Scholarships

The Heebok Park Scholarship was established in 1998 through donations made by CSUEB Statistics Department faculty, staff and students, other colleagues, the Park family, and personal friends. One (1) scholarship valued at $500 or more is offered annually to a CSUEB graduate student majoring in Statistics. The first of these scholarships was awarded in May 1999.

Dr. Park, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, came to CSUEB in 1967. Along with Drs. George Resnikoff, Bruce Trumbo, and William Sawrey, he was instrumental in building the Statistics Department. His primary concern was forging a strong Master's program that could hold its own against the best programs in the country. He served as Department Chair from Fall 1974 through Spring 1978 and as Graduate Advisor from Fall 1982 through Summer 1990. During his tenure as Graduate Advisor, the Master's program blossomed. He retired from teaching at the end of Fall Quarter 1996.

Dr. Park's popularity with our students was evident at his May 9, 1997 retirement party, which drew close to 200 people--mostly his former students. This is the largest event the Statistics Department has ever sponsored, and the most successful. Students and alumni spanning four decades--the lifetime of the Statistics Department--came to honor Dr. Park and wish him well, including our very first B.S. graduate (class of'68) and our second MS. graduate (class of'71). It was gratifying for members of the Statistics Department to witness the love, admiration, respect, and gratitude our students and alumni feel for Dr. Park, and their recognition of the impact his teaching had on their lives. This came through in the calls and messages received, as well as during the alumni testimonials presented at the Banquet.

Dr. Park's success stemmed from his brilliance as an educator, but he didn't just teach statistics--he taught about life. He didn't just train our students to be statisticians--he trained them to be functioning adults. He didn't just teach our students to take their place in the world--he taught them to make a difference. Dr. Park didn't just welcome his students into the classroom, he became involved in their lives and welcomed them into his home. According to his students, two of the secrets to Dr. Park's phenomenal success were his ability to teach by setting an example and his ability to teach them to think.

The annual awarding of this scholarship honors Dr. Park's years of service and commitment to the Statistics Department, its students, and its programs.

The George J. Resnikoff Memorial Scholarship was established in 1999 through donations made by CSUEB Statistics Department faculty, staff and students, other colleagues, professional people involved with local and national statistical organizations (e.g., IMS and ASA), the Resnikoff family, and personal friends. The contributor donor list reads like a "who's who" in Statistics from the sixties and seventies. One (1) scholarship valued at $500 or more is offered annually to a CSUEB graduate student majoring in Statistics. The first of these scholarships was awarded Spring Quarter 2000.

Dr. Resnikoff, who received his Ph.D. from Stanford University, came to CSUEB in 1964 to found and Chair the Statistics Department. Later in his CSUEB career he held a number of administrative posts, including Dean of the School of Science (1970-71) and Dean of Graduate Studies (1972-79). After his retirement from the University in 1980, he returned occasionally to teach courses in Statistics until 1989.

Dr. Resnikoff s early statistical work centered on the use of mathematical analysis and emerging computer technology to produce accurate tables of statistical distributions. In his teaching, he was especially interested in finding ways to explain crucial statistical ideas to students with limited mathematical backgrounds. In addition to his university-related work, Dr. Resnikoff served the off-campus statistical community as Treasurer of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (1964-72) and as Executive Secretary (1974-78). During his tenure as Treasurer, the IMS Business Office was established in Hayward.

At an on-campus memorial service held on September 30, 1994, Dr. Resnikoff s colleagues and friends shared stories and fond memories exhibiting his warmth and wonderful sense of humor. His colleagues and former students will long remember his advocacy for statistics as a discipline, his perceptive personal advice, his seemingly endless supply of engaging "war" stories from personal experiences during World War II, and his relentless support of the underdog in almost any economic, political, or social situation.

