Jim Hefferon
Encyclopedia
Jim Hefferon is a Professor of Mathematics at Saint Michael's College
. He is known for his book about Linear Algebra
that is available for
downloading, with LaTeX
source, and for his activity in the TeX
community.
and attended The University of Connecticut
where he obtained a PhD in mathematics
in Recursion theory
as a student of Manuel Lerman.
in 1990 to take a job at Saint Michael's College
. He became an active member of the Linux
community, including founding the Vermont Area Group of Unix Enthusiasts.
archive CTAN
. He is also a member of the TeX Users Group board of directors.
.
Saint Michael's College
Saint Michael's College is a private, residential liberal arts Catholic college. The campus is located in Colchester, Vermont. It was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund, a French order of Catholic priests.-History:...
. He is known for his book about Linear Algebra
Linear algebra
Linear algebra is a branch of mathematics that studies vector spaces, also called linear spaces, along with linear functions that input one vector and output another. Such functions are called linear maps and can be represented by matrices if a basis is given. Thus matrix theory is often...
that is available for
downloading, with LaTeX
LaTeX
LaTeX is a document markup language and document preparation system for the TeX typesetting program. Within the typesetting system, its name is styled as . The term LaTeX refers only to the language in which documents are written, not to the editor used to write those documents. In order to...
source, and for his activity in the TeX
TeX
TeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....
community.
Early life
Jim Hefferon grew up in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and attended 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...
where he obtained a PhD in 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...
in Recursion theory
Recursion theory
Computability theory, also called recursion theory, is a branch of mathematical logic that originated in the 1930s with the study of computable functions and Turing degrees. The field has grown to include the study of generalized computability and definability...
as a student of Manuel Lerman.
Saint Michael's days
Jim Hefferon moved to VermontVermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
in 1990 to take a job at Saint Michael's College
Saint Michael's College
Saint Michael's College is a private, residential liberal arts Catholic college. The campus is located in Colchester, Vermont. It was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund, a French order of Catholic priests.-History:...
. He became an active member of the Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
community, including founding the Vermont Area Group of Unix Enthusiasts.
TeX connection
In 1999 Jim became one of the core maintainers of the TeXTeX
TeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....
archive CTAN
CTAN
CTAN is an acronym for the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network.It is the authoritative place where TeX related material and software can be found for download...
. He is also a member of the TeX Users Group board of directors.
Other interests
Jim is an Ham radio enthusiast, holding the Extra Class license KE1AZ, and is active with Morse codeMorse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
.