Math 170 Group 3 Project Part 2 Biography

Daniel Ayala Jacob Button Jacob Young

Gian-Carlo Rota
GianCarloRotawasafamousItalianbornAmericanmathematicianwhoworkedinthe fieldofcombinatorics.HewasborninVigevano,Italyin1932andmovedtotheUSwherehe obtainedhisbachelorsatPrincetonUniversityandhisMastersandPhDfromYaleUniversity.He popularizedCombinatoricsasadiscipline,andhedidthisbyfoundingScholarlyJournals, lecturing,andpublishingpapersonthesubject..Hisworkwassowellappreciated,thathehad4 honorarydegreesfromvariouscountriesbythetimehediedin1999.

AlthoughGianCarloRotawasborninItaly,hespentmostofhislifeintheUS.Hisfamily fledItalyduringWorldWarIIbecausehisfatherwaswantedbytheFascistgovernment.He eventuallymadeittoEcuador,wherehegraduatedhighschool.Fromtherehemovedtothe UnitedStates,whereheobtainedhisbachelors,masters,andPhD(allinMathematics).Hewas aprofessoratMITforover30yearsbeforehisdeath,wherehetaughtcoursesinMathand Philosophy.HealsodidconsultingworkforLosAlamosNationalLaboratoryandother companies.

GianCarloRotamadethefieldofCombinatoricsmorerespectedandmorepopularin Mathematicsbywritingpapers,teachingclasses,andrunningscholarlyjournals.Inthe1960s, hewroteaseriesof10papersontheFoundationsofCombinatoricswereinfluentialinthe acceptanceofCombinatoricsasaMathematicaldiscipline.Inadditiontothepapershewrote earlyoninhiscareer,hewasoneofthemainmathprofessorsformanyyearsatMIT,oneofthe mostprestigiousuniversitiesinAmerica.Inhislateryears,hestartedascholarlyjournalabout Combinatorics.SomeoftheothermajorworkinMathematicshedid(besidespopularizing combinatorics)ishisfamousRotasConjectureaboutfinitefields,andtheconceptoftheJoint SpectralRadiusofamatrix.

WorksCited

Giancarlorotawonworld'srecognition,students'admiration.(1999,April23).TheTech. Retrievedfromhttp://tech.mit.edu/V119/PDF/V119N21.pdf MITNews.(1999,April22).Mitprofessorgiancarlorota,mathematicianand philosopher,isdeadat66.Retrievedfrom http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1999/rota.html