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August 2010

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Newsletter of the Chicago Chapter of the American Statistical Association )
Volume 57 Number 1 August 2010
IN THIS ISSUE

  • In Memory of Arnold Zellner (1927-2010)

  • Arnold Zellner - "A Great Inspiration"

  • Sitting Down with Arnold Zellner

  • Freakonomics On the Big Screen

  • 2010-2011 Chicago ASA Chapter Officers

  • About the Parameter

     

  • Hello Member,

    The Parameter is back from its summer hiatus to kick off the Fall, as well as celebrate the life of an important member of the ASA community, Arnold Zellner.




    An artist's depiction of the US Navy Blue Angels' stunning routine at the annual Chicago Air and Water Show.

     


    In Memory of Arnold Zellner (1927-2010)


    By Kathy Morrissey

    On August 11, 2010, Dr. Arnold Zellner passed away at age 83 from a stroke while battling cancer. The Chicago Chapter, ASA (CCASA) will feel the loss of his enthusiastic participation in luncheon discussions, as well as his support as a Director on the CCASA Board.

    Throughout his career, Dr. Zellner earned national and international recognition for his pioneering work in modern econometrics, as well as his innovative application of Bayesian statistical principles to econometrics. One of his best known articles was published in 1962 in the Journal of the American Statistical Association, "An Efficient Method of Estimating Seemingly Unrelated Regressions and Tests for Aggregation Bias." His body of research has been published in over 200 articles and 22 books.

    In recognition of his scholarly contributions he has received many awards, but the two he cherished most were being elected 1991 President of the American Statistical Association, and being elected the first President of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis, which he co-founded in 1992. CCASA named Dr. Zellner Statistician of the Year 1981-1982.

    Dr. Zellner was on the Chicago Booth faculty for 30 years and earned a reputation as a remarkably effective, inspirational and nurturing teacher to both M.B.A and Ph.D. students. He was awarded the prestigious McKinsey Award for Excellence in Teaching at Booth in 1984.

    Despite national and international status and recognition as an innovator and leader in his field, Dr. Zellner was known to CCASA members as "Arnold." He was always supremely gracious, respectful, full of energy, loved sharing amusing stories and was always ready to jump into a debate.

    I had the opportunity to know Arnold and his wife Agnes when Fritz Schueren, who was the 2004 CCASA Statistical Advocate Award honoree and ASA President-elect, asked Arnold and me to team up for an interview project. It was my first interview and Arnold, knowing me only as the current President of CCASA, graciously agreed. As we worked on the interview, I found Arnold to be a genuinely kind and generous person, well-respected by colleagues and well-appreciated by former students for his generosity of time, ideas and respect. I will miss seeing him at Chapter events.

    Memorial services will be held from 3-5 pm on Oct. 18, 2010 at Bond Chapel on the University of Chicago campus.

    If you would like to read more about Arnold Zellner, his life and his work, please visit the CCASA website http://www.chicagoasa.org.

     


    Arnold Zellner - "A Great Inspiration"


    Taken from Zellner's obituary in the Chicago Tribune:

    Arnold Zellner, 83, died Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010 at his home in Hyde Park from cancer. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Long Branch, NJ, the son of Sam and Doris Zellner, he spent the past half century living in Chicago. He earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard (1949) and Ph.D. in Economics from Berkeley (1957). He held a number of appointments prior to his most recent appointment as the H.G.B. Alexander Professor of Economics and Statistics at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business (1966-1996). Since retiring in 1996, he has been a frequent lecturer throughout the world. An award-winning scholar and recipient of honorary degrees from universities around the world, Zellner specialized in statistics and econometrics, pioneering new approaches in Bayesian analysis and econometric modeling. He leaves his wife of 58 years, Agnes Zellner; sons, David, Philip (Beth), Samuel (Tena), Daniel (Diane), Michael (Eugenia); four grandchildren; nieces; and nephews; and many close friends; colleagues; and former students. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Ronald McDonald House, 5444 S. Drexel Avenue, Chicago, IL. 60615 are appreciated. A memorial service is being planned.

    Two view the Chicago Tribune obituary and guest book, click here.

     


    Sitting Down with Arnold Zellner


    Over the years, a few CCASA members have had the pleasure of interviewing Arnold Zellner.

    Michael McLure sat down with Zellner just last year to discuss his contribution to economic history.

    And Kathy Morrissey had a chance to speak with Zellner in 2004 to dive into his personal background and passions.

    Both interviews and additional Arnold Zellner memorial materials are available on our website.

     


    Freakonomics On the Big Screen


    Called the "rogue economist," Steven Levitt's and co-author Stephen Dubner's best-seller Freakonomics is coming to a screen near you! The novel-turned-documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April and will stream on iTunes starting September 3rd. It will be in select theaters October 1st.

    Brought to you by the directors of Jesus Camp, Supersize Me and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, this innovative documentary seeks to educate, inspire and wow its audiences.

    For more information, visit the official Freakonomics website.

    To watch the trailer, click here.

     


    2010-2011 Chicago ASA Chapter Officers


    The Parameter regrets a few errors made when announcing the June slate of the 2010-2011 Chicago ASA Chapter Officers.

    President Mike Wise, Astellas
    President-Elect Borko Jovanovic, Northwestern University
    Past-President Lou Fogg, Rush University
    VP Communications Linda Burtch, Burtch Works
    VP Conferences John VanderPloeg, ARC Worldwide, an affiliate of Leo Burnett
    VP Luncheons Gerald Funk, Loyola University Chicago
    VP Membership Richard Smiley, NCSBN
    VP Publicity Ed Wygonik, Roosevelt University
    VP Secretary Mary Kwasny, Northwestern University
    Treasurer Dan Hayes, Mintel Comperemedia
    Assistant Treasurer Peter Manikowski, Quatro Risk Management
    VP Workshops Tony Babinec, AB Analytics
    ASA Council of Chapters Rep.Tony Babinec, AB Analytics
    Directors at Large
    George Bateman, University of Chicago
    Linda Clark, LMC Consulting
    Jerry Enenstein, JEResearch
    Edward Hirschland, The Landhart Corporation
    Peter Manikowski, Quatro Risk Management
    Ex-Officio Director: Council of Chapters Governing Board, Chair-Elect 2010
    Kathy Morrissey, Strategy 2 Market Inc.

     


    About the Parameter


    PARAMETER, newsletter of the Chicago Chapter of the American Statistical Association, is published 10 times a year as a service to its members. To submit material for publication, contact the Editor, Linda Burtch, email: lburtch@burtchworks.com

    PARAMETER provides a job listing service by publishing Positions Available and Positions Wanted, the latter being free to Chapter members. Companies may list positions for $75. Contact the Editor for more information.

    For additional information about Chicago Chapter ASA, please visit us on the web at: www.ChicagoASA.org.

    Also, visit the National ASA web site www.amstat.org.

    Email change of address to: smileyr@georgetown.edu

    ©CCASA 2009


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