Tim Cochran facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tim Cochran
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Tim Cochran at Multnomah Falls in 2012
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| Born | April 7, 1955 |
| Died | December 16, 2014 (aged 59) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California |
| Known for | Cochran–Orr–Teichner (solvable) filtration |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Rice University |
| Doctoral advisor | Robion Kirby |
| Doctoral students | Shelly Harvey |
Thomas "Tim" Daniel Cochran (born April 7, 1955 – died December 16, 2014) was an American math professor. He taught at Rice University. Tim was an expert in topology, which is a branch of math that studies shapes and spaces. He especially focused on knot theory, which looks at how knots and links behave.
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Tim Cochran's Journey: Education and Career
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Tim Cochran was a very bright student. He was the top student, called valedictorian, at Severna Park High School in 1973. After high school, he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He earned his highest degree, a Ph.D., from the University of California, Berkeley in 1982. His special project for his Ph.D. was about "Embedding 4-manifolds in S5."
After getting his Ph.D., Tim returned to MIT. He worked there as a special instructor from 1982 to 1984. He also received a fellowship from the National Science Foundation from 1985 to 1987.
In 1990, Tim Cochran started teaching at Rice University as an associate professor. He became a full professor there in 1998. Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly in 2014 at the age of 59. He was on a special leave at the time, supported by the Simons Foundation.
What Tim Cochran Studied: Math Research
Tim Cochran made important contributions to the field of math. He worked with other mathematicians, Kent Orr and Peter Teichner. Together, they helped define something called the "solvable filtration." This is a way to understand and classify different kinds of knots and links in a mathematical way.
He also helped name a special move in low-dimensional topology called the "slam-dunk" move. This move is used when drawing diagrams for certain mathematical operations.
Awards and Honors
Tim Cochran was recognized for his excellent work and teaching. While he was at Rice University, he received several awards.
In 1992–93, he was named an Outstanding Faculty Associate. Later, in 2014, he received the Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award from the Rice Graduate Student Association. This award showed how much his students appreciated his teaching and guidance.
In 2014, Tim Cochran was also named a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. This honor was given to him for his important work in low-dimensional topology and for helping many younger mathematicians.
Images for kids
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Tim Cochran at Multnomah Falls in 2012
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Tim Cochran in 1986
