Stefan E. Warschawski
Encyclopedia
Stefan E. Warschawski (April 18, 1904 – May 5, 1989) was a mathematician, a professor and department chair at the University of Minnesota
and the founder of the mathematics department at the University of California, San Diego
.
Warschawski was born in Lida
, now in Belarus
; at the time of his birth Lida was part of the Russian Empire
. His father was a Russian medical doctor, and his mother was ethnically German; the family spoke German at home. In 1915, his family moved to Königsberg
, in Prussia
(now Kaliningrad
, Russia
), the home of his mother's family; Warchawski studied at the University of Königsberg
until 1926 and then moved to the University of Göttingen for his doctoral studies under the supervision of Alexander Ostrowski
. Ostrowski soon moved to the University of Basel
and Warschawski followed him there to complete his studies. After receiving his Ph.D., Warschawski took a position at Göttingen in 1930 but, due to the rise of Hitler and his own Jewish ancestry, he soon moved to Utrecht University
in Utrecht
, The Netherlands and then Columbia University
in New York City
. After a sequence of temporary positions, he found a permanent faculty position at Washington University in St. Louis
in 1939. During World War II
he moved to Brown University
and then the University of Minnesota, where he remained until his 1963 move to San Diego, where he was the founding chair of the mathematics department. Warschawski stepped down as chair in 1967, and retired in 1971, but remained active in research: approximately one third of his research publications were written after his retirement. Over the course of his career, he advised 19 Ph.D. students, all but one at either Minnesota or San Diego.
He was known for his research on complex analysis
and in particular on conformal map
s. He also made contributions to the theory of minimal surface
s and harmonic function
s. The Noshiro–Warschawski theorem is named after Warschawski and Noshiro, who discovered it independently; it states that, if ƒ is an analytic function
on the open unit disk such that the real part of its first derivative is positive, then ƒ is one-to-one. In 1980 he solved the Visser
-Ostrowski
problem for derivatives of conformal mappings at the boundary.
Warschawski was honored in 1978 by the creation of the Stefan E. Warschawski Assistant Professorship at San Diego. The Stephen E. Warschawski Memorial Scholarship was also given in his name in 1999–2000 to four UCSD undergraduates as a one-time award. His wife, Ilse, died in 2009 and left a US$1 million bequest to UCSD, part of which went towards endowing a professorship in the mathematics department.
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and the founder of the mathematics department at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
.
Warschawski was born in Lida
Lida
Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :...
, now in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
; at the time of his birth Lida was part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. His father was a Russian medical doctor, and his mother was ethnically German; the family spoke German at home. In 1915, his family moved to Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, in Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
(now Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
), the home of his mother's family; Warchawski studied at the University of Königsberg
University of Königsberg
The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....
until 1926 and then moved to the University of Göttingen for his doctoral studies under the supervision of Alexander Ostrowski
Alexander Ostrowski
Alexander Markowich Ostrowski , was a mathematician.His father Mark having been a merchant, Alexander Ostrowski attended the Kiev College of Commerce, not a high school, and thus had an insufficient qualification to be admitted to university...
. Ostrowski soon moved to the University of Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
and Warschawski followed him there to complete his studies. After receiving his Ph.D., Warschawski took a position at Göttingen in 1930 but, due to the rise of Hitler and his own Jewish ancestry, he soon moved to Utrecht University
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, The Netherlands and then 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 City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After a sequence of temporary positions, he found a permanent faculty position 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...
in 1939. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he moved to Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and then the University of Minnesota, where he remained until his 1963 move to San Diego, where he was the founding chair of the mathematics department. Warschawski stepped down as chair in 1967, and retired in 1971, but remained active in research: approximately one third of his research publications were written after his retirement. Over the course of his career, he advised 19 Ph.D. students, all but one at either Minnesota or San Diego.
He was known for his research on complex analysis
Complex analysis
Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates functions of complex numbers. It is useful in many branches of mathematics, including number theory and applied mathematics; as well as in physics,...
and in particular on conformal map
Conformal map
In mathematics, a conformal map is a function which preserves angles. In the most common case the function is between domains in the complex plane.More formally, a map,...
s. He also made contributions to the theory of minimal surface
Minimal surface
In mathematics, a minimal surface is a surface with a mean curvature of zero.These include, but are not limited to, surfaces of minimum area subject to various constraints....
s and harmonic function
Harmonic function
In mathematics, mathematical physics and the theory of stochastic processes, a harmonic function is a twice continuously differentiable function f : U → R which satisfies Laplace's equation, i.e....
s. The Noshiro–Warschawski theorem is named after Warschawski and Noshiro, who discovered it independently; it states that, if ƒ is an analytic function
Analytic function
In mathematics, an analytic function is a function that is locally given by a convergent power series. There exist both real analytic functions and complex analytic functions, categories that are similar in some ways, but different in others...
on the open unit disk such that the real part of its first derivative is positive, then ƒ is one-to-one. In 1980 he solved the Visser
Visser
Visser may refer to:* Visser, a companion novel from the Animorphs sci-fi series, and also a term used within the continuity of the series to denote a Yeerk of high status or rank in the military of the Yeerk Empire...
-Ostrowski
Ostrowski
-People:* Alexander Ostrowski, a German - Swiss mathematician, born in a Jewish family from Ukraine* Antoni Jan Ostrowski, a Polish nobleman and military figure* Cezary Ostrowski, a Polish composer* Frank Ostrowski, a German programmer...
problem for derivatives of conformal mappings at the boundary.
Warschawski was honored in 1978 by the creation of the Stefan E. Warschawski Assistant Professorship at San Diego. The Stephen E. Warschawski Memorial Scholarship was also given in his name in 1999–2000 to four UCSD undergraduates as a one-time award. His wife, Ilse, died in 2009 and left a US$1 million bequest to UCSD, part of which went towards endowing a professorship in the mathematics department.