Virginia Tech® home

Ronald D. Fricker, Jr.

Interim Dean, College of Science

Ronald D. Fricker, Jr. is the Interim Dean of the Virginia Tech College of Science and a Professor of Statistics. He joined Virginia Tech in 2015 as the Head of the Department of Statistics and he has served as the Senior Associate Dean in the College of Science. Prior to Virginia Tech, he was a faculty member in the Operations Research Department of the Naval Postgraduate School and, before that, a Senior Statistician at the RAND Corporation and the Associate Director of the RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD).

Dr. Fricker’s research is focused on studying the performance of various statistical methods for use in disease surveillance and statistical process control methodologies more generally. He is the author of more than 100 papers, monographs, and technical reports, as well as two books: Introduction to Statistical Methods for Biosurveillance published by Cambridge University Press and, most recently, with Steve Rigdon he co-authored a book published at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, Monitoring the Health of Populations by Tracking Disease Outbreaks: Saving Humanity from the Next Plague.

In 2020, Fricker has applied his disease surveillance expertise by co-leading a multidisciplinary team of Virginia Tech faculty, students, and analysts who spent the summer building models to help the university understand how COVID-19 could impact the campus. Along with other Virginia Tech faculty experts, he also serves as an advisor to the New River Valley Regional Safety and Health Task Force established to help guide local governments, health systems, and businesses as they respond to COVID-19.

Dr. Fricker holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Statistics from Yale University, an M.S. in Operations Research from The George Washington University, and a bachelor's degree from the United States Naval Academy. Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, he served as a surface warfare officer in the United States Navy. Dr. Fricker is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA), and an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. He serves on the board of Virginia Tech Services, Inc., and is a member of the National Academies’ Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics.

  • Quality control and statistical process control
  • Statistical methods for biosurveillance
  • Survey design and analysis
  • Data analytics and data science

Books

  • Rigdon, S.E., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2020). Monitoring the Health of Populations by Tracking Disease Outbreaks and Epidemics: Saving Humanity from the Next Plague, CRC Press.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2013). Introduction to Statistical Methods for Biosurveillance, with an Emphasis on Syndromic Surveillance, Cambridge University Press.

