MIT Mathematics Department
Encyclopedia
The Department of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(also known as course 18) is one of the leading mathematics departments in the USA
and the world. In the 2010 US News ranking of US graduate programs, the Department was ranked number one, while the second place was a 4-way tie between Harvard, Princeton
, Stanford and UC Berkeley.
The current faculty of around 50 includes Abel Prize
winner Isadore Singer
and famous numerical analyst Gilbert Strang
.
and Max Noether
. Much of the early work was on geometry. Norbert Wiener
, famous for his contribution to the mathematics of signal processing, joined the MIT faculty in 1919. By 1920 the department started publishing the Journal of Mathematics and Physics (in 1969 renamed as Studies in Applied Mathematics
), a sign of its growing confidence, and the first PhD was conferred to James E Taylor in 1925.
Among illustrious members of the faculty were Norman Levinson
and Gian-Carlo Rota
.
and the world. In the 2010 US News ranking of US graduate programs, the Department was ranked number one, while the second place was a 4-way tie between Harvard, Princeton
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....
, Stanford and UC Berkeley.
The current faculty of around 50 includes Abel Prize
Abel Prize
The Abel Prize is an international prize presented annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. The prize is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel . It has often been described as the "mathematician's Nobel prize" and is among the most prestigious...
winner Isadore Singer
Isadore Singer
Isadore Manuel Singer is an Institute Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...
and famous numerical analyst Gilbert Strang
Gilbert Strang
William Gilbert Strang , usually known as simply Gilbert Strang or Gil Strang, is a renowned American mathematician, with contributions to finite element theory, the calculus of variations, wavelet analysis and linear algebra...
.
History
Originally under John Daniel Runkle mathematics at MIT was regarded as service teaching for engineers. Harry W Tyler succeeded Runkle after his death in 1902 and continued as head until 1930. Tyler had been exposed to modern European mathematics and was influenced by Felix KleinFelix Klein
Christian Felix Klein was a German mathematician, known for his work in group theory, function theory, non-Euclidean geometry, and on the connections between geometry and group theory...
and Max Noether
Max Noether
Max Noether was a German mathematician who worked on algebraic geometry and the theory of algebraic functions. He has been called "one of the finest mathematicians of the nineteenth century".-Biography:...
. Much of the early work was on geometry. Norbert Wiener
Norbert Wiener
Norbert Wiener was an American mathematician.A famous child prodigy, Wiener later became an early researcher in stochastic and noise processes, contributing work relevant to electronic engineering, electronic communication, and control systems.Wiener is regarded as the originator of cybernetics, a...
, famous for his contribution to the mathematics of signal processing, joined the MIT faculty in 1919. By 1920 the department started publishing the Journal of Mathematics and Physics (in 1969 renamed as Studies in Applied Mathematics
Studies in Applied Mathematics
The journal Studies in Applied Mathematics is published by Wiley–Blackwell on behalf of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.It features scholarly articles on mathematical applications in allied fields, notably computer science, mechanics, astrophysics, geophysics, and high-energy...
), a sign of its growing confidence, and the first PhD was conferred to James E Taylor in 1925.
Among illustrious members of the faculty were Norman Levinson
Norman Levinson
Norman Levinson was an American mathematician. Some of his major contributions were in the study of Fourier transforms, complex analysis, non-linear differential equations, number theory, and signal processing. He worked closely with Norbert Wiener in his early career...
and Gian-Carlo Rota
Gian-Carlo Rota
Gian-Carlo Rota was an Italian-born American mathematician and philosopher.-Life:Rota was born in Vigevano, Italy...
.