CITATION FOR JAMES B. DOUGLAS DOCTOR OF SCIENCE UNSW Honoris Causa Jim Douglas is one of the founders of the field of Statistics in Australia, known internationally for his pioneering contributions to the discipline and the profession. Beginning at the University of NSW even before its days as the NSW University of Technology, Mr Douglas was appointed Lecturer in Mathematics in November 1947, retiring as Associate Professor of Mathematical Statistics in 1983. However, his "retirement" never really happened: over an unbroken period of 57 years, and now in his 81st year, he still attends the University, teaching, mentoring students, and maintaining his scholarly interest in the discipline and the profession. Statistics is a field centrally concerned with decision-making in the face of uncertainty. As an academic statistician before Statistics was clearly recognized as a discipline distinct from Mathematics, Jim Douglas understood that research which successfully elucidates probabilistic problems also enhances the discipline's independent standing. His research achievements from 1950's on include work on statistical distribution theory and his classic 1979 book, Analysis with Standard Contagious Distributions. His continuing list of publications focusses on educational statistics and includes two separate articles for the Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences (one on "Contagious Distributions" and one on the "Polya-Aeppli Distribution", published in 1982 and 1986 respectively), which illustrate his international reputation. Jim Douglas has also served the profession of statistics nationally and internationally. In the Statistical Society of Australia he has filled many formal and informal roles, including NSW Branch President. He has served on the Council of the Australian Mathematical Society, and as Australian Regional President for the Biometric Society. He played a crucial role in organizing the 1967 Session of the International Statistical Institute held in Sydney, attracting luminaries such as Sir David Cox and G.P. Patil. In the early 80's, Jim helped prepare the first and second International Conferences on Teaching Statistics, and promoted important scientific collaboration between the International Statistical Institute, the International Association for Ecology, and the Biometric Society, serving on their jointly-sponsored International Statistical Ecology Program. Besides research, Jim Douglas has been concerned with statistical education, dedicating himself to good teaching and to mentoring successive generations of students. He seeks to inspire others to teach what is often seen as a dry and demanding subject, in novel and effective ways. He pioneered the first Summer School for Teachers of Secondary School Mathematics in 1962 (the Schools continue today), and served for many years as UNSW representative on the State's Secondary Schools Maths Syllabus Committee. It was Jim's keen eye for the intersection between statistics and education which helped oversee the introduction of standardization procedures for the Higher School Certificate (giving us the famous TER, now the UAI). As early as 1960, Jim put forward the idea for industry-links leading to University Cadetships at UNSW in Statistics, and also in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. He introduced Vacation Employment schemes for his statistics students, and established the industry-based University Statistics Advisory Panel to assist with career-counselling and placements, as well as an industry- sponsored Research Fellowship in Statistics. The first undergraduate specialization introduced in UNSW's School of Mathematics was an Honours program in Statistics, available via either a BA or a BSc, and Jim's pioneering Masters by Coursework in Statistics proved a model for many other Australian universities. Beyond his own work, Mr Douglas has always generously supported the research-work of other colleagues across a wide range of academic disciplines. While UNSW was still establishing itself as the major research university of today, Jim gave unstinting time and advice to others about the statistical bases for their own work. It was common knowledge on campus that if you needed help with your stats, Jim was the person to see. In a real sense, Jim Douglas has contributed far beyond his own published research to cementing UNSW's fine reputation for science and social science. Statistical computing is another field in which Jim made far-sighted contributions. Travelling the UK and the USA in the early sixties, he investigated possibilities for computers in statistics, and returning to UNSW, began to arrange that statistics students should have access to the University's first computer. This enormous machine, filling a whole room and known as 'Utecom', was one of the first in Australia and certainly not accessible to lowly students. But Jim achieved his aim, and went on to found UNSW's first Computer Users Group. Later he was Australian pioneer for the powerful APL computer language used in programming statistical calculations: all UNSW statistics students were taught to use APL programs tailored for their analyses, and to write their own programs where needed. Such tools and links are commonplace today, but it was Jim who pioneered the way. As a devoted teacher of research-students, Jim imbued all his graduates with his spirit of clear statistical thinking. Many have also been inspired by him to care about innovative education in statistics and have progressed to leading roles in biometric and statistical research and practice. Jim Douglas is a graduate of Sydney University, with an honours BA in Mathematics, a BSc in Physics, and a Diploma of Education, as well as an MA from the University of Melbourne. He is a Fellow and Honorary Life Member of the Australian Mathematical Society, and an Honorary Life Member of the Statistical Society of Australia, which has named its annual award for the best postgraduate student research paper in statistics after him. His life-long commitment to education in this important field is unparalleled, and he can truly be called the Father of Statistics at UNSW. In recognition of his distinguished service to the University, to its staff, students and graduates, and to the national and international profession and discipline of statistics, the Council of the University of New South Wales has resolved to admit James B. Douglas to the degree of Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa. 1