Reflections on the 2024 RSS conference

All the way from Brighton.

I attended the RSS international conference in Brighton at the start of September.

The first main session was from Hadley Wickham — one of the pioneers of the tidyverse in R. The talk was data science in production, focussing on how teams should be able to find, run, understand and edit each other’s code.

My first Tuesday morning talk was ‘how to do it all’, with advice from women in statistics. Jen Visser-Rogers spoke about how everyone’s “all” is different: you have to prioritise, developing for yourself, and giving credit for what you have achieved.

Another session I went to was about Statistics Under Pressure — and how to inform decision-making “at pace”. This was building guidance to statisticians who have to work under pressured deadlines and in difficult circumstances. The advice I received was valuable for dealing with high-intensity work.

The plenary on Wednesday was from Tim Harford, of BBC Radio 4’s More or Less fame. Tim Harford reminded us that statistics are a persuasive weapon. There are three ‘C’s to remember when hearing a new figure: be calm, get context, and be curious.

I was then on a panel discussing how to engage with the media. Other panellists included author and comedian Timandra Harkness, and my fellow Statistical Ambassadors. I spoke about my experiences with media engagement, such as how to pick your battles.