PRESS RELEASE

Call for paid internships announced at the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

Students in statistics, mathematics, computer science, public administration, and others may apply

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute announced that, for the next two weeks, and as long as the available spaces are filled, the call for paid internships will be open for graduate students in statistics, mathematics, computer science or in any other area in which extensive use is made of statistics, including economics, planning, demography, epidemiology, biostatistics, criminology, sociology, public policy, public administration, business administration or other related ones. The opportunity also extends to undergraduate students, from any of the above-mentioned disciplines, who are candidates for graduation in the same academic year in which they participate in the program.

Those selected will have the opportunity to collaborate directly with professionals from the Institute, who have extensive experience in the fields of economics, epidemiology, education, demography, statistics, programming and administration, among others. In the same way, they will receive support from the Institute's staff in the major projects they carry out according to the area in which they are assigned. All this, as indicated, in a work and learning environment that allows them to apply their knowledge in a professional environment.

“We are pleased to offer this opportunity to graduate students, or undergraduate candidates for graduation, as they will not only gain experience, but we also help them prepare for the professional field of work. In the same way, it is always good to share with the new generations that they have a lot to contribute, particularly in one of the most developed areas in Puerto Rico, such as statistics,” said Dr. Orville M. Disdier, executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, who added that, among the applicants, they are interested in identifying candidates with knowledge in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Microsoft Power BI, SQL and Python, and others.

It was reported that interested parties must complete an application that is available at Programa_Internado_2025_IEPR.pdf where, in addition, the requirements and documents they must provide are detailed. Once the application is completed, it must be sent along with the documents to the following email: programadeinternado@estadisticas.pr. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute will receive the requests and they will go through an evaluation process. Applicants will then receive a formal notification with the decision made.

For more information, those interested who meet the requirements can contact Mrs. Rebeca Ortiz, Office Manager at the following email: rebeca.ortiz@estadisticas.pr.

The Internship Program of the Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico was created to promote the professional development of undergraduate students or graduates of university programs in statistics or related sciences at universities in Puerto Rico and other jurisdictions in the United States, to collaborate with the projects, studies and work carried out at the Institute.

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PRESS RELEASE

Statistics Institute and Instituto Nueva Escuela manage to include Montessori schools and questions about the impact of Hurricane Maria in an important school survey

The 2019 edition of the YRBSS for Puerto Rico included students from Montessori schools for the first time and asked about the effects of the hurricane on these students

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute joined forces with the Instituto Nueva Escuela, achieving for the first time that Montessori schools are included in the 2019 edition of the survey Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YBSS). The YRBSS is a survey conducted every two years to students in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 across the United States and its jurisdictions, including Puerto Rico. The questions cover various topics related to students' health and risk behaviors, and as a result, statistics are produced on bullying, electronic harassment, violent behavior, sexual behavior, drug use and on students' eating habits, among others.

In addition, it was possible to include five additional questions, related to the impact of Hurricane Maria on students, from all the schools participating in the study in Puerto Rico. Approximately 1,498 students from public schools in Puerto Rico participated in the self-administered survey, and of these, a total of 110 students belonged to Montessori schools, of which 53% were male, 47% female, and 27.2%, 54.5%, 16.0% and 2.3% were in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12, respectively. Although it is expected that by the end of this year the Institute of Statistics and the Instituto Nueva Escuela will produce an official and detailed statistical report on the results of this survey, here are some preliminary results regarding hurricane questions in students under the Montessori philosophy:

• 80.4% of students reported that they spent a month or more without electricity in their homes.
• 98.9% of students reported feeling sad or hopeless after the impact of Hurricane Maria and due to the lack of electricity.
• 47.1% of students reported that they spent a month or more without drinking water service in their homes.
• 100% of the students reported feeling sad or hopeless after the impact of Hurricane Maria and due to the lack of drinking water.
• 77.7% of students reported that they were unable to attend school for a month or more because it was closed or unable to reach or access it.

“These preliminary results show us the enormous impact that the passage of Hurricane Maria had on these Montessori school students. In previous editions, these students, under the Montessori philosophy, were left out of this important survey. However, thanks to the teamwork of both institutes, we have been able to make them visible,” said Dr. Orville M. Disdier, executive director of the Institute of Statistics.

For their part, Dr. Ana María García Blanco, executive director of the Instituto Nueva Escuela, and Mr. Cesar Ostolaza of the Evaluation and Research Division said: “We are very happy with the invitation from Dr. Orville M. Disdier to participate in this study. It is important to have reliable data in the face when making decisions about the practices and services we will provide to our students. Their voices are essential in defining the public policies for which we are choosing. It is imperative to take into account the emotional state of young people, especially based on the natural and social phenomena they have been through when it comes to “building” a school. It is with them and from them that we must build it.”

The Instituto Nueva Escuela is a non-profit entity that seeks to transform the public education system in Puerto Rico through Montessori philosophy and methodology. For its part, the Statistics Institute of Puerto Rico is a governmental entity with fiscal and administrative autonomy with the mission of coordinating the statistical production service of government entities. To learn more about the Instituto Nueva Escuela you can access the website: www.inepr.com. To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Contacts: Idia M. Martínez, R‐28, 787‐603‐3200, and Lourdes Burgos, R‐27, 787‐562‐2932

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Puerto Rican receives prestigious award for contribution to statistics

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