Paul Olum
Encyclopedia
Paul Olum was an American
mathematician and university administrator.
to a father who was a Russian Jew who immigrated at age of nine to escape persecution, Olum took an interest in mathematics at an early age. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University
in 1940. In 1942 he married Vivian Goldstein, completed an MA in physics at Princeton University
, and joined the scientific staff of the Manhattan Project
. During his time at Los Alamos
, Olum was among the Los Alamos scientists who questioned the implications of the atomic bomb, and after its use against Japan
, he became a lifelong advocate for world peace and for nuclear arms control.
Reportedly, one reason he switched from Physics to Mathematics as his field was that compared to his office mate, future Nobel laureate Richard Feynman
, Olum did not think he was good at Physics. He returned to Harvard after the war to complete his PhD in Mathematics in 1947 under Hassler Whitney
as his thesis advisor.
Among his close friends was Feynman, who wrote in his autobiography of Paul’s intelligence. In one anecdote, Feynman told of an experience at Los Alamos when he had claimed to be able to take any problem that could be stated in ten seconds and find an answer to within ten percent in no more than sixty seconds. When Feynman made this challenge to Olum, he quickly responded, “Find the tangent of 10 to the 100th.”
, Olum joined the Cornell University
faculty in 1949. Over the next 25 years at Cornell, Olum rose to the rank of professor, served in various administrative roles, and spent time as a visiting faculty member at the University of Paris
, Hebrew University, Stanford University
, and the University of Washington
, and also returned as a member of the Institute for Advanced Study.
As a mathematician, Olum was widely respected for his research in algebraic topology
. He made significant contributions in the area of obstruction theory
. His PhD students include: Martin Arkowitz, Robert Lewis, Jean-Pierre Meyer, and Norman Stein.
In 1962 Olum initiated the Cornell Topology Festival, an annual regional mathematics conference which is still an annual event at Cornell.
From 1963 to 1966, Olum served as Mathematics Department chair, and recruited a number of talented faculty.
Olum advocated the abolition of the House Committee on Unamerican Activities, was an early critic of the Vietnam War
, and sought to remove the Reserve Officer Training Corps from the Cornell campus. Olum assisted in the establishment of Cornell's Women's Studies Program in 1972. Following the Willard Straight Hall
Takeover in 1969, Olum chaired a committee to propose a major overhaul of Cornell's governance, including its Board of Trustees. Olum's relationship with his fellow Los Alamos physicist Dale Corson, who had just become Cornell's President, assisted in this difficult task. Olum led the group which convinced the Trustees to adopt the plan, included a student-faculty-employee University Senate and the addition of Trustees elected by students and by that Senate. In 1972, Olum was the first Faculty Trustee elected by Cornell students — the only such position in the nation at that time.
from 1974 through 1976. Those were turbulent years, as President Stephen Spurr, who had hired Olum, was removed by the Board of Regents in fall 1974, and replaced by Lorene Rogers
. All administrators were placed in a difficult role while students protested Rogers' appointment and the faculty conducted a boycott of any faculty meetings chaired by Rogers.
. Despite an economic recession and budget cuts, Olum worked to improve Oregon's academic standing, serving as President from 1980 to 1989. While Olum was President, Oregon started 20 new research institutes and academic programs, built a new $34.6 million science complex—“the most significant construction program in the university’s history”—and helped develop the University's Riverfront Research Park. He also oversaw construction of a $27 million remodeling of Oregon's library. While President, Olum also supported the fight against apartheid in South Africa and advocated nuclear disarmament.
In 1987, the Executive Committee of State Board of Education required Olum to retire by June 30, 1989. Despite extensive faculty and student protest, this decision stood, and Olum left office with Oregon a much stronger institution. The University named the Paul Olum Atrium and a mathematics research professorship in his honor. The University's child development center is named in honor of his wife, Vivian. The University also commissioned the above portrait in his honor.
In 1990, following his retirement from the University of Oregon, Olum moved to Athens, Greece, to be with his friend Margarita Papandreou, former wife of the Greek prime minister. In 1996, he returned to the United States to live with his son, Ken Olum, in Sharon, Massachusetts
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician and university administrator.
Early years
Born in Binghamton, New YorkBinghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
to a father who was a Russian Jew who immigrated at age of nine to escape persecution, Olum took an interest in mathematics at an early age. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1940. In 1942 he married Vivian Goldstein, completed an MA in physics at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and joined the scientific staff of the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. During his time at Los Alamos
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos is a townsite and census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States, built upon four mesas of the Pajarito Plateau and the adjoining White Rock Canyon. The population of the CDP was 12,019 at the 2010 Census. The townsite or "the hill" is one part of town while...
, Olum was among the Los Alamos scientists who questioned the implications of the atomic bomb, and after its use against Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, he became a lifelong advocate for world peace and for nuclear arms control.
Reportedly, one reason he switched from Physics to Mathematics as his field was that compared to his office mate, future Nobel laureate Richard Feynman
Richard Feynman
Richard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics...
