Conference: Fall Technical Conference

This project supports the 68th annual Fall Technical Conference (FTC), to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, from October 6–8, 2026. FTC, co-sponsored by the American Statistical Association (ASA) and the American Society for Quality (ASQ), is a long-standing conference that brings together researchers, practitioners, and students to advance the application of statistics, data science, and quality improvement. FTC 2026, themed “Crowning Excellence: Advancing Statistics and Quality in the Queen City,” will focus on emerging areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum information science, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. The conference supports students, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career researchers through presentation opportunities, mentoring, and professional networking, helping prepare a modern, data-driven and AI-ready workforce. NSF funding will support the participation of students, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career researchers from U.S. institutions who lack sufficient resources to attend. FTC advances statistical science by integrating methodological innovation with real-world application. The conference provides a forum for developing and disseminating new methods while facilitating their evaluation and adoption in practice. The 2026 program emphasizes emerging topics such as AI-enabled analytics, digital twins, and modern design of experiments, alongside foundational areas including statistical quality control. A defining feature of FTC is its two-way exchange model, in which practitioner challenges inform research directions and new methods are rapidly translated into application. This structure promotes collaboration, identifies emerging research needs, and accelerates the impact of statistical innovations. Additional information is available on the conference’s webpage: https://falltechnicalconference.org/. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.