Mir Masoom Ali
Encyclopedia
Mir Masoom Ali (born February 1, 1937), a Bangladeshi American
, is a renowned Statistician
, Distinguished Professor, prominent educator, researcher, and author. He came to the United States
in 1969 and became a naturalized citizen in 1981. Dr. Ali founded the graduate and undergraduate programs in Statistics
at Ball State University
. He co-founded the Midwest Biopharmaceutical Statistics Workshop (MBSW-History), held at Ball State University
annually since 1978, and co-sponsored by the American Statistical Association
. Dr. Ali served as editor/associate editor of several international statistical journals. He is the founding president of the North America Bangladesh Statistical Association (NABSA) and a member of advisory board at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
. In 2002, Dr. Ali received the Sagamore of the Wabash
Award, the highest award given in the State of Indiana, USA by the Governor of Indiana
Frank O'Bannon
, for his significant contributions to Ball State University
, to higher education in the State of Indiana, and specifically to the Statistics
profession.
) on February 1, 1937. His parents were Mir Muazzam Ali, a prominent Patuakhali lawyer, and Azifa Ali, an advocate for women's education. He spent his childhood in Patuakhali until graduating from Patuakhali Jubilee High English School in 1951. In 1953, Dr. Ali received his I. Sc. degree from Dhaka College
. In 1956, he obtained his B. Sc. (Honors) degree and in 1957 his M. Sc. degree, both in Statistics
from Dhaka University. After graduation, Dr. Ali was employed by the erstwhile government of Pakistan
from 1958-1966. He held a wide array of statistical positions in various ministries of the government. In 1966, Dr. Ali, on leave of absence from his government position, completed his second Masters degree in 1967 and a Ph.D. degree in 1969, both in Mathematical Statistics
from the University of Toronto
in Canada
.
in Muncie, Indiana
, USA as an assistant professor of Statistics
, then became an associate professor in 1974 and a full professor in 1978. In 2000, he was named the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Statistics. Upon Dr. Ali's retirement in 2007, he was appointed as the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Statistics Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Mathematical Sciences.
During Dr. Ali's tenure at Ball State University
, he published roughly 200 articles and presented over 120 papers at various professional meetings and universities worldwide. His earlier publications were on h-statistics, l-statistics, k-statistics and related finite sampling methods. Later his research focused on order statistics and statistical inference
based on optimal spacing and goodness-of-fit procedures. He has also published in diverse areas such as ranking and selection, multivariate distributions, characterization, and mixtures of distributions. Most recently he has published in the areas of Bayesian inference
and reliability theory
. He is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association
, a Fellow of the Institute of Statisticians
,, a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
, and an Expatriate Fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. Dr. Ali has been a visiting professor at several universities and statistical institutes in the USA, Canada
, Bangladesh
, India
, Korea
, Japan
and Saudi Arabia
.
Bangladeshi American
Bangladeshi Americans are Americans of Bangladeshi descent. The overwhelming majority of Bangladeshi Americans are Bengalis. Most of them have immigrated from Sylhet region with a long trading history. Bangladeshi immigrants arrived in the United States especially since the early 1990s to become...
, is a renowned 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...
, Distinguished Professor, prominent educator, researcher, and author. He came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1969 and became a naturalized citizen in 1981. Dr. Ali founded the graduate and undergraduate programs in Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
at Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
. He co-founded the Midwest Biopharmaceutical Statistics Workshop (MBSW-History), held at Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
annually since 1978, and co-sponsored by 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...
. Dr. Ali served as editor/associate editor of several international statistical journals. He is the founding president of the North America Bangladesh Statistical Association (NABSA) and a member of advisory board at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, commonly known by its initials SUST, is a state supported public research university located in Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is the first specialized Science & technology University of the country. The medium of instructions is English...
. In 2002, Dr. Ali received the Sagamore of the Wabash
Sagamore of the Wabash
The Sagamore of the Wabash is an honorary award created by the state of Indiana during the term of Governor Ralph F. Gates . A tri-state meeting was to be held in Louisville with officials from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Aides to Gates learned that the governor of Kentucky was preparing...
Award, the highest award given in the State of Indiana, USA by the Governor of Indiana
Governor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...
Frank O'Bannon
Frank O'Bannon
Frank Lewis O'Bannon was an American politician who was the 47th Governor of Indiana from 1997 until his death in 2003.-Background:...
, for his significant contributions to Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
, to higher education in the State of Indiana, and specifically to the Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
profession.
Early life and career
Dr. Mir Masoom Ali was born in Patuakhali, British India (presently BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
) on February 1, 1937. His parents were Mir Muazzam Ali, a prominent Patuakhali lawyer, and Azifa Ali, an advocate for women's education. He spent his childhood in Patuakhali until graduating from Patuakhali Jubilee High English School in 1951. In 1953, Dr. Ali received his I. Sc. degree from Dhaka College
Dhaka College
, located in Dhaka, is one of Bangladesh's earliest and most prestigious higher educational institutions. It offers both four years bachelor's and one years masters course in various majors, but it is best known for HSC...
