By Heather Calhoun
UHCLIDIAN STAFF

Raj Chhikara
photo by Angela Stone






The Cooperative Research Agreement between UH-Clear Lake and the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued an $80,000 grant to Raj Chhikara.

Chhikara, professor of mathematics and statistics at UH-Clear Lake, will use the grant to evaluate the examples of sketches used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Chhikara will be responsible for collecting information on crops, livestock, agriculture and labor, which will be important for inventing a matrix system for crop productivity.

"My job is to help develop a more efficient method of data collection for the U.S. Department of Agriculture," Chhikara said. "I will conduct estimations on agricultural items to see how well they are using the National Agricultural Statistics Service's current design. I plan to improve the current estimation designs to develop more accurate agricultural statistics for the United States."

The research grant started in April 2002 and ends in April 2006. The research grant is for a four-year term. Chhikara will receive $20,000 a year.

"This grant is important for us and it brings additional recognition to the School of Science and Engineering," said Sadegh Davari, division chair of computing and mathematics. "The grant and the additional recognition will hopefully attract more qualified new graduate students to our statistics program."

"I had a long relationship with the National Agriculture Statistics Service," Chhikara said. "It is an honor for a non-land grant university to be given an agricultural research grant."

Chhikara joined UH-Clear Lake in 1984.

"I have accumulated close to $1 million in funding and research for the U.S. Department of Agriculture research," Chhikara said. "We are very proud to have Dr. Chhikara as a charter faculty member of our university," Davari said. "Dr. Chhikara is on the editorial review boards of several important journals. He is a well-known statistician and active member of the community. The grant money will help pay for Chhikara to travel to important conferences and support research activities."

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