Journal Papers

  • Ewing, E.T., S.E. Rigdon, and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2020). Understanding COVID-19 in 2020 Through the Lens of the 1918 ‘Spanish Flu’ Epidemic, Chance, 33:3.
  • Fricker, Jr., R.D., and S.E. Rigdon (2020). Discovering the Cause of Yellow Fever: Designing Effective Experiments, Significance, 3, 22-27.
  • Fricker, Jr., R.D., K. Burke, X. Han, and W.W. Woodall (2019). Assessing the Effect of Basic and Applied Social Psychology’s Ban on p-Values & Hypothesis Testing, The American Statistician, 73, supl. 1, 374-384.
  • Fricker, Jr., R.D., and H.S. Burkom (2019). Data Aggregation in Disease Surveillance, Journal of Quality Technology, invited discussion paper, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224065.2019.1611360.
  • Zhao, M.J., A.R. Driscoll, S. Sengupta, N.T. Stevens, R.D. Fricker, Jr., and W.H. Woodall (2018). The Effect of Data Aggregation Level in Social Network Monitoring, PLOS One, 13, e0209075. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209075.
  • Zhao, M.J., A.R. Driscoll, R.D. Fricker, Jr., S. Sengupta, D.J. Spitzner and W.H. Woodall (2018). Performance Evaluation of Social Network Anomaly Detection Using a Moving Window Based Scan Method, Quality and Reliability Engineering International, 34, 1699- 1716.
  • Fricker, Jr., R.D., and S.E. Rigdon (2018). Disease Surveillance: Detecting and Tracking Outbreaks Using Statistics, Chance, 31, 12-22.
  • Nesbitt, P., Q. Kennedy, J.K. Alt, and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2015). Iowa Gambling Task Modified for Military Domain, Military Psychology, 27, 252-260.
  • Brown, G.G., W. DeGrange, R.F. Dell, and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2015). Educating Military Operations Research Practitioners, Interfaces, 45:2, 175-186.
  • Yang, J.H., Q. Kennedy, J. Sullivan, and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2013). Pilot Performance: Assessing How Scan Patterns & Navigational Assessments Vary by Flight Expertise, Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 84:2, 1-9.
  • Ruth, D.M., Mastre, T., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2013). A Study of Mobile Learning Trends at the US Naval Academy and the Naval Postgraduate School, EduCAUSE Review Online.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., and D. Banschbach (2012). Optimizing Biosurveillance Systems that Use Threshold-based Event Detection Methods, Information Fusion, 13, 117-128.
  • Hagen, K.S., R.D. Fricker, Jr., K. Hanni, S. Barnes, and K. Michie (2011). Assessing the Early Aberration Reporting System's Ability to Locally Detect the 2009 Influenza Pandemic, Statistics, Politics, and Policy, 2, issue 1, article 1.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2011). Biosurveillance: Detecting, Tracking, and Mitigating the Effects of Natural Disease and Bioterrorism. Encyclopedia of Operations Research and the Management Sciences. Available on-line at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9780470400531
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2011). Some Methodological Issues in Biosurveillance (with discussion and rejoinder), Statistics in Medicine, 30, 403-441.
  • Hamrick, T.A., Fricker, R.D., Jr., and G.G. Brown (2010). Assessing What Distinguishes Highly Cited from Less-Cited Papers Published in Interfaces, Interfaces, 40, 454-464.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2009). Optimizing Shewhart Charts in Parallel Production Lines, International Journal of Quality Engineering and Technology, 1, pp. 125-135.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., and J.T. Chang (2008). A Spatio-temporal Methodology for Real-time Biosurveillance, Quality Engineering, 20, pp. 465-477.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., Hegler, B.L., and D.A. Dunfee (2008). Comparing Syndromic Surveillance Detection Methods: EARS' Versus a CUSUM-Based Methodology, Statistics in Medicine, 27, pp. 3407-3429.
  • Joner, M.D., Jr., W.H. Woodall, M.R. Reynolds, Jr., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2008). A One-Sided MEWMA Chart for Health Surveillance, Quality and Reliability Engineering International, 24, pp. 503-519.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., Knitt, M.C., and C.X. Hu (2008). Directionally Sensitive MCUSUM and MEWMA Procedures with Application to Biosurveillance, Quality Engineering, 20, pp. 478-494.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2007). Directionally Sensitive Multivariate Statistical Process Control Methods with Application to Syndromic Surveillance, Advances in Disease Surveillance, 3:1.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., and H.R. Rolka (2006). Protecting Against Biological Terrorism: Statistical Issues in Electronic Biosurveillance, Chance, 19, pp. 4-13.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., and M. Schonlau (2002). Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet Research Surveys: Evidence from the Literature, Field Methods, 14, pp. 347-367.
  • Talih, M. and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2002). Effects of Neighborhood Demographic Shifts on Findings of Environmental Justice: A New York City Case Study, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society - Series A, 165, pp. 375-397.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. and N. Hengartner (2001). Environmental Equity and the Distribution of Toxic Release Inventory Sites in New York City, Environmental and Ecological Statistics, 8, pp. 33-52.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., and C.A. Goodhart (2000). Applying a Bootstrap Approach for Setting Reorder Points in Military Supply Systems, Naval Research Logistics, 47, pp. 459-478.
  • Gray M.J., E.H. Ondaatje, R.D. Fricker, Jr., and S.A. Geschwind (2000). Service-learning Through Learn and Serve America, Higher Education, Change, 32, pp. 30-39.
  • Schnelle, J.F., Alessi, C.A., Al-Samarrai, N.R., Fricker, R.D., Jr., and J.G. Ouslander (1999). The Nursing Home at Night: Effects of an Intervention on Noise, Light, and Sleep, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 47, pp. 430-438.
  • Chang, J.T., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (1999). Detecting When a Monotonically Increasing Mean has Crossed a Threshold, Journal of Quality Technology, 31, pp. 217-233.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (1998). Nonrandomness in Microsoft Window's Solitaire, or, Using Electronic Games of Chance for Statistics Projects. Teaching Statistics, 20, pp. 43-45.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (1998). Attrition Models of the Ardennes Campaign. Naval Research Logistics, 45, pp. 1-22.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., and R.A. Wehrle (1996). Shared Inquiry: Learning How to Really Succeed in Business, National Productivity Review, 16, pp. 71-75.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (1996). The Mysterious Case of the Blue M&Ms, Chance, 9, pp. 19-22.

