The UBC Department of Statistics may be small in relation to other departments within the Faculty of Science, but its excellence in research and teaching lend it considerable stature. Although the orientation of the Department is theoretical, members are interested in the application of statistics in business, government and industry. For example, faculty research includes studies of the effects of air pollution on respiratory health, as well as clinical trials for new drugs to treat multiple sclerosis. The Department encourages excellence among its students in many ways, including the Statistics Fund for Excellence which provides prizes to recognize and encourage outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, student travel funds, and graduate fellowships.
Statistics also offers a co-operative education program.
The main computing facility for the Department of Statistics is a cluster of machines and terminals linked by Ethernet. The department shares two computing laboratories for undergraduate instruction. The Biostatistics Research Group provides a base and focal point for faculty and grad students who develop and disseminate theory for data analysis in the health and life sciences. Dr. Jean Meloche received the Killam Teaching Award for his contribution to undergraduate education in statistics.