Mizzou’s Department of Statistics and Data Science recently awarded the inaugural James E. Holstein Scholarship to three exceptional students in the program.  

Undergraduate students, Bradley Danley and Logan Russo, and doctoral student, Abhisek Banerjee, were recognized during a reception attended by James E. Holstein and his wife Mariann. 

Holstein was one of the four founding members when the Department of Statistics was established in the College of Arts and Science in 1963. Holstein’s son James and Lisa Holstein, both Mizzou alumni, established the scholarship to honor his legacy as a long-serving professor and to support future statisticians and scholars as they prepare for successful careers. 

This year’s recipients exemplify academic excellence, each eager to apply their MizzouMade education to research, leadership, and real-world impact. 

Meet the scholarship recipients 

Second-year doctoral student Abhisek Banerjee plans to pursue a career as a researcher and educator. His research focuses on methodological advances in generative Bayesian machine learning models for survival analysis and biostatistics. 

Senior Bradley Danley has been actively involved in research labs, softball analytics, and the Undergraduate Statistics Club. He co-authored a paper as part of the Keno Project, an undergraduate research initiative. Danley plans to enter the workforce this summer, applying the statistics, data science, communication, and leadership skills he developed at Mizzou. 

Sophomore Logan Russo plans to pursue her master’s degree in statistics with an emphasis in biostatistics through the Department of Statistic’s accelerated master’s program. Russo intends to support medical research that improves cancer treatments.