Claire Maslin
Graduate
Statistics
Claire Maslin knows about variables and how they direct trends - both as a statistician, and personally.
Moving from her home in Wellington to Dunedin was the first adjustment Claire made when she chose to attend university.
"It was good fun learning to become independent by going flatting and enjoying a new city," Claire notes,
But having accomplished that first variable of student life, another came into play. Claire initially entered Otago with the intention of starting a path into a medical career, but she found statistics to be what really drove her.
"I've always been a logical person. The more statistic papers I took, I liked stats more and more," Claire remembers looking back at her change of plans. "Statistics makes you think. It's a way to find out if things are significant, and what matters, as you research trends."
Now working for Statistics New Zealand on their injury statistics team, Claire puts into practice what she learned through her papers, especially the insights gained in the higher-level courses.
"The probability and inference paper that stats students take either during their second or third year was my favourite," Claire remembers. "It was challenging, but when you finished you really appreciated what you accomplished."
Having overcome the demands of her degree, Claire has figured out the right variables to achieve success.