George F. D. Duff
Encyclopedia
George Francis Denton Duff (July 29th, 1926 – March 2nd, 2001) was a Canadian mathematician who did research in partial differential equations and wave
phenomena. He took an interest in harnessing the extraordinarily large tides in the Bay of Fundy
for generating electricity.
Duff was a PhD student of Solomon Lefschetz
at Princeton University
. He became a professor at the University of Toronto
in 1952. There, he supervised the Ph.D. theses of 13 students and served as chair of the Mathematics Department from 1968 to 1975.
Duff was an Invited Plenary speaker at International Congress of Mathematicians
in Vancouver
in1974.http://www.mathunion.org/db/ICM/Speakers/SortedByLastname.php
Wave
In physics, a wave is a disturbance that travels through space and time, accompanied by the transfer of energy.Waves travel and the wave motion transfers energy from one point to another, often with no permanent displacement of the particles of the medium—that is, with little or no associated mass...
phenomena. He took an interest in harnessing the extraordinarily large tides in the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
for generating electricity.
Duff was a PhD student of Solomon Lefschetz
Solomon Lefschetz
Solomon Lefschetz was an American mathematician who did fundamental work on algebraic topology, its applications to algebraic geometry, and the theory of non-linear ordinary differential equations.-Life:...
at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. He became a professor at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1952. There, he supervised the Ph.D. theses of 13 students and served as chair of the Mathematics Department from 1968 to 1975.
Duff was an Invited Plenary speaker at International Congress of Mathematicians
International Congress of Mathematicians
The International Congress of Mathematicians is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union ....
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in1974.http://www.mathunion.org/db/ICM/Speakers/SortedByLastname.php