The history of the calendar

The 2012 Statistical Calendar was born as project to take part in the competition organized by Italian Statistical Society for the Day of Statistics: “Statistics and the work of Statisticians, ideas for the promotion and the diffusion” .

Starting from the experience of the University world, this challenge has immediately remembered us the often regardless and opposing behavior of our “no statistical” friends, when during the preparation of an exam we discussed about likelihood, asymptotic theory, regression models… to be frankly their reactions don’t surprised us very much, for us was amazing observing how their behavior turned into interest when we talked in a simple and clear way, how these applications, that at a first glance looked like indecipherable, produced useful results, closed to their daily experience, more than they could expect.

Starting from these considerations, we have tried to build a link between the two words: from one side the statistical language, from the other side the daily life. A bridge that would allowed the crossover to both directions, that would encourage and motivate the travel to our idea of statistics.

The objectivation of our purposes passed through the individuation of three pillars on that build our project. First of all it is necessary a catchy instrument, that can be able to stimulate the curiosity of the reader and introduce it in a simple, light and clear way but that at the same time don’t trivialize what statistics is for us.

Once the reader attention has been catched, it is very important to give the space to go deeper on topics, so that it would be possible to translate a world of no-immediate applications, theories and technics (the statistical ones) in a more understandable language for a more wide public.

Finally it would be useful to introduce some contents stimulating interest, and not only fun, also for people working in statistical field. The sketches based on the anthitesis between statisticians-no statisticians, the explanation texts on the topics discussed in the comics and the “statistical saints” and their major contribution to stats, these are the instruments that have built our aims.

The luck of the statistical calendar 2012 comes from the sharing of knowledges and abilities of students in the specific fields of study.

In addition to us, the statisticians, the team was formed by a cartoonist who gave quality to what was in our imagination, by a group of computer scientists that has been involved in creating the web site and finally a graphic designer.

The result of this project is the culmination of a great university life experience dealt with. Not only a study experience, but also a story of friendship. Where we have grown up a passion for statistics, thanks to teachers and classmates who have inspired us and a Faculty that has always offered the motivation and the necessary facilities. We want to thank in particular prof. Bruno Scarpa: the passion that gives us every day for what we study and its availability were huge motivation and incentive sources across our path.