Mark A. Pinsky (15 July 1940 – 8 December 2016)
Obituary
', NYTimes.com, December 27, 2016 was Professor of Mathematics at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Chart ...
. His research areas included
probability theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with probability. Although there are several different probability interpretations, probability theory treats the concept in a rigorous mathematical manner by expressing it through a set o ...
,
mathematical analysis
Analysis is the branch of mathematics dealing with continuous functions, limit (mathematics), limits, and related theories, such as Derivative, differentiation, Integral, integration, measure (mathematics), measure, infinite sequences, series (m ...
,
Fourier Analysis and
wavelets
A wavelet is a wave-like oscillation with an amplitude that begins at zero, increases or decreases, and then returns to zero one or more times. Wavelets are termed a "brief oscillation". A taxonomy of wavelets has been established, based on the num ...
. Pinsky earned his
Ph.D
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...
(MIT).
His published works include 125 research papers and ten books, including several conference proceedings and textbooks. His 2002 book, ''Introduction to Fourier Analysis and Wavelets'', has been translated into
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...
.
Biography
Pinsky was at Northwestern beginning in 1968,
following a two-year postdoctoral position at Stanford.
He completed the Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1966,
under the direction of Henry McKean and became Full Professor in 1976. He was married to the artist Joanna Pinsky since 1963; they have three children, Seth, Jonathan and Lea, and four grandchildren, Nathan, Jason, Justin and Jasper.
Academic memberships and services
Pinsky was a member of the
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings ...
(AMS), a fellow of the
Institute of Mathematical Statistics
The Institute of Mathematical Statistics is an international professional and scholarly society devoted to the development, dissemination, and application of statistics and probability. The Institute currently has about 4,000 members in all parts ...
,
[IMS Honored Fellows](_blank)
Institute of Mathematical Statistics, page version October 19, 2016, accessed on archive.org May 10, 2017 Mathematical Association of America, and has provided services for
Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
The Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath), formerly the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), is an independent nonprofit mathematical research institution on the University of California campus in Berkeley, Califo ...
(MSRI), most recently as Consulting Editor for the AMS. He served on the Executive Committee of MSRI for the period 1996–2000.
Pinsky was an invited speaker at the meeting to honor
Stanley Zietz
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
at
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (University of the Sciences or USciences) was a private university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. USciences offered bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in pharmacy and other health-related dis ...
, on 20 March 2008.
Pinsky was a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
and member of the Editorial Board of ''Journal of Theoretical Probability''.
Mathematical works
His early work was directed toward generalizations of the central limit theorem, known as random evolution, on which he wrote a monograph in 1991. At the same time he became interested in differential equations with noise, computing the Lyapunov exponents of various stochastic differential equations. His many interests include classical harmonic analysis and stochastic Riemannian geometry. The
Pinsky phenomenon, a term coined by J.P. Kahane, has become a popular topic for research in harmonic analysis.
Pinsky was coordinator of the twenty-ninth Midwest Probability Colloquium, held at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Chart ...
in October 2007.
In 2008, the Department of Mathematics at Northwestern University received a private donation from Mark and Joanna Pinsky to endow an annual lecture series.
Mark and Joanna Pinsky Distinguished Lecture Series
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Selected publications
* ''Introduction to Fourier Analysis and Wavelets'' (Brooks/Cole Series in Advanced Mathematics), 2002,
* ''Fourier series of radial functions in several variables''
* ''Pointwise Fourier inversion and related eigenfunction expansions''
* ''Eigenfunction expansions with general boundary conditions''
* ''Pointwise Fourier Inversion-A Wave Equation Approach''
* ''A generalized Kolmogorov for the Hilbert transform''
Se
list of publication with pdfs
External links
Home page at Northwestern
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinsky, Mark
Northwestern University faculty
1940 births
2016 deaths
Stanford University staff
20th-century American mathematicians
Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
21st-century American mathematicians