64914 Stats News May 2003
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statistical society of australia incorporated newsletter May, 2003 Number 103 Registered by Australia Post Publication No. NBH3503 issn 0314-6820 New Year’s Honours for Professor Chris Heyde In the 2003 New Year’s Honours, a gifted schoolteacher sparked have two sons Neil and Eric. Chris’ Professor Chris Heyde was his interest in mathematics. After first job was as an Assistant Professor awarded Membership of the Order leaving school, he enrolled at at Michigan State University of Australia (AM). Such awards the University of Sydney, in 1964-5; in 1965 he moved to are not lightly offered: they are graduating with a First Class Sheffield and later Manchester, intended to recognize the Member’s Honours degree in Mathematics where he was appointed Special contribution to Australian society. in 1961, and receiving the University Lecturer in charge of the Statistical Chris has undoubtedly given much Medal. He won a Commonwealth Laboratory in 1967. He returned to to this country: a brief account of his Postgraduate Research Scholarship Australia in 1968 as a Reader in Ted contributions (apart from his well to the Australian National Hannan’s Department of Statistics known research) follows. University (ANU), and earned his at the ANU. Chris was born in Sydney on 20 PhD in Statistics from Pat Moran’s In 1975, he joined Joe Gani in the April 1939, and went to school at Department in 1965. He married CSIRO Division of Mathematics Barker College, Hornsby, where Elizabeth James later that year; they and Statistics (DMS), first as a Senior Principal Research Scientist, and then as Chief Research Scientist and Assistant Chief of the Division from 1977. He was instrumental in carrying out many of the modernizing changes which enhanced DMS’s international renown. In 1981, when Joe left DMS, Chris continued his work as Acting Chief of the Division, until his appointment to the Chair of Statistics at the University of Melbourne in 1983. He returned to the ANU in 1986 as Professor and Head of the Department of Statistics in the Institute of Advanced Chris and his wife Dr Beth Heyde in the grounds of Government House Studies. He served as Foundation following the award ceremony. Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences for three years from 1989, and is currently Professor in the In this issue ANU’s Mathematical Sciences Editorial ........................................... 3 SSAI Operational Plan .................... 9 Institute (the School’s new name). Since 1993, he has also served for Competition Results ....................... 3 SSAI Strategic Plan 2003-2007 ..11 the first semester each year as Member News ................................ 4 Branch Reports ............................16 Professor in the Department of Accreditation.................................... 5 Conferences ..................................24 Statistics at Columbia University, New York, where he is the Director Honours for Chris Heyde of the Columbia Center for Applied for Stochastic Processes and their Probability. Applications and the 4th Australian Throughout his career, Chris Statistical Conference in Canberra has taken a serious interest in in 1978, the Bicentennial National PO Box 85, the history and development of Mathematical Sciences Congress Ainslie ACT 2602 Mathematics, Statistics and more in 1988, the Australian Academy Phone/Fax (02) 6249 8266 generally Science in Australia. He of Science Symposium on the Role Email: [email protected] has written a book on Bienayme of Mathematics in Science in 1990, Society Web Page with Eugene Seneta, and co-edited and the annual Applied Probability http://www.statsoc.org.au “Statisticians of the Centuries” with Day Conferences at Columbia him. He was elected to Fellowship University. He has been involved in of the Australian Academy of many other conferences, which are Editors Science in 1977, and has since omitted only for reasons of space. served it in various capacities: he Chris has also contributed a great Alice Richardson, School of Mathematics was a member of the Sectional deal to Australian and international and Statistics, University of Canberra, Committee 1 for Mathematics in PO Box 1, Belconnen ACT 2616 Email: journals through his broad editorial 1978-82 (Chairman 1980-82), a [email protected] expertise. As Associate Editor of the Fax: (02) 6201 2683 Council Member in 1986-93, Vice- President in 1988-89 and Treasurer J.Aust.Math.Soc., he was responsible Eden Brinkley, Australian Bureau of in 1989-93. He was Chairman of for probability and statistics Statistics, Locked Bag 10, Belconnen, the Executive Committee of the submissions to the journal in 1972-74. ACT 2616 He was Editor of the Aust.J.Statist. Email: [email protected] Australian Foundation for Science in 1973-78, and Associate Editor Phone: (02) 6252 6068 in 1990-92, and has since been a