The Association for Statistics and its Uses

Founded in 1969


The Association pour la Statistique et ses Utilisations (Association for Statistics and its Uses) started life in 1969 as the 'Association des Statisticiens Universitaires' (Association of University Statisticians). It changed its name to the 'Association for Statistics and its Uses' in 1987. However, it no longer exists today, since it is one of the societies that merged to form the 'Société Française de Statistique' (French Statistical Society) in 1997. The initiative in 1969 to set up the 'Association for Statistics and its Uses' came from Roger Huron who encouraged other colleagues such as Daniel Dugué, Gustave Malécot and Marie-Jeanne Laurent-Duhamel to join the new venture. They were among around thirty statisticians who met in Toulouse in 1969 and decided to go ahead with setting up the new Association. The next meeting was on 13 June 1970, again in Toulouse, when this time 43 statisticians met to draw up statutes and plan their first events. The first 'Days of Statistics' (JdS) were held in Lyon on 6 and 7 November 1970. These 'Days' still happen as they were taken over by the combined Society, the French Statistical Society, when it formed in 1997. The 'Association for Statistics and its Uses' deposited its Statutes with the National Pedagogical Institute, rue Ulm, Paris in February 1971.

Other events organised by the 'Association for Statistics and its Uses' included 'Study Days in Statistics' which they began running in 1984. Up to the time the Association merged into the French Statistical Society, the following Study Days were held:
1984: Time series analysis.
1986: Surveys.
1988: Statistical analysis of the durations of life (data from censuses).
1990: Models for Multidimensional Data Analysis.
1992: ARCH Model and Applications to Finance.
1994: Nonparametric Inference, Rank Statistics.
1996: Plans of Experiments, Industrial Applications.
After the merger the Study Days programme continued.

For an English version of the article Les Racines de la Societe Française de Statistique (The roots of the French Statistical Society) by Jean-Jacques Droesbeke giving the full story of French Statistical Society and the societies which amalgamated in its formation, including the Association for Statistics and its Uses, see THIS LINK.

For the Section of Jacques Droesbeke's article specifically looking at the history of the Association for Statistics and its Uses, see THIS LINK.

Visit the society website.

References (show)

  1. J-J Droesbeke, Les Racines de la Societe Française de Statistique, Laboratoire de Méthodologie du Traitement des Données, Université Libre de Bruxelles.
  2. The French Statistical Society website. https://www.sfds.asso.fr

Last Updated February 2018