James J. Cochran
Submitted by Roxy Peck
Mu Sigma Rho, the National honor society for statistics, presented its 11th Statistical Education Award to James J. Cochran of Louisiana Tech University. This award recognizes excellence in undergraduate or graduate statistical education at the institutional, regional, or national level.
Cochran has been recognized nationally and internationally as an outstanding teacher, creative and innovative educator, and leader in efforts to enhance the quality of statistics education at all levels. He founded the INFORMS International Teaching Initiative and has chaired teaching effectiveness colloquia through this initiative in Uruguay, South Africa, and Colombia.
Several of Cochran’s former students wrote letters in support of his nomination. Typical of these letters, one student wrote, “I have seen a great many teachers who feel that it is their job to merely present information to their students and view it essentially as a one-way communication. Professor Cochran sees his role as more of an enabler. He possesses the knowledge, and he does whatever he can, using every resource at his disposal, to provide his students with the tools to achieve understanding. Professor Cochran has that rare combination of technical expertise and the ability to express it in terms that his students can comprehend. He is truly a gifted individual in this respect.”
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