George W. Snedecor
Encyclopedia
George Waddel Snedecor was an American
mathematician
and statistician
. He contributed to the foundations of analysis of variance
, data analysis
, experimental design
, and statistical methodology. Snedecor's F distribution and the George W. Snedecor Award of the American Statistical Association
are named after him.
Snedecor founded the first academic department of statistics in the United States, at Iowa State University
. He also created the first statistics laboratory in the U.S. at Iowa State, and was a pioneer of modern applied statistics in the U.S. His 1938 textbook Statistical Methods became an essential resource: "In the 1970s, a review of citations in published scientific articles from all areas of science showed that Snedecor's Statistical Methods was the most frequently cited book."
Snedecor was awarded honorary doctorates in science by North Carolina State University
in 1956 and by Iowa State University
in 1958.
Snedecor Hall, at Iowa State University
, is the home of the Statistics Department. It was constructed in 1939.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee
, into a socially prominent and politically powerful, southern Democratic, Presbyterian family line, Snedecor grew up in Florida
and Alabama
where his lawyer father moved wife and children in order to a fulfill a personal and radical religious calling to minister to, evangelize and educate the poor. George was the grandson of Memphis lawyer Bedford Mitchell Estes, he was the son of Emily Alston Estes and James G. Snedecor, and nephew of Ione Estes Dodd and William J. Dodd
, the great midwest architect.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
. He contributed to the foundations of analysis of variance
Analysis of variance
In statistics, analysis of variance is a collection of statistical models, and their associated procedures, in which the observed variance in a particular variable is partitioned into components attributable to different sources of variation...
, data analysis
Data analysis
Analysis of data is a process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of highlighting useful information, suggesting conclusions, and supporting decision making...
, experimental design
Design of experiments
In general usage, design of experiments or experimental design is the design of any information-gathering exercises where variation is present, whether under the full control of the experimenter or not. However, in statistics, these terms are usually used for controlled experiments...
, and statistical methodology. Snedecor's F distribution and the George W. Snedecor Award of the American Statistical Association
American Statistical Association
The American Statistical Association , is the main professional US organization for statisticians and related professions. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest, continuously operating professional society in the United States...
are named after him.
Snedecor founded the first academic department of statistics in the United States, at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
. He also created the first statistics laboratory in the U.S. at Iowa State, and was a pioneer of modern applied statistics in the U.S. His 1938 textbook Statistical Methods became an essential resource: "In the 1970s, a review of citations in published scientific articles from all areas of science showed that Snedecor's Statistical Methods was the most frequently cited book."
Snedecor was awarded honorary doctorates in science by North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
in 1956 and by Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
in 1958.
Snedecor Hall, at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
, is the home of the Statistics Department. It was constructed in 1939.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, into a socially prominent and politically powerful, southern Democratic, Presbyterian family line, Snedecor grew up in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
where his lawyer father moved wife and children in order to a fulfill a personal and radical religious calling to minister to, evangelize and educate the poor. George was the grandson of Memphis lawyer Bedford Mitchell Estes, he was the son of Emily Alston Estes and James G. Snedecor, and nephew of Ione Estes Dodd and William J. Dodd
William J. Dodd
William J. Dodd was a Canadian-born American architect and designer who worked mainly in Louisville, Kentucky from 1886 to 1912 and in Los Angeles, California from 1912 until his death. Dodd rose from the so-called Chicago School of architecture, engineering and design innovations of the late 19th...
, the great midwest architect.
Books
- Calculation and interpretation of analysis of variance and covariance (1934)
- Statistical methods applied to experiments in agriculture and biology (1938)