ABSTRACT
No doubt much of the progress in statistics in the 1900s can be traced back to statisticians who grappled with solving real problems, many of which have roots in the physical sciences and engineering. For example, George Box developed response surface designs working with chemical engineers, John Tukey developed exploratory data analysis working with telecommunications engineers, and Abraham Wald developed sequential testing working with military engineers. These statisticians had a strong sense of what was important in the area of application, as well as what statistics could provide. The beginning of the 2000s is a good time to reflect on some of the current problems in the physical sciences and engineering, and how they might lead to new advances in statistics-or, at the least, what statisticians can contribute to solving these problems. My hope is that this set of vignettes will convey some sense of the excitement over the opportunities for statistics and statisticians that those of us who work with physical scientists and engineers feel.
