11 September 2013
The Norwegian Nobel Institute
Henrik Ibsens gate 51
0255 OSLO
NORWAY
Dear Respected Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee: Thorbjørn Jagland, Kaci Kullmann Five, Inger-Marie Ytterhorn, Berit Reiss-Andersen and Gunnar Stålsett
Nomination for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize
It gives me great pleasure and honor to nominate Professor Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao (National Medal of Science Laureate, USA, Eberly Professor Emeritus of Statistics Penn State University and Research Professor, University at Buffalo), Professor Miodrag Lovric (currently a Visiting Professor at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil) and Professor Shlomo Sawilowsky (from United States of America) for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize (joint award).
I do believe that they have made a monumental contribution to the world peace and science by producing the largest international scientific mission ever conducted in history (by the number of involved countries viewpoint), the International Encyclopedia of Statistical Science (published by Springer in January 2011), that includes 619 distinguished scholars coming from 105 countries and six continents.
The magnitude of the impact of the Encyclopedia became apparent immediately after its publication in 2010 and it has been increasing exponentially since then. Accolades from scholars and practitioners alike arose world-wide. The ine vitable deliberative evaluation and subsequent reaction from scientists around the world have been unanimous in recognizing the immediate and lasting impact of the Encyclopedia. The union of contributing authors, appreciating a key scientific tool useful for studying the human condition in its environment, also took the opportunity to express satisfaction with the fruits of their labour.Professor Rao just celebrated his 92th birthday. He received numerous honours includin g the 2002 US Medal of Science (the citation of which recognized his contributions to economics). Statisticians and scientists across the world have celebrated Rao's long career in statistics. In the past decade, there have been nine special issues of journals from India, the United States, and the United Kingdom celebrating his life and works. There have also been several special conferences in honor of Rao since 1980, usually coinciding with his birthday. The Times of India chose Rao as one of the top ten scientists of modern India considering all disciplines and the impact of the work done by each scientist.He co-founded with Mahalanobis the Indian Econometric Society, and laid probabilistic foundations for linear structural economic relations in his Econometrica paper in 1947, solving a problem suggested by Frisch.
Let me list eight reasons why these three nominees deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.
i) The essential initial idea of Alfred Nobel for the award of this prize was for establishment of brotherhood between nations. In this sense, no one in history has ever united, as brothers and sisters, nations of this planet, on one pacifistic and scientific idea as Miodrag Lovric, the most eminent world statistician Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao and Shlomo Sawilowsky. Through their perennial and extraordinary efforts scientists from countries that comprise 90% of the world’s population was united or 6.1 billion people.
ii) For the first time, the Nobel Peace Prize will be incorporated with other Nobel awards for science. The three nominated candidates were able to amalgamate 105 countries on one scientific and at the same time pacifistic and humanistic idea that no one previously succeeded in history.
iii) The three nominees are the first ones who have clearly shown to everyone in the world that the world of science and the world of peace can be seen as two faces of the same coin, or two main verses in a future international anthem titled “the world will be as one.” No one in the past has ever synthesized (and married) science with world peace and world peace with science, such as have these three nominees.
iv) They worked side by side in a common bond with leading international scientists, including four Nobel laureates in economic sciences, to produce a work that will serve mankind for many decades to come.
v) Another idea of Alfred Nobel for the Nobel Peace Prize was to be given to those who promote peace congresses. Three nominees did that because their work can be understood as the largest peaceful scientific congress ever organized in the history of mankind.
vi) These three nominees have joined many countries that had large conflicts in the past, or still are in conflicts such as: Palestine and Israel; Serbia and Croatia; United States of America, Russia, and China; Pakistan and India; and many others. Their fellowship is a model for the countries they represent, as well as every country in the world, to demonstrate what can be achieved through partnership, mutual respect, and the sincere desire to improve the lot of mankind.
vii) The three proposed nominees belong to three different religions (Christian, Hindu and Judaism) and their incorporation through the Nobel Prize will also be the strongest message to all the members of these religions in the world that in the future conflicts should be solved in a peaceful way by sharing and uniting ideas and involvement of scientists, and by working in harmony toward shared positive goals the world and its inhabitants will become elevated and enlightened.
viii) Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the nominees would be devoid of any controversy and would be welcomed with applause throughout the world, especially in Brazil, since only one Brazilian scientist Peter Medawar (born in Rio de Janeiro) has received a Nobel Prize in 1960.
If Professors Miodrag Lovric, Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, and Shlomo Sawilowsky are awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, it will be celebrated in Brazil, throughout the Balkan and at least in 105 countries in the world. It would also give significant impact to young generations in other small countries to try achieving the same in their respective disciplines. It will advance the causes of science, promote the goal of prosperity for all, and help promote and preserve world peace.
I strongly believe that you will recognize the Professor Miodrag Lovric’s, Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao’s, and Shlomo Sawilowsky’s profound and highly significant contribution towards building world peace for the 21st century in a remarkable new way and award them the Nobel Peace Prize.
Yours Sincerely,
Gauss M. Cordeiro, Research Professor, PhD
Past President of the Brazilian Statistical Association
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts." (Conan Doyle, 1891)