The Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics (CATS) organizes studies and workshops that provide top-quality statistical science advice to help guide major government programs. Some of those programs support the statistical science community, but others do not yet have strong ties to it. CATS activities are carried out by specially appointed committees of experts tailored for each particular activity and in general survey existing research frontiers and recommend best steps for strengthening or applying them; review federal programs and recommend improvements; and/or provide strategic advice to federal programs that depend on the mathematical sciences community.
Overall, the mission of CATS is to manage and reduce uncertainty in national decision-making through the use of modern statistical thinking and to nurture a vibrant statistical sciences research enterprise. The latter goal calls for a statistical sciences discipline that is well-connected with other fields of science, engineering, and medicine; absorbs challenges from those other fields; and maintains a robust core. CATS works to strengthen these attributes of the community.
