Need help crunching those numbers? Look no further than Biola’s new Quantitative Consulting Center (QCC), which opened in fall 2019. Jason Wilson, associate professor of mathematics and chair of Biola’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, has seen a need for quality statistical services to serve the Biola community as well as local companies and organizations.

“When I first came to Biola in 2008, I was asked by faculty, graduate students and undergraduates for help with various statistical questions,” Wilson said. “While I gave some help, I did not have nearly enough time to adequately meet the need.”

Wilson has provided consulting services in his spare time and has also made national news for his statistical work in helping create a formula for Quality of Pitch (QOP), which evaluates the quality of a baseball pitch and has been employed by Major League Baseball journalists. The QCC will serve Biola faculty, staff and students, as well as local companies and organizations, while also providing a hands-on educational experience for students involved.

“It provides professional statistical support that can alleviate faculty of the extra burden of having to research statistical details on their projects, reducing their research time while at the same time improving quality and increasing their confidence,” Wilson said. “On the flip side, it provides dynamic real-world learning opportunities for students.”

Statistical consultation services are often used in various fields such as marketing, medicine or manufacturing and use research and statistics skills to solve a particular problem for a client.

– Kiana Karn and Joanna Wu 

Number Crunchers: Learn more about the Quantitative Consulting Center and how you can request consultation at biola.edu/qcc.

Photo by Daniel Robinson