Director of this Foundation. of Ann.Probab. in 1974-78, Correspondence Maths.Operat.Res. in 1976-90, ISI The Australian Mathematical Review in 1980-87, Adv.Appl. Prob. Please direct all editorial correspondence Society (AMS), the Statistical in 1972-82, and Stoch.Proc.Applns to Alice Richardson. Society of Australia (SSA) and the in 1972-82. He has been one of the International Statistical Institute Disclaimer Editors of Math.Scientist since 1982, (ISI) owe much to his endeavours. The views of contributors to this Coordinating Editor for J.Appl.Prob. He served as a member of the Newsletter should not be attributed to and Adv.Appl.Prob. in 1982-89, and the Statistical Society of Australia, Inc. AMS Council in 1980-83, and was Vice-President in 1981. He was Editor-in-Chief of both these journals since 1990. He has also been one of Subscriptions Vice-President of the ISI in 1985-87 and again in 1993-95; he was also a the Editors of the Springer Series The Newsletter of the Statistical Society in Probability and its Applications of Australia is supplied free to all member of the ISI’s Bernoulli Society members of the society. Any others Council in 1979-87, its President since 1985. His high standards and wishing to subscribe to the Newsletter Elect in 1983-85, and its President fair-minded approach to authors’ may do so at an annual cost of A$25.00 in 1985-87. He was a member of submissions have earned him the for an issue of four numbers. the SSA’s Canberra Branch Council respect of all professional colleagues in 1973-83, and again in 1987-89, in Australia and overseas. Advertising becoming its Branch President in Throughout his career, Chris has Advertising will be carried in the 1977-79. While at the University of altruistically devoted much of his Newsletter on any matters which the Melbourne, he was a member of Editors feel are of interest to the members time to his colleagues, to the various the SSA’s Victorian Branch Council of the Society. For details of advertising Societies to which he belongs, and in 1984-86, and Branch President rates, etc. contact the Editors at the above more generally to the development addresses. in 1985-86. He was a member of the SSA’s Central Council in 1973- of Mathematics and Statistics in Printer 86, and the Society’s President in Australia and internationally. I believe that it is for this continuing National Capital Printing 1979-81. He has been a member 22 Pirie Street, Fyshwick ACT 2609 of the Australian Mathematics dedication to his ideals that he Competition Board since 1981, and was awarded his AM. All of his an active member of the Board of colleagues congratulate him most DEADLINE FOR the Australian Mathematics Trust warmly on this well merited award: NEXT ISSUE: since 1992. they are proud to have so selfless a colleague for a friend. 20 JULY 2003 Chris has organized a large number of important conferences, Joe Gani among them the 8th Conference Australian National University 2 SSAI Newsletter – May 2003 Editorial The Editors are delighted to feature after the deadline; it contains live Chris Heyde’s Australia Day medal hyperlinks that have been checked; in this issue of the newsletter. The it can sustain a dynamic debate Statistical Society has of course (issue 57 online has correspondence got its own system for recognising on “NZ needs maths graduates”); contributions, including service if someone sends in an excess of awards and honorary life material I can abstract it in the membership. It is great news when hardcopy & refer to the online such contributions are recognised version; and I keep in practice at web by the general community as well. programming and enjoy writing it. One could argue as a downside The SSAI Newsletter Editors. Last issue we wrote in the “website that it’s accessible to non-members, of the month” about the website to the Editors at the addresses on but one could also argue that as an of this newsletter, which currently page 2. upside!” As the NZSA Newsletter has one pdf version of a previous appears but twice a year, there are Finally, the editors are interested newsletter. The Editors hope also benefits in the timeliness of the in members’ experiences in to expand this collection in the content of the newsletter. applying statistical methods in their next few months. While we were workplaces, and this includes the researching this issue, it came to We are not planning to follow this use of technology such as statistical our attention that the New Zealand route at the moment, as a recent software. To that end, Paul Barrett, Statistical Society (NZSA) has an survey of SSA members suggested Honorary Senior Research Fellow online version of its newsletter as a strong desire to settle down with a at the University of Auckland, has well as the hard copy. The Editor, paper copy of the newsletter over a provided a review of the statistical Roger Littlejohn, explains the cup of coffee four times a year.