Paul Sally
Encyclopedia
Paul Joseph Sally, Jr. is a professor of mathematics
at the University of Chicago
,
where he is the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
His research areas are p-adic analysis
and representation theory
.
He has created several programs at the University of Chicago to improve the preparation of school mathematics teachers.
Paul Sally is seen by many as "a legendary math professor at the University of Chicago".
neighborhood of Boston
on January 29, 1933. He was a star basketball player at Boston College High School
. He received his BS
and MS
degrees from Boston College
in 1954 and 1956. After a short career in Boston area high schools and at Boston College he entered the first class of mathematics graduate students at Brandeis
in 1957 and received his Ph.D.
in 1965. During his graduate career he married Judith D. Sally
and had three children in three years.. The oldest David is a Visiting Associate Professor of Business Administration at Tuck School of Business
at Dartmouth College
, Stephen is a partner at Ropes & Gray, and the youngest Paul is Assistant Superintendent For Curriculum and Instruction at New Trier High School
Sally has been a type 1 diabetic
since he was fifteen.
He wears an eye patch and has two prosthetic legs, which has caused him to be widely referred to as "Professor Pirate", and "The Math Pirate" around the University of Chicago campus. He is known to detest cell phones in class and has destroyed several over the years by inviting students to stomp on them or by throwing them out of a window. Also, if a student asks to change the date of his or her final, he responds by saying: "There are two ways I will change your final. One: You must be dead. Two: It must be the day of your funeral." Paul Sally has an Erdős number
of 3.
faculty in 1965 and has been there ever since. In 1983, he became the first director of the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project
, which is responsible for the Everyday Mathematics
program (also called "Chicago math"). He founded Seminars for Elementary Specialists and Mathematics Educators (SESAME) in 1992. He co-founded the Young Scholars Program with Dr. Diane Herrmann in 1988, providing mathematical enrichment for gifted Chicago-area students in grades 7–12.
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 the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
,
where he is the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
His research areas are p-adic analysis
P-adic analysis
In mathematics, p-adic analysis is a branch of number theory that deals with the mathematical analysis of functions of p-adic numbers....
and representation theory
Representation theory
Representation theory is a branch of mathematics that studies abstract algebraic structures by representing their elements as linear transformations of vector spaces, and studiesmodules over these abstract algebraic structures...
.
He has created several programs at the University of Chicago to improve the preparation of school mathematics teachers.
Paul Sally is seen by many as "a legendary math professor at the University of Chicago".
Life and education
Sally was born in the RoslindaleRoslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan.It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby Jamaica Plain...
neighborhood of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
on January 29, 1933. He was a star basketball player at Boston College High School
Boston College High School
Founded in 1863, Boston College High School is an all-male Jesuit Roman Catholic college preparatory secondary school with historical ties to Boston College. It has an enrollment in grades 7-12 of approximately 1,500 students and is located on a campus on Morrissey Boulevard in the Dorchester...
. He received his BS
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
and MS
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degrees from Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
in 1954 and 1956. After a short career in Boston area high schools and at Boston College he entered the first class of mathematics graduate students at Brandeis
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
in 1957 and received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1965. During his graduate career he married Judith D. Sally
Judith D. Sally
Judith D. Sally is a Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Northwestern University. Her research is in Commutative Algebra.-Career:...
and had three children in three years.. The oldest David is a Visiting Associate Professor of Business Administration at Tuck School of Business
Tuck School of Business
The Amos Tuck School of Business Administration is the graduate business school of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States...
at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Stephen is a partner at Ropes & Gray, and the youngest Paul is Assistant Superintendent For Curriculum and Instruction at New Trier High School
New Trier High School
New Trier High School is a public four-year high school , with its major campus located in Winnetka, Illinois, USA, and a second campus in Northfield, Illinois, with freshman classes and district administration...
Sally has been a type 1 diabetic
Diabetes mellitus type 1
Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose...
since he was fifteen.
He wears an eye patch and has two prosthetic legs, which has caused him to be widely referred to as "Professor Pirate", and "The Math Pirate" around the University of Chicago campus. He is known to detest cell phones in class and has destroyed several over the years by inviting students to stomp on them or by throwing them out of a window. Also, if a student asks to change the date of his or her final, he responds by saying: "There are two ways I will change your final. One: You must be dead. Two: It must be the day of your funeral." Paul Sally has an Erdős number
Erdos number
The Erdős number describes the "collaborative distance" between a person and mathematician Paul Erdős, as measured by authorship of mathematical papers.The same principle has been proposed for other eminent persons in other fields.- Overview :...
of 3.
Career
Sally joined the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
faculty in 1965 and has been there ever since. In 1983, he became the first director of the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project
University of Chicago School Mathematics Project
The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project is a multi-faceted project of the University of Chicago intended to improve competency in mathematics in the United States by elevating educational standards for children in elementary and secondary schools...
, which is responsible for the Everyday Mathematics
Everyday Mathematics
Everyday Mathematics is a pre-K and elementary school mathematics curriculum developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project....
program (also called "Chicago math"). He founded Seminars for Elementary Specialists and Mathematics Educators (SESAME) in 1992. He co-founded the Young Scholars Program with Dr. Diane Herrmann in 1988, providing mathematical enrichment for gifted Chicago-area students in grades 7–12.
Awards
- Amoco Foundation Award for Long-Term Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, 1995
- American Mathematical SocietyAmerican Mathematical SocietyThe American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
Distinguished Service Award, 2000 - Deborah and Franklin Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of MathematicsDeborah and Franklin Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of MathematicsThe Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics are awards given by the Mathematical Association of America to recognize college or university teachers "who have been widely recognized as extraordinarily successful and whose teaching...
of the Mathematical Association of AmericaMathematical Association of AmericaThe Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure and applied mathematicians; computer scientists;...
, 2002