From: Statistical Science Majors Union
Date: February 2
Subject: SSMU Snapshots: Week of Feb 2, 2026


Happy snow day (again)!

📣 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 8th
📍 Physics 128

🍵 Upcoming Events

1. [TOMORROW!] SSMU Seminar - Ed Tam 💡
The Research Committee is excited to welcome Dr. Edric (Ed) Tam for an upcoming virtual seminar! Dr. Tam is a statistics and machine learning researcher at Stanford, with a PhD from Duke, degrees from UChicago, Yale and Johns Hopkins, and industry experience at Google, Meta, Amazon and Apple. He will discuss the statistical limitations of generative AI models, and the application of AI/ML methods in Bayesian inference. Snacks will be provided for in-person attendees in Wilkinson 126. Register here: https://cglink.me/2do/r2277647.
🗓️ 3:15-4:15 PM on Tuesday, February 3rd
📍 Wilkinson 126 and Zoom

2. Students and Professors Trivia 🧠
A fun community gathering where statistics students and professors compete to answer trivia about statistics and miscellaneous topics! Come enjoy friendly conversation, with dumplings and Cookout milkshakes. (RSVP)
🗓️ 7-9 PM on Tuesday, February 10th
📍 Wilkinson 130
 

🌱 Competitions & Opportunities

1. Interested in volunteering at Duke Science Olympiad? Join DUSO this Saturday - sign up here! All volunteers get free hoodies and food. If you can't make it, sign up to help out the Science Bowl on 2/21 here!

2. The WiDS Worldwide Global Datathon 2026 is live! This year’s WiDS Global Datathon, in collaboration with Watch Duty, invites participants worldwide to build data-driven models that help forecast wildfire impact and support proactive equity-driven decision-making. By combining real-world wildfire data with predictive modeling, participants will help protect critical infrastructure and the communities most at risk. Participation is open until May 1, 2026. Register Now! 

3. Apply for Duke Bass Connections! Project teams bring together faculty, postdocs, graduate students and undergraduates to tackle complex societal challenges in interdisciplinary research teams and last for two semesters; some teams include a summer component. Academic credit and summer funding are available. Students can apply to up to three project teams and browse the full list of project teams. Applications are due on February 9th at 5pm.

📅 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!

Stay warm,
SSMU

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Statistical Science Majors Union. Cover image

EVENT

Seminar: Ed Tam

clock Tuesday, February 3
3:15pm - 4:15pm
Location pinPrivate Location (sign in to display)
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Join SSMU's Research Committee for a seminar featuring Dr. Ed Tam, statistics/machine learning researcher at Stanford (and former Duke PhD student), as he discusses generative models, their underlying statistics, and their development and modern applications in industry and scientific research!
REGISTER
Statistical Science Majors Union. Cover image

EVENT

SSMU Data Mini 1!

clock Sunday, February 8
10:00am - 1:00pm
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Join us in short and fun data science competition! Groups of 2-3 students will compete to analyze a mystery dataset over the course of 2 hours, and present it to a panel of judges.
REGISTER
Statistical Science Majors Union. Cover image

EVENT

Students and Professors Trivia Night!

clock Tuesday, February 10
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location pinPrivate Location (sign in to display)
CalendarAdd to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

A fun community gathering where statistics students and professors compete to answer trivia about statistics and miscellaneous topics! Food will be provided (Quickly's Chicken).
REGISTER