George Box: Statistics for Everyone
His Ideas
As a chemist trying to develop defenses against chemical weapons
in wartime England, Box needed to analyze data from experiments.
He sought statistical advice, but none was available, so he
taught himself from the available texts. Perhaps because he had
to teach himself statistics, George Box became one of the leading
communicators of statistical theory to the rest of us. His
Statistics for Experimenters, co-authored with
Stuart and William Hunter is one of the most highly recommended
texts for the field of experimental statistics. Box also wrote
Time Series Analysis: Forecasting and Control, which is a
practical, readable guide to dealing with time series data.
Biography
George E.P. Box was born and raised in England. He served as a
chemist in the British Army Engineers during WWII, and after the
war went on to receive his degree in mathematics and statistics
from University College. During his tenure with ICI Ltd.,
Britain's chemical giant in the 1950's, he began working as a
visiting professor in the US at the Institute of Statistics at
the University of North Carolina. In 1960 he moved to Wisconsin,
where he served as the first chairman of the Statistics
Department. He received the British Empire Medal in 1946, and the
Shewhart Medal in 1968.
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