Monographs

  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. and C. Christine Fair (2003). Going to the Mines to Look for Diamonds: Experimenting with Military Recruiting Stations in Malls, MR-1697-OSD, RAND.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2002). The Effects of Perstempo on Officer Retention in the United States Military, MR-1556-OSD, RAND.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., G.O. Jacobson, and L. Davis (2002). Attempting to Evaluate State and Local Preparedness for a Chemical or Biological Attack, IP-217, RAND.
  • Birkler, J., J. Schank, J. Chiesa, I. Blickstein, R.D. Fricker, Jr., D. Rushworth, and G.K. Smith (2002). Options for Funding Aircraft Carriers, MR-1526-NAVY, RAND.
  • Schonlau, M., Fricker, R.D., Jr., and M.N. Elliott (2002). Conducting Research Surveys via E-Mail and the Web, MR-1480-RC, RAND.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., E. Reardon, D.M. Spektor, S. Cotton, J. Hawes-Dawson, J. Pace, and S.D. Hosek (2001). Pesticide Use During the Gulf War: A Survey of Gulf War Veterans, MR-1018/12-OSD, RAND.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. and M. Robbins (2000). Retooling for the Logistics Revolution: Designing Marine Corps Inventories to Support the Warfighter, MR-1096-USMC, RAND.
  • Sloss, E.M., D.M McCaffrey, R.D. Fricker, Jr., et al. (1999). Groundwater Recharge with Reclaimed Water: Birth Outcomes in Los Angeles County, 1982-1993, MR-1077-WRDSC, RAND.
  • Gray, M.J., et al. (1998). Final Report of the Evaluation of the Learn and Serve America, Higher Education Program, MR-998.0-CNCS, RAND, 1998.

Book Chapters

  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2017). Sampling Methods for Online Surveys, Handbook of Online Research Methods, 2nd edition, N. Fielding, R.M. Lee and G. Blank, eds., chapter 10, London: SAGE Publications.
  • Kulzy, W.W., D.J.Y. Combs, and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2016). Using the Social Framework Model of Trust to Better Understand Trust in Government, in Modeling Sociocultural Influences on Decision Making: Understanding Conflict, Enabling Stability, Cohn, Schatz, Freeman, and Combs, eds., CRC Press, Chapter 19, 397-422.
  • Anderson, L.A., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2016). Understanding Public Opinion Towards Violent Extremists, in Modeling Sociocultural Influences on Decision Making: Understanding Conflict, Enabling Stability, Cohn, Schatz, Freeman, and Combs, eds., CRC Press, Chapter 20, 423-448.
  • Rigdon, S.E., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2015). “Health Surveillance” in Innovative Statistical Methods for Public Health Data, D-G Chen and J.R. Wilson, eds., Springer, 203-249.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., S.E. Buttrey, and W. Evans (2014). Visualization for Sociocultural Signature Detection, in Sociocultural Behavior Sensemaking: State of the Art in Understanding the Operational Environment, Jill Egeth, Gary Klein, and Dylan Schmorrow, eds., The MITRE Corporation.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2012). Sampling Methods for Web and E-mail Surveys, SAGE Internet Research Methods, J. Hughes, ed., London: SAGE Publications. Reprinted from The SAGE Handbook of Online Research Methods, N. Fielding, R.M. Lee and G. Blank, eds., chapter 11, London: SAGE Publications, 195-216.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. and M. Schonlau (2012). Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet Research Surveys, SAGE Internet Research Methods, J. Hughes, ed., London: SAGE Publications. Reprinted from Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet Research Surveys: Evidence from the Literature, Field Methods, 14, 347-367.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2011). Biosurveillance: Detecting, Tracking, and Mitigating the Effects of Natural Disease and Bioterrorism, Encyclopedia of Operations Research and the Management Sciences, Cochran, J.J. (ed.), John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Available on-line at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9780470400531.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2008). Syndromic Surveillance, Encyclopedia for Quantitative Risk Analysis and Assessment, Melnick, E., and Everitt, B. (eds.), John Wiley & Sons Ltd., pp. 1743-1752.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2008). Sampling Methods for Web and E-mail Surveys, The SAGE Handbook of Online Research Methods, N. Fielding, R.M. Lee and G. Blank, eds., chapter 11, London: SAGE Publications, pp. 195-216.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2006). Game Theory in an Age of Terrorism: How Can Statisticians Contribute?, Statistical Methods in Counterterrorism: Game Theory, Modeling, Syndromic Surveillance, and Biometric Authentication, A. Wilson, G. Wilson, and D.H. Olwell, eds., Springer.
  • Stoto, M.A., Fricker, R.D., Jr., et al. (2006). Evaluating Statistical Methods for Syndromic Surveillance, Statistical Methods in Counterterrorism: Game Theory, Modeling, Syndromic Surveillance, and Biometric Authentication, A. Wilson, G. Wilson, and D.H. Olwell, eds., Springer.

