miami in the Winter of 2026. The program is free for anyone selected, and benefits include round-trip transportation, a single occupancy hotel for two nights, and meals during the Program competition day. The application deadline is January 5, 2026, and applicants will be notified by January 12. More information can be found here: https://www.citadel.com/careers/programs-and-events/datathons/apply-for-the-womens-datathon/

3. Submit a statistics and data science project (from intro/intermediate classes or research) to the 2025-26 Undergraduate Statistics Project Competition (USPROC)! It is a completely free and remote opportunity and a great way to develop presentation skills, learn about careers in the statistics and data science field, and attain information about applying to and succeeding in graduate school.

The first submission deadline is December 18, 2025 for summer/fall 2025 projects; a second deadline in June 2026 covers winter/spring and year-long projects. Students may submit one project per category, and winners are announced within 3-4 months. These winners will present at the Electronic Undergraduate Statistics Research Conference (eUSR), which runs each fall online to feature student presentations and career information. Further information can be found here: https://www.causeweb.org/usproc/

4. Duke Career Center offers Jobscan Premium to help students fine-tune resumes by analyzing them against specific job descriptions. Free registration with your Duke email will allow you to tailor your optimal resume, get help drafting cover letters, track job/internship search, update LinkedIn profiles, and learn more about applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by companies where you are applying. Learn more at this link: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/jobscan/ 
📅 Stay Connected

Want to keep track of all our events? Add our Google Calendar here:
👉 SSMU Events Calendar

That’s all for now - looking forward to seeing everyone at our events this week!

Take care,
SSMU

Got ideas for events or newsletter features? Reply to this email; we’d love to hear from you!

Statistical Science Majors Union. Cover image

EVENT

SSMU Constitution and Bylaws Revision Session

clock Tuesday, October 21, 2025
7:30pm - 8:30pm
Location pinPrivate Location (sign in to display)
CalendarAdd to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

Join SSMU in revising the constitution and bylaws for the upcoming year! This meeting will help frame the direction the club will go in, what opportunities will be available, and allow exec to talk with the general body about what they want to see!
REGISTER
Statistical Science Majors Union. Cover image

EVENT

SSMU October GBM!

clock Thursday, October 23, 2025
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location pinPrivate Location (sign in to display)
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SSMU's October GBM will focus on newly-formed committees and bookbagging for the spring semester!
REGISTER
Statistical Science Majors Union. Cover image

EVENT

SSMU Bookbagging for First Years Event!

clock Wednesday, October 29, 2025
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location pinPrivate Location (sign in to display)
CalendarAdd to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

This will be another bookbagging event that is first-year oriented. It will take place while shopping carts are open - with plenty of upperclass students to help out!
REGISTER