Dear Experimenter,
Here’s a fresh set of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about design of experiments (DOE); plus timely alerts for events, publications and software updates. Check it out!
- Mark

P.S.-- As you may have noticed, I have been experimenting with the layout of this newsletter. I would very much enjoy any feedback on how you like it.
Blogs
*(My wry look at all things statistical and/or scientific with an engineering perspective) Also, see the Stat-Ease blog for tips on making DOE easy. For example, a recent posting provides “A Winning Strategy for Experimenters”. Check it out! 
Alerts
Topics in the body text of this DOE FAQ Alert are headlined below (the “Expert” ones, if any, delve into statistical details):
  1. FAQ: Advantages of minimum-run screening designs
  2. Webinar alert: Advanced tools for building designs for irregularly shaped DOE spaces
  3. Book giveaway: Autographed copies of the Simplified trilogy and more!
  4. Events alert: Save the dates for the 2019 (Premier!) Analytics Solutions Conference in Minneapolis July 18-20
  5. Workshop alert: West Coast opportunity! Modern DOE for Process Optimization and Experiment Design Made Easy are coming to San Diego—Sign up now before classes fill
P.S. Quote for the month: Winston Churchill on “political” statistics (now known as “alternative facts”).
(Page down to the end of this e-zine to enjoy the actual quote.)
FAQ: Advantages of minimum-run screening designs
Original question from a Life Science PhD Candidate:
“Could you please explain the advantages of Min-Run Screening design over the Regular Two-Level Factorial design?”

Answer from Stat-Ease Consultant Shari Kraber:
“With few exceptions, minimum-run (MR) designs provide appreciable reductions in the size of experiments versus the regular (classical) two-level factorials. For example, a 9-factor design requires 32 and 64 runs to screen (resolution IV) or characterize (res V); respectively, whereas the MR4 (res IV) and MR5 (res V) designs come to only 18 and 46 runs. This substantial savings in runs is counteracted by a commensurate reduction in power, of course—you get what you pay for. Other wrinkles with MRs are murkier alias structures and greater susceptibility to missing runs. However, if your runs will be very expensive or time-consuming, consider the MR designs provided exclusively by Design-Expert® software."

(Learn more about minimum-run designs by attending the three-day computer-intensive workshop on Modern DOE for Process Optimization. Click the title for a description of this class and registration details.)
Webinar alert: Advanced tools for building designs for irregularly shaped DOE spaces
In this advanced-level webinar, Consultant Pat Whitcomb will reveal how to deal with unusually-shaped DOE spaces where classic designs like central composites come up short. By example using Design-Expert®, he will demonstrate how to build optimal designs for convex, concave and non-linear factor constraints.

To accommodate viewers worldwide, Pat will present his enlightening webinar three times (shown for Central Time USA) during the fourth week of January:
  1. Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 – 8:30 pm CST for Australia, NZ and eastern Asia (others welcome!)
  2. Thursday, Jan. 24 at 6:30 – 7:30 am CST for Europe, Africa, India, the Middle East and western Asia (others welcome!)
  3. Friday, Jan. 25 at 12:30 – 1:30 pm CST for the Americas and Caribbean (others welcome!)
Register now for the date and time that works best for you via this
GotoWebinar link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Book giveaway: Autographed copies of the Simplified trilogy and more!
(Sorry, due to the high cost of shipping, this offer applies only to residents of the United States and Canada.)

Simply reply to this e-mail by December 12 if you’d like to be entered to win a free autographed copy of DOE Simplified, 3rd Edition; RSM Simplified, 2nd Edition; or Formulation Simplified, 1st Edition.

We will also give away three slightly used (display copies), but still very valuable textbooks: Myers, et al, Response Surface Methodology, 3rd Edition; Cornell’s Experiments with Mixtures, 3rd Edition; and Smith’s Experimental Design for Formulation.

Please indicate which book(s) you would like most.

Good luck at being drawn as one of the 6 winners!
Events alert: 2019 (Premier!) Analytics Solutions Conference
Stat-Ease and CAMO Analytics have partnered together to host the premier conference on the practical applications of design of experiments (DOE), multivariate analysis (MVA), and process data visualization methods.

Reserve June 18-20 to enjoy early summer in Minneapolis and discover how to transform your business with data-driven tools from R&D to production. Watch for more details to come: call for speakers, registration, and so forth.

Click here for this and other upcoming appearances by Stat-Ease professionals.

P.S. Do you need a speaker on DOE for a learning session within your company or technical society at regional, national, or even international levels? If so, contact me. It may not cost you anything if Stat-Ease has a consultant close by, or if a web conference will be suitable. However, for presentations involving travel, we appreciate reimbursement for travel expenses. In any case, it never hurts to ask Stat-Ease for a speaker on this topic.
Workshop alert: West Coast opportunityModern DOE for Process Optimization and Experiment Design Made Easy coming to San DiegoSign up now before classes fill
You can do no better for quickly advancing your DOE skills than attending a Stat-Ease workshop. In these computer-intensive classes, our expert instructors provide you with a lively and extremely informative series of lectures interspersed by valuable hands-on exercises with one-on-one coaching. Enroll at least 6 weeks prior to the date so your place can be assured—plus get a 10% “early-bird” discount.
See this web page for complete schedule and site information on all Stat-Ease workshops open to the public. To enroll, scroll down to the workshop of your choice and click on it, or email our Lead Client Specialist Rachel Pollack at [email protected]. If spots remain available, bring along several colleagues and take advantage of quantity discounts in tuition. Or, consider bringing in an expert from Stat-Ease to teach a private class at your site.*

*Once you achieve a critical mass of about 6 students, it becomes very economical to sponsor an on-site workshop, which is most convenient and effective for your staff. For a quote, e-mail [email protected].
I hope you learned something from this issue. Address your general questions and comments to me at: [email protected].

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME REQUESTS TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE—
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS AT THE END OF THIS MESSAGE.

Sincerely,
   Mark

Mark J. Anderson, PE, CQE
Principal, Stat-Ease, Inc.
1300 Godward St NE
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413 USA
P.S. Quote for the month-Winston Churchill on “political” statistics (now known as “alternative facts”):

“I gather, young man, that you wish to be a Member of Parliament. The first lesson that you must learn is, when I call for statistics about the rate of infant mortality, what I want is proof that fewer babies died when I was Prime Minister than when anyone else was Prime Minister. That is a political statistic.”
Trademarks: Stat-Ease, Design-Expert and Statistics Made Easy are registered trademarks of Stat-Ease, Inc.

Acknowledgements to contributors:
  • Students of Stat-Ease training and users of Stat-Ease software
  • Stat-Ease consultants: Pat Whitcomb, Martin Bezener, and Shari Kraber
  • Stat-Ease programmers: Hank Anderson, Joe Carriere, and Mike Brownson
  • Stat-Ease business staff—Cathy Hickman, Greg Campbell, and Rachel Pollack—who provide such supreme support!
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