David B. A. Epstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Epstein
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Epstein in 2009
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David Bernard Alper Epstein
1937 (age 87–88) |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge (PhD) |
| Spouse(s) | Rona |
| Awards | FRS (2004) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Warwick |
| Thesis | Three Dimensional Manifolds (1960) |
| Doctoral advisor | Christopher Zeeman |
| Doctoral students | Elmer Rees Brian Bowditch |
David Bernard Alper Epstein, born in 1937, is a famous mathematician. He is known for studying interesting shapes and numbers. His work includes areas like hyperbolic geometry, which deals with curved spaces, and group theory, which looks at patterns and symmetries.
David Epstein helped start the math department at the University of Warwick with Christopher Zeeman. He also began an important science magazine called Experimental Mathematics.
Becoming a Mathematician
David Epstein came to the UK in 1954 from South Africa. He had already finished his first degree in math there. He then went to the University of Cambridge to continue his studies. He completed advanced math courses in 1955 and 1957.
In 1960, he earned his Ph.D. (a very high degree) from Cambridge. His research was about three-dimensional manifolds, which are complex shapes. His supervisor was Christopher Zeeman.
After his Ph.D., David Epstein traveled to Princeton University in the United States. He spent a year learning from a famous mathematician named Norman Steenrod. David took notes and helped turn these lectures into a book. This book was published in 1962.
In 1961, he moved to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. This is a special place where top scientists do research. He returned to the UK in 1962. He became a research fellow at the new Churchill College, Cambridge.
In 1964, David Epstein moved to the University of Warwick. He became a Reader in the Mathematics Institute. He was actually the first professor at Warwick to live in the local area.
Awards and Special Honours
David Epstein has received many important awards for his work. In 1988, the London Mathematical Society gave him the Senior Berwick Prize. This award recognizes excellent math research.
In 2004, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honour for scientists in the UK. In 2012, he also became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.
About His Life
David Epstein was born in 1937 in Pretoria, South Africa. His parents, Ben and Pauline (Polly) Alper, were both Jewish. Their families came from Lithuania. Polly was born in South Africa.
David finished school when he was 14 years old. He graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand at 17. He then won a scholarship to the University of Cambridge in the UK. He completed his advanced math studies there and graduated in 1957.
He married Rona in 1958. They had known each other since he was 16 and she was 14. He finished his Ph.D. in Cambridge in 1960, when he was 23.
In 1963, his younger sister Debbie left South Africa. This was because the government at the time, which had a system called apartheid, was causing problems for people who spoke out against it. His father, Ben, also faced difficulties because he stood up for what was right as a doctor. For example, he refused to change death certificates for children who died from starvation. His mother, Polly, was also active against the government.
David's parents wanted to move to the United States but could not get visas. So, they moved to the UK instead.
Images for kids
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Epstein in 2009
