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.