Summit's Partnership with the Joint Program in Survey Methodology

Last week, Summit's friends at the University of Maryland's Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM) redesigned their website, which serves as an essential resource for those interested in studying survey methods. We have worked with JPSM and their experts for many years. Here, we discuss our multi-faceted partnership with JPSM in order to help further highlight their important work in the academic community and D.C. region.

Academic Associates

The JPSM was founded in 1993 and offers graduate-level training in survey research principles and practices. Summit has been familiar with the JPSM for many years, collaborating with their experts to provide additional support to some of Summit's most complex projects.

Dr. Frauke Kreuter, a professor in the JPSM, is an expert in survey methodology with a focus on survey sampling, sampling and non-sampling errors in complex surveys, cognitive models for questionnaire design, and applied statistics. Dr. Richard Valliant, who teaches within the program and also serves as Associate Director, has gained over 35 years of experience in survey sampling, estimation theory, and statistical computing through professional roles in the public sector (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and private sector (Westat).

DataFest

This year, Dr. Kreuter successfully launched DataFest in Germany. Based on her success, she and other JPSM staff worked with Summit this past April to also host the DC-area's first ASA DataFest. The event was a big success and promoted our common goals of providing real-world experience to students who are learning data analysis skills. We look forward to working with JPSM to host DataFest again in 2016.

Sampling and Survey Methodology Fellowship

In 2014, Summit announced a new partnership with the JPSM to provide a Sampling and Survey Methodology Fellowship for our staff to earn graduate certificates in this specialization. The partnership is part of Summit’s expanding presence in the academic community and extends our work with JPSM's experts.

As part of the partnership, Summit sponsors staff members to pursue a certificate in either Intermediate Survey Methodology or Survey Statistics. The first participants in the fellowship, Tim Satterfield and Balint Peto, have been able to balance the demands of the coursework and already see the professional benefits. Regarding the professional application of the material, Balint said, "one week we covered the theory in class, and the next week I went back to my class notes to apply the theory in my client work." Tim noted that the class format helped him balance his responsibilities: "The ability to take courses online allows me to learn more about survey methodology while letting me continue to fulfill my professional responsibilities."

Proximity & Relevance for Policymakers

Dr. Albert Lee, who has worked with JPSM experts for many years, shared his thoughts on the importance and relevance of JPSM for Washington D.C.'s policymakers. Watch the video below: