Q&A: Penn State statistics graduate student Alina Kuvelkar
Alina Kuvelkar, a doctoral student in statistics at Penn State, recently served as a teaching assistant (TA) for the University's 18th annual Summer School in Statistics for Astronomers.
“My favorite part [of being a TA] was meeting the summer school students,” she said. “They came from a variety of locations and backgrounds, so it was cool to meet them and hear about their research. Learning statistical methods is key for [astronomers to understand] how to make valid inferences from data, and it will help [them] produce more-effective research.”
Q: What is your degree program and area of research?
A: My degree program is a doctoral degree in statistics. My research focuses on modeling social networks with respondent-driven sampling data.
Q: Where is your hometown?
A: My hometown is Edison, New Jersey.
Q: What is the significance of teaching statistics to astronomers?
A: Learning statistical methods is key for understanding how to make valid inferences from data, and it will help astronomers produce more-effective research.
Q: How does this relate to your research?
A: This does not directly relate to my research, but I love teaching statistics, so it was great to see astronomers learning statistical methods that they can apply to their own research.
Q: What has been your favorite part about serving as a teaching assistant for this summer school?
A: My favorite part was meeting the summer school students. They came from a variety of locations and backgrounds, so it was really cool to meet them and hear about their research.