Seeing the World Through Data: My Evening with Lord O’Neill and the Manchester Statistical Society

The following is a blog written by a visiting student, documenting her first time at the society.

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a talk and dinner hosted by the Manchester Statistical Society. The evening’s speaker, Lord Jim O’Neill, delivered an interesting talk on global economic shifts, regional development, and the evolving future of the Northern Powerhouse. His insights also highlighted how data and statistics underpin major policy decisions. 

As a third-year criminology student specialising in quantitative methods at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Q-Step Centre, I spend most of my studies conducting different types of analysis. This ranged from advanced statistical techniques such as regression models and bootstrapping to calculating means for differentgroups, without ignoring the importance of simply assessing the quality of available datasets. It’s easy to start seeing statistics as something confined to academia, but this event reminded me that this is far from the truth. It made me see the value of data in the real-world – how statistics aren’t just numbers on a page, but evidence that help to shape decisions and drive meaningful change across industries.

The dinner that followed was equally valuable. Conversations with some of the members of the Society opened my eyes to just how versatile and transferable quantitative skills are. Speaking with members from Epidemiologists, Sociologists, Mathematicians to some going into postgraduate studies, it made me realise how many pathways exist for students like me with a statistical skill set and the amount of diverse professional backgrounds that I could go into to. 

As students, it’s easy to underestimate the range of pathways available to us, particularly when we’re focused on assignments and deadlines. Events like this broaden that perspective and shows that there are enormous potential and opportunity for young people with strong analytical and critical thinking skills.  I would strongly encourage anyone almost in who is in their studies or anyone looking for career opportunities to attend events like this to help broaden perspective. It may even highlight professions you didn’t even consider!  

I’m looking forward to attending more of the Society’s events and after learning more about the Society’s AI study group, I am hoping to attend its sessions. Through monthly guest and ongoing discussions with members, I’ll be able to continue to see how versatile statistical skills are across different professions and industries. I am currently completing a placement with the Society for my dissertation, which examines the impact of Artificial Intelligence on young people. Attending the AI study group will provide invaluable insights and discussions that will directly support and enhance my research. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this event, finding it both engaging and incredibly insightful. Looking forward to the next one and being able to continue to share my experiences gaining more real-world insights into statistics!