Tuesday, Oct. 21
The big statistical roundup began in Austin on Tuesday. Wrangling data, roping analytics experts into conversations about the new features in JMP 19, and corralling like-minded peers into sharing best practices are keeping the nearly 400 attendees engaged and inspired.
Discovery Summit 2025 kicked off with a day of optional workshops that focused on a range of topics, from Bayesian optimization and machine learning to Workflow Builder and Profiler platforms.
As the Texas twilight settled, guests and staff gathered under the cottonwoods for a welcome dinner. Discovery veterans reconnected with conference pals while first-timers began to understand what makes the JMP flagship event so special.
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Discovery picked up the pace on Wednesday, with attendees rushing to and fro to make sure they didn't miss a thing.
At the first plenary, Jeff Perkinson opened the conference with some questions for the attendees:
- What if your organization trusted data as much as it trusts instinct?
- Imagine a workplace where every decision starts with a question, not an answer. What would change?
- What’s the cost of not using data – and how often do we pay it without realizing?
- How do you know when your culture of analytics culture is thriving – and how do you know when it’s not?
Perkinson then instructed attendees to visualize their analytical challenges and stalled projects and put them on a shelf until they return to work. He advised, “While in Austin, discover new approaches and deepen your analytical thinking. So when you go back to work on Monday, you’ll have new eyes and new ideas when you look at the challenges that I asked you to shelve. That’s the opportunity of Discovery.”
Jules Parris hosted the morning’s plenary session, Everyday Efficiencies. Making Smarter Data. Making Data Smarter. Using her microwave’s operating manual as an example, Parris explained the cumulative effect that efficiency gains have over time. John Sall and Michael Hecht emphasized Parris’ message by demonstrating how environmental monitoring and improvements to data tables in JMP 19 can help users realize efficiency gains.
Yeng Saanchi and Kasia Dobrzycka assumed the personas of a frustrated experimenter and a data science guru in an engaging skit that highlighted just how cool the new Bayesian Optimization platform is.
But efficiency gains aren’t just a boon at work. Parris tied all the parts of the plenary together with a personal story that exemplified how being more efficient gives you more time for life and allows you to be more present for the things and people that really matter.
The afternoon was jam-packed with a plethora of presentations that drew standing-room-only crowds. Attendees flocked to the Discovery Expo to chat with developers about new features in JMP.
The day of conversations and learning morphed into an evening of tacos and connections at Lazarus Brewing Company.
Thursday, Oct. 23
Thursday kicked off with the Advocates in Action session, hosted by Meg Hermes, who told the audience that advocacy isn’t just a role; it’s a mindset. “The thesis for this session is that analytics at scale isn’t just having a great tool on laptops or desktops across your organization. Analytics at scale is a culture. It’s creating a shared habit,” she said. Hermes then challenged the attendees to come up with one thing they can do (big or small) to advocate for analytics at their company.
Margaret Wilson-Moses, Production Engineer Manager at Inpria, joined Hermes on stage to chat about how she promotes a culture of analytics. Wilson-Moses borrows a term from chemistry – activation energy – to describe how she motivates and equips her staff to use JMP. “In chemistry, activation energy is the minimum energy required for a reaction to occur. I believe that people also have activation energy,” explained Wilson-Moses. However, everyone has different levels of this energy; her job is to determine what’s needed (whether it be mentoring, training, or hands-on experience) to spark the activation energy in everyone.
Next on the stage was JMP’s own Phil Kay. He explained the concept behind the podcast that he co-hosts with biologist Markus Gershater: The Next Experiment. Kay said that there have been many advancements in DOE over the past 10 years, especially in biology research, which is notoriously tricky given its inherent variability. In the podcast, which launches its second season soon, Kay and Gershater discuss how to embrace the noise.
“My name is Chris Theis. I’m Chief Quality Officer at Coherent, and I’m a JMPaholic.” With that bold opener, Theis took the stage to explain how Coherent – which turns photons into lasers that are used to create a variety of products, including medical devices and telecommunications equipment – optimized its usage of JMP. Two years ago, Coherent had roughly 750 JMP users spread across the globe in 15 manufacturing sites, but it had very little insight into how JMP was being used. After surveying users to see what they really needed from JMP, Coherent now has 1,000 users who are all connected via JMP Live. Theis also took advantage of the training and support that JMP provides: “JMP has the best training and support staff of any software company I’ve ever worked with. If you aren’t taking advantage of that, you are missing out."
The day ended with another dinner under the Texas stars.
There may have even been a dogie or two lassoed. (Don't worry, we untied her...eventually.)
Friday, Oct. 24
And just like that, Discovery Summit 2025 rode off into the sunset on Friday. It began peacefully with a meditation session led by Kirsten Crannell, who helped attendees center themselves before another day full of learning.
Closing plenary speaker Shayla Rivera shared her story so that we can all think about the power that our own stories hold. She reminded the audience to remember, “Wherever I am, I’m supposed to be there.”
Thanks to everyone who played a part in the success of yet another fabulous Discovery, but especially the Events team. See you in Baltimore in 2026!
