Robert Osserman | |
|---|---|
 Osserman in 1984 | |
| Born | December 19, 1926 |
| Died | November 30, 2011 (aged 84) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University |
| Known for | Osserman conjecture[1] Osserman manifolds Osserman's theorem Nirenberg's conjecture[2] |
| Awards | Lester R. Ford Award (1980) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Stanford University |
| Doctoral advisor | Lars Ahlfors |
| Notable students | H. Blaine Lawson David Allen Hoffman Michael Gage |
Robert "Bob" Osserman (December 19, 1926 – November 30, 2011) was an American mathematician who worked in geometry. He is specially remembered for his work on the theory of minimal surfaces.[3]
Raised in Bronx, he went to Bronx High School of Science (diploma, 1942) and New York University. He earned a Ph.D. in 1955 from Harvard University with the thesis Contributions to the Problem of Type (on Riemann surfaces) supervised by Lars Ahlfors.[4]
He joined Stanford University in 1955.[5] He joined the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in 1990.[6] He worked on geometric function theory, differential geometry, the two integrated in a theory of minimal surfaces, isoperimetric inequality, and other issues in the areas of astronomy, geometry, cartography and complex function theory.
Osserman was the head of mathematics at Office of Naval Research, a Fulbright Lecturer at the University of Paris and Guggenheim Fellow at the University of Warwick. He edited numerous books and promoted mathematics, such as in interviews with celebrities Steve Martin[7][8] and Alan Alda.[9]
He was an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) of 1978 in Helsinki.[10]
He received the Lester R. Ford Award (1980) of the Mathematical Association of America[11] for his popular science writings.
H. Blaine Lawson, David Allen Hoffman and Michael Gage were Ph.D. students of his.[4]
Robert Osserman died on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at his home.[5]
- ^ Gilkey, P.B. (2001) [1994], "Osserman conjecture", Encyclopedia of Mathematics, EMS Press
- ^ Weisstein, Eric W. "Nirenberg's Conjecture". MathWorld.
- ^ Hoffman, David; Matisse, Henri (1987). "The computer-aided discovery of new embedded minimal surfaces". The Mathematical Intelligencer. 9 (3): 8–21. doi:10.1007/BF03023947. ISSN 0343-6993. S2CID 121320768. Also available in the book Wilson, Robin; Gray, Jeremy, eds. (2012). Mathematical Conversations: Selections from The Mathematical Intelligencer. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9781461301950.
- ^ a b Robert Osserman at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
- ^ a b "Robert Osserman, noted Stanford mathematician, dies at 84". Stanford Report. 2011-12-16.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ biopage at MSRI
- ^ Mathematical One-Liners Exert a Magical Draw (April 30, 2003)
- ^ ROBIN WILLIAMS STEVE MARTIN Funny Number 12.15.02 msri bob osserman PART # 1 and ROBIN WILLIAMS STEVE MARTIN Funny Number 12.15.02 msri bob osserman PART # 2
- ^ From M*A*S*H to M*A*T*H: Alan Alda in person Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine from MSRI (Jan 17, 2008)
- ^ International Mathematical Union (IMU)
- ^ "Paul R. Halmos - Lester R. Ford Awards | Mathematical Association of America". www.maa.org. Retrieved 2016-05-16.