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The Gergen Lectures

Gergen Lectures

Once or twice a year, the department sponsors the Gergen Lectures, named in honor of Professor John J. Gergen (1903-1967) and former Chariman of the department.  Recent lecture series have been given by:
  • 2012, October 17-October 18, Alice Guionnet, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Videos Available
  • 2012, Febuary 28-Febuary 29, Jordan S. Ellenberg, University of Wisconsin Videos Available
  • 2011, Febuary 28-March 2, Andrei Zelevinsky, Northeastern University Videos Available
  • 2010, September 27-October 1, Felix Otto, Max Plank Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences Videos Available
  • 2009, April 6-8, Ingrid Daubechies, Princeton University
  • 2008, May 5-7, Cedric Villani, Unité de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées
  • 2008, March 25-27, Richard Schoen, Stanford University Videos Available
  • 2006, April 26-28, Leslie Greengard, Courant Institute
  • 2006, March 21-23, Gang Tian, Princeton University Videos Available
  • 2004, March 1-3: Bernd Sturmfels, University of California, Berkeley Videos Available
  • 2001, October 22-26: Percy Deift, the Courant Institute, New York University
    lectures: page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4 
  • 2000, October 23, 24 and 25: Sir Roger Penrose, Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University Videos Available
  • 2000, September 25 & 26: Martin Nowak, Director of Theoretical Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study, abstracts.
  • 2000: Leo P. Kadanoff (University of Chicago)- Videos Available
  • 1999: Gerhard Huisken (Universität Tübingen) - abstract Videos Available
  • 1998: Stephen Semmes (Rice) - Notes: Postscript and DVI formats
  • 1996: Peter Sarnak (Princeton)
  • 1995: Andrew Majda (Princeton)
  • 1994: Curt McMullen (UC Berkeley)
  • 1993: Robert MacPherson (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton)
  • 1992: George Papanicolaou (Courant Institute, NY University)
  • 90/91: Blaine Lawson (SUNY, Stony Brook)
  • 89/90: Peter Lax (Courant Institute, NY University)
  • complete list of Gergen lecturers

Biographical Sketch of John Gergen

John Jay Gergen was born at St. Paul, Minnesota on April 17, 1903. He received a B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1925 and a Ph.D. from Rice in 1928. From 1928 to 1930, as a National Research fellow, he visited Princton, Oxford, the University of Paris and the University of Clermont. From 1930 to 1933 he was a Benjamin Pierce Instructor at Harvard, and from 1933 to 1936 he was an assistant professor at the University of Rochester. He came as an associate professor to Duke in 1936, was promoted to professor in 1939, and served as chairman of the department from 1937 to July 1966, when he resigned the chairmanship owing to illness (esophagal cancer). He was also acting director of the mathematical sciences division of the Office of Ordnance Research, U. S. Army, from 1951 to 1961. Professor Gergen was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. His mathematical interests were in analysis, particularly differential equations. Professor Gergen married Aubigne Munger Lermond on June 11, 1931. They had four children: John Andrew, Kenneth Jay, Stephen Lermond, and David Richmond. He died at Duke Hospital in January 1967.

 

dept@math.duke.edu 
ph:  919.660.2800
fax: 919.660.2821


Mathematics Department
Duke University, Box 90320
Durham, NC 27708-0320