As faculty and alumni associated with the Statistics Department, we should all be proud of and grateful for the professional contributions of Dr. Resnikoff. His achievements--both within and outside the University--benefit us all because of the Department's stellar reputation. The annual awarding of this scholarship is a fitting memorial to his dedication and service to the Department, CSUEB, and the statistics community.

The Statistics Department Scholarship was established in 1999 after receiving a very generous donation of stock from alumna Ann Olmsted. One (1) scholarship valued at $500 or more is offered annually to a CSUEB student majoring in Statistics. The first of these scholarships was awarded Spring Quarter 2000.

Ms. Olmsted entered our Master's Program in Statistics Fall Quarter 1982. She earned her Master's Degree in Fall Quarter 1983. Upon graduation, she was employed by Syntex Corporation, a pharmaceutical company that at the time employed a number of our graduates. Ms. Olmsted worked at Syntex from 1983 to 1985 as a SAS programmer, took the GREs, and was planning to return to school for a Ph.D. Instead, when her boss left for Texas, she became the senior animal health statistician at Syntex. She enjoyed the job so much she stayed until 1995, when Roche Corporation bought out Syntex and sold the animal health drugs.

In August 1995, Ms. Olmsted entered the Ph.D. program in Statistics at Texas A&M University. She defended her dissertation "Algorithms using chi-squared and other goodness-of-fit tests for identifying a high-expectation subset of independent Poisson random variables, or a subset of multinomial cells having relatively high probabilities, with applications in chromosomal fragile site identification" in August 1999. Her favorite part of the dissertation, which she dedicated to Dr. Heebok Park of the CSUEB Statistics Department, is a proof of a multivariate version of the Lindeberg-Feller theorem, which was indicated by Dr. Daren Cline of the TAMU Statistics Department. Her least favorite part is a diskette containing the Fortran 90 implementation of the fragile site identification algorithm that she wrote and used for simulation experiments. Her doctorate was awarded December 1999.

Ms. Olmsted currently resides in Palo Alto and works as Senior Biostatistician at Matrix Pharmaceutical, Inc. in Fremont, a small company that develops drugs for cancer patients.

The Justin Randle Memorial Scholarship was established in 2000 through donations made by the Zens and Randle families, CSUEB Statistics Department faculty, staff and students, other University colleagues, and personal friends. One (1) scholarship valued at $500 or more is offered annually to a CSUEB undergraduate or graduate student majoring in Statistics. Because of Mr. Randle's unique educational background and varied interests, preference may be given to someone who is changing fields (from undergraduate to graduate study) or who is an undergraduate double major (Statistics and another field). The first of these scholarships will be awarded Spring Quarter 2001.

Mr. Randle, a graduate of CSUEB in Psychology, died tragically in October 1996 in a windsurfing accident on the San Francisco Bay. After taking several Statistics courses, he had just entered the Master's program in Statistics, and his loss was felt deeply by faculty, staff, and his fellow students. He was a very kind, sensitive, caring person who deeply touched the lives of those who knew him. He worked in the Psychology and Statistics departments, assisting faculty in designing experiments, doing research projects and tutoring students. At the time of the accident, he was enrolled in courses in statistics, mathematics, and Vietnamese. He was a computer whiz who set a high standard of scholarship. In addition to windsurfing, his interests ranged from politics to classical music; he loved Thai food. In a world that is all too often torn by racial and cultural strife, he cultivated close friendships among students from other cultures.

At an on-campus Memorial Service held November 20, 1996, Mr. Randle was remembered fondly by CSUEB professors, students, and staff, as well as by his family and close personal friends. The stories shared illustrated his warmth and caring, and underscored how greatly he will be missed. The annual awarding of this scholarship is a fitting memorial to Justin Randle's spirit, unending quest for knowledge, and dedication and service to his friends and fellow students.

The Bruce E. Trumbo Scholarship was established in 2008 through a donation made by Dr. Bruce Trumbo. One (1) scholarship valued at $500 or more is offered annually to a CSUEB graduate student majoring in Statistics or Biostatistics. The first of these scholarships was awarded in 2009.

