Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam

Cristian S. Calude University of Auckland, New Zealand

2 Martie 2018

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 1 / 11 Notices AMS 2017

Mathematics People NEWS

• Arnav Tripathy (Stanford University), Harvard Uni- biology, history and philosophy of science, and educa- versity tion. His book Grammars and Finite Automata (1964, in • Dootika Vats (University of Minnesota), University Romanian) is arguably the first monograph devoted to of Warwick regular languages. He authored three pioneering books in • Ian Zemke (University of California, Los Angeles), mathematical linguistics and poetics: Introduction mathé- Princeton University matique à la linguistique structurelle (1967), Algebraic —NSF announcement Linguistics; Analytical Models (1967), and Mathematische Poetik (1973). His book Words and Languages Everywhere (2007) includes a collection of papers in language theories. In a letter to the editor (Notices, 2009) on F. Dyson’s Hidden Figures Honored “Birds and Frogs,” he proposed a more refined typology of with Book Award mathematicians inspired by F. Bacon’s 1620 Novum Orga- num: ants, spiders, and bees. Ants (such as A. Zygmund) Author Margot Lee Shetterly has received the 2017 remain involved in one particular field, compensating by Communication Award for Books from the National Acad- depth the lack of diversity; spiders (such as G. Cantor) emies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for Hidden propose a personal construction, with little reference to Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the anybody else; and bees (such as P. Erdo˝s) constantly move Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space from problem to problem. He concluded with a few open Race. The citation cites the book as “a hitherto little-known problems, such as “Can we transfer these metaphors from episode in the history of pioneering aerospace engineer- individuals to historical periods?” ing and computing brought to light so engagingly that Solomon Marcus crossed many frontiers, geographical [it], along with the blockbuster movie it inspired, has and transdisciplinary, and acquired not only erudition but had an unprecedented impact on the American public.” also encyclopedic knowledge. As a public intellectual, he The film made from the book was a finalist in the Film/ saved gifted scientists and scholars from marginalization. Radio/TV category. The communication awards, each of With equal ease, in his impeccable French, he magisterially which includes a US$20,000 prize, recognize excellence debated the great French virologist Luc Montagnier a few in reporting and communicating science, engineering, years ago, on the stage of the Ateneul Român. and medicine to the general public. A review of the film Marcus was a member of the Romanian Academy. He appeared in the June/July 2017 issue of the Notices. It can received many prizes, including the Royal Decoration of be retrieved at www.ams.org/publications/journals/ Nihil Sine Deo and the Star of Romania, Romania’s high- notices/201706/rnoti-p620.pdf . est civil order. —From a National Academies announcement In his long career Marcus inspired, stimulated, encour- aged, and advised many students, undergraduate and graduate, in Romania and abroad, to do mathematical research and, in the last decades, interdisciplinary studies. Solomon Marcus (1925–2016) His sixteen PhD students form a small part of this group. Solomon Marcus was a prolific His 10-kilometer daily walk—his “constitutional”—may and influential mathematician and well have been one of the secrets of his great vitality and interdisciplinary researcher who forward-looking exuberance. passionately worked until the end He was never bored; he never felt the need of a proper of his life. In the first ten years of vacation. In his last telephone conversation with Cristian his research career, he published Calude, when he was in the hospital, Solomon Marcus’s almost 100 papers in mathematical strongest desire was to get back to work. analysis, set theory, measure and —Alexandra Bellow, Northwestern University integration theory, and topology, Cristian S. Calude, University of Auckland, New Zealand including a joint paper with P. Erdo˝s, Photo Credits Solomon Marcus “Sur la décomposition de l’espace Photo of Eduardo Teixeira courtesy of Eduardo Teixiera. Euclidien en ensembles homogènes” Photo of Lek-Heng Lim by Sou-Cheng Choi. (1957). He completed his studies in mathematics at the Photo of Hugo Duminil-Copin by Marie-Claude Vergne (IHES). University of Bucharest, earning a PhD in 1956 (with the Photo of Jill Pipher ©Brown University. thesis Monotone Functions of Two Variables—in Romanian) Photo of Thomas Koberda by Angelo Mao. under the supervision of M. Nicolescu and a State Doctor- Photo of David Deutsch by Lulie Tanett. ate in Sciences in 1968. Photo of Peter W. Shor courtesy of Charles H. Bennett. In the 1950s, the young Assistant Professor Solomon Photo of Solomon Marcus ©Alexander Okhotin, used under the Marcus enchanted his students with the wealth of exam- GFDL. ples and problems that he brought to the analysis seminar. From 1964 on he published many papers and books in theoretical computer science, linguistics, poetics and theory of literature, semiotics, cultural anthropology,

1216 NOTICES OF THE AMS VOLUME 64, NUMBER 10

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 2 / 11 Figure: Notices AMS 2017

C. Calude, A. Bellow, S. Marcus, N. Dinculeanu Sixth Congress of Romanian Mathematicians, Bucharest 2007

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 3 / 11 TCS 2017

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 4 / 11

Figure: TCS 2017/Quantum Computing

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 5 / 11

Figure: Mathematics Almost Everywhere

A. Bellow, C. S. Calude, T. Zamfirescu (eds.)

Mathematics Almost Everywhere. In Memory of Solomon Marcus (1925–2016)

World Scientific, Singapore, New York, 2018, 250 pages.

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 6 / 11 Mathematics Almost Everywhere

S. Marcus and T. Zamfirescu, Mulhouse 2014

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 7 / 11 Mathematics Almost Everywhere

Authors:

A. Salomaa, L. Staiger, D. S¸tef˘anescu,M. Zimand, T. Ball, D. Preiss, G. Dinc˘a,A. Lazar, L. Leu¸stean,A. Sipo¸s,S. Reich, A. J. Zaslavski, M. Burgin, Gh. P˘aun,K. Svozil, A. Bruckner, Monica Marcus.

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 8 / 11 Mathematics Almost Everywhere

C. S. Calude, A Bruckner and S. Marcus, Bucharest, 1978

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 9 / 11 Mathematics Almost Everywhere

Monica and Solomon Marcus, Bucharest, 2006

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 10 / 11 Opera Informatic˘a

G. P˘aun(ed.) Solomon Marcus. Opera Informatic˘a

Editura Sandugino, Bucure¸sti,2018.

Solomon Marcus: In Memoriam 11 / 11