Events

Throughout his career, Hogg has played a major role in defining statistics as a unique academic field, and he almost literally "wrote the book" on the subject. Four textbooks Hogg has co-written have become classroom standards used by hundreds of thousands of students nationwide. The classic texts Introduction to Mathematical Statistics and Probability and Statistical Inference, first published in 1959 and 1977, respectively, have reached their fifth and sixth editions.

His talk, Probability, Gambling, the Utility of Money, and Insurance, was presented before a packed audience – many of whom remember learning statistics from Hogg’s textbooks. Hogg began his talk by looking at some probabilities of some certain events, including lotteries and "Texas-hold- them". Then, he examined a few bad gambling procedures and how best to gamble if you must. He encouraged students to consider mathematics, economics, statistics, or actuarial science as careers as there are many interesting aspects of these fields. “Whatever you do, make certain that you enjoy it because you will do it for a long time" was his final advice.

Following the talk, Bette Warren held a reception at her home and invited faculty and students. It was a most enjoyable visit with Professor Robert Hogg.

Dr. Robert V. Hogg, Professor Emeritus of Statistics from the University of Iowa, visited the Department of Mathematics on Tuesday, November 1, 2005.

Robert V. Hogg was a highly visible faculty member and administrator at the University of Iowa for more than half a century, first in mathematics and then in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, which he helped found in 1965. Known for his gift of humor and his passion for teaching, Hogg has had far-reaching influence in the field of statistics.