Dr. Trumbo, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, came to CSUEB (formerly CSUH) in 1965. Along with Drs. George Resnikoff, Heebok Park, and William Sawrey, he was instrumental in building the Statistics Department. His primary concern was forging a strong Master's program that could hold its own against the best programs in the country. He served as Department Chair from Fall l971 through Spring 1974 and as Graduate Coordinator from 1990 to the present. During his tenure as Graduate Coordinator, the Master's program in Statistics grew tremendously, and in Fall Quarter 2007 the Master’s program in Biostatistics was introduced (at which time the Department was renamed the Department of Statistics and Biostatistics). He retired from full-time teaching in September 2006, but he continues to teach part-time under the Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP) and serve as the Graduate Admissions Advisor for the Statistics Master’s program.

In addition to being a highly-respected teacher and serving in many capacities within the Department, the College of Science, and the University, Dr. Trumbo has served the field of statistics through participating in its organizations. His outstanding contributions to these organizations include serving as Program Director for statistics research (1974-75, 1978-79, 1985-86) for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Treasurer (1982-85) of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS), Founding Editor of electronic version (1989-93) for the Current Index to Statistics (CIS), and Editor of Electronic Publications (1996-98) for the American Statistical Association (ASA).

Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Trumbo’s contributions have garnered national and international recognition. He received the Founders' Award from the Board of Directors of the ASA (1993), the Carver Award (2002) by IMS, and the Outstanding Professor Award (2003-04) by CSUEB. He has also been elected Fellow of the ASA and IMS.

Dr. Trumbo’s teaching has spanned five decades--the lifetime of the Department of Statistics and Biostatistics. The annual awarding of this scholarship honors his commitment to the Department, its students, and its programs. It also honors his years of service and many achievements--both within and outside the University. His efforts have been a major factor in attaining the Department's stellar reputation within educational circles as well as the private sector.

The Julia A Norton Scholarship was established in early 2025 through donations made by
CSUEB Statistics & Data Science Department faculty, staff, other colleagues, the Norton-Love
family, alumni, and personal friends. One (1) scholarship valued at $500 or more will be offered
annually to a CSUEB graduate or undergraduate student majoring in Statistics or Biostatistics.
The first of these scholarships is expected to be awarded Spring Semester 2026.
When Dr. Julia A. Norton was hired as a tenure-track faculty member in 1974, she was the third
female faculty member hired by the Statistics Department in this capacity. She was the only one
of the three women who remained long-term with the Department, and she spent most of her
thirty-five years with the Department as its sole full-time female faculty member.
Throughout the next three-and-a-half decades, Dr. Norton served the Department, the College of
Science, the University, and the field of statistics, including: serving as Department Chair for 11
years, Chair of Academic Senate, Interim Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research and
Assessment; providing editorial and administrative services to statistical societies; and offering
consulting services to the campus community as well as the private sector.
While serving as Department Chair, she obtained approval from the University administration to
conduct the first tenure-track faculty hire in twenty-five years, which resulted in hiring the
faculty member who eventually would replace her as the Department leader and ushered in the
hiring of the next generation of tenure-track faculty.
Also, during her tenure as Department Chair, Dr. Norton led faculty efforts to maintain relevance
in the ever-changing applied portion of the field of statistics that introduced the Biostatistics
Master’s Degree program and spearheaded efforts to include Biostatistics in the Department
name.
Dr. Norton’s legacy benefits our current and future students.  Her extensive consulting work
involving real world data analysis and applications of applied Neural Networks is still impacting
our Department over a decade after her retirement. She encouraged the future development of
the MS Option in Computational Statistics that later became the MS Option in Data Science.
Due in large part to her early efforts, in Fall 2025 the Department will offer an undergraduate
major in BS Data Science coinciding with a name change to the Department of Statistics and
Data Science.
Dr. Norton’s early efforts influenced the development of the first offerings of the following
graduate classes: Statistical Learning, Statistical Natural Language Processing, and Statistical
Deep Learning, all of which are foundational for studying modern AI tools for data analysis.

