Oakland University will award an honorary Doctor of Science degree to world famous scientist Dr. Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao at its College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony Saturday, May 4, at 4 p.m.

Rao's fundamental work has helped to define contemporary statistical thinking and has strongly influenced the natural sciences, social sciences and engineering.

In recognition of his achievements and contributions to modern science, the Government of India named him the sixth National Professor of India, and 23 universities from around the world have conferred honorary doctorate degrees on him.

Rao has received numerous medals for his pioneering contributions to statistics, including the Wilks Medal from the American Statistical Association, the Guy Medal in Silver of the Royal Statistical Society of England, and the Megnadh Saha Medal of the Indian National Science Academy. He also was listed as one of the top 10 scientists of modern India by the Times of India in 1988.

Rao has authored or co-authored 14 books and more than 400 research publications, most of which were published in prestigious journals. His book, “Linear Statistical Interference and Applications,” has been identified as one of the most cited books in science.

Rao holds an endowed chair in statistics at Pennsylvania State University and is the director of the Center for Multivariate Analysis.

Honorary degrees are awarded in recognition of distinguished accomplishment and service within the scope of the arts, letters, sciences, professions and public service as recognized and supported by the university. The honoree must not be an officer, faculty member or employee of the university. The awarding of an honorary degree reaffirms Oakland University's scholarly, creative and humanitarian values.