Augustin Banyaga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Augustin Banyaga
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| Born | March 31, 1947 |
| Nationality | Rwandan-American |
| Education | University of Geneva (BS, 1971) University of Geneva (MS, 1972) |
| Alma mater | University of Geneva |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Pennsylvania State University |
| Thesis | Sur la structure des groupes de difféomorphismes qui préservent une forme symplectique (1976) |
| Doctoral advisor | André Haefliger |
Augustin Banyaga (born March 31, 1947) is a mathematician from Rwanda who also became an American citizen. He studies advanced topics in mathematics, especially areas like symplectic topology and contact geometry. Today, he is a Professor of Mathematics at Pennsylvania State University.
Life and Education
Augustin Banyaga started his higher education at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), in 1971. A year later, in 1972, he completed his Master of Science (M.S.) degree.
He continued his studies at the same university. In 1976, he earned his Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) degree. His Ph.D. advisor was a well-known mathematician named André Haefliger. Augustin Banyaga was the very first person from Rwanda to get a Ph.D. in mathematics.
Career in Mathematics
After finishing his Ph.D., Dr. Banyaga joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. This is a famous place where smart people do research. He was there from 1977 to 1978.
Next, he became an assistant professor at Harvard University from 1978 to 1982. Then, he taught at Boston University from 1982 to 1984. In 1984, he moved to Pennsylvania State University as an associate professor. He became a full professor there in 1992.
Achievements and Contributions
Augustin Banyaga has received important honors for his work. In 2009, he was chosen as a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. This is a special group that recognizes top scientists in Africa. In 2015, Pennsylvania State University named him a Distinguished Senior Scholar.
He has done very important research in symplectic topology. This is a field of math that studies shapes and spaces in a special way. He is known for his work on how certain types of transformations, called diffeomorphisms, behave when they keep a "symplectic form" (a mathematical structure) the same.
Dr. Banyaga also helps share mathematical knowledge. He is an editor for Afrika Matematica, which is a journal for the African Mathematical Union. He also edits the African Journal of Mathematics. He has guided nine students who were working on their own Ph.D. degrees.
