Newswise — George E. Andrews, the Evan Pugh Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Pennsylvania State University, begins this week a two-year term as President of the American Mathematical Society. He succeeds James G. Glimm, Distinguished Professor of Applied Mathematics and Statistics at Stony Brook University.
"I greatly look forward to my work as President of the American Mathematical Society," Andrews said. "I shall support and promote mathematics to the best of my ability. This is a difficult time for the nation and an especially difficult time for mathematicians early in their careers. I hope to find ways to aid these people in their efforts to get established."
"It has been a great pleasure working with George Andrews this past year in his role as President-elect," said AMS Executive Director Donald McClure. "Already he has seeded some interesting ideas to strengthen support for young mathematicians. I look forward to helping George fulfill his vision and goals during his term as President." Echoing this sentiment, AMS Secretary Robert Daverman of the University of Tennessee noted, "Already George has shown his calm, quiet, effective leadership."
Unearthing Mathematical Gems
A number theorist, Andrews is best known for his study of the works of the brilliant self-taught Indian mathematician, Srinavasa Ramanujan. On a trip to Europe in 1976, Andrews took the opportunity to look at some notes of Ramanujan's that had been gathering dust in Trinity College, Cambridge University. Ramanujan had made the notes in the last year of his life, as he suffered a painful illness. At the time Andrews encountered the notes, it is unlikely that anyone else alive in the world would have understood what they signified. Because Ramanujan never intended the notes for publication, they have proven difficult to decipher and understand.
Together with his collaborator, University of Illinois mathematician Bruce Berndt, Andrews has for the past thirty years carefully studied the 600 or so mathematical results contained in what is now known as Ramanujan's "Lost Notebook". Andrews and Berndt have published one volume about the "Lost Notebook"; one more is about to appear, and two more are in the works. The "Lost Notebook" is likely to be the most significant work done in Ramanujan's short life, and it contains some stellar gems of mathematical insight.
Improving Support for Young Mathematicians
One issue Andrews intends to address as AMS President is the need to improve support for the research of young mathematicians. "I am trying to figure out ways that we in the AMS could approach funding agencies with the universal recognition that it's terribly important to nurture and develop young mathematicians, and concomitantly, there are funding problems that are probably going to get worse rather than better," he said in an interview to appear in the March 2009 issue of the NOTICES OF THE AMS. Something really serious has to be done, including a careful husbanding of money, in order to keep more young people coming into the profession. The funding issue and expanding employment opportunities are most important."
An Outstanding Scholar and Teacher
Andrews' main area of research is in number theory, specifically, the theory of partitions and related areas. He has written over 250 research papers and several books. His research has been continuously supported by grants from the National Science Foundation. Twenty students have written PhD theses under his direction. An outstanding teacher, Andrews was named the Evan Pugh Professor of Mathematics in 1981, a distinction that recognizes both teaching and research. He has also maintained a deep interest in mathematics education at the precollege level and has been an advocate for improving the quality of teacher preparation.
Andrews received his PhD in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1964, with a thesis written under the direction of Hans Rademacher and titled "On the Theorems of Watson and Dragonette for Ramanujan's Mock Theta Functions". Andrews joined the faculty of Pennsylvania State University right after earning his PhD and has remained there for his entire career. He has held visiting positions at institutions all over the world, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Australian National University, the University of Strasbourg, and the University of Linz. He has been a Fulbright Scholar and a Guggenheim Fellow. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1997 and to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2003. He holds three honorary doctorates.
Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, today the American Mathematical Society has more than 32,000 members. The Society fulfills its mission through programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses, strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.
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