Penn State Intercom......May 23, 2002
Rao earns prestigious
National Medal of Science 
Calyampudi R. Rao, emeritus holder of the Eberly Family chair in Statistics and director of the Center for Multivariate Analysis, was one of 14 scientists and one engineer named by President Bush to receive the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest award for lifetime achievement in fields of scientific research. The honorees will receive the medals at a White House ceremony in June.
Rao's theoretical work helped lay the foundation of modern statistics. He also has concentrated his efforts on employing statistical methods to solve practical problems in such diverse fields as economics, anthropology, geology, medical diagnosis and national planning. A book he wrote in 1965, Linear Statistical Inference and Its Applications, one of the most-often cited books in science, has greatly influenced research work in theory and application of statistics.
Responding to concerns of industry, Rao developed Orthogonal Arrays, a novel method of experimentation through combinatorial arrangements. This method is commonly used to improve and control the quality of manufactured goods. His evolution of estimation theory in small samples expanded the reach of statistical methods in real-world work.
Rao pioneered differential geometric techniques in exploring statistical inference problems, based on Rao's Distance Function, an accepted field of research.
The National Science Foundation administers the National Medals of Science for the White House. Congress established the National Medals of Science in 1959. The latest awards bring to 401 the total number of science medals awarded since its inception.