Radha Laha
Encyclopedia
Radha Govind Laha was a probabilist, statistician, and mathematician, known for his work in probability theory, characteristic functions, and characterization of distributions. He was born in Calcutta, India and he was a student of C. R. (Calyampudi Radhakrishna) Rao
at Calcutta University, where in 1957 he earned a doctorate in analytical probability theory from the prestigious Indian Statistical Institute
. His dissertation was entitled Some Characterization Problems in Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics.
Laha's primary and secondary education was completed in Calcutta. In 1949 he graduated first in rank with a bachelors degree in statistics from Presidency College, Calcutta. He earned his masters degree in statistics in 1951, and doctoral degree in analytical probability theory from Calcutta University in 1957. Prizes and awards during this period include the Saradprasad prize, the Duff scholarship, the S.S. Bose Gold Medal, a University of Calcutta
Silver Medal, and Fulbright Fellowship
in the U.S.
In 1952 Laha joined the staff of the Indian Statistical Institute
, Theoretical Research and Training School, Calcutta, India
, in pure and applied statistics. In 1958 he was a Research Associate at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
He returned to the Indian Statistical Institute for two years, and joined the faculty of Catholic University as a faculty member in 1962. During this period Laha established an international reputation, and he visited statistical institutes at University of Paris
, France
, ETH Zurich
, Switzerland
, and in the United States
. He moved to Bowling Green State University
in 1972, along with his colleagues Eugene Lukacs
and Vijay Rohatgi, to start a new Ph.D. program there. Laha retired from Bowling Green State University
in 1996 and died in Perrysburg, Ohio on July 14, 1999 after a long illness.
Laha was the author of several classical texts on probability theory and statistics and numerous publications in journals. He was an honored Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute
. His doctoral students include Bernard McCabe (The Catholic University of America 1967), Thomas O'Connor (Bowling Green State University 1975), and Jeffrey Spielman (Bowling Green State University 1975).
Laha was particularly interested in characterizations of the normal distribution. One of his well known results is his disproof of a long standing conjecture: that the ratio of two independent, identically distributed random variables is Cauchy distributed if and only if the variables have normal distributions. Laha became known for disproving this conjecture. Laha also proved several generalizations of the classical characterization of normal sample distribution by the independence of sample mean and sample variance.
Laha made a generous endowment from his estate to the American Mathematical Society
and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
.
The AMS established the Radha G. Laha Gardens in 2001. A portion of the Laha Gardens outside the AMS headquarters in Providence
, Rhode Island
is identified by a plaque inscribed 'to honor his gift and commitment to mathematical research'. In 2001 with Laha's generous bequest, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
established the Laha Awards to provide travel funds to present a paper at the IMS Annual Meeting.
C. R. Rao
Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao FRS known as C R Rao is an Indian statistician. He is currently professor emeritus at Penn State University and Research Professor at the University at Buffalo. Rao has been honored by numerous colloquia, honorary degrees, and festschrifts and was awarded the US...
at Calcutta University, where in 1957 he earned a doctorate in analytical probability theory from the prestigious Indian Statistical Institute
Indian Statistical Institute
Indian Statistical Institute is a public research institute and university in Kolkata's northern outskirt of Baranagar, India founded by Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in 1931...
. His dissertation was entitled Some Characterization Problems in Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics.
Laha's primary and secondary education was completed in Calcutta. In 1949 he graduated first in rank with a bachelors degree in statistics from Presidency College, Calcutta. He earned his masters degree in statistics in 1951, and doctoral degree in analytical probability theory from Calcutta University in 1957. Prizes and awards during this period include the Saradprasad prize, the Duff scholarship, the S.S. Bose Gold Medal, a University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
Silver Medal, and Fulbright Fellowship
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
in the U.S.
In 1952 Laha joined the staff of the Indian Statistical Institute
Indian Statistical Institute
Indian Statistical Institute is a public research institute and university in Kolkata's northern outskirt of Baranagar, India founded by Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in 1931...
, Theoretical Research and Training School, Calcutta, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, in pure and applied statistics. In 1958 he was a Research Associate at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He returned to the Indian Statistical Institute for two years, and joined the faculty of Catholic University as a faculty member in 1962. During this period Laha established an international reputation, and he visited statistical institutes at University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, ETH Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He moved to Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
in 1972, along with his colleagues Eugene Lukacs
Eugene Lukacs
Eugene Lukacs was a Hungarian statistician born in Szombathely, notable for his work in characterization of distributions, stability theory, and being the author of Characteristic Functions, a classic textbook in the field.From six weeks after birth Lukacs lived in Vienna, Austria...
and Vijay Rohatgi, to start a new Ph.D. program there. Laha retired from Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
in 1996 and died in Perrysburg, Ohio on July 14, 1999 after a long illness.
Laha was the author of several classical texts on probability theory and statistics and numerous publications in journals. He was an honored Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
Institute of Mathematical Statistics
The Institute of Mathematical Statistics is an international professional and scholarly society devoted to the development, dissemination, and application of statistics and probability. The Institute currently has about 4,000 members in all parts of the world...
and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute
International Statistical Institute
The International Statistical Institute is a professional association of statisticians. The Institut International de Statistique or International Statistical Institute was founded in 1885 although there had been international congresses from 1853.. The Institute publishes a variety of books and...
. His doctoral students include Bernard McCabe (The Catholic University of America 1967), Thomas O'Connor (Bowling Green State University 1975), and Jeffrey Spielman (Bowling Green State University 1975).
Laha was particularly interested in characterizations of the normal distribution. One of his well known results is his disproof of a long standing conjecture: that the ratio of two independent, identically distributed random variables is Cauchy distributed if and only if the variables have normal distributions. Laha became known for disproving this conjecture. Laha also proved several generalizations of the classical characterization of normal sample distribution by the independence of sample mean and sample variance.
Laha made a generous endowment from his estate to the American Mathematical Society
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
Institute of Mathematical Statistics
The Institute of Mathematical Statistics is an international professional and scholarly society devoted to the development, dissemination, and application of statistics and probability. The Institute currently has about 4,000 members in all parts of the world...
.
The AMS established the Radha G. Laha Gardens in 2001. A portion of the Laha Gardens outside the AMS headquarters in Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
is identified by a plaque inscribed 'to honor his gift and commitment to mathematical research'. In 2001 with Laha's generous bequest, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
Institute of Mathematical Statistics
The Institute of Mathematical Statistics is an international professional and scholarly society devoted to the development, dissemination, and application of statistics and probability. The Institute currently has about 4,000 members in all parts of the world...
established the Laha Awards to provide travel funds to present a paper at the IMS Annual Meeting.
Journal articles
- Laha, R. G. (1991). A characterization of Gaussian law in Hilbert space, Aequationes Math. 41 (1991), no. 1, 85–93.