Technical Reports

  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., S.E. Buttrey, and J.K. Alt (2015). “Future Navy Recruiting Strategies,” Naval Postgraduate School technical report.
  • Kennedy, Q., P. Nesbitt, J.K. Alt, and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2015). “Cognitive Alignment with Performance Targeted Training Intervention Model: CAPTIM,” Naval Postgraduate School technical report, NPS-OR-15-001.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., W.W. Kulzy, and D.J.Y. Combs (2014). “The Integrative Model of Organizational Trust as a Framework for Understanding Trust in Government,” NPS technical report, NPS-OR-14-003.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., and D.J. Coté (2014). “Facilitating Targeted Interventions in Substance Abuse Treatment Programs Via a Risk Scoring Methodology,” Naval Postgraduate School technical report, NPS-OR-14-002.
  • Committee on Review of Test Protocols Used by the DoD to Test Combat Helmets (2014). “Review of Department of Defense Test Protocols for Combat Helmets,” The National Academies Press, National Research Council.
  • Nesbitt, P., Q. Kennedy, J. Alt, R.D. Fricker, Jr., L. Whitaker, J. Yang, J.A. Appleget, J. Huston, and S. Patton (2014). “Understanding Optimal Decision-making in Wargaming,” NPS technical report, NPS-OR-14-001.
  • Deveans, T., S. Lechtenberg-Kasten, S.E. Buttrey, R.D. Fricker, Jr., J.A. Appleget and W.W. Kulzy (2012). “Africa Knowledge, Data Source, and Analytic Effort (KDAE) Exploration,” TRAC-Monterey technical report NPS-TRAC-M-TR-12-037.
  • Committee to Review the Testing of Body Armor Materials for Use by the U.S. Army (2012). “Testing of Body Armor Materials: Phase III,” The National Academies Press, National Research Council,.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2012). “A Sampling Methodology for INSURV Material Inspections,” Naval Postgraduate School technical report NPS-OR-12-001.
  • Committee to Review the Testing of Body Armor Materials for Use by the U.S. Army (2010). “Testing of Body Armor Materials for Use by the U.S. Army--Phase II: Letter Report,” The National Academies Press, National Research Council.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., and S.E. Buttrey (2008). “Assessing the Effects of Individual Augmentation (IA) on Active Component Navy Enlisted and Officer Retention,” Naval Postgraduate School Technical Report, NPS-OR-08-003.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., S.M. Gates, C. Paul, and K. Ricci (2002). “Employee Perspectives on DoD Civil Service Careers,” RAND, PM-1286-1-OSD, March.
  • Jacobson, J., S.K. Cotton, R.D. Fricker, Jr., and L. Davis (2001). “Federal Weapons of Mass Destruction Preparedness Programs Survey Respondent Demographics and Survey Fielding Procedures,” RAND, PM-1259-OSD, October.
  • Pace, J., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2001). “Basic Tabulations from the Federal Weapons of Mass Destruction Preparedness Programs Survey: State and Local Responder Assessment of Federal Programs,” RAND, PM-1256-OSD, October.
  • Cotton, S.K., J. Jacobson, R.D. Fricker, Jr., and L. Davis (2001). “Instrument Design for the Federal Weapons of Mass Destruction Preparedness Programs Survey,” RAND, PM-1263-OSD, October.
  • Jacobson, J., R.D. Fricker, Jr., and L. Davis (2001). “Sample Design, Respondent Selection, and Construction of Survey Weights for the Federal Weapons of Mass Destruction Preparedness Programs Survey,” RAND, PM-1236-OSD, August.
  • Kirby, S.N., R.D. Fricker, Jr., B. Williams, and M.C. Harrell (2001). “Manning the Army Special Operations Forces: An Interim Progress Report,” RAND, AB-502-A, April.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (1998). Survey Sampling Plan for the Survey of Pest Control Problems and Pesticide Use During the Gulf War, RAND, PM-854-OSD, November.
  • Geschwind, S., S. Hosek, D. Spektor, E. Reardon, R.D. Fricker, Jr., and J. Hawes-Dawson (1998). “Survey of Pest Control Problems and Pesticide Use During the Gulf War,” RAND, PM-859-OSD, September.
  • Thie, H.J., R.D. Fricker, Jr., and A. Robbert (1998). “Using Statistical Process Control to Measure Personnel Processes,” RAND, PM-776-JS, February.