. In 1956, he obtained his B. Sc. (Honors) degree and in 1957 his M. Sc. degree, both in Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
from Dhaka University. After graduation, Dr. Ali was employed by the erstwhile government of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
from 1958-1966. He held a wide array of statistical positions in various ministries of the government. In 1966, Dr. Ali, on leave of absence from his government position, completed his second Masters degree in 1967 and a Ph.D. degree in 1969, both in Mathematical Statistics
Mathematical statistics
Mathematical statistics is the study of statistics from a mathematical standpoint, using probability theory as well as other branches of mathematics such as linear algebra and analysis...
from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Career in Academe
In 1969, Dr. Ali began his academic career at Ball State UniversityBall State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
in Muncie, Indiana
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
, USA as an assistant professor of Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
, then became an associate professor in 1974 and a full professor in 1978. In 2000, he was named the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Statistics. Upon Dr. Ali's retirement in 2007, he was appointed as the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Statistics Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Mathematical Sciences.
During Dr. Ali's tenure at Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
, he published roughly 200 articles and presented over 120 papers at various professional meetings and universities worldwide. His earlier publications were on h-statistics, l-statistics, k-statistics and related finite sampling methods. Later his research focused on order statistics and statistical inference
Statistical inference
In statistics, statistical inference is the process of drawing conclusions from data that are subject to random variation, for example, observational errors or sampling variation...
based on optimal spacing and goodness-of-fit procedures. He has also published in diverse areas such as ranking and selection, multivariate distributions, characterization, and mixtures of distributions. Most recently he has published in the areas of Bayesian inference
Bayesian inference
In statistics, Bayesian inference is a method of statistical inference. It is often used in science and engineering to determine model parameters, make predictions about unknown variables, and to perform model selection...
and reliability theory
Reliability theory
Reliability theory describes the probability of a system completing its expected function during an interval of time. It is the basis of reliability engineering, which is an area of study focused on optimizing the reliability, or probability of successful functioning, of systems, such as airplanes,...
. He is a Fellow 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...
, a Fellow of the Institute of Statisticians
Institute of Statisticians
The Institute of Statisticians was a British professional organization founded in 1948 to protect the interests of professional statisticians. It was originally named The Association of Incorporated Statisticians Limited, but this was later changed...
,, a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society is a learned society for statistics and a professional body for statisticians in the UK.-History:It was founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London , though a perhaps unrelated London Statistical Society was in existence at least as early as 1824...
, and an Expatriate Fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. Dr. Ali has been a visiting professor at several universities and statistical institutes in the USA, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, 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...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.
Honors Bestowed
- Fellow of the American Statistical AssociationAmerican Statistical AssociationThe 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...
- Fellow of the Institute of StatisticiansInstitute of StatisticiansThe Institute of Statisticians was a British professional organization founded in 1948 to protect the interests of professional statisticians. It was originally named The Association of Incorporated Statisticians Limited, but this was later changed...
- Fellow of the Royal Statistical SocietyRoyal Statistical SocietyThe Royal Statistical Society is a learned society for statistics and a professional body for statisticians in the UK.-History:It was founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London , though a perhaps unrelated London Statistical Society was in existence at least as early as 1824...
- Expatriate Fellow of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences
- Elected Member, International Statistical InstituteInternational Statistical InstituteThe 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...
- Member of the Institute of Mathematical StatisticsInstitute of Mathematical StatisticsThe 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...
Awards Received
- Sagamore of the WabashSagamore of the WabashThe Sagamore of the Wabash is an honorary award created by the state of Indiana during the term of Governor Ralph F. Gates . A tri-state meeting was to be held in Louisville with officials from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Aides to Gates learned that the governor of Kentucky was preparing...
Award – awarded by Former Governor of Indiana Frank O'BannonFrank O'BannonFrank Lewis O'Bannon was an American politician who was the 47th Governor of Indiana from 1997 until his death in 2003.-Background:...
, 2002. - Gold Medal of the Islamic Society of Statistical Sciences, 2005.
- First recipient of the Qazi Motahar HossainQazi Motahar HossainQazi Motahar Hossain is a famous Bangladeshi author, scientist, statistician and journalist. He is also renowned for his unique style of literature. He had intimate friendship with poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, Kazi Abdul Odud and many other eminent figures...
Gold Medal, 1990. - Outstanding Faculty Award, Ball State University, 1993.
- Outstanding Researcher Award, Ball State University, 1985.
- “Our Pride” Award, Bangladeshi-American Federation Incorporated (BAFI), 2005.
Special Volumes Published
- Festschrift in honor of Professor Ali on the occasion of his retirement, 2007 by Ball State University.
- Special Volume of the International Journal of Statistical Sciences in honor of Professor Ali on the occasion of his 70th Birthday Anniversary, 2007.
- Special Volume of the Pakistan Journal of Statistics in honor of Professor Ali, 2004.
- Special Volume of the Journal of Statistical Studies in honor of Professor Ali on the occasion of his 65th Birthday Anniversary, 2002.
External links
- Dr. Mir Masoom Ali Homepage
- Department of Mathematical Sciences at Ball State University
- Ball State University
- Information about George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor
- Midwest Biopharmaceutical Statistics Workshop (MBSW)
- 30th Annual MBSW
- American Statistics Association
- Royal Statistical Society Webcite
- Bangladesh Academy of Sciences
- International Statistical Institute
- Institute of Mathematical Statistics