From: Statistical Science Majors Union
Date: January 20
Subject: SSMU Snapshots: Week of Jan 19, 2026


Hope everyone rested up during the long weekend and are ready for another exciting week of SSMU events!

📣 Announcements

1. Register for SSMU's first Data Mini! 🏆
This series is run by the Statistical Science Majors Union's Competitions and Opportunities Committee and is open to all students. The competition will take place on February 8th from 10 am-1 pm in Physics 128. Please note that teams should consist of 3-4 members, and all members must complete this form. If you would like to receive a random team, please specify during registration. You will receive and be introduced to the dataset at the start of the competition. Your team will have 2 hours to analyze the data and prepare a presentation. The last hour of the competition will be spent presenting your findings. Snacks will be included!
🗓️ 10 AM - 1 PM on Sunday, February 10th
📍 Physics 128

🍵 Upcoming Events

1. GBM #5: Study Abroad Panel + Comps/Ops Showcase 🌎
Join SSMU for our first GBM of the second semester! We'll be talking with a Study Abroad panel and given a showcase by our Competitions and Opportunities Committee! (RSVP)
🗓️ 7 PM on Thursday, January 22nd
📍 Social Sciences 136

2. Sign up for Group FLUNCH with Dr. David Banks 🍎
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. Banks, and you can sign up here!
🗓️ 12-1 PM on Tuesday, January 27th
📍 The Commons (3rd floor of WU)

3. Stats Chats 🥐
Come join us for a relaxed afternoon chat with Statistics professors! Ask questions, get advice, or just talk about anything stats (or not!). We’ll have bagels, cookies, and good company—all you need to bring is yourself! (RSVP)
🗓️ 1:30-2:30 PM on Tuesday, January 27th
📍 Old Chem 211
🌱 Competitions & Opportunities

1. Want to volunteer with Duke Science Olympiad? Sign up here! The competition is January 24th. Contact cooper.ruffing@duke.edu with any questions.

2. The 2nd annual Triangle Sports Analytics Competition aims to bring together students from Duke, UNC, Chapel Hill, and NC State who love sports analytics to compete in a prediction contest. The scope of the competition is to predict all ACC Men’s Basketball games between February 7th and March 7th. Students may work individually or in a team of 2-5. Read more about the competition here: https://triangle-sports.github.io/. Entries will be accepted until February 6, 2026.
- Mailing list: https://forms.gle/5ZXVLvWgk8FsTtfJ8
- Info session for Duke students on January 22nd at 5 PM: https://duke.zoom.us/j/94344895424
Please contact Dr. Alexander Fisher (alexander.fisher@duke.edu) with any questions.

3. Start your analytics journey with SAS! The Trends in Analytics series offers free online workshops on current analytics topics, helping you find an approach that fits your style, see advanced tools for developers, and learn next steps to build your data science skills. The sessions will cover multiple programming languages, career fields, LLMs, and SAS Viya, SAS's analytics platform. You can register for the workshops here, regardless of your coding experience.
📅 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!

Until next week,
SSMU

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Statistical Science Majors Union. Cover image

EVENT

SSMU GBM #5

clock Thursday, January 22
7:00pm - 9:00pm
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Join SSMU for our first GBM of the second semester! We'll be talking with a Study Abroad panel!
REGISTER
Statistical Science Majors Union. Cover image

EVENT

January Stats Chats!

clock Tuesday, January 27
1:30pm - 2:30pm
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Take a break and join us for snacks, tea, coffee, and conversation! Stats Chats is a casual monthly gathering where students, faculty, staff, and graduate students in the Statistics Department can connect outside of class. Whether you want to meet new people, catch up with friends, or just enjoy some free pastries and tea, stop by and hang out. Everyone in the community is welcome, whether you're a major, minor, or just interested in stats!
REGISTER