Other Publications

  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2020). COVID-19 Cases Around the World, Significance, 17, 4-5.
  • Fricker, Jr., R.D. (2020). “130,000 COVID-19 Deaths is More than a Statistic,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, https://www.richmond.com/opinion/columnists/ron-fricker-column-130-000-covid-19-deaths-is-more-than-a-statistic/article_515d1aca-83ca-55e8-b9ef-6c010e02cc3f.html, July 7.
  • Fricker, Jr., R.D. (2020). “Let Science Lead,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, https://www.richmond.com/opinion/columnists/ron-fricker-column-let-science-lead/article_66cc7a7a-c606-519f-a3f2-e2388e7387c3.html, April 10, pp. D1 and D3.
  • Fricker, Jr., R.D., and S.E. Rigdon (2020). Investigating a Disease Outbreak, Significance, 17, 14.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. and W.H. Woodall (2016). In Response: Play It Again, and Again, Sam, Significance, 13, 46.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2016). Letters: False Positives are Statistically Inevitable, Science, 351, 569-570.
  • Anderson, L., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2015). Raking: An Important and Often Overlooked Survey Analysis Tool, Phalanx, 48, 36-42.
  • Kulzy, W.W., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2015). The Survey Process: With an Emphasis on Survey Data Analysis, Phalanx, 47, 32-37.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2013). Editorial: The 10th Rothkopf Rankings of Universities' Contributions to the INFORMS Practice Literature, Interfaces, 43:6, 572-577.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., Kulzy, W.W., and J.A. Appleget (2012). From Data to Information: Using Factor Analysis with Survey Data, Phalanx, 45:4, 30-34.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2012). Editorial: The First Rothkopf Rankings of Non-Academic Organizations, Interfaces, 42:6, 585-590.
  • Yang, J.H., Kennedy, Q., Sullivan, J., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2012). Scan Patterns on Overland Navigation in Varying Route Difficulty: Is Total Flight Hours (TFH) a Good Measure of Expertise?, Boston, MA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Proceedings, 56:1, 1406-1410.
  • Major, W.F., Kline, J., and R.D. Fricker, Jr. (2012). Assessing Counter-Piracy Tactics: Is it Better to Fight or Flee?, Phalanx, 45:3, 22-24.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2011). Editorial: The Ninth Rothkopf Rankings of Universities' Contributions to the “INFORMS Practice Literature,” Interfaces, 41:6, 590-598.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2010). Book review: Statistics and Data with R: An Applied Approach Through Examples by Yosef Cohen and Jeremiah Y. Cohen, The American Statistician, 64, 93-94, 2010.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2009). Book review: Fundamentals of Quality Control and Improvement by Amitava Mitra, Journal of the American Statistical Association, 104, 1279-1280.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2009). Editorial: The Eighth Rothkopf Rankings of Universities' Contributions to the "INFORMS Practice" Literature, Interfaces, 39:6, 533-539.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2009). Book review: Computational Statistics: An Introduction to R by Gunther Sawitzki, The American Statistician, 63, 401-402.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2008). Looking for a Few Good…Statisticians: Being a Government Statistician at the Naval Postgraduate School, Amstat News, August.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr., Knitt, M.C., Hegler, B.L., and Dunfee, D.A., and C.X. Hu (2007). SPC Applications in Syndromic Surveillance, 2007 Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, Section on Quality and Productivity [CD-ROM], Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2005). Directionally Sensitive Multivariate Statistical Process Control Methods, 2005 Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, Section on Risk Analysis [CD-ROM], Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2005). Book review: Cognition and Chance: The Psychology of Probabilistic Reasoning by Raymond S. Nickerson, Technometrics, 47, p. 376.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2003). “You Can Go to Class in Your Pajamas, or, One Reason to Take a Course via e-Learning,” Marshall Magazine, University of Southern California, Summer.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (2001). Book review: A Handbook of Statistical Analyses Using Stata, second edition by Sophia Rabe-Hesketh and Brian Everitt, Technometrics, 43, 496-497.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (1999). Book review: Statistical Process Control and Quality Improvement, third edition by Gerald M. Smith, Technometrics, 39.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (1997). Book review: Statistical Problem Solving in Quality Engineering by Thomas J. Kazmierski. Technometrics, 39, 227-228, May.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (1997). Keep the Best, Proceedings, U.S. Naval Institute, 123, 50-55.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (1996). Book review: Statistics as Principled Argument by Robert P. Abelson, The American Statistician, 50, 278-279, August.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (1994). The Inherent Difficulties in Applying TQM to a Particular Service Industry. 1994 Proceedings of the Section on Quality and Productivity of the American Statistical Association, 181-188.
  • Fricker, R.D., Jr. (1982). Where Have All the Sailors Gone? Proceedings, U.S. Naval Institute, 108, 70-73.

