A. Edward Nussbaum
Encyclopedia
A. Edward Nussbaum was a theoretical mathematician and professor of mathematics
at Washington University in St. Louis
for nearly 40 years. He worked with giants of 20th-century theoretical physics
and mathematics
such as J. Robert Oppenheimer and John von Neumann
, and was acquainted with Albert Einstein
.
, a borough of the German
city Mönchengladbach
in northwestern Germany, in 1925. The youngest of three children, he was a Holocaust survivor and was orphaned after the Nazi takeover of Germany.
Both his father, Karl Nussbaum, a wounded veteran of World War I
during which he had been awarded the Iron Cross
, and his mother, Franziska, died at Auschwitz. His brother, Erwin Nussbaum, was also captured and killed. Nussbaum and his sister, Lieselotte, were separated and sent on a Kindertransport
to Belgium in 1939.
When Belgium was invaded by Germany, Nussbaum escaped to southern France, then under the Vichy
regime. He lived there at an orphanage known as Château de la Hille. He began his teaching career there, while still a teenager, teaching mathematics to the younger children.
After being captured twice, and jailed once by the Nazis, he escaped on foot to Switzerland, where he attended the University of Zurich
, studying both mathematics and physics. In 1947, he was sponsored by relatives in New Jersey
to emigrate to the United States
.
before transferring to Columbia University
in New York where he earned his master of arts degree in 1950 and his Ph.D. in 1957.
While writing his thesis for Columbia, he worked at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton
with John Von Neumann
, a renowned mathematician who used a concept called Hilbert space
s in his development of the mathematical basis of modern computer language. Hilbert spaces eventually became Nussbaum's area of expertise and he wrote several papers with von Neumann on this topic. During this period, Nussbaum also became acquainted with Albert Einstein, another of the original group at the Institute for Advanced Study.
Notably, Nussbaum's thesis was accepted with no revisions and he received his doctorate shortly thereafter.
In the meantime he had worked at the University of Connecticut
in Storrs, where he co-authored papers with Allen Devinatz, and at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Troy, N.Y. He followed Devinatz to St. Louis to teach at Washington University in 1958.
In 1962, he was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Studies working with Robert Oppenheimer; in 1967–68 he was a visiting scholar at Stanford University
in Palo Alto, Calif.
He joined Washington University's mathematics faculty as an assistant professor in 1958. He became a full professor in 1966 and taught until 1995, when he was named an emeritus professor.
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
for nearly 40 years. He worked with giants of 20th-century theoretical physics
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
such as J. Robert Oppenheimer and John von Neumann
John von Neumann
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
, and was acquainted with Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
.
Early years
Nussbaum was born to a Jewish family in RheydtRheydt
Rheydt is a borough of the German city Mönchengladbach, located in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia. Until 1918 and then again from 1933 through 1975 it was an independent city....
, a borough of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
city Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border....
in northwestern Germany, in 1925. The youngest of three children, he was a Holocaust survivor and was orphaned after the Nazi takeover of Germany.
Both his father, Karl Nussbaum, a wounded veteran of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
during which he had been awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
, and his mother, Franziska, died at Auschwitz. His brother, Erwin Nussbaum, was also captured and killed. Nussbaum and his sister, Lieselotte, were separated and sent on a Kindertransport
Kindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
to Belgium in 1939.
When Belgium was invaded by Germany, Nussbaum escaped to southern France, then under the Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
regime. He lived there at an orphanage known as Château de la Hille. He began his teaching career there, while still a teenager, teaching mathematics to the younger children.
After being captured twice, and jailed once by the Nazis, he escaped on foot to Switzerland, where he attended the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
, studying both mathematics and physics. In 1947, he was sponsored by relatives in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to emigrate to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Career
Shortly after emigrating to the United States, he studied mathematics at Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
before transferring to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York where he earned his master of arts degree in 1950 and his Ph.D. in 1957.
While writing his thesis for Columbia, he worked at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
with John Von Neumann
John von Neumann
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
, a renowned mathematician who used a concept called Hilbert space
Hilbert space
The mathematical concept of a Hilbert space, named after David Hilbert, generalizes the notion of Euclidean space. It extends the methods of vector algebra and calculus from the two-dimensional Euclidean plane and three-dimensional space to spaces with any finite or infinite number of dimensions...
s in his development of the mathematical basis of modern computer language. Hilbert spaces eventually became Nussbaum's area of expertise and he wrote several papers with von Neumann on this topic. During this period, Nussbaum also became acquainted with Albert Einstein, another of the original group at the Institute for Advanced Study.
Notably, Nussbaum's thesis was accepted with no revisions and he received his doctorate shortly thereafter.
In the meantime he had worked at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
in Storrs, where he co-authored papers with Allen Devinatz, and at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in Troy, N.Y. He followed Devinatz to St. Louis to teach at Washington University in 1958.
In 1962, he was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Studies working with Robert Oppenheimer; in 1967–68 he was a visiting scholar at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Palo Alto, Calif.
He joined Washington University's mathematics faculty as an assistant professor in 1958. He became a full professor in 1966 and taught until 1995, when he was named an emeritus professor.
Family
Nussbaum married his cousin's sister-in-law, Anne Ebbin, on September 1, 1957. They had a son, Karl Erich Nussbaum and a daughter, Franziska Suzanne Nussbaum.Publications
- Nussbaum, A. Edward, A Commutativity Theorem for Semi-Bounded Operators in Hilbert Space