The Pleasures of Statistics

Featuring dozens of photos and with the addition of commentaries from colleagues and former students each offering a unique perspective, renowned statistician and educator Frederick Mosteller looks back on a celebrated career spanning more than six decades.

From his unique perspective, renowned statistician and educator Frederick Mosteller describes many of the projects and events in his long career. From humble beginnings in western Pennsylvania to becoming the founding chairman of Harvard University's Department of Statistics and beyond, he inspired many statisticians, scientists, and students with his unabashed pragmatism, creative thinking, and zest for both learning and teaching. This candid account offers fresh insights into the qualities that made Mosteller a superb teacher, a prolific scholar, a respected leader, and a valued advisor.

A special feature of the book is its chapter-length insider accounts of work on the pre-election polls of 1948, statistical aspects of the Kinsey report on sexual behavior in the human male, mathematical learning theory, authorship of the disputed Federalist papers, safety of anesthetics, and a wide-ranging examination of the Coleman report on equality of educational opportunity.

This volume is a companion to Selected Papers of Frederick Mosteller (Springer, 2006) and A Statistical Model: Frederick Mosteller's Contributions to Statistics, Science, and Public Policy (Springer-Verlag, 1990).

Frederick Mosteller (19162006) was Roger I. Lee Professor of Mathematical Statistics at Harvard University. His manuscript was unfinished at his death and has been updated.

Over 90 high-quality career and family photos (including screen shots from the author's appearances on NBC's Continental Classroom) give readers an exclusive look into the life and career of this distinguished statistician

Commentaries and contributions from some of Frederick Mosteller's most esteemed former students and colleagues provide the reader with a unique perspective

More than 20 straightforward tables, charts, and lists aid in the reader's comprehension of the text by exhibiting specific examples of Frederick Mosteller's research

Inhalt
Examples of Quantitative Studies.- Why Did Dewey Beat Truman in the Pre-election Polls of 1948?.- Sexual Behavior in the United States: The Kinsey Report.- Learning Theory: Founding Mathematical Psychology.- Who Wrote the Disputed Federalist Papers, Hamilton or Madison?.- The Safety of Anesthetics: The National Halothane Study.- Equality of Educational Opportunity: The Coleman Report.- Early Life and Education.- Childhood.- Secondary School.- Carnegie Institute of Technology.- Graduate Schools: Carnegie and Princeton.- Magic.- Beginning Research.- Completing the Doctorate.- Coming to Harvard University.- Organizing Statistics.- Continuing Activities.- Evaluation.- Teaching.- Group Writing.- The Cape.- Biostatistics.- Health Policy and Management.- Health Science Policy.- Editors#x2019; Epilogue.