Blogs and Videos

  • Homo SocioNeticus: Scaling the Cognitive Foundations of Online Social Behavior, R. Fricker, PI, DARPA, $681,819, 2019.
  • Curriculum redesign 4-VA Grant, Introductory Statistics (STAT 2004), R. Fricker, PI, $10,000, 2016-17.
  • Future Navy Recruiting Strategies: Development of Concepts, Practices, Processes and Procedures to Recruit Generation Z and Alpha, R. Fricker and S. Buttrey co-PIs, $220,000, 2014-15.
  • Navy Recruit Attrition Prediction Modeling, S. Buttrey and R. Fricker co-PIs, $93,648, 2014-15.
  • The Human Social Cultural Behavior Modeling Initiative at the Naval Postgraduate School, Jeff Appleget and Ron Fricker, PIs, Office of Naval Research, $400,000, 2013.
  • JSOTF-P Philippines Survey Data Exploration and Analysis, Ron Fricker, PI, Army TRADOC Analysis Center – Monterey, $85,000, 2013.
  • Deployable Force Protection: Gaps In and Improvements Of, Ron Fricker, PI, U.S. Army TRADOC Analysis Center, $17,500, 2012.
  • Africa Knowledge, Data Source, and Analytic Effort (KDAE) Exploration, Ron Fricker, PI, U.S. Army TRADOC Analysis Center, $45,000, 2012.
  • The Human Social Cultural Behavioral (HSCB) Modeling Initiative at the Naval Postgraduate School, Jeff Appleget and Ron Fricker, PIs, Office of Naval Research, $160,000, 2011.
  • Statistical Tasks in Support of the Board of Inspection and Survey, Ron Fricker, PI, U.S. Navy Board of Inspection and Survey, $47,000, 2011.
  • Modeling Essential Services, Security, Economics and Employment Associated with Attitudes, Ron Fricker, PI, U.S. Army Center for Analysis, $125,000, 2010.
  • Optimizing Threshold-based Surveillance Systems, Ron Fricker, PI, Army Research Office, $50,000, 2010.
  • Statistical Models for Forecasting Insurgent Strikes with Application to Improvised Explosive Device Attacks in Iraq, Ron Fricker and Roberto Szechtman, co-PIs, Office of Naval Research, $240,000, 2007-8.
  • Research on the Effects of Individual Augmentation (IA) on Navy Enlistment and Officer Retention, Ron Fricker and Sam Buttrey, co-PIs, Office of Chief of Naval Personnel, Manpower, Personnel, Training & Education, $59,946, 2007-8.
  • Developing and Evaluating Methods Advanced Statistical Methods for Early Detection of Bioterrorism via Syndromic Surveillance with Application to Homeland Security and National Defense, Naval Postgraduate School, $247,000, 2005-7.
  • Expert Panel on Detection of Aberrations in Surveillance Data, Karen Kafadar, University of Colorado at Denver, and Ron Fricker co-Pls, American Statistical Association Strategic Funding Initiative, $10,000, 2006.
  • Promoting Collaboration and Outreach between Statisticians and Practitioners in National Security and Homeland Defense, Ron Fricker and Laura Schmidt, RAND, co-Pls, American Statistical Association Strategic Funding Initiative, $4,600, 2005.

Principal investigator for multiple Department of Defense studies via the National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center, including:

  • Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Enhanced Recruiting Stations, $500,000, 2002-2003.
  • Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield Pesticides Use Survey, $866,000, 1998-2000.
  • Developing Methods for Early Detection of Biological Terrorism Using Advanced Statistical Process Control Methodology, DoD Independent Research and Development funding, $100,000, 2001-2002.
  • Evaluation of Web-based Survey Technology, DoD Independent Research and Development funding, $120,000, 2000.
  • Developing Statistical Methodology and an Analytical Framework for Evaluating Environmental Justice via a Longitudinal Study of Metropolitan New York City, National Science Foundation grant SRB-9816560, $300,000, 1999-2001.
Ron Fricker

Professor