This is a topic being discussed by the current faculty as another future course offering.  Years
ago, Dr. Norton laid the groundwork for the current changes that will lead the Department into
the future.

The Dean H. Fearn Scholarship was established in late 2025 through donations made by
CSUEB Statistics & Data Science Department faculty, staff, other colleagues, the Fearn family,
alumni, and personal friends. One (1) scholarship valued at $500 or more will be offered
annually to a CSUEB graduate or undergraduate student in the Department. The first of these
scholarships is expected to be awarded Spring Semester 2026.
Dr. Dean Fearn joined the faculty in 1971, after earning a Ph.D. in mathematics at UC Davis. He
was a Teaching Assistant (TA) during his entire time at Davis and was for a time employed by
Aerojet General Corporation (Sacramento, CA) as a Senior Mathematician doing fatigue testing. 
At CSUH Dean served as Department Chair for four years and on all Department committees. In
addition, he served as the Major Selection Advisor and, for many years, was the Department’s
liaison with the administration in establishing Course Equivalency Agreements with community
colleges. He also participated in the Department’s Consulting Laboratory, directing students
working in the Lab and assisting community members needing data analysis. Dean brought to
campus guest speakers employed in the field of statistics, exposing our students to real-world
experience.
Dr. Fearn served as the Department’s representative on several committees for the College of
Science, including the Promotion, Tenure, and Retention Committee. At the University level, he
co-chaired the Search Committee for the Director of Assessment and Testing.
 
One of his main focuses was on student development.  He served as faculty advisor on an
undergraduate research project resulting in a student poster presentation at the Joint Statistical
Meetings; this paper appeared in the Proceedings of the statistical Education Section. He also
served as a faculty advisor on a research project involving graduate students sponsored by
Lockheed Martin culminating in a student presentation at the CSU Chancellor’s Office.
 
Throughout his career, Dr. Fearn was involved in the Joint Statistical Meetings, including
presenting papers and chairing a contributed papers session.  For decades, he participated in
statistics seminars, associations, and weekly meetings of the Biostatistics Seminar held at
Stanford University.
 
Dr. Fearn served as Chair of the Health Policy Statistics Section (HPSS) of the American
Statistical Association (ASA). He established the HPSS Proceedings and prepared procedures for
its publication by the ASA.  Dean was elected as Representative to the Council of Chapters from
the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the ASA.  This position required regular activity on the
Executive Committee of the Chapter, including reporting the Chapter’s activities to the ASA for
its news publication, AMSTAT NEWS, and representing the Chapter in meetings at JSM.  For

many years Dean served as the Web Master for the Bay Area Section of ASA,
developing/maintaining the website for the communication of events and job posting for
members of the Section.  In 2011, he received a plaque from the San Francisco Chapter of the
ASA recognizing his 30 years of service to their organization.
Dr. Fearn loved teaching probability, reliability, and stochastic processes.  He taught by example
and provided details for solving difficult problems.  His insights were clear and precise.  He was
an early adopter of S, S-Plus, and R for probability simulation in his classes and research.  His
interest in computational statistics was a contributing factor to the eventual development of the
Department’s first courses in Computational Statistics, Biostatistics, and Bayesian Statistics.
His work helped set the stage for developing the current courses offered as part of the new
program in Data Science.  His interest in computation was foundational for other faculty in
developing courses in Machine Learning and Deep Learning, which both rely on computation. 
He was one of the first few members of the faculty to learn and use HTML.  His interest in and
skills with HTML for communication set the stage for the use of R and RStudio in the recent
emerging reproducibility research efforts in the fields of Statistics and Data Science using
Notebook which is based on Markdown, which is based on HTML.