Australian Mathematical Society Web Site - the Gazette

Awards to H.S.M. Coxeter and P.J. Davis

We are pleased to draw to readers' attention the following items published in the "Notices of the American Mathematical Society" [ Vol 44 , 9, October 1997] concerning two well known regular visitors to Australia.

  • 1. Coxeter Receives the Companion of the Order of Canada
    This item, reported by Albyn Jackson, states in part:
    H.S.M. Coxeter has received Companion of the Order of Canada. Created in 1967, the Order of Canada is the centerpiece of Canada's national honors system. It is a fraternity of merit that recognizes significant achievement in important fields of human endeavour. There are three levels of membership, with the Companion level being the highest and recognizing international service or achievement or national preeminence.
    The citation for Coxeter reads:
    "Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, he is an internationally renowned mathematics scholar. Through his research, he has made a monumental contribution to the study of geometry by furthering its applications in mathematics, science, art, music, architecture, and crystallography. He has also written several significant publications in this field, and has influenced generations of teachers and students for more than half a century."
    Coxeter's mathematical career spans more than seventy years and more than 200 publications. Many consider him to be Canada's most distinguished mathematician and one of the outstanding geometers in North America and the world.
    The item in Notices of AMS also contains some biographical detail.

  • 2. Philip J. Davis Receives JPBM Communications Award
    This item from JPBM News Release states in part:
    The Joint Policy Board for Mathematics (JPBM) has presented the JPBM Communications Award to Philip J. Davis. The award was made in July at the meeting of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), held in Stanford, California.
    In announcing the award, the JPBM said "Philip Davis has been a prolific communicator of mathematics to the general public. His books had received praise for their clarity in communicating the spirit and content of mathematics to a non-mathematical audience. They exemplify the spirit of the JPBM Communications Award."
    The item also mentions some of Davis's non-technical books and some biographical detail.

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