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 brilliant mathematician. He is famous for his work in areas like hyperbolic geometry (which studies curved spaces) and group theory (about mathematical structures). He helped start the mathematics department at the University of Warwick. He also began a science magazine called Experimental Mathematics.
Contents
David Epstein's Early Life and Education
In 1954, David Epstein moved to the United Kingdom. He had just finished his bachelor's degree in mathematics in South Africa. He then continued his advanced math studies at the University of Cambridge.
University Studies and Research
He earned his Ph.D. in 1960. His research focused on 3-manifolds, which are special types of three-dimensional shapes. His supervisor was Christopher Zeeman. After his Ph.D., he spent a year at Princeton University in the United States. There, he attended lectures on cohomology operations, which are advanced math topics. His notes from these lectures were later published as a book.
Moving to Warwick University
In 1961, Epstein moved to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He returned to the UK in 1962. He became a research fellow at the new Churchill College, Cambridge. In 1964, he joined the Mathematics Institute at the University of Warwick. He was the first professor at Warwick to live in the local area.
Awards and Special Recognitions
David Epstein has received several important awards for his work.
Major Awards and Honors
In 1988, the London Mathematical Society gave him the Senior Berwick Prize. This award recognizes excellent mathematical research. In 2004, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. In 2012, he also became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.
David Epstein's Personal Background
David Epstein was born in 1937 in Pretoria, South Africa. His parents, Ben Epstein and Pauline Alper, were both from Jewish families. His mother, Polly, was born in South Africa. David finished school at age 14 and graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand at 17.
Family Life and Moving to the UK
He then won a scholarship to the University of Cambridge. He completed his math studies there and graduated in 1957. He married Rona in 1958. He finished his Ph.D. in Cambridge in 1960. After his Ph.D., he spent two years in Princeton, New Jersey. He returned to Cambridge in 1962. At that time, his younger sister and parents faced difficulties in South Africa. They decided to move to the UK to be safer.
Images for kids
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Epstein in 2009
