J. W. Hopkins
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John William Hopkins (1908–1989, published as J. W. Hopkins) was a Canadian bioscientist and statistician who worked for many years for the National Research Council Canada.[1]
Hopkins initially studied the biochemistry of cereals, especially focusing on rust-resistant wheat. He obtained a master's degree in 1931 from the University of Alberta,[1] with the thesis Gluten quality and the effect of dilution of wheat flours with starch.[2]
His interest in statistics was attracted by a 1925 book by Ronald Fisher, Statistical Methods for Research Workers.[1] He worked for two years in England as a statistician at Rothamsted Research under Fisher, while also holding a position with the National Research Council Canada as a research assistant and junior research biologist for grain research.[3] In 1933, Fisher moved from Rothamsted to University College London to head a new Department of Eugenics,[4] and in 1934 Hopkins completed a Ph.D. there.[1]
Subsequently, in Canada at the National Research Council, he established a laboratory for biometrics. During World War II, he worked on operations research for the Royal Canadian Air Force.[1] When the International Biometric Society was founded in 1947, he became its first treasurer.[5] He retired in 1973.[1]
Recognition
Hopkins was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his wartime service.[1]
He was elected as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, in the 1948 class of fellows.[6] He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC), a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society (FRSS), and an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. In 1981, the Statistical Society of Canada named him as an honorary member.[1]
He was one of the inaugural recipients of the Centenary Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, in 1982.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fellegi, Ivan P., "John William Hopkins, Honorary Member 1981", Awards, Statistical Society of Canada, retrieved 2025-08-20
- ↑ "Gluten quality and the effect of dilution of wheat flours with starch", AGRIS - International System for Agricultural Science and Technology, doi:10.5962/bhl.title.150086
- ↑ "Announcement: Additions to editorial board of Scientific Agriculture", Scientific Agriculture, 13 (6): 411–412, February 1933, retrieved 2025-08-20
- ↑ Department History, Department of Statistics, University College London, archived from the original on 2017-12-06
- ↑ Bliss, C.I. (1958), "The first decade of the Biometric Society", Biometrics, 14 (3): 309–329, JSTOR 2527877
- ↑ "News: American Statistical Association Election of Officers for 1949", The American Statistician, 3 (1): 2, February 1949, JSTOR 2681389
- ↑ Past award winners, Royal Society of Canada, retrieved 2025-08-20