Samuel P. Wilcock

Dr. Wilcock is a graduate of Messiah University (then Messiah College) and joined it as a member of the faculty after completing his doctorate in statistics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), where his dissertation focused on nonparametric experimental design. While there, he taught several undergraduate courses and consulted on numerous research projects. At Messiah, he has taught over a dozen different courses and enjoys finding more effective ways to help students grasp course material and relate it to life and faith. He and his wife Joy live in Dillsburg with their five children, and attend Harrisburg Brethren in Christ Church.

Recent Publications and Presentations

‘Combining Strengths: Turning institutional strength in Statistics and Computing into a new Data Science Major’, paper presented at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Nashville, TN (2025)

Dealing with Reality: Discovering how God created our Neighbors, essay in Invitation to Conversation, Ed. Cicero, Seibert, and Weatherford, SacraSage publishing (2024)

‘Teaching Statistics at Faith-based Institutions: Including Faith without Sacrificing Rigor’, Birds of a Feather session at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Toronto, Canada (2023)

‘Faith Informed Teaching at Christian and “Secular” Institutions’, panel discussion led at the International Christian Statisticians meeting at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Toronto, Canada (2023)

‘Initiation of Standardized Depression Screening in College Health: A Quality Improvement Project’, (with K. Slabaugh and S. Harris), in Journal of Doctoral Nursing Practice 11(2), 143-150.

‘Show me your family and I’ll show you mine: An activity for immersing family development theory’, (with R.R. Hamon and A. Kolb), Paper presented as part of a symposium entitled “Engaging Classroom Exercises for Teaching Family Theories” at the National Council on Family Relations Conference, Minneapolis, MN. (2016, November 3)

Leaving Christendom to Follow Christ, chapter in A Living Alternative, Anabaptist Christianity in a Post-Christendom World, Ed. Harader and Green, etolloc Publishing, (2014)

Statistical Projects in the Age of IRBs, paper presented at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Boston, MA (2014) in the session entitled The Statistical Classroom: Student Projects Utilizing Student-Generated Data

Rapid Assessment Tools for Conserving Woodland Vernal Pools in the Northern Blue Ridge Mountains, (with E.D. Lindquist, D.K. Foster, and J.S. Erikson), in Northeastern Naturalist 20(3), 397-418.

Is the World Ready for a Simulation Approach to Introductory Topics?, invited panel at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Montreal, Canada (2013)

A Bayesian Secondary Analysis in an Asthma Study, updated version of paper presented at the Joint Statistical Meetings in San Diego, CA (2012)

A Bayesian Secondary Analysis in an Asthma Study, paper presented at the biennial conference of the ACMS at Westmont College (2011)

• DASC 201 Introduction to Data Science
• DASC 325: Time Series Analysis
• DASC 421: Advanced Statistical Methods
• STAT 269: Introductory Statistics
• STAT 281: Applied Stats for Management
• STAT 291: Probability and Statistics
• STAT 292: Inferential Statistics
• STAT 325: Experimental Design
• STAT 331: Nonparametric Statistics
• STAT 417: Introduction to Mathematical Statistics

Data science, biostatistics, nonparametric statistics, experimental design, regression analysis, and statistics and data science education. I also do freelance consulting in a variety of areas.