, Olum did not think he was good at Physics. He returned to Harvard after the war to complete his PhD in Mathematics in 1947 under Hassler Whitney
Hassler Whitney
Hassler Whitney was an American mathematician. He was one of the founders of singularity theory, and did foundational work in manifolds, embeddings, immersions, and characteristic classes.-Work:...
as his thesis advisor.
Among his close friends was Feynman, who wrote in his autobiography of Paul’s intelligence. In one anecdote, Feynman told of an experience at Los Alamos when he had claimed to be able to take any problem that could be stated in ten seconds and find an answer to within ten percent in no more than sixty seconds. When Feynman made this challenge to Olum, he quickly responded, “Find the tangent of 10 to the 100th.”
Cornell
Following a postdoctoral year at the Institute for Advanced StudyInstitute 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...
, Olum joined the Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
faculty in 1949. Over the next 25 years at Cornell, Olum rose to the rank of professor, served in various administrative roles, and spent time as a visiting faculty member at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, Hebrew University, 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...
, and the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, and also returned as a member of the Institute for Advanced Study.
As a mathematician, Olum was widely respected for his research in algebraic topology
Algebraic topology
Algebraic topology is a branch of mathematics which uses tools from abstract algebra to study topological spaces. The basic goal is to find algebraic invariants that classify topological spaces up to homeomorphism, though usually most classify up to homotopy equivalence.Although algebraic topology...
. He made significant contributions in the area of obstruction theory
Obstruction theory
In mathematics, obstruction theory is a name given to two different mathematical theories, both of which yield cohomological invariants.-In homotopy theory:...
. His PhD students include: Martin Arkowitz, Robert Lewis, Jean-Pierre Meyer, and Norman Stein.
In 1962 Olum initiated the Cornell Topology Festival, an annual regional mathematics conference which is still an annual event at Cornell.
From 1963 to 1966, Olum served as Mathematics Department chair, and recruited a number of talented faculty.
Olum advocated the abolition of the House Committee on Unamerican Activities, was an early critic of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and sought to remove the Reserve Officer Training Corps from the Cornell campus. Olum assisted in the establishment of Cornell's Women's Studies Program in 1972. Following the Willard Straight Hall
Willard Straight Hall
Willard Straight Hall is the student union building on the central campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It is located on Campus Road, adjacent to the Ho Plaza and the Gannett Health Center.-History:...
Takeover in 1969, Olum chaired a committee to propose a major overhaul of Cornell's governance, including its Board of Trustees. Olum's relationship with his fellow Los Alamos physicist Dale Corson, who had just become Cornell's President, assisted in this difficult task. Olum led the group which convinced the Trustees to adopt the plan, included a student-faculty-employee University Senate and the addition of Trustees elected by students and by that Senate. In 1972, Olum was the first Faculty Trustee elected by Cornell students — the only such position in the nation at that time.
University of Texas
Olum served as Dean of the University of Texas at Austin College of Natural SciencesUniversity of Texas at Austin College of Natural Sciences
The College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin offers 10 Bachelor of Arts majors, 42 Bachelor of Science majors, and 20 graduate programs to more than 8,000 undergraduates and 1,600 graduate students. The college employs over 452 faculty . Many of the programs are consistently...
from 1974 through 1976. Those were turbulent years, as President Stephen Spurr, who had hired Olum, was removed by the Board of Regents in fall 1974, and replaced by Lorene Rogers
Lorene Rogers
Lorene Lane Rogers was an American biochemist and educator who served as the president of the University of Texas at Austin in the 1970s, who has been described as the first woman in the United States to lead a public university.-Early life and education:Born on April 3, 1914 in Prosper, Texas as...
. All administrators were placed in a difficult role while students protested Rogers' appointment and the faculty conducted a boycott of any faculty meetings chaired by Rogers.
University of Oregon
In 1976 Olum was named provost at the University of OregonUniversity of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
. Despite an economic recession and budget cuts, Olum worked to improve Oregon's academic standing, serving as President from 1980 to 1989. While Olum was President, Oregon started 20 new research institutes and academic programs, built a new $34.6 million science complex—“the most significant construction program in the university’s history”—and helped develop the University's Riverfront Research Park. He also oversaw construction of a $27 million remodeling of Oregon's library. While President, Olum also supported the fight against apartheid in South Africa and advocated nuclear disarmament.
In 1987, the Executive Committee of State Board of Education required Olum to retire by June 30, 1989. Despite extensive faculty and student protest, this decision stood, and Olum left office with Oregon a much stronger institution. The University named the Paul Olum Atrium and a mathematics research professorship in his honor. The University's child development center is named in honor of his wife, Vivian. The University also commissioned the above portrait in his honor.
In 1990, following his retirement from the University of Oregon, Olum moved to Athens, Greece, to be with his friend Margarita Papandreou, former wife of the Greek prime minister. In 1996, he returned to the United States to live with his son, Ken Olum, in Sharon, Massachusetts
Sharon, Massachusetts
Sharon is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,612 at the 2010 census. Sharon is part of Greater Boston, about 17 miles southwest of downtown Boston....
.