Emil Spjøtvoll
Encyclopedia
Emil Oskar Spjøtvoll was a Norwegian
mathematician
and statistician
.
Spjøtvoll was born in Hemne
. He finished
his secondary education in 1959 at Trondheim Cathedral School, took the cand.mag.
degree at the University of Oslo
in 1962 and then the cand.real. degree in 1964. Spjøtvoll lectured at the university from 1965 to 1968, and in 1968 he took the dr.philos. degree with the thesis A Mixed Model in the Analysis of Variance. Optimal Properties.
He was a guest scholar at University of California, Berkeley
and the University of Wisconsin, Madison from 1968 to 1970, then docent
at the University of Oslo. From 1973 to 1983 he was a professor at the Norwegian College of Agriculture. Spjøtvoll had guest scholarships in Paris
(1980–1981) and Zürich
(1982–1983).
In 1983 Spjøtvoll was hired at the Norwegian Institute of Technology
. He was prorector
from 1990 to 1993 and rector from 1993 to 1995. Spjøtvoll was then the first rector at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
, a post he held from 1996 until 31 December 2001. He also worked for Statistics Norway
and SINTEF
. Spjøtvoll was originally an opponent of the merger which led to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, but then turned around and became a defender of the new university.
Spjøtvoll was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences from 1984, the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters
from 1985, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
from 1987. In 1999 he was decorated as a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
He was married twice. He died from cancer
in March 2002.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and statistician
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
.
Spjøtvoll was born in Hemne
Hemne
Hemne is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Fosen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kyrksæterøra. Other villages include Heim, Hellandsjøen, Holla, and Vinjeøra...
. He finished
Examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
his secondary education in 1959 at Trondheim Cathedral School, took the cand.mag.
Cand.mag.
Candidatus magisterii , Candidata magisterii , i.e. Latin Candidate of Arts, abbreviated cand.mag., is an academic degree used in Denmark, and formerly in Norway and Iceland, roughly corresponding to an American Master of Arts and officially translated as such...
degree at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
in 1962 and then the cand.real. degree in 1964. Spjøtvoll lectured at the university from 1965 to 1968, and in 1968 he took the dr.philos. degree with the thesis A Mixed Model in the Analysis of Variance. Optimal Properties.
He was a guest scholar at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and the University of Wisconsin, Madison from 1968 to 1970, then docent
Docent
Docent is a title at some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks below professor . Docent is also used at some universities generically for a person who has the right to teach...
at the University of Oslo. From 1973 to 1983 he was a professor at the Norwegian College of Agriculture. Spjøtvoll had guest scholarships in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(1980–1981) and Zürich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
(1982–1983).
In 1983 Spjøtvoll was hired at the Norwegian Institute of Technology
Norwegian Institute of Technology
The Norwegian Institute of Technology, known by its Norwegian abbrevation NTH was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 85 years, after which it was merged into the University of Trondheim as an independent...
. He was prorector
Prorector
In many countries in Europe , a prorector is deputy to rector and a member of the management body of a university. In cases with more than one prorector each prorector manages a particular area of university life...
from 1990 to 1993 and rector from 1993 to 1995. Spjøtvoll was then the first rector at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology , commonly known as NTNU, is located in Trondheim. NTNU is the second largest of the eight universities in Norway, and, as its name suggests, has the main national responsibility for higher education in engineering and technology...
, a post he held from 1996 until 31 December 2001. He also worked for Statistics Norway
Statistics Norway
Statistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...
and SINTEF
SINTEF
SINTEF , headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, is the largest independent research organisation in Scandinavia. Every year, SINTEF supports research and development at 2,000 or so Norwegian and overseas companies via its research and development activity....
. Spjøtvoll was originally an opponent of the merger which led to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, but then turned around and became a defender of the new university.
Spjøtvoll was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences from 1984, the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters
Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters
The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters is a learned society based in Trondheim, Norway.-History:DKNVS was founded in 1760 by bishop of Nidaros Johan Ernst Gunnerus, headmaster at the Trondheim Cathedral School Gerhard Schøning and Councillor of State Peter Frederik Suhm under the name...
from 1985, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
from 1987. In 1999 he was decorated as a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
He was married twice